Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Francis on August 18, 2010 at 9:58am

I dont know very much as far as likes and dislikes of my donor. But, I do know that since the transplant I have different likes and dislikes. I also have different feelings about certain things. When I notice the change in me, I often wonder if it is coming from the donor. I often feel like a specific thought or feeling has to be coming from my donor. Not sure about it at all. Many things that I feel I usually try to think it out and have absolutely no explaination for it. It's just the way it is and how I feel about it. Its strange, but ok.

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Permalink Reply by Emily on March 3, 2011 at 11:09am

I dont know I havent met my donor family yet or know anything about them, but i do have a different taste in food.  Ive become to like the taste of tomatos and chocolate which i Never liked tomatos (other than condiments) and never cared that much for chocolate.  I also like nutrigrain bars now and oatmeal which i found unexciting before.  It could be the meds or it could be something else that is mystical and unexplainable......I also have quite a temper now and a morbid sense of humor but that could just be from the meds.  People seem to find me more funny nowadays. I think my donor was a guy cause I'm thinking more like a guy now and being more aggressive than normal. but then again, could most likely be the steroids and the whole tx experience.

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Permalink Reply by J-P Craig on March 3, 2011 at 3:34pm

All I know about my donor is 'young woman'. The friends and family sometimes tease about 'my girl parts' which is hilarious!

On the other hand, previously, I was indifferent towards chocolate, now I need it daily! I REALLY liked spicy food, now, not so much. I am definitely moodier and the wife comments on that yet my anger has surely been reduced as well but that could just be the 'near death experience' I ALWAYS have a smile now. The biggest thing I notice is kind of yucky but oh well. I could never figure out how people could go for more than a day without having a shower/bath, ewww! If I didn't bathe daily or more I felt grimy and couldn't sleep etc. Now sometimes I think for a second... did I shower today... yesterday... ummm... I don't remember. I work shift work so it easier the days i'm working. Finish work, shower. Unfortunately on the days off sometimes I forget.

Anyway I count it though, I had a 25% chance to live 3 months... that was a year and a half ago! My MELD is now 8!

Today I set a record for the most days of being alive! Tomorrow I plan on breaking it!

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Permalink Reply by Lazaro Borges on March 4, 2011 at 4:04pm

Sometimes I wonder about that myself.  Before my transplant, I didn't have a problem with the smell of certain foods.  But now after the transplant, those smells gross me out.  So I think its very possible for a transplant recipient to experience those feelings when it comes to foods.

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Permalink Reply by Robert St. Amand on March 11, 2011 at 4:41pm

Hi Guys, Just wanted to share this with all my friends here.  I received my kidney 14 yrs ago this May, and

have been blessed with extraordinary good health (touch wood).  I work my regular job 40 hours a week and

 own 2 different  part times businesses on the side. (none of the 3 are strenuous).  My younger brother blessed

me with one of his kidneys.  Heres the thing, before my Tx I never did like the taste of beer and would never even think

of eating spicy foods.  My brother likes both very much, maybe too much (on the beer).  Well not long after my Tx

every once in a while, I would get this great craving for a few nice cold beers and a plate of spicy spagetti and meat balls.

It seemed really strange to my wife and kids too,  they were shocked, lol.  I think there could be something to it.

thanks Rob :)

 

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Permalink Reply by Bill Wohl on March 15, 2011 at 5:02pm

Like a cell dividing in an unborn child, major organ recipients ie. Heart and Lungs have caused notice of some new tastes, ideas and traits as the new organ is attached and send and receive nerve endings begin as part of the recipients system.

I have talked to quite a few people who's food and music tastes have changed.

Certainly a TX is a life changing event and we do all take many new meds to stay around, But some of us pick up way different habits and ideas. I know some people have had dreams or seen some images of their donor.

Cellular Memory can be for real and should not be scary to those waiting.
There have been many books, videos and stories about TX peoples changes.

It is what it is.

Affecting some of us.

But the bottom line is we are all so blessed just to get the gift and still be here.

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Permalink Reply by Jan Ward on March 15, 2011 at 6:43pm

I definitely feel blessed but I suspect my donor was even more of a depressive than I always have been before...hehe

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Permalink Reply by Tony Kampmann on March 16, 2011 at 9:03am

I was a kidney donor for my wife. She had real natural curly hair before the transplant, now 2 year after the transplant not as much so anymore.

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Permalink Reply by Scot Mauldin on March 29, 2011 at 1:44am

I came back here tonight specifically looking for this topic.  I am the former life partner (17 years) of a kidney/liver transplant recipient.  My former partner is coming up on 3 years post transplants (April 8th).  I left him in Oct of this past year because the post transplant person is so different from the person I had spent the last 17 years of my life with.  His personality, mannerisms, laugh, food likes/dislikes etc are all different.  The problem is I don't care for this new person at all.  I hung in there thinking that he would one day get back to his normal self until I had to accept that this is the new normal for him, and that was a person that I did not care to spend the rest of my life with.  It's very hard for me to deal with.  I feel like I lost the love of my life (the death of that person)  and having to deal with the "divorce" of a spouse that I do not care for at all, all at the same time.  The break up has been as horrible as these things can get.  It's a horrible thing to say (especially in a public place like this) but if I had known then it would have turned out like this, I don't think I would have gone through it.  I honestly believe that it would have been easier for me to deal with and get over if I had just lost him  beforehand.  Just wondered if any other former spouses were out there.  I would imagine that most "ex's" quit coming to this site.

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Permalink Reply by Bill S. on March 29, 2011 at 10:20am

So Scott you're saying that you would rather he would have died than have the personality change that he went through? If so you sir are an idiot! To say something like that I wonder if you ever loved him at all. People change that's just a fact of life and it probably had nothing to do with taking on characteristics of his donor. The trauma of going through such a traumatic life event could be what caused his change. To me your post came off as very selfish. Maybe you're the one who changed!

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Permalink Reply by Scot Mauldin on March 29, 2011 at 10:51am

you may well be right.  I thought the same thing for the past two years before leaving him.  I didn't say I'd rather he died, I'm saying that dealing with his death would have been easier to deal with rather than losing the man I so desperately loved for 17 years AND having to go through the divorce of this new person (that I don't like at all and is not such a nice person btw), who just happens to be the same person that I lost.  See from my point of view even though he lived through the transplants, I still lost the love of my life.

Thanks for your insight, and I do know where you are coming from.  I used to wonder the same thing.

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Permalink Reply by Bill S. on March 29, 2011 at 1:04pm

Well Scott I guess you were speaking from a perspective of hurt and loss and I can understand that. At first it appeared to me as though you were saying you would have rather that he died and that got my dander up. I don't usually call people idiots and apologize for doing so to you. I'm sorry for the pain you've endured and wish you well.

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