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Rob C
Member Username: Rob_c
Post Number: 222 Registered: 09-2007
| Posted on Friday, February 05, 2010 - 02:53 am: |
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Not sure if this has ever been discussed before but have any of you started craving foods that you previously could not stand prior to your transplant? I NEVER, EVER drank coffee before my second transplant. I honestly might have had two cups in my entire life and did not finish them because I just could not stand the taste of coffee. Shortly after my transplant I walked into the lobby of this hotel where I was staying and they were brewing coffee and the smell was so enticing that I went and poured myself a cup even though I figured I would not like it. I drank the whole cup then went back for a second cup. I have been craving coffee ever since. Now, I have to have a cup of coffee every morning and I can't pass a Starbucks without stopping in. I don't know anything about my donor other than he was a large, muscular, 44 year old male. I really wonder if he loved coffee because I honestly can't explain my cravings for it because I never liked it before. Oh yeah, and I also started listening to Christian music. It just seems like whenever I am flipping through the stations in the car my radio always ends up on K-Love. Never really listened to Christian music before before either. Anyone else experienced something like this? |
Aussie Ian
Member Username: Aussie_ian
Post Number: 7 Registered: 10-2008
| Posted on Friday, February 05, 2010 - 07:40 am: |
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Hi Rob C Funny you post this - I have never found out fully who my donor was, I received a kidney & pancreas from a deceased donor here in Australia. On my first shopping trip to the mall (a while after the transplant) I walked to a linen store (like Bed Bath & Beyond in the US) and started looking at towels etc that were on sale --then A couple of days later I was whistling along to a Celine Dion song in my wifes car - I had to slap myself around the face a few times, because I am a rock & roll fan - love all of the 'new music that my 13 year old daughter likes etc I jokingly spoke to my Transplant co-ordinator about this - he said there was no possibility ------ but who knows???? Regards Ian |
CiscoKidney07
Forum Leader Username: Gregg
Post Number: 3130 Registered: 03-2008
| Posted on Friday, February 05, 2010 - 08:57 am: |
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LOL!! I think as we get older, our tastes change. Things like that would be easy to attribute to a donor, but I think however little my tastes have changed, that this is what it is, plain and simple. When I was a kid, my mother used to make spaghetti quite a bit. There was a period of time that I had told my wife after we were married, that spaghetti was my least favorite pasta dish. After transplant, I made spaghetti, because I knew how much she liked it. (she was my donor) I did change quite a bit--added everything I thought spaghetti should have in it--basil, mushrooms, lots and lots of garlic, and at the time, I used bulk italian sausage to make it, along with ground beef. It spiced it up quite a bit and made it taste much different. Now, I make it once or twice a month, sans the iltalian sausage and only using grass-fed beef in order to cut down on fat and salt. By the way, Aussie Ian, I will not be trading my AC/DC in for Celine Dion any time soon. LOL!! Great topic. I enjoyed the chat.
There are not too many things in life worth working my butt off for, but my health is one of them |
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Joan G
Member Username: Jogalmax
Post Number: 6 Registered: 02-2008
| Posted on Friday, February 05, 2010 - 11:07 am: |
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This is so funny that you all are mentioning this! I always craved Chinese food and would eat it all the time. After my transplant in Nov 06 I cannot eat Chinese Food anymore. Even the smell turns me off. My husband is always saying, "maybe my donor didn't like Chinese food."
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Meagan
Forum Leader Username: Newheart14
Post Number: 804 Registered: 01-2009
| Posted on Friday, February 05, 2010 - 11:56 am: |
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Rob C, I think this is what they call cellular memory. There has been a discussion about this before. Prior to my transplant I never ate peanut butter or ketchup or drank coffee, but after my transplant I started consuming all of these things. However, I think there were reasons for this. I lost all my taste after the transplant except for sweet things, and peanut butter has some sweetness and so does ketchup. I no longer eat these two things but my sense of taste has returned. I do drink a cup of coffee in the morning now. I had stopped drinking coffee prior to my transplant due to heart arrhythmias. So, of course, after I got my new heart I never experienced arrhythmias and resumed drinking coffee. It is a cute notion to think we may pick up some traits.
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John M
Member Username: Jam1107
Post Number: 68 Registered: 12-2006
| Posted on Saturday, February 06, 2010 - 11:43 am: |
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Rob, Right after both transplants, I had unbelievable cravings for foods I don't normally eat. After my first transplant, I wanted to drink seltzer and eat Chinese food and cheese doodles; after my second, I craved root beer soda and apple juice. These cravings eventually subsided -- though I still drink seltzer. I can't help but believe that these are foods my donors liked... John
Pancreas alone transplant 4/13/04; rejected 2/07; removed 5/31/07. Second pancreas transplant received 11/11/08. NY Presbyterian/Cornell Medical Center, NY |
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Terri
Member Username: Terri
Post Number: 164 Registered: 09-2007
| Posted on Saturday, February 06, 2010 - 02:41 pm: |
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I agree, I think taste just changes. Like I always hated apple sauce when I was little and even hated it after transplant but now as an adult, I love it. I never liked peanut butter but love it a lot now. I can just eat it straight out of the jar with a spoon.
