I want to be an advocate for others considering donating one of their kidneys. I was glad to be the one on the giving end of the spectrum, not the one needing the kidney. I had to lie on a table while they concentrated the scanner on my abdomen. At one point they injected dye into the bloodstream which made me feel warm all over. I held my breath as they took more scans, and the whole procedure took approximately one hour.
Anxiety is fear's closest friend.
I could think of nothing else. My questions spanned a wide range about pain, surgery, scarring, nausea, insurance coverage, what I would feel like minus an organ, complications and even my demise. I was going through a very complex psychological process, knowing I would soon be losing a kidney and my own renal reserves along with it. An organ that had resided in my body for 43 years. I had to give my brother a chance regardless of the outcome to either of us.