Former Bihar Chief Minister and RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav will receive a kidney from his daughter Rohini Acharya. The veteran politician will undergo a kidney transplant later this month. Although many family members like Rohini donate their organs to save loved ones, what should potential donors do to ensure they are healthy after the transplant?
According to Dr. Madhuri Jaitley, associate consultant in the department of nephrology at Paras Hospital in Gurugram, the long-term dangers of donating kidneys are minimal for those in good health. “The risk of developing kidney failure in the future may be slightly increased if kidneys are donated. However, the risk is minimal, as the chance of developing kidney failure is less than one percent,” she says.
Also, you may not become a donor despite your best intentions. “Before donating a kidney, you must undergo a thorough medical examination. Your doctor determines if you’re a match for the potential kidney recipient. They will also screen you to make sure you don’t have any health problems that the kidney donation could make worse,” adds Dr. Jaitley.
Of course, kidney removal surgery or nephrectomy is usually done using a laparoscopic technique. “A donor has minimal risks, such as bleeding and infections. Kidney donors generally recover after an uneventful three-day hospital stay. He usually finishes the rest of the rehabilitation at home. Your remaining kidney grows a little over time as it receives more blood flow and filters waste, and you continue to lead a normal life. You need to have an annual checkup with a nephrologist after the donation,” she adds. As a precaution, take little salt and avoid painkillers.
It is a myth that donating a kidney affects a person’s life expectancy or quality of life. Conversely, studies show that people who donate a kidney live longer than the average population. One study showed that 20 years after donation, 85% of donors were still alive. This may be because only healthy people are allowed to be donors or because donors take extra health precautions after donating a kidney.
There is a post-donation exercise that the living donor should be aware of. Heavy lifting is not recommended for six weeks after the operation. Donors should stay away from strenuous contact sports where their single kidney could be accidentally damaged. They should gradually return to their natural rhythm.
And yes, there has to be dietary discipline. After donating, one should stay away from stressors such as alcohol, caffeine, and protein-rich foods. Since the kidneys remove waste from the body and receive broken down proteins, the idea is to reduce the workload on the one organ left and not complicate its function.
