Re: Recovery from kidney transplant

January 18, 2005

Hi Dieu,

It's so wonderful to hear that will have a second lease in life in a

short time. I'm so very happy that things are going well for all of you. My

prayers will be with you all.

I suppose both and your wife will be at the hospital for 5 days. Maybe

a little longer for with her history of bleeding. Her transplant team

will discuss this more when the tx is near.

My donor (my sister in law) stayed with us while we both recovered. I found it

healthy for both of us. I was always checking on her and she on me. I was quite

easy to be in the same place. After the surgery your wife and will be

in different rooms.

As a caretaker you need to have some time for yourself. It's overwhelming to

take care of both your wife and daughter plus all the cooking and household

chores. Try to ask help if possible. What made it easier on my hubby was so many

of my friends made dinners for us. I think they spoiled us rotten! I had people

bring food for a month!!!! That really helped tremendously.

Very happy for ,

Jing

Dieu Doan wrote:

Hi all, my daughter will receive a transplant soon, maybe in March. My

wife will be the donor. I am trying to plan for their recoveries. I wonder what

the recovery periods for both the receiver and the donor will be like, 1st week,

2nd week, and so on; how long will they be bed-resting; is it a good idea if

they stay in the same household for the duration; and what I should know as a

care taker.

had a history of bleeding, what can be done to prevent that from

happening when she has her transplant?

Thanks,

Dieu

__________________________________________________

January 18, 2005

Hi Dieu,

It's so wonderful to hear that will have a second lease in life in a

short time. I'm so very happy that things are going well for all of you. My

prayers will be with you all.

I suppose both and your wife will be at the hospital for 5 days. Maybe

a little longer for with her history of bleeding. Her transplant team

will discuss this more when the tx is near.

My donor (my sister in law) stayed with us while we both recovered. I found it

healthy for both of us. I was always checking on her and she on me. I was quite

easy to be in the same place. After the surgery your wife and will be

in different rooms.

As a caretaker you need to have some time for yourself. It's overwhelming to

take care of both your wife and daughter plus all the cooking and household

chores. Try to ask help if possible. What made it easier on my hubby was so many

of my friends made dinners for us. I think they spoiled us rotten! I had people

bring food for a month!!!! That really helped tremendously.

Very happy for ,

Jing

Dieu Doan wrote:

Hi all, my daughter will receive a transplant soon, maybe in March. My

wife will be the donor. I am trying to plan for their recoveries. I wonder what

the recovery periods for both the receiver and the donor will be like, 1st week,

2nd week, and so on; how long will they be bed-resting; is it a good idea if

they stay in the same household for the duration; and what I should know as a

care taker.

had a history of bleeding, what can be done to prevent that from

happening when she has her transplant?

Thanks,

Dieu

__________________________________________________

January 18, 2005

Hi Dieu,

It's so wonderful to hear that will have a second lease in life in a

short time. I'm so very happy that things are going well for all of you. My

prayers will be with you all.

I suppose both and your wife will be at the hospital for 5 days. Maybe

a little longer for with her history of bleeding. Her transplant team

will discuss this more when the tx is near.

My donor (my sister in law) stayed with us while we both recovered. I found it

healthy for both of us. I was always checking on her and she on me. I was quite

easy to be in the same place. After the surgery your wife and will be

in different rooms.

As a caretaker you need to have some time for yourself. It's overwhelming to

take care of both your wife and daughter plus all the cooking and household

chores. Try to ask help if possible. What made it easier on my hubby was so many

of my friends made dinners for us. I think they spoiled us rotten! I had people

bring food for a month!!!! That really helped tremendously.

Very happy for ,

Jing

Dieu Doan wrote:

Hi all, my daughter will receive a transplant soon, maybe in March. My

wife will be the donor. I am trying to plan for their recoveries. I wonder what

the recovery periods for both the receiver and the donor will be like, 1st week,

2nd week, and so on; how long will they be bed-resting; is it a good idea if

they stay in the same household for the duration; and what I should know as a

care taker.

had a history of bleeding, what can be done to prevent that from

happening when she has her transplant?

Thanks,

Dieu

__________________________________________________

January 18, 2005

I so glad to hear the transplant for your daughter will happen soon.

