Page 29 - More than a match

Next Stages of the Evaluation Process

me from donating, but I would need to see my own doctor for
treatment. One of the benefits of being assessed as a potential

kidney donor is that you have a thorough health check which may
flag up health issues you were not previously aware of.
My consultant did have two concerns which could prevent me
from being a donor. Firstly, she explained my GFR had been
measured at 72mls per minute and I needed a minimum GFR of
77mls per minute in order to safely donate. Secondly, microscopic
traces of blood were consistently appearing in my urine on dipstick
testing, and the cause of this would need to be identified before
I could donate. She wanted me to repeat the GFR test as there

was a possibility that a second measurement might be higher. The
other two tests I would need to undergo even if my repeated GFR
measurement was 77mls per minute or higher would be to see
where the blood in my urine was coming from. The first of these
would be a simple procedure called a cystoscopy which means
that a small camera would take a look inside my bladder to see
whether the blood in my urine was coming from there. This might

be caused for example by a stone, by bladder inflammation or
even bladder cancer. She explained that if the inside of my bladder
looked normal, I would then need to have a biopsy of one of my
kidneys to see whether the bleeding was from coming from there.
This might mean that I had a problem with the health of my own
kidneys. She told me that there was a 40% chance that this could
be the case, and, if so, I might not be able to donate.
I saw my nurse to rebook my GFR measurement. She explained
that the assessment tests are very thorough as the hospital wanted

to minimize any risk to my health. She knew I was upset about the

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