Post-Donation Blues

That was not a particularly pleasant IV, but I was so grateful for the painkillers.

IVs and painkillers, stitches and blood pressure monitors, fatigue and “oh my God there’s a piece of my insides stuck to my shirt”.

I donated a kidney last week (literally one week to the day), and it’s been an experience. There are many things that come along with giving up one of your spare organs, and most of them are relatively self-explanatory. There is a 4-inch incision down the centre of my abdomen and two one-inch incisions off to the side. Naturally, this comes along with a certain level of pain and the realization that you use your abdominal muscles for literally everything. I was fairly prepared for pain and discomfort. What I wasn’t prepared for, was the post-donation blues.

Don’t get me wrong; it was listed in the “Recovering at Home from Kidney Donation” pamphlet and one of the surgeons who came by to check on me even asked if I wanted to speak to a counsellor. There are resources available both on professional and personal levels. Perhaps I am simply being stubborn, but I find it easiest to navigate my way through my feelings first and then ask for help when I get stuck. Depression and anxiety are my constant travel companions, and this is not the first time that I’ve been down this particular road.

One thing that is most definitely not listed in any of the pamphlets is the number of people who will not understand or support your choices. These may be…