what happens if you donate your kindey

by Jon Kovacek 6 min read

Kidney donors typically experience a 20 to 30 percent decrease in kidney function (as measured by the glomerular filtration rate) after donation. The remaining kidney compensates for the loss of one kidney, through a process called hyperfiltration.

What are the risks of kidney donation?

“There, the surgeon connects the renal artery and vein of the new kidney to the recipient’s artery and vein. This creates blood flow through the kidney, which makes urine. The ureter, or tube coming down from the donor kidney, is sewn into the bladder. Usually, the new kidney will start working right away.

What can I expect emotionally after donating a kidney?

May 05, 2020 · Kidney donation involves major surgery and there are risks, including bleeding and infection. But the overwhelming majority of kidney donors recover with minimal complications. After your kidney is removed (nephrectomy), you'll usually stay only overnight in the hospital and complete your recovery at home.

How does living donation affect the donor?

Jan 02, 2022 · Like any surgery, kidney donation carries the risk of surgical complications like blood clots and others, but these risks are low. You will lose a certain percentage of your kidney function after donation. This sounds scary, but after the surgery your remaining kidney will get bigger and you wont notice any difference.

What are the benefits of kidney donation?

Kidney donors typically experience a 20 to 30 percent decrease in kidney function (as measured by the glomerular filtration rate) after donation. The remaining kidney compensates for the loss of one kidney, through a process called hyperfiltration. Other complications that may occur in the long-term following surgery to donate a kidney include:

image

Does donating a kidney shorten your life?

Donating a kidney does not affect a person's life expectancy. On the contrary, studies show that people who donate a kidney outlive the average population. Twenty years after donating, 85 percent of kidney donors were still alive, while the expected survival rate was 66 percent.

Can you live a normal life after donating a kidney?

Many kidney donors live a regular life after kidney donation. Donation doesn't affect the function or survival of your remaining kidney. Instead, your remaining kidney may increase in capacity by an average of 22.4%.Nov 2, 2021

Is donating a kidney worth it?

Donors reported their quality of life was “excellent.” Kidney donors tend to be healthier than the average person, able to tolerate surgery well and return to a healthy lifestyle. Potential donors are screened for high blood pressure and diabetes, two of the main causes of kidney disease.

What do you lose when you donate a kidney?

If you are thinking about donating a kidney, you should know that: On average, you will permanently lose 25-35% of your kidney function after donating. Your risk of having kidney failure later in your life is not any higher that it is for someone in the general population of a similar age, sex or race.

Can a kidney grow back?

It was thought that kidney cells didn't reproduce much once the organ was fully formed, but new research shows that the kidneys are regenerating and repairing themselves throughout life. Contrary to long-held beliefs, a new study shows that kidneys have the capacity to regenerate themselves.Jun 19, 2014

Can I drink alcohol with one kidney?

Alcohol affects all of your body's organs. However, the effects of alcohol on one kidney lead to multiple issues. Although drinking one to two drinks a day typically won't be an issue, if you have one kidney, it will. When you drink, you will generally urinate more.Oct 16, 2020

Is kidney donation painful?

How much will it hurt? Everyone is different, but you could be in a lot of pain after the surgery. But it will get easier each day, and there are different types of pain relievers to make you feel better. Shortly after surgery, as your anesthesia wears off, you'll get pain medication through an IV into a vein.Nov 19, 2020

Can a female donate a male kidney?

Our results suggested gender matching for kidney transplant. Only in some exceptional conditions, male donor to female recipient kidney transplant may be successful and female donors to male recipients are not suggested, especially in aged patients with the history of dialysis.Jan 6, 2020

Why do we have 2 kidneys?

They help your bones stay healthy, tell your body when to make new blood cells, and even help you stay upright when you're walking around all day by taking care of your blood pressure. With all those important functions, scientist think having two kidneys must be important for our survival.Nov 26, 2021

How much does it cost to donate a kidney?

Of note, median total costs exceeded $1000 for nearly 75% of donors, $5500 for 25% of donors, and $10,000 for 13% of donors. We also noted differences in costs borne by various groups of donors.

Do kidney donors gain weight?

Overall, among all donors, weight increased significantly following kidney donation from 79.5 ± 2.5 kg to 81.8 ± 2.7 kg at last follow-up (mean difference 2.3 ± 0.9 kg, P < . 0001) (Table 2).May 7, 2019

What is the cost to donate a kidney?

6 Lakh in private hospitals of the country. And post-treatment, the monthly cost is around Rs. 15,000 with the lifelong medicines costing around Rs. 10,000 per month.

What to expect if you donate a kidney?

Most kidney donors recover in the hospital for 2 to 5 days before they head home. You ‘ll probably still have some discomfort for the next week or two, but you ‘ll get a prescription for pain medication to keep you comfortable. Full recovery takes time. You should expect to lay low for at least a month after you donate.

Will I be OK if I donate a kidney?

Most people do not experience health problems as a result of donation. A large study of the long-term effects of kidney donation had good news for people who donate kidneys. Doctors reported that living kidney donors can expect to live full, healthy lives. Donors had very few long-term health problems, in most cases.

