2 Year Kidneyversary Update

Sorry, I'm about 2 months late writing this post: things got busy and it fell by the wayside.

January 15, 2022 was my 2-year Kidneyversary, and what a 2 years it's been!

On January 13th, I had my 2-year follow-up appointment with my donor coordinator. My wife Jill and I drove up the night before, because the appointment was early in the morning. The appointment was mainly just to make sure that everything is still going well. Health-wise, I'm doing great! My coordinator took a look at that weird "discomfort" I've mentioned that's around my appendix, and she thinks that since it hasn't gotten worse and has been about the same the last 2 years, it's probably some scar tissue on my abdominal wall. She still felt around for a hernia and didn't find anything, which is definitely good. She said that by now, my risk of a getting a hernia is pretty much zero.

This appointment also served as my "graduation", as I won't be having yearly follow-ups with my care team at the hospital anymore. That responsibility will fall on my primary care physician from now on. So, my coordinator also went over some things to keep in mind for the future:

• Stay healthy and hydrated and avoid diabetes and high blood pressure.
• Do not take herbal medications, as you never really know what's in them and they could cause issues for my one remaining kidney.
• When looking for vitamins, look for the USP logo, which means that the it has been independently verified that the ingredients listed on the label are actually in the vitamins.
• Do not take NSAIDs (like ibuprofin, Advil, Aleve, etc).

One thing my coordinator told me that I had not heard before is to keep an eye on my prostate as I get older. While nothing has been proven, she said that there may be a link between kidney donation and prostate issues. I have nothing to really worry about, but I just need to stay vigilant.

That was pretty much it for my appointment. It's crazy to think it's been two years since I donated my kidney. It feels like it's simultaneously been a lot longer than that, but also not nearly that long. It's also hard to believe everything that's happened since.

One thing my donor coordinator asked me during the appointment was if I was still glad I donated. My answer was that I am absolutely glad I did. Being able to see my recipient get better, do things that she wasn't able to before, and enjoy her childhood has been incredible.

Speaking of, before we took the long drive home the next morning, we stopped by to see my kidney recipient and her family to celebrate our 2-year kidneyversary. They had a beautiful cake made (my recipient designed it herself!), with figurines on top (one was of my recipient riding a horse, and one was of me standing next to her). It was a wonderful surprise, and a delicious one too! After the visit, they sent us home with a lot of cake; it took us several days to get through it! It was so nice to see them again, and to celebrate our 2-year kidneyversary. My recipient is doing so much better, and it's wonderful to see. It makes everything worth it.

Now that it's been 2 years and my regular follow-ups with my care team are done, I'm not sure what'll happen to this blog. It's served as a "diary" for my journey through the process of donating my kidney, and that process is pretty much complete. If anything relevant happens, I'll update here, but I'm not sure when that will happen or how often. In the meantime, if you are reading this and are considering donating your kidney, either to someone you know or to a stranger, please reach out to me at ryan@kidneydonationdiary.com with any questions you may have about the process. I am more than happy to help! Until next time, stay healthy and safe!

Ryan