Terri - Because I CAN Liver Transplant July 2, 1991 |
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Kicker28
Member Username: Kicker28
Post Number: 8 Registered: 06-2007
| Posted on Saturday, February 06, 2010 - 05:43 pm: |
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I had such a craving for ripe tomatoes just after my transplant and I HATE them usually! I put it down to not eating a lot after the transplant and missing out on certain food groups/chemicals etc However, I then wanted to get onto a motorbike and drive VERY fast. My husband was not happy at this one as I had made him sell his Kawasaki a year or so previously for being too dangerous!! I watched a programme here in the UK about transplant patients changing personalities and some doctors were saying that not only does the brain have memories but the heart MAY do as well - as for other organs, who knows. There's still a world to explore... Cress |
ChuckZ
Member Username: Chuckz
Post Number: 883 Registered: 05-2006
| Posted on Saturday, February 06, 2010 - 08:29 pm: |
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I believe that it is possible to acquire some attributes of our donor. In my case, I received a kidney from my sister, so we did have several similarities beforehand (we were a perfect match). After transplant, I have been bothered more allergies, a problem my sister has always had. But more importantly, I had a bone marrow biopsy due to a suspected blood disorder which was proven negative. Interesting enough, they apparently found a few of my sister's cells in my marrow. What may have occurred is that I got some stem cells along with her kidney (by accident) and they took root in my bone marrow. I am almost certain that I produce some of my sisters blood! Pretty wild, huh! Chuck |
Karen R.
Forum Leader Username: Relivkaren
Post Number: 4054 Registered: 07-2007
| Posted on Saturday, February 06, 2010 - 10:16 pm: |
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So far I have not had too many food cravings. The one thing that I want to eat all the time is cheese. I try all kinds of cheese. I don't know if my body is craving something in cheese or if my donor loved cheese. I never ate much cheese prior to transplant and now I eat it everyday. It's kind of crazy. I love the thought of cellular memory. I am always looking for things that I never did before and now do. I do not know anything about my donor yet. I am hoping to learn more after I write my letter. I pray everyday that my donor family responds. I just want to thank them for this precious gift. God Bless!
Karen Dx: BOOP - May 2006. Rediagnosed with Bronchiolitis Obliterans Nov. 2006 Double lung transplant on Dec. 1st, 2009 Cleveland Clinic Ohio, USA Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle. |
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yvonne
Member Username: Yvonnehall123
Post Number: 9 Registered: 01-2010
| Posted on Wednesday, February 10, 2010 - 06:26 pm: |
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Wow! Im so overwhelmed reading all these post i don't know what to do with myself..Well simply put..Prior to My Transplant I loved eating Healthy, Salads, friuts and vegatables. Now I cant seem to stand those types of foods, I just want Junk food, Grease and cakes etc but the one thing that stood out the most to me wasthe fact That I have been craving a cigarette for the last couple of months. I absolute detest cigarette smoke and I wont go around anyone that smokes..but I want a cigarette these days..I recently found out that my Donor used to smoke
Yvonne Kidney Transplant 05-03-09 University of Wisconsin Madison, Wi |
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Barbara
Member Username: Cray5
Post Number: 5 Registered: 10-2008
| Posted on Friday, February 12, 2010 - 01:02 pm: |
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I do the EXACT same thing! I disliked coffee before my transplant. Now, I drink it every single day!! I have never really understood why. Coffee tends to be one of those things you love or hate. I was transplanted 3 1/2 years ago - and I crave it constantly. I received a KP from a deceased donor. I wonder if they craved coffee?! I was really interested in the cellular memory idea for awhile. I am skeptical, but still find it interesting. |
MollyJo
Member Username: Mollyjo
Post Number: 17 Registered: 07-2009
| Posted on Friday, February 12, 2010 - 10:17 pm: |
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I think it's possible. My family always jokes that my donor must have been a really healthy eater, cause I can't STAND fast food (except in-n-out burger!) and I used to live on it. I had an intestinal transplant. Now, I love veggies and vegan foods and really try to only eat organic. I used to LOVE taco bell before my transplant, and I pass by it and almost throw up now... heehee My mom is my kidney donor, and I haven't developed a taste for liver or corned beef (both things she loves and i HAAATE) though... I started drinking coffee after my transplant, but I always liked it, just couldn't have it. But it is a full fledged addiction now |
Rocket Heart
Member Username: Rocketheart583
Post Number: 289 Registered: 08-2007
| Posted on Saturday, February 13, 2010 - 12:51 pm: |
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This one even blows my mind away. I am a heart transplant recipient - The second year after transplant I started having nightly dreams of a young lady - she was not really active in the dream but always was just there. My donor was only 16 when he past away - I try to visit his Mom and friend's once a year. I told my donors Mom that I was having these dreams and asked if Cory had a girlfriend - she gave me some suggestions but none really fit my dream girl. That year, at his graveside on January 26, we all met to remember Cory - a lot of his friends were there but none looked like her - as we about to leave a young girl came up to meet me - I knew instantly she was the one in my dreams - I told her " You're the one!" - her reply "I hoped I would be" - Linda had put the word out about me trying to find my dream girl - so she knew what I was saying when I told her. We didn't get to talk any further. My dreams stopped after that. Just recently the girl contacted me again and blew me away!! She was Cory's new love and they were to start dating the next week after he was killed. Spooky eh?