How long can you live with one kidney?

This usually takes 25 years or more to happen. There may also be a chance of having high blood pressure later in life. However, the loss in kidney function is usually very mild, and life span is normal. Most people with one kidney live healthy, normal lives with few problems.

What disqualifies you from being a kidney donor?

You must also have normal kidney function. There are some medical conditions that could prevent you from being a living donor. These include having uncontrolled high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, HIV, hepatitis, or acute infections.

Do you gain weight after donating a kidney?

Overall, among all donors, median weight from initial assessment to kidney donation was 0 (−1.8, 1.1) and median weight increased following kidney donation by 2.0 (−0.6, 4.0) kg.

Does donating a kidney shorten your life?

Living donation does not change life expectancy, and does not appear to increase the risk of kidney failure. In general, most people with a single normal kidney have few or no problems; however, you should always talk to your transplant team about the risks involved in donation.

Who pays if you donate a kidney?

Who pays for living donation? Generally, the recipient’s Medicare or private health insurance will pay for the following for the donor ( if the donation is to a family member or friend).

Where are the donor and recipient?

The donor and recipient are in adjacent operating rooms. The transplant surgeon removes the kidney from the donor and prepares it for transplant into the recipient,” according to Barnes-Jewish Hospital. “There, the surgeon connects the renal artery and vein of the new kidney to the recipient’s artery and vein.

How many people are waiting for a kidney transplant?

At least 101,000 of those people are waiting for a kidney transplant. That number may not sound unattainable. But, only 17,000 people actually receive kidney transplants per year, according to the National Kidney Foundation.

How long does a kidney transplant last?

The Procedure. The average kidney transplantation surgery lasts for about three hours. “Shortly before going into surgery, medicine is given to the patients to help them relax. A general anesthetic is then given.

What Happens When Kidneys Stop Working

The kidneys remove waste products from our blood. They also control the levels of salt and fluid in our bodies. Sometimes an illness or a disease, such as high blood pressure or diabetes, can cause the kidneys to fail.

Will I Be Able To Obtain Insurance Coverage After Donation

Your health insurance should not be affected by donation. The Affordable Care Act has made it illegal for health insurance companies to refuse to cover you or charge you more because you have a pre-existing condition.

Work With Your Medical Team

Your surgeon or donor coordinator will schedule a follow-up for you. It usually takes place a few weeks after surgery. âThat appointment is really important, so donât delay or skip it,â says Tim E. Taber, MD, the medical director for kidney transplantation at Indiana University Health.

What Are The Risks Of Being A Living Kidney Donor

Like any surgery, kidney donation carries the risk of surgical complications like blood clots and others, but these risks are low. You will lose a certain percentage of your kidney function after donation. This sounds scary, but after the surgery your remaining kidney will get bigger and you wont notice any difference.

The Financial Consequences Of Donation

Most discussion of the financial impact on living donors focuses on the time before and around the time of donation. But are there longer-term financial consequences of having one kidney? Many LDO visitors have said the answer is yes, and research into the issue confirms it.

Faq: Living Kidney Donor

Most kidneys for transplant are from people who have died and whose families give permission for organ donation. But there aren’t enough of these organs for everyone who needs one. Nationally, more than 70,000 patients are on the kidney transplant waiting list, and more are added each year.

Answers To Common Questions

The team looking after you is not able to contact living donors on your behalf. If you would like a kidney transplant from a living donor, you will need to talk to family and friends and ask if they are interested in giving you a kidney.

What happens to the kidney after donating?

Other complications that may occur in the long-term following surgery to donate a kidney include: Developing a disease that could affect the function of the remaining kidney such as: Diabetes. High blood pressure.

What are the risks of donating kidneys?

Living kidney donors may be at risk for experiencing the following: Disappointment if donating does not improve your relationship with your recipient. Potential donors should not have an expectation of improving relationships by donat ing. Depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder after donation.

How much can you deduct for organ donation in New York?

New York: there is a $ 10,000 organ donation tax deduction. Living donors can deduct up to $10,000 on their state income taxes for donation-related expenses such as travel, lodging, and lost wages. To learn more about tax deductions and credits for living donors, visit the National Kidney Foundation Web site.

What are the medical issues that can be detected by screening?

At times, screening has led to early detection of the potential donor's own medical issues such as kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and cardiac disease, which can benefit from early diagnosis and intervention.

What careers are affected by having a single kidney?

Careers potentially affected by having a single kidney: military, law enforcement, firefighter. Effect of donation on hobbies. Donors should avoid sports with a high risk of collision (such as boxing, martial arts, football, field/ice hockey, lacrosse, rodeo, soccer, wrestling).

What is the National Organ Transplantation Act?

The National Organ Transplantation Act of 1984 specifically prohibits the exchange of "valuable consideration" for a human organ ("It shall be unlawful for any person to knowingly acquire, receive, or otherwise transfer any human organ for valuable consideration for use in human transplantation").

Do kidney donors have a higher quality of life?

To summarize the key findings: Kidney donors tend to have higher quality of life scores after donation, as compared to the general population. This may be related to an increase in the donor's self-esteem and an increased sense of well-being. Donors have similar or improved psychosocial health after donation.

