First Triathlon Post-Donation!

So, to anyone who reads this blog and is contemplating a kidney donation – I just want you to know that yesterday – I completed an Olympic-distance triathlon, and I’m just shy of six months post-donation!

I’m very grateful to my husband, my friends, my coach, and the people in my triathlon club for their support as I trained for this race. It’s odd, but since you don’t really notice the fact that you are missing a kidney in your day-to-day life, it’s hard to realize that you’ve come a long way. I say that because, as elated as I am that I was able to complete this race, I was still a tad disappointed in my finish time (five minutes slower than last year). But I shouldn’t be disappointed! I need to have the right perspective on it! I did so well — given the donation and how soon this was post-donation. So, I’m trying to leave it at that  

I’ve been training more consistently this year over last year. And, I think that’s one reason why I felt like I should have done better. But the truth is my training has been heavily focused on the swim and bike, and not quite as much on the run. I was definitely running a lot more at this time last year. I had done a half-marathon and was about to do a full marathon by this time last year. So far this year, I haven’t run more than 10 miles at once. But the other thing is, I’m just running slower than last year. In general. That is one thing I have really noticed. If you are a runner and are contemplating donation, there is a good chance you will be slower for a while. Maybe it doesn’t last forever, maybe I need to give it more time, or maybe it’s also partly because I’m older  or something. But I really think this is a difference I am noticing. On the good side, I still feel like I can run for a long time, just slowly.

All in all, though, I am totally pleased and ready to focus on my next race. I accomplished my goal by showing I could still do it, and I hope it’s also encouraging to others out there!

-Jenn

More Than Four Months Post-Surgery

Well, Blogosphere, I apologize for the long delay between posts… but, I finally have something to say about my ongoing life following a kidney donation to my Stepdad.

I’ve been steadily training for my upcoming triathlon season. My training had been going really well up until a couple of weeks ago. Nothing seriously bad happened, but as I started to try to push things beyond what I was doing (i.e., longer/faster running, hillier bike rides, etc.) – I found that I hit a couple of walls. My body said, whoa, wait a minute. So, I had to admit that I’m not totally back to normal yet.

I’ve heard that it takes about a year to get back to normal. So, I shouldn’t be disappointed at all. I’m doing great after only four months. But it’s still difficult to admit that you can’t do everything you want. You feel normal. In fact, I have to remind myself sometimes that I even donated a kidney! And, I don’t think it’s all down to having only one kidney. I think the big thing is just my body adjusting after having surgery. It’s still getting back on track, and I just don’t realize it. I’m not sure if I’m over-doing it or not. But I think there are a couple of things I could be better about…

I need to get more rest/sleep in general. I also need to drink more water. I already drink a lot, but I can tell that I need even more. And, finally, I need to try to stop having so much caffeine. I’m really, really bad about that. But I can’t stand feeling tired/sleepy. And with my training schedule, I tend to have caffeine in order to keep up with everything. I really don’t know how I’m going to improve in that area, but it’s definitely in the back of my mind. No one told me that I needed to give up caffeine following my donation. So, this is just based on my own instincts.

Well, other than that, I can report that my stepfather, Gary, is still doing really well. I think he stopped walking (for fitness) some during the colder months but is back to walking more now. I sure hope he keeps that up and continues to live a wonderful, healthy life – free from dialysis! He’s always sending me well wishes from my kidney.

To other donors and potential donors out there — Be well!

-Jenn

More than two months since my kidney donation

It has been about 70 days since I donated my left kidney to my stepfather, Gary. I’m happy to report that we are both doing really well. In fact, I sometimes have to remind myself that I even donated. My stepdad started walking for exercise after the surgery, and he continues to do that. He has also gained a little weight, since he can eat more of the things that he likes now.

I have returned to my triathlon training. I’m swimming up to 2,000 yards in my workouts and running up to six miles. My cycling has just been so-so, but that will improve as Spring approaches. I need to up my running, but I’ve tried to not push myself too much.

