Everything You Need To Know About Kidney Donation
Kidney donation is an altruistic act a person can do in orderto save the lives of others. But it has certain health risks associated with it.
Some living kidney donors have reported thatthey have experienced long-term problems like pain, intestinal obstruction,hernia, and nerve damage. Living kidney donors may be at greater health riskssuch as reduced kidney function, proteinuria, and high blood pressure. Risk ofend-stage renal disease (ESRD) is high in kidney donors in comparison with thegeneral population. However, the overall study suggests that living kidneydonors have almost the same survival rate as that of non-donors.
The life expectancy of Living donors does notchange, and after the surgery, most donors go on to lead healthy, happy andactive lives. Kidney transplant surgery requires less recovery time and living kidneydonors can resume their normal lifestyle within the course of two to six weeks.If we are talking about liver donors, they generally need a time span of aminimum of two months to resume their normal lives. Although transplantationhas a high success rate, chances of complications in the donor and recipientstill exist. Therefore, donors and organ recipients are always advised to takeregular health check-up after surgery.
The liver has the ability of regeneration andto regain its full function. But in living kidney donors, the remaining kidneywill slightly enlarge as it has now to perform the function that both thehealthy kidney shares. As like any other surgery, kidney transplant also hasboth short and long term risks associated with it. Surgical risks includeinfection, pain, pneumonia, blood clots, blood loss, allergic reactions toanesthesia, failure of organ etc. Asmodern surgical techniques are advancing and organ transplantation becomecommon, the chances of complications or risks after surgery continue todecrease.
If after surgery you will go through mixedemotions or struggle to lead a happy life, you can follow the below points:
• Duringyour follow-up visits let your transplant team know how you are feeling bothmentally and physically.
• Talkwith the social worker and other living donors for moral support and guidance.
• Seekprofessional counseling from an expert psychologist.
In many studies, it has also seen that kidneydonors lead a healthier life than the person who has not to donate any organ,as living donor acquire the ability to tolerate surgery well. Before permittingpeople to become an organ donor they have to undergo several tests. The mostcommon question in the mind of kidney donor is “what if I donate my kidney nowand needed it later”. In this case, as per the policy of UNOS, the firstpriority for kidney transplantation will give to the living donor.
Know more about organ donation facts in this article.