Well, I sure hope it's a long life expectancy...

I was told (and researched to confirm this) that I could expect a normal life span after I donated. And I'm counting on it too.

There are lots of things that I didn't know before I donated that I would have liked to know. It wouldn't have changed my mind, but still.

For example, I can't take Ibuprofen or most anti-inflammatory medicines anymore. And I was put on a migraine medicine last year that really messed up my efficiency of kidney function. So it's something that I have to be aware of. But nothing has made me think "Man, I wish I hadn't done that".

It's not something to be taken lightly, but I survived it physically, mentally, and emotionally and the recipient is doing great. So I feel good about it.

In response to Dave's comment (#7):

I donated to a friend about 3 years ago. When I started the process, your question didn't occur to me, but as test after test and screening after screening went on, I began to worry about if I ever ended up on the other end of the transplant.

According to the hospital, the doctor, and several websites, living donors get moved to the front of the line for transplants. It's not a law, but it is policy for the transplant medical community. Kind of a 'pay back' for putting yourself in the situation to help someone else that went through their system.

So that's a nice safety net that I hope I'll never need to use.