One thing has lingered after the surgery. It is not impeding me at all, but it is worth mentioning so other donors can know about it… I noticed a bruise-like pain on the outside of my left hip/thigh a few days after surgery. I figured it would go away just like the other odd pains I had. But even a month later, it was still there. My surgeon had me get an ultrasound to rule out a blood clot, which was unlikely anyway. That came out negative, and I was relieved. But it still bothered me that I didn’t know what the pain was. Finally, another donor told me about nerve damage she had following surgery. It turns out that there are nerve bundles where the kidney is that run down into the groin and thigh areas. Apparently, one of these nerves got damaged, and now I have this weird pain, which I only feel when that part of my thigh is touched.

Perhaps it will eventually go away, but for now, it’s totally not a problem. I couldn’t feel more blessed. To think that my stepdad has a more normal life now and no dialysis, and I have my normal life back also… Well, it really couldn’t be any better.

As I move toward my six-month checkup, I plan to be as good as I can about drinking water. It’s always been important, but for the rest of my life, it will be even more important. By the time I go to Atlanta for my checkup, I will have done my first triathlon of the season. It will feel good to have gotten to that point before I see the doctors again!

Cheers,
Jenn

Four Weeks after My Kidney Donation

Tomorrow marks the four-week (one-month) point after my kidney donation.

So, how do I and my recipient feel? Well, we are both doing great. I went back to work last week, to include my morning stops at the gym. Every morning, I walked on the treadmill with a pretty good incline (set at 10), and I also spent some time on the stationary bicycle. I made it through each day just fine. And, it was only on Friday evening – when I stayed out late – that I felt some of the fatigue I had been worried about. So, my note to myself is that I need to make sure I’ve had more sleep before I stay out late. It was a lot of fun, though!

My recipient (stepdad) has continued his walking routine and is doing well with it. He’s more active now than he was before the surgery. I believe he is walking about 1.5 miles, if not closer to 2, each day. I’m so happy that he and my mom are enjoying getting out and feeling great!

And the best news is that yesterday, I got out on a bicycle for the first time since my surgery. We had amazingly nice weather for early January, and my husband and a friend and I rode about 35 miles, with some gradual hills. I did feel a little discomfort being in the biking position (leaning over to hold the handlebars), but it wasn’t too bad. (I ride a tri bike; so I decided not to get into the aero bars too much because of this discomfort.) I also think I engaged my ab. muscles more than I realized I would. So, I have some minor pain from that. My ab. muscles are clearly not ready for much yet. But, overall, I felt good and able to ride, which is great.

Up until yesterday, I had not had any alcohol since my surgery. I just didn’t want to ingest anything that would be unhealthy. But yesterday evening, my husband and I went out for Mexican food, and I had a margarita. It was really good, but I did feel a little below par this morning. Overall, I’ve decided not to be much of a drinker going forward. I’m sure it wouldn’t be too harmful to have something every now and then, but I need to be nice to my body!

Well, that’s all the news for now. Until next time…
-JB

Three Weeks after My Kidney Donation

So, today marks the three-week point after my kidney donation surgery (hand-assisted laparoscopic nephrectomy).

This week was my first back in my own home, as I spent the fist two weeks recovering at my Mom’s house. I spent this week getting back into household chores and such. It is hard to remind yourself not to lift anything over 10 lbs., and you notice how much you use your abs for silly things like putting sheets on a bed and cleaning.

But, luckily, my husband has been around to help carry groceries and stuff. I’m also back to driving my car, which isn’t a big deal at all. I’ve been walking up to 4 miles the last couple of days, and the only thing I still notice is the need to go to bed early each night. New Year’s Eve should be interesting! I’m not sure I can make it to midnight

All in all the use of my ab muscles has been the biggest thing I’ve noticed this late in recovery. It’s just going to take a good while until they are back to normal. But if that’s the only thing I have an issue with, I certainly can’t complain! I still have some minor pain, but not anything bad enough to even take Tylenol for.