Being a living kidney donor

If you have two healthy kidneys, you may be able to donate one of your kidneys to enhance or save someone else's life. Both you and the recipient of your kidney (the person who got your kidney) can live with just one healthy kidney.

Benefits and risks of living kidney donation

There is no doubt that being a living donor is a huge benefit to the recipient (the person who gets your kidney). Recipients of a living donor kidney usually live longer, healthier lives compared to those who receive a deceased donor kidney (a kidney from someone who has just died).

Living donor surgery

If you want to be a living donor, you will need to have a medical exam with blood tests to be sure you are healthy enough to donate a kidney. Some of the tests needed may include:

Fundraise for AKF

"I gave my brother my kidney and fundraised for AKF so others could get theirs." -Jeremy Smith, kidney donor and KidneyNation fundraiser

Who Can I Give My Kidney To?

You can donate a kidney to a family member or friend who needs one. You can also give it to someone you don't know. Doctors call this a “nondirected” donation, in which case you might decide to meet the person you donate to, or choose to stay anonymous. Either way, doctors will give your kidney to the person who needs it most and is the best match.

Am I Healthy Enough to Donate a Kidney?

Your doctor will do some tests to find out for sure. They’ll check your blood and urine, and may also do an ultrasound or take X-rays of your kidneys. You may not be able to donate if you have medical issues like diabetes or high blood pressure.

What Happens After Surgery?

Your doctor will prescribe medications to help manage your pain. They’ll also want you to get up and start moving around shortly afterward.

How Can I Donate?

If you want to give your kidney to a friend or family member, talk to the doctor at the transplant center. You'll start taking tests to see if you're a match.

How to prepare for a donor?

Plan transportation to and from the hospital. Prepare for your hospital stay, such as pack a bag and collect important papers, like insurance information. If your living donor is a family member, there may be more steps to take as you prepare for surgery.

What are the benefits of a living donor transplant?

One of the benefits of living donor transplant is that you, your donor, and the transplant teams will be able to schedule the surgery at a time that works for you and your living donor.

How long after kidney surgery can you eat?

You won’t be able to eat for a few days after surgery. After about 2-4 days, your doctors will fine-tune your medicines so you can go home. Sometimes a kidney takes several hours to several days to start working. You may need dialysis until it starts working.

What is it called when a doctor puts an IV in your vein?

Doctors will put an IV in your vein. Doctors will retest the kidney to make sure it’s a match before surgery. This is called a crossmatch.

How long before transplant surgery do you have to do a test?

Before the surgery: You will arrange the surgery date ahead of time. You’ll do any tests you need 1-2 weeks before surgery. You’ll come in the morning of the surgery at about the same time as your donor. In the hospital, your transplant team will ask you many questions to prepare you for surgery.

How often do you need dialysis?

You may need dialysis until it starts working. After you go home, your doctors keeps a careful watch over you with checkups and labs tests to make sure the kidney works well and there are no signs of rejection or infection. This can be a few times a week at first and then less often as time goes on.

How to know if you wake up from a transplant?

When you wake up from your surgery, you may: Feel pain near the cuts from your surgery until they heal. Feel like you need to urinate (pee) often or very strongly for a few days if you didn’t urinate often before your transplant. Have trouble passing stool (poop) and need medicines to help.

image

Prognosis

  • People can live normal lives with only one kidney. As long as the donor is evaluated thoroughly and cleared for donation, he or she can lead a normal life after the surgery. When the kidney is removed, the single normal kidney will increase in size to compensate for the loss of the donat
See more on kidney.org

Prevention

  • Physical exercise is healthy and good for you. However, it's important for someone with only one kidney to be careful and protect it from injury. Some doctors think it is best to avoid contact sports like football, boxing, hockey, soccer, martial arts, or wrestling. Wearing protective gear such as padded vests under clothing can help protect the kidney from injury during sports. This can h…
See more on kidney.org

Risks

  • Living donation does not change life expectancy, and does not appear to increase the risk of kidney failure. In general, most people with a single normal kidney have few or no problems; however, you should always talk to your transplant team about the risks involved in donation. Some studies report that living donors may have a greater chance of developing high blood pres…
See more on kidney.org

Criticism

  • However, concerns about the recipient's outcome (as well as the donor's recovery) can contribute to feelings of anxiety, and may donors report a feeling of \"let down\" afterwards. Feelings of depression among living donors are not uncommon, even when both donor and recipient are doing well.
See more on kidney.org

Effects

  • While extensive data on these issues is lacking, some studies have reported the following psychological outcomes:
See more on kidney.org

Results

  • You will also have a scar from the donor operation- the size and location of the scar will depend on the type of operation you have. After donation you should be able to go back to a regular, healthy lifestyle. If you are in good health, there will probably not be any specific dietary restrictions. Talk with your transplant team about your specific dietary needs.
See more on kidney.org

Contraindications

  • Pregnancy after donation is possible but is usually not recommended for at least six months after the donation surgery. Living donors should talk to their ob/gyn and transplant team before getting pregnant about pregnancy and make sure that they have good pre-natal care.
See more on kidney.org