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Liver Donation Surgery Recovery
After liver donation surgery, recovery may take up to 10 weeks. During this time, you will have follow-up visits with your doctor to ensure a healthy recuperation. In the first few weeks after surgery, you should get plenty of rest and avoid participating in strenuous activities. If pain persists in the weeks following the procedure, you can try taking over-the-counter medications to assist in your liver donation surgery recovery.
Liver donation surgery is a major operation, but knowing what to expect after surgery can help you as you go through the recovery process. Some things to learn about include:
- What will happen at the follow-up visits with your healthcare provider (see Follow-up Visit Schedule Following Liver Donation Surgery)
- Ways to manage the possible side effects of surgery (see Dealing With Common Liver Donation Surgery Side Effects)
- How to deal with emotional, financial, and family stress. (see Short-Term Emotional and Mental Effects Following Liver Donation Surgery and Dealing With Family Tension After Liver Donation Surgery).
Be sure to take advantage of resources, such as your social worker, donor support team, or sites on the Internet. Most importantly, be sure to talk with your healthcare providers about any questions or concerns you may have. They are here to help you all the way through your liver donation recovery experience.
Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD