I read on another blog recently of a new malady that affects some/most(?) kidney donors. It certainly describes me very well! It is called "Emotional Incontinence" which is the tendency one has to well up at almost any mention of the operation and, more specifically, at every mention of how well the recipient is doing.
In my case, it's my brother and he really is doing amazingly well - you hear about how someone needs a kidney donated in order to get their life back but it is absolutely true! We in the wider family did not realise how unwell he was, but his (adult) children certainly knew. Basically he took ages to wake up, then a long time to get up, followed by a breakfast and off to work feeling bad. Then he would work for a few hours before giving up and going home early, leaving others to correct his mistakes. Going out in the evenings was almost impossible as he was so tired and he would languish in bed for hours before doing it all over again.
So when you get e-mails describing how many things he has done at the weekend, like clearing the garage, going to the tip, painting a room etc, you start to realise just what his life was missing before the operation. (Now I'm starting to well up as I type!) One e-mail from him was about getting up in the morning and making his wife a cup of tea. "There
is absolutely nothing strange in that, except for the past 18
months that has never happened. Previously after 8 hours solid
sleep a cup of tea would arrive to wake me and 40 minutes
later I would be able to keep my eyes open. After waking up
every morning with pain in my legs, back, chest or neck (or
even all 4) and heavy limbs it is a pleasure to lie in bed at
ease in my own body with no pain - it has all gone overnight."
Nothing beats an e-mail like this one from his 25 year old daughter which says "Last year we were doing well if Dad was still awake in the afternoon!
We will always be so thankful for what you did for our family- giving
us our Dad and Grandaddy back. Words cannot express the impact that
you've had on Dad, Mum, me and the boys, other halves and
grandchildren." I think any readers should be welling up as well after that!
Anyway, I had my 6 monthly check at the GP recently. Nothing to report really - everything is very constant (even if my eGFR is a bit LESS than his!) But it's always nice to know that in fact I still have absolutely no after effects of the donation, and am just as well as I ever was - after all, that's why we get so much testing before the op, isn't it?