The recovery time for the donor is usually longer than for the

recipient, because the recipient has gained a functioning kidney and

feels much better right away while the donor has lost a kidney. In

addition the donor's surgery is more invasive. However, my son and I

were up and taking showers at the hospital the morning after the

surgeries. The nurses get you up within 24 hours and make you start

walking every day. We went home after 3 days and were able to get up

for basic needs. We weren't too active but we weren't in bed all the

time either. After two weeks we went out somewhere every day for brief

trips - to the library, to a coffee shop, etc. My son (the recipient),

who was feeling great but still tired easily, encouraged me to be more

active, and I think that was good for me as well. We rested a lot, read

a lot, and took naps every day, but he went back to college and a

part-time job after 4 weeks. I went back to work part-time after 4

weeks and was back to full-time after about 3 more weeks. It took a

couple of months to get back to my normal of energy, but I think that's

true with any major surgery. We had friends who brought food for about

2 weeks, and they were so generous that we often had extra food to

freeze for later, so my husband didn't really have to do much cooking.

He stayed home the first 2 weeks with us and went back to work after

that. We had no bleeding problems, so I can't address that concern, but

I hope all goes well for your family.

Betsy

> Hi all, my daughter will receive a transplant soon, maybe in

> March. My wife will be the donor. I am trying to plan for their

> recoveries. I wonder what the recovery periods for both the receiver

> and the donor will be like, 1st week, 2nd week, and so on; how long

> will they be bed-resting; is it a good idea if they stay in the same

> household for the duration; and what I should know as a care taker.

>

> had a history of bleeding, what can be done to prevent that

> from happening when she has her transplant?

>

> Thanks,

>

> Dieu

>

> __________________________________________________

>

January 18, 2005

Hi Dieu,

That is great news that your wife can be a donor for ! Make sure you

let us know when you get a date so we can pray for you.

I have not had my transplant yet, but at the transplant evauation they told me

my recovery should be around 6-8 weeks, but that I should not travel for 12

weeks. For my donor, they said the recovery is much shorter, especially if they

remove the kidney laproscopically.

I would think they would like being together during their recovery but perhaps

you might want to ask both of them what their feelings are.

I will have to defer to other members who have actually gone through the surgery

to answer your other questions but I am very happy to hear will soon

get her new kidney. Your wife must be very happy to be able to donate.

In a message dated 1/18/2005 9:13:36 PM Eastern Standard Time, Dieu Doan

writes:

>

>Hi all, my daughter will receive a transplant soon, maybe in March.

My wife will be the donor. I am trying to plan for their recoveries. I wonder

what the recovery periods for both the receiver and the donor will be like, 1st

week, 2nd week, and so on; how long will they be bed-resting; is it a good idea

if they stay in the same household for the duration; and what I should know as a

care taker.

>

> had a history of bleeding, what can be done to prevent that from

happening when she has her transplant?

>

>Thanks,

>

>Dieu

>

>__________________________________________________

>

January 18, 2005

Hi Dieu,

That is great news that your wife can be a donor for ! Make sure you

let us know when you get a date so we can pray for you.

I have not had my transplant yet, but at the transplant evauation they told me

my recovery should be around 6-8 weeks, but that I should not travel for 12

weeks. For my donor, they said the recovery is much shorter, especially if they

remove the kidney laproscopically.

I would think they would like being together during their recovery but perhaps

you might want to ask both of them what their feelings are.

I will have to defer to other members who have actually gone through the surgery

to answer your other questions but I am very happy to hear will soon

get her new kidney. Your wife must be very happy to be able to donate.

In a message dated 1/18/2005 9:13:36 PM Eastern Standard Time, Dieu Doan

writes:

>

>Hi all, my daughter will receive a transplant soon, maybe in March.

My wife will be the donor. I am trying to plan for their recoveries. I wonder

what the recovery periods for both the receiver and the donor will be like, 1st

week, 2nd week, and so on; how long will they be bed-resting; is it a good idea

if they stay in the same household for the duration; and what I should know as a

care taker.

>

> had a history of bleeding, what can be done to prevent that from

happening when she has her transplant?

>

>Thanks,

>

>Dieu

>

>__________________________________________________

>

January 18, 2005

Hi Dieu,

That is great news that your wife can be a donor for ! Make sure you

let us know when you get a date so we can pray for you.