My stepdad (kidney recipient) got his staples out yesterday and is recovering nicely. He is also walking a lot and has gone up to 1.5 miles, which is great for him! I’m so happy for him!

I go back to work next week. I’m glad I took another week, as I really could have overdone it and hurt something. For other people considering donation, I would say that a two-week recovery might be possible, but if you have the option, definitely try to take a full three weeks for recovery. And some people might need as much as six weeks. I’m glad I don’t, though, because I would totally go crazy by then!

Cheers & Happy New Year!
-JB

Kidney Donation: Two Weeks after Donation

Today is the two-week anniversary for me and my stepdad, Gary, following our kidney donation/transplant surgeries. I’m happy to report that we are both doing well.

Yesterday, we both went to our follow-up appointments and got good reports from our doctors.

One big number to watch is the creatinine level in our blood. A normal level for someone with two kidneys is between 0.44 and 1.03. But in our case, we will have a new normal level after our single kidneys get used to their new workload. Here are my creatinine numbers:

Before the nephrectomy: 0.74
The day after the nephrectomy: 1.4
Two weeks after the nephrectomy: 1.23

It will be a while before we know what my “new normal” is. But it’s a good sign that it’s going down. That means my single kidney is slowly doing a better job filtering my blood.

My stepdad’s creatinine after the surgery was 1.2 and has gone up to 1.4. So, we are going to watch that. We hope it’s just a matter of his needing to hydrate more, but we’ll see what the doctor says. (To be honest, we don’t know what would help, but hydrating more couldn’t hurt.)

My blood pressure has always been good, and yesterday it was 120/80. So, that seems okay so far.

My recovery has gone well overall. I still have some pain in my abdomen and some weird pains I can’t explain. These are on the outside of my hips, on one elbow, and in the lower left side of my back. All these weird pains are like a burning sensation, a cross between a bruise feeling and almost a rash feeling. It’s hard to describe. Nothing is visible on the skin, so who knows what it is. Perhaps it has to do with how I was positioned on the OR table or how I am sleeping or something. But since my lab work looked okay yesterday, I’m not overly concerned and just hope they go away eventually. I’m trying to give up the pain medication completely and only take Tylenol as needed. I was off the pain meds completely, but then I went back on them with these pains.

That’s all for now. Time to go for our daily walk. It’s Christmastime, so I wish all who might read this soon the nicest Christmas ever!
-JB

A Week & Two Days after Kidney Donation

In my last post, I mentioned giving up my pain medication. Well since then, I’ve made the mistake of over-doing it and have had to take some of my Lortabs here and there the past few days. I’ve mainly taken them at night, so I can sleep.

I overdid it by not giving myself enough rest during the day and also by engaging my abdominal muscles too much. At least, that’s my theory. I hope I haven’t done any serious damage. I feel pain in my lower abdomen, between my main incision (for hand-assisted laparoscopic nephrectomy) and the lower side-port incision. The pain does not seem to be from the incisions, but something deeper. So that’s why I think it’s my abdominal muscles, either that or gas in my intestines. Also, I’ve had weird twinges of pain in one elbow, my hip, and other strange spots that don’t seem related to the area where I was operated on. I’m not sure what that is.

I’m going to see how things go and ask about it all at my follow-up appointment in just four days from now. If it gets worse, I’ll call the clinic. But so far, it’s not so bad as to force me to take the max on the pain medication (two Lortabs). I’ve only taken one at a time, and that has been enough. When I can, I go without it, so even better.

My mind does spin sometimes, thinking of all the worst-case scenarios that it could be. But since I don’t have any other problems ( i.e., no fever, shortness of breath, extreme weakness), I think it must be just typical post-operative pain.

