Kidney Patient Guide

I had my annual hospital check last this week and asked the neph about this subject, in particular how much fluid I should take daily and whether tea, coffee and beer count. He said that he is happy if I have even just 2 litres per day, and suggested half water/cordial and half tea/coffee, so my 2.5...

Hi Janita I donated my left kidney laprascopically two years ago so I've been through this! See my blog for lots of gory details. The surgeon said to me about the possibility of opening me up if needed. Don't worry though - it's something they have to say to you and the consent form will include it ...

Are both your sisters going? Have they not done a tissue type match yet? In my case that test was done separately on three potential donors and then only one went forward for more testing (after a family discussion as to who was the first choice!). NB The testing can take months so they need to get ...

I'm surprised that they don't overlap the operations - they did at St George's for me and my brother. I thought it was just one of the mitigation factors that the kidney is "uninstalled" for as little time as possible. Or do they just not have the facilities (i.e. two adjacent theatres and...

Dear Liz and Chris I just want to say that I really do feel sorry for you both in your situations. I donated to my brother and we're from a large and yet pretty close family, but even so I don't think any of us family realised just how ill he actually was. The thing is, we just didn't like to ask hi...

Well, I spoke to a transplant nurse this morning and yes, of course, "drink a lot" does apply to donors forever. However, there is no standard of what a "lot" comprises and if you drink too much then it adversely affects your sodium level. Life is a balance , isn't it? So, I'm on...

Hi Craig, welcome to the forum. I donated (almost exactly two years ago) to my brother and we're both doing excellently. I have put a lot of information/advice about the whole donation selection/testing process, as well as the operation itself, on my blog (click the link at the bottom) which I start...

As a donor, I was told to drink a lot after the operation but I am sure I was generally given to understand that this was for the recovery period. I am positive no-one ever said that I should maintain any sort of increased level permanently. However, logically, if recipients have to drink more perma...

I was quite surprised to learn only last year that a family can over-ride the clearly stated wishes of a deceased person who has signed a donor card (etc). It seems daft that they should even ask the family if the person is carrying a card - the consent should at the least be presumed in that case. ...

Every time I see my donor I cry. Every time I go to clinic and he gets mentioned I cry. That works both ways! As a donor, I often feel like crying about my brother - it doesn't take much to set me off. The most spectacular was at the wedding of one of his sons last year, and when he mentioned me in...

Sammie - I donated to my brother, also in Oct 2013; I didn't write a book but I have a blog (http://diaryofakidneydonor.blogspot.co.uk/) as I have been far too busy with a building project! Skyeskye - you are, I am sure, most welcome on here. I'm sorry your husband has had problems. Donors like him,...

Hi Jbell. She has only spoken to the treating doctor about it, and he has expressed that although she is a diabetic she falls within the safety margin. I must also point out that I am from South Africa, and as far as I know, nothing precludes a diabetic patient from donating. To vex matters further...

Thank you all for the replies. I found a graph here http://www.livingdonorsonline.org/HLAData.htm that helps a lot to understand the importance of HLA matching (it's not that important). So I will try and get your advice to trust the doctors. The survival rate graph in your link is very useful. I w...

If you are dehydrated, such as when having a fasting blood test, then your eGFR will be lower (and creatinine higher obviously), but this is a false result and should be ignored. I have twice had my eGFR measured in such a case - once was pre-op and it gave such a low figure (60) that it would have ...

Chris In Trowbridge wrote:Sorry i must have missed this post, thx for reply Matthew, can i ask what age you are, cheers

I'm keeping quiet about my age but I just got a bus pass....