I have not had my transplant yet, but at the transplant evauation they told me

my recovery should be around 6-8 weeks, but that I should not travel for 12

weeks. For my donor, they said the recovery is much shorter, especially if they

remove the kidney laproscopically.

I would think they would like being together during their recovery but perhaps

you might want to ask both of them what their feelings are.

I will have to defer to other members who have actually gone through the surgery

to answer your other questions but I am very happy to hear will soon

get her new kidney. Your wife must be very happy to be able to donate.

In a message dated 1/18/2005 9:13:36 PM Eastern Standard Time, Dieu Doan

writes:

>

>Hi all, my daughter will receive a transplant soon, maybe in March.

My wife will be the donor. I am trying to plan for their recoveries. I wonder

what the recovery periods for both the receiver and the donor will be like, 1st

week, 2nd week, and so on; how long will they be bed-resting; is it a good idea

if they stay in the same household for the duration; and what I should know as a

care taker.

>

> had a history of bleeding, what can be done to prevent that from

happening when she has her transplant?

>

>Thanks,

>

>Dieu

>

>__________________________________________________

>

January 19, 2005

Dieu:

First, I am so happy for your family. The gift your wife is giving is truly

priceless.

The recovery will vary from person to person, but typically it is easier on the

recipient rather than the donor. One reason is that the recipient will feel

better having a working kidney (I cannot even explain how different you feel -

unless you've been there you cannot understand going from really sick to healthy

overnight). The other is that the location of the incision is different - the

donation (if it's done laproscopically) is right in the middle of the abdomen,

so it is in an area used more frequently. The recipient's incision is low in thr

belly, off to one side (mine is on the right side). We were both glued, so no

staples or stitches, which turned out to be a really great thing.

Barb and I had our surgeries on a Tuesday afternoon, and by Friday we were ready

to go home. We both were still a little wiped out from the surgery, and napped a

lot. But we both were up and around during our time at home, not just laying in

bed. They should be up and moving a little, as they want to get their bodies

some exercise (even a slow walk is good). My nurse had me out of bed 10 hours

after my surgery, so make sure they don't become bed-ridden.

There is also a lifting restriction. Neither one of them should lift more than 5

pounds for several weeks, and then more more than 10 pounds for several more.

After about 3 months, you can lift more, but should not go crazy. Barb ended up

giving herself a hernia because she felt that she could do more than her body

was ready for. As for driving, it was off limits for 2 weeks.

You'll hear a lot about avoiding sick people, and washing your hands frequently

- all good advice for everyone. My team said to do what I felt comfortable

doing. I was back at work after 5 weeks, Barb after 3. My wife was home with me

for 3 weeks.

There is a special bond between a donor and a recipient. They may very well want

to recover together for a while. As for being a caretaker, listen to what they

are saying, and try to be understanding, that's about all I can recommend. You

may need to push them to move a little, but know when they really cannot do

more.

As for the bleeding, I don't have that issue, so I cannot help. I would

recommend speaking to their tx team, and make sure that the surgeons are very

well aware of it.

I wish all of you my best. This is truly a wonderful event. If you have more

questions, please ask - I'm always glad to share my experience.

PS - March 20th is a good day - it's my birthday.

Dieu Doan wrote:

Hi all, my daughter will receive a transplant soon, maybe in March. My

wife will be the donor. I am trying to plan for their recoveries. I wonder what

the recovery periods for both the receiver and the donor will be like, 1st week,

2nd week, and so on; how long will they be bed-resting; is it a good idea if

they stay in the same household for the duration; and what I should know as a

care taker.

had a history of bleeding, what can be done to prevent that from

happening when she has her transplant?

Thanks,

Dieu

__________________________________________________

January 19, 2005

Dieu:

This is wonderful news! Please give your wife an extra special hug from me. I

have such a soft spot for parents who have to deal with seriously ill children.

I know they are truly special people. I pray that and your wife will

ease through the process, as much as can be expected. Please let us know and

let us be here for you every step of the way. We are blessed with people like,

, who have been there before and thankfully are now in a position to

celebrate each and everyday! Hugs, Rita

Cohen wrote: