Medium-term means in the first few months the following can be a problem, but remember,
only a small number of donors have any issues in this period.
Pain
Rarely some donors have persistent discomfort.
Irritable bowel symptoms
It is common for the bowel to take a day or two to work after the operation. Occasionally some people notice that their bowel habit does not return back to normal with ongoing subtle change toward constipation and/or diarrhoea. While such symptoms can be annoying there is not any serious underlying disease. There may be medications and dietary alterations which will help. It is common for a change in bowel habit in the early days following donating a kidney.
Hernia
A bulging of the tummy may occur where there has been a cut into the abdominal wall muscle. This may complicate any surgery in this area. Again this is irritating rather than sinister, but where it causes distress or discomfort an operation to repair this will often be effective.
Testicular discomfort
Very infrequently, some men who have donated will experience discomfort in the testicle on the side the kidney has been removed. This can happen as the vein from the testicle joins the vein from the kidney that has been removed. This means a little more blood than usual accumulates in the testicle, and this can be uncomfortable for the first month or two following surgery. Typically this discomfort does settle with time, but it may take some months. There have been cases of persistent pain.