What does a liver donor look like?

I've learned a lot about what it means to be a living liver donor. It's pretty fascinating. Maybe you'll think so too. 

Over 100,000 people in America are currently waiting for an organ. Unfortunately, many people will never get a call saying an organ has become available. A living donor is a solution to this problem. It not only shortens the waiting time for a person who needs an organ, but also reduces the pressure on the waiting list for others. 

The liver is the only organ in our body that can regenerate itself. Even before I leave the hospital after the surgery, they will be able to see some regrowth starting to happen. This is just amazing and crazy to me. 

Within a few months, the liver will have fully regrown and be fully functional again. The portion of liver my dad receives will also regrown to a normal size and barring any complications, also function fully. 

Like I mentioned in another post, a person can donate up to 69.9% of their liver to someone. This seems like a huge amount! But again - the wonders of our bodies. For me, my right lobe is 55.7% and the left is 44.2%. I will be donating my right lobe, which also means that my gallbladder will be removed. 

The surgery itself is a major surgery, but also a relatively safe one. It will take between 3-4 hours and I will spend the first night after the surgery in the ICU so they can keep an eye on things. I will stay in the hospital for up to a week, depending on how the surgery goes, and then stick around Rochester for another couple of days just to follow up with some labs and an ultrasound to make sure everything is looking good. I'll have follow up labs on days 14 and 28 post surgery, along with follow up appointments 6 months, 1 year and 2 years after. 

I'll be off work for about a month to recover. I'll have a restriction of no pushing, pulling or lifting more than 10lbs for up to 8 weeks and I won't be able to drive for at least two weeks. I was told that days 1 and 2 after the surgery are generally not bad, but once that third day hits, I'll probably feel like I was hit by a truck. Good to know. 

The one doctor we met with compared the recovery to a pregnancy. When you're pregnant and growing a baby, that baby is generally selfish and takes what it needs to grow. The same can be said when regrowing a liver. All of my energy will be going to the liver as it regenerates and so being extremely tired all the time is a big part of the recovery. Luckily for me, I love naps. 

Recovery obviously looks different in every person, but for liver donors, their recovery is generally pretty steady. If there are complications, they normally happen right after the surgery while I would still be in the hospital. Generally, living donors do not experience any long-term problems after they donate. 

Mayo in Rochester does two living donor surgeries per month and living donations make up 10% of all their liver transplant surgeries. 

Now you have an idea of what it looks like to be a living liver donor!