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FAQ |
Welcome to the FAQ page. Please mail any donations to: Or donate through Paypal and Credit Cards below: Living donors are lving friends/family who donate a kidney. The advantage of getting a living donor is the average long-term success rates tend to be higher with living donations than with cadaveric donors. In living donation, transplant surgery can be scheduled at a time that is convenient for both the donor and the recepient. The last advantage is that, in most cases, the transplant is much sooner than waiting for a kidney from the cadaveric waiting list. The disadvantage is theat the live donor must be in good health and will have to have surgery to remove that kidney that will be transplanted. Yeah people we are going to have to slice into you for that. This requires a visit to the hospital for about two to five days, depending on the type of surgey done to remove the kidney. Also the hospital where the transplant will take place is going to be in Gainesville, FL or Birmingham, AL. I prefer Gainesville, it's a happier place. Donors can usually return to their normal lifestyles in several weeks without anymore risk of illness than the general population. Picking the right kidney: First step is to check compatibility. We must have compatible blood/tissue types. They do a test, to test our antigens, if those are compatible, it's a go! Antigens are markers on your cells that are specific to you. I know, more info on this would be nice. Hey Brandy, could you hook me up with this part? Are you donor material? You must be emotionally and physically healthy to be a donor. Yes, considering my disposition, Im going to be picky. Any major medical or psychological problems will disqualify you. This includes peeps who have a history of high blood pressure, cancer, urinary tract infection, diabetes, kidney stones, alcoholism, drug abuse or a positive blood test for hepatitis or AIDS. Yep, I slim pickings! Payment: You will not be responsible for any evaluation or surgery bills. I will! So if you can't hook me up with a kidney please donate to www.jefbondkidneyfoundation.org Donor Evaluation: This part is freaking long. To be considered as a donor, we must make sure that you are healthy and not mental case. The evaluation can be done in your local area. You will need to have a Renal Ultrasound-This test will show the size, shape, and location of your kidneys. There is no pain or discomfort from this test and it takes about an hour. If your lucky the technician will be cute! Blood Tests: You will have several tubes of blood drawn to check your blood count, chemistry, immune system. You will also be tested for HIV and hepatits. Fasting Blood Sugar: Blood will be drawn to measure this. You will not be able to eat or drink anything from midnight until after this test, the next morning. This includes gums, mints, coffee, juice, ect.... Chest X-Ray: Picture of your heart and lungs, always required before any surgery requiring genreal anesthesia. ECG: this test measures the electrical activity in your heart. An ECG can show if you have any abnormal heart beats or heart problems. Yep we could be opening up a whole can of worms you weren't prepaired for. Urine Tests: On the day of your eval, a urine sample will be taken. This will be the first and only time you don't bring a friends pee in..... ;) Renal CT Scan: A 3D view of your kidneys to make sure they are ok. It will take about an hour. You will be asked you have an allergy to iodine or shellfish. If you have these allergies, you must let the coordinator know a week before the procedure. The technician(hopefully a hottie) will start an IV to administer dye during the scan. when the dye is injected, you may experince flushing, a metallic taste, headache, or burning at the IV site. You must stay still during the procedure. No biggie, especially if your technician is a hottie! Renal Arteriogram: It permits the doctors to see arteries and veins of the kidney. This X-ray uses dye also. An area in the region of your upper thigh will be numbed. then a doctor will place a small, plastic catheter into one of your arteries to instill the dye. You will be given some happy pills to help you relax. After the procedure, the catheter will be removed, pressure will be applied for about 15 minutes to prevent bleeding. You must keep your leg straight for 6 to 8 hours, and a nurse(hopefully a hottie) will check your bloodpressure and pulse frequently during that time. Physical Exam: Your height, weight, temp, pulse, and blood pressure will be measured. You will seen by a physician who will ask you about your past and present health and examine you. (The doctors are not usually hot). Psycho Testing: This is done to make sure you are fully aware of what you are doing. That you understand that kidney donation is done from true commitment and without any guarantees. There are no guarantees on how long or how well the donated kidney will function or wot your course of recovery will be like after donating your kidney. Both the donor and me must understand this and be able to deal with anything that happens. Results of Eval: One to two weeks after your eval, all of the tests will be presented before the transplant team. the team is made up of our coordinator, doctors, and other staff who help in the care of us. After the team meets our coordinator(Joni) will have a little chat with us. Donor Surgery: B/C you will be admitted to the hospital after the transplant, you will need to be seen 1 -2 days before surgery in the anesthesia and surgery clinics to have your final testing done. The surgeon will examine you again, explain the procedure, and getyour permission to do the surgery. An anethesiologist from the surgical team will get your permission to knock you out. You will have blodd drawn, chest x-ray, and ecg again. You will be given some laxatives before the surgery. On the day of the transplant you will report to ambulatory surgery waiting area at the scheduled time. You will be admitted. If you have family or friends who would like to visit that's cool they have to adbide by the rules. Two types of surgery for removing a kidney: The most common and preferred is a laparoscopic donor nephrectomy(say that 20 times). You might want to google this. They use very small incisions, the recovery time is short, and the pain isn't too bad. You might want to ask my number one friend (Hag) about this procedure. She is the one that gave me the hook up the first time around and this the type of surgery she had. She told me it was no big deal. The other type not so great, Open surgery. I know very little about it. I would be surprised if they were still doing that procedure. Complications: Less than 1% of any major complications. There is always a chance of complications with any major surgery. After The Transplant: For the first day or two you will have a catheter in you to help you empty your bladder, IV tubes in you to help keep you hydrated and medicated, and happy pills to keep the pain under control. Youwill be out of the hospital in two or three days. But Im going to stay for about a week. Pain: It will be managed with happy pills Home Sweet Home: You will not be able to drive for about 3 to 4 weeks after the surgery. Can't lift more that 10 pounds. About six weeks full recovery. Plan accordingly. If you are willing to go thru all this, just let me know. If you have questions, just ask. Thank you for your support. |
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