@Bob Fischer, my understanding is the recovery from liver donation is quite a bit worse than recovery from kidney, which makes intuitive sense to me… The liver has to grow back (painfully, iiuc) versus the remaining kidney just gradually works a little harder. I don’t know how different the incisions are. FWIW, I was able to stop taking my prescribed opioid less than a week post-op, and didn’t even need acetaminophen shortly thereafter. I’m happy to tell you more about my kidney donation if that would be helpful!
I donated my kidney, but I’m probably not going to donate a lobe of my liver (even though this is also mostly safe and also helps people in need). This isn’t because there’s a real distinction about which parts of my body are vs. aren’t sacred, it’s just that I guess I’m ethical enough to do something moderately hard and painful, but not to do something very hard and painful. If anyone gives you grief about admitting this, ask them how much of the axiological law they’re following.
@Bob Fischer, my understanding is the recovery from liver donation is quite a bit worse than recovery from kidney, which makes intuitive sense to me… The liver has to grow back (painfully, iiuc) versus the remaining kidney just gradually works a little harder. I don’t know how different the incisions are. FWIW, I was able to stop taking my prescribed opioid less than a week post-op, and didn’t even need acetaminophen shortly thereafter. I’m happy to tell you more about my kidney donation if that would be helpful!
Per Scott Alexander: