A Kidney for D Scott

Scott’s medical insurance pays for the donor’s evaluation, testing and surgery, so the donor will not incur any medical expenses. If travel expenses are a factor, we are more than willing to cover those.  Time off work does need to be considered, though. Donor r ecovery time is 4-6 weeks.   A new Ohio law gives state employees paid time off work for donating.

Once you are cleared as a donor & matched with Scott, surgery is scheduled within a few weeks. The Week Before Surgery A week before surgery, you and Scott will have blood drawn for final tissue matching, and HIV / Hepatitis testing. Also, you will have a pre-op physical, blood / urine collected for labs, an education session with your coordinator, and a meeting with your donor advocate.  All of this confirms you are physically & mentally stable and prepared for donation. Kidney Donation Surgery - Day 1 When you arrive early the morning the day of surgery, you are admitted and taken to the pre-op area. Medical staff conducts a final exam, draws blood, and places an IV in your arm. These final health checks confirm you are in excellent health for donation. You meet with your surgeon prior to being taken into the operating room, and can address last minute questions / concerns before surgery. You are taken to a pre-surgical area and given medicine to help you relax, a

Surgery is usually performed laparoscopically, meaning smaller incisions, requiring a shorter hospital stay for faster recovery. Most donors go home the day after surgery. About a week after surgery most donors report feeling tired but able to return to normal activities. Driving may resume 1-2 weeks after surgery, and depending on the occupation, can normally return to work after 2-4 weeks. In the first 6 weeks, donors are restricted from lifting anything above 5-10 lbs. After that 6 week period, all normal life activities can resume. Below is a link to the OSU Wexner Center donor assessment form: https://wexnermedical.osu.edu/-/media/files/wexnermedical/patient-care/healthcare-services/transplant/living-donation/living_donor_assessment_form.pdf?la=en&hash=21735EBF158D8447AB7FFD2CC5EBB7DC2532C6B8

What Are the Risks of Donating a Kidney? Life expectancy after donation is the same as that of people with two kidneys. A single kidney is able to meet the body's needs very well as it enlarges to do the work formerly shared by both kidneys. Donors are tested and re-tested prior to surgery to ensure overall good health for the best possible outcomes. Only healthy people are accepted as donors. The safety of the donor is of the utmost importance. Living kidney donation surgery is considered a relatively safe procedure, but it is still a major surgery with the potential for complications. It is recommended that female donors wait at least six months after donation surgery before becoming pregnant.