I’ll keep the blog posted on any developments. In the meantime, I should once again note how grateful I am to those who continue to follow up with me to see how I’m doing. I continue to receive gifts, cards, emails and so forth. My donor buddy checked up on me at my one-week point, and that was sweet. It’s hard to believe that it’s already coming up on two weeks!

-JB

TMI: First Week of Recovery after Kidney Donation

For those who might be reading this blog because they are considering donating a kidney, this post may be of interest; for others, this may be TMI…

So, it is my third full day home after the donation. While I was in the hospital, the nurses wanted me to have a bowel movement or at least pass gas, so they could know my digestive system was back in business before they would discharge me. Luckily, I did have a very small “BM” the day after surgery. But although it was good enough to get me a ticket out of there, it didn’t amount to much.

Therefore, my focus over the last few days has been on relieving some really uncomfortable constipation. I’ve had prunes, lemon water, tons of regular water, stool softeners and other such remedies. But not until today, when I had stopped taking my pain meds and went for an extra long walk, was I able to finally GO! I was so happy. Five days’ worth of you-know-what – finally out of my system! So, I wanted to share my experience in case it is useful to others.

I recommend lots of water, lots of walking, and giving up your pain meds once you are able. Don’t force yourself or do any of this before you are ready. Also, be aware of over-laughing… My husband is hilarious, but I had to declare a humor moratorium, because laughing is still too painful and was even worse while constipated. Maybe I will be able to handle it again in a few days
-JB

Discharged and Back Home after Kidney Donation Surgery

It is Monday, and I am back home at my Mom’s place following my kidney donation surgery, which was on Friday. My first night sleeping in a regular bed (instead of a hospital bed) was kind of rough. I have a husband pillow and all kinds of other pillows to prop me up, but it was still a little tough finding a comfortable position. My husband was great about lowering me down to a reclining position and getting up throughout the night to help me get to the bathroom. When he lowers me down, it is really hardly to get myself to resist trying to engage my abdomen muscles. But it’s so painful when you do. I’m getting better about it. In general, I prefer to sit up when I can.

Today, I got up at 6 am and had breakfast: half a yogurt, two prunes, a few Cheerios, and a cup of coffee. I was hoping the prunes and coffee would help move my bowels, but no luck so far. I know they are active down there, just not producing anything yet. I’ll have to be patient. I am taking a pain killer (Lortab) every four hours, as well as an antibiotic and a stool softener. They said I had a minor urinary tract infection, so that’s why I’m on the antibiotic. I did not notice it, but maybe that’s why I am peeing so much.

After that, Craig and I went outside for a short walk with the dogs. Then, I came back in and took a shower, brushed my teeth and dried my hair. I feel like a new person! I have to try not to overdo it. So, now, I am resting in bed. I hope to get a nap in and then possibly work on Christmas cards. I’m way behind on that stuff.

All in all, I am so thankful to be feeling this well. I hope it continues like this. My stepdad is supposed to come home tomorrow!
-JB

Feeling a little better: Day 2 after Kidney Donation

My post from earlier today was written while I was in more pain. Now, I’m feeling better.

The main sensation I have is as if I have this huge gas bubble in my abdomen. I wish I could roll over onto my stomach to relieve it, but that won’t be possible for quite some time. So I just keep pressing a pillow against my stomach. It helps a little.

I have to pee about every two hours. I’m still on an IV, so that is just adding to whatever I drink. But the good thing is that if I have to get up to pee, then I get moving and often just go for a walk around the transplant unit afterward. My stepdad has also been up walking. I’m so thankful that he is doing so well!

I’m also thankful for my husband, Craig! He has been so caring and helpful. Of course, he also makes me laugh all the time, which is really, really painful! But I forgive him

Another person that I can’t thank enough is my friend Crystal. She drove down from Knoxville and stayed through my first night in the hospital. She helped me clean myself up and put my toiletries out and generally made me feel comfortable. She is soooo sweet! I am so blessed with great friends and family!