I’m just about a week later in my kidney donation than the author. My husband was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease in late 2022 and it rapidly progressed

I’m just about a week later in my kidney donation than the author. My husband was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease in late 2022 and it rapidly progressed to end-stage renal failure at the end of 2023. He’s been on dialysis since February. It took quite a bit of semi-political hurdles to get him on the UNOS transplant list; once that happened, several people had volunteered to go thru the process to be a donor on his behalf. I was the only one cleared; it turns out I was a match, but a better one could be found, so I went ahead and donated to an anonymous recipient. A few days after my donation, a match was found for him, and he receives his new kidney in a few weeks. That will make all this worth it for me. My pain was much less than the author’s; it never got 9over a 3. I used one Oxy pill, and the rest of the time, Tylenol controls it. Still sore around the main laparoscopic site (1-2) still uncomfortable and can’t sleep on my left side 2 weeks out. Definitely feeling the fatigue I was told to expect as my body adjusts to one kidney. I was told to plan for 6 weeks out of work, and I think I’m going to need most of that to rebuild stamina. I’ve been trying to walk as much as I can, weather and fatigue permitting, and I’ve had helpers to deal with the weight restrictions I’m under.