Off-Topic: Anyone ever...

[Adrian Bamforth]

...donated a kidney?

I have offered for a good friend, knowing that several other friends had offered before me, though with no matches in my friend's family (she's an 'O' in a family of 'A's) it looks now like the needle is pointing my way...damn!

It seems from everything I read that it does no harm to the donor's health or longevity and even that donors tend to live longer because they get a thorough free health check beforehand, and the risk of death is very minute at about 3 in 10,000. Yet it seems so odd that we have two kidneys when we function perfectly well with one.

Of course I will have the full consultations and I've been given a DVD on the subject to watch, just wondered if anyone here had the personal experience.

ADE

[WoD]

Very good of you Ade...well done.

[johnnystress]

Fair play to you Ade. As gestures of friendship go they don't come greater than that.

I take it you haven't seen the Simpsons episode where Homer decides(kinda) to donate a kidney to Grampa?
;0

Marge:You've shortened your life significantly so someone else can have a slight extension of theirs!

I'm sure your doctors know the risks!

Well done that man!

Link: http://www.tv.com/the-simpsons/homer-simpson-in-kidney-trouble/episode/1496/summary.html" target="_blank">plot synopsis

[Dudley]

If your mate turns out not to need it maybe you could try making the ultimate fry-up instead?

[The Enigmatic Dr X]

My grandad lived with one kidney for 88 years (lost it at 8, died at 96).

[johnnystress]

That's great to hear

the singer in my band is also on a waiting list for a transplant-it's no fun

[Matt Timson]

Wow- I don't like any of my friends enough to give them a kidney!  Couldn't you just make her a nice cup of tea instead?

If you fall out later on, can you ask for it back?

[Art]

What if they've already eaten it?

[Adrian Bamforth]

Hi, this thread is back as I'm going in on Monday to have the kidney taken out and put into my friend Jo.

I thought it would be worth bringing up since it might spur anyone on to get round to putting themselves on the Organ Donor Register (for donating organs after death). I think now you can't just carry a donor card, you have to register. That way there will be more organs going round and saps like me won't have to donate while living (though live donations work better). There is a drastic shortage and as people die we all pay a huge amount of money to keep kidney patients on dialysis. If you have any friends or family with kidney faliure you might want to consider taking a look to see if your blood group is compatible for a live donation and consider how one might feel seeing them get iller and iller - live donation is now a very routine operation conducted with keyhole surgery and results in no statistical shortening of life (one kidney takes on 80% of the full function - you have to be down to 5% or so before you get ill).

I should be out on Friday so I'll post here to tell you how it went.

ADE

Link: http://www.uktransplant.org.uk/ukt/how_to_become_a_donor/how_to_become_a_donor.jsp" target="_blank">Register

[Matt Timson]

Hat's off to you, Bamforth- you're a bigger man than I'll ever be.

[TordelBack]

Break a leg, Adrian.  You're some man for one man, as we say in these parts.  

[Dudley]

Good for you, and good luck!

[Rio De Fideldo]

What a Gent! Hats off to you and I hope you and your friend both have a speedy recovery after the procedure. You really will be able to say that you do a lot of work for charity but you don't like to talk about it as we wince home from the op. Good luck once again.

[Richmond Clements]

Wow. I don't even like sharing my crisps...
Good luck that man!

[Peter Wolf]

  Wow.You dont sound the least bit bothered by whats ahead.

  I watched a very interesting docu on transplants once.The subject was all about how transplant patients seem to adopt personality traits or talents along with the transplanted organ.This seems to affect heart transplant patients the most as apparently the heart as an organ seems to have an intelligence of its own as the heart has a system of neurons contained within it.There have been instances of the transplant patient playing guitar ,writing poetry or various other things where previously they had not done so.These talents where verified by contacting the dead doners relatives who said "thats just what Jim used to do" etc.


 Wether or not this happens with kidneys ,liver etc i dont honestly know but i found the whole thing very interesting.


 I dont even know what blood type i am at all.