Rocket Heart Tom Emahiser Waterville, Oh Heart Failure Heart Txplt 1/26/05 University of Michigan |
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MollyJo
Member Username: Mollyjo
Post Number: 25 Registered: 07-2009
| Posted on Tuesday, February 16, 2010 - 02:05 pm: |
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More like awesome I wish I knew my donors friends/family or even just who they were... When I was really sick, I dreamed about this young guy "saving me" from any type of nightmare dream or any time that I was uncomfortable in my dreams and taking me to a quiet place where I would just talk to him... Not romantically, but just having a strong friendly bond. I would look for him I. All my dreams when they'd get scary or intense... And he'd be there. I never dreamed of him again after the transplant... So I always wonder... |
Hostess Rise'
Forum Leader Username: Risa
Post Number: 12331 Registered: 05-2003
| Posted on Tuesday, February 16, 2010 - 02:57 pm: |
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Rocket Your story about your dream girl gave me the chills.
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Amy
Member Username: Amy_moo
Post Number: 21 Registered: 09-2008
| Posted on Friday, February 19, 2010 - 05:23 pm: |
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I am a lesbian and I didn't come out to my family until a year or so after my transplant (at the age of 19). Now my mom swears up and down its because I got a man's kidney.....I think she's funny.
~Amy~ Goodpastures Syndrome 9 year kidney recipient Wilmington, NC dont be sad its over, be happy that it happened at all. amy_moore@ncports.com |
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Malcolm Inverness SCOTLAND
Member Username: Malmorrison
Post Number: 17 Registered: 04-2010
| Posted on Monday, April 12, 2010 - 06:37 am: |
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I heard befor I got my transplant that sometimes people take on some of the traits. Just after my TX the donor co ordinator came to see me at my hospital bed, and she saw I was kinda upset and thinkin of my donor. She then said, you have to get through your experience and sometimes seeing the funny side of things if you can or initially make light of things which are bothering you. I then went on to ask Qs about my donor, and the reply was a 43 year old female donor. I went on to say Jeez does that mean that I will take up watchin daytime tv (chat shows) she laughed and said maybe theres worse to come you have seven years before you go through the menapause :D Although we mad light of this I did ask was there any truth in taking on some aspects of your donor all she said was there is that possability however every patient is different. I havent heard from my donor family although I take a moment each day to think of them. Kind regards to you all malmorrison
Cadaveric KidneyTX July 27th 2009 Edinburgh Royal Infirmary Scotland Our kidneys may be gone but our minds havent |
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Rita
Forum Leader Username: Rita
Post Number: 133 Registered: 06-2003
| Posted on Monday, April 12, 2010 - 08:06 pm: |
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I believe that there are things that are true, but cant be proven because we do not have the test for it. I believe that there are connections between people who receive a transplant and the donor. I do believe some people can naturally "tune" into it.
Rita Kidney Transplant 9/95 New York City |
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kim
Member Username: Kim_a
Post Number: 5 Registered: 04-2010
| Posted on Sunday, April 18, 2010 - 09:11 pm: |
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I do have cravings for donuts! But I believe that is because I was diabetic for most of my life and then on dialysis for a while before k-p tx. I do have dreams of my donor, but can never see her face. I have not heard from her parents. I know she was 17, but that is all I know. My dreams are not good ones. In my dreams she did not want me to receive her organs, she doesn't feel I am the perfect match for her. I am having a lot of trouble coping with it. Any one else have dreams like that? Kim A |
kim
Member Username: Kim_a
Post Number: 6 Registered: 04-2010
| Posted on Sunday, April 18, 2010 - 09:13 pm: |
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I do have cravings for donuts! But I believe that is because I was diabetic for most of my life and then on dialysis for a while before k-p tx. I do have dreams of my donor, but can never see her face. I have not heard from her parents. I know she was 17, but that is all I know. My dreams are not good ones. In my dreams she did not want me to receive her organs, she doesn't feel I am the perfect match for her. I am having a lot of trouble coping with it. Any one else have dreams like that? Kim A |
Ms. Tenicka
Member Username: Mstrobin1975
Post Number: 4 Registered: 02-2010
| Posted on Saturday, August 21, 2010 - 03:25 pm: |
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I know I am late but I wanted to share my experience. During my first transplant back in 1998. It seemed that after my transplant I started developing sinus issues. Never had this problem before the transplant. I horrible sinus infections and headaches out this world. This issue had to come from my donor. Which I am very thankful for. I'll take the sinus issue over dialysis any day. Just received my second transplant 31 days ago today. I don't know what to expect this time.
Ms. Tenicka Thanking God for a third chance at life! Kidney Transplant 04/01/98 Kidney Transplant 07/21/10 |
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