The thing I hadn’t anticipated was how painful wind is. It was far more painful than the operation itself. I would advise people to take peppermint water in with them.
I was discharged 2 days later. I was pretty tired for about a week and then felt back to normal.
I am able to do everything I did before -there have been no negative consequences for me. I have no regrets at all, and am very pleased I was able to save someone’s life.
After the operation, my family were massively relieved that it had gone uneventfully and were then even more happy that I had made that decision. Now, 14 years on, they are glad I did this as it was clearly what I wanted to do and was in line with my Humanist principles.
I would advise anyone considering donating to take their time making the decision so they are sure it’s what they want to do. I was asked repeatedly, at every stage of the process including when I was in the anaesthetic room, whether I was sure I wanted to go ahead. It was almost as if they were trying to talk me out of it! I never felt that I had passed the point of no return.
As a nurse and health visitor, I have always done my best to improve people’s lives and feel this was simply an extension of that. I had a spare kidney that someone needed to save their life. It was a no brainer that I should let them have it.
