Can A Person Live With One Kidney

Can You Live With One Kidney

• Living Kidney Donor Surgery
• 10 Things to Know About Living Kidney Donation

When most of us think about kidney donation, we think of checking a box on our drivers license in case of an accident. But you dont have to be deceased to donate a kidney. Being a living kidney donor is actually more commonand safethan you might think.

Living kidney donations save thousands of lives each year. What do you know about being a living kidney donor?

Living With One Functioning Kidney

Our kidneys perform many functions that are vital to good health, but it is not unusual to have only one kidney to do the work of two.

• Many people are born with a single kidney.
• Some people have to have one kidney surgically removed because they may have developed an obstruction or a tumour or sustained a severe traumatic injury after an accident.
• Some people may have received a kidney from a living or deceased donor , after their own kidneys have failed.
• Others may have donated one of their kidneys to a loved one or another person with kidney failure .

Keeping Health Insurance And Copies Of Your Medical Records

Even after treatment, its very important to keep health insurance. Tests and doctor visits cost a lot, and even though no one wants to think of their cancer coming back, this could happen.

At some point after your cancer treatment, you might find yourself seeing a new doctor who doesnt know about your medical history. Its important to keep copies of your medical records to give your new doctor the details of your diagnosis and treatment.

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Your Blood And Tissue Type Must Be Compatible With Your Recipients

Besides being healthy, living donors must have compatible blood and tissue types with the kidney recipient. The transplant team will perform tests to see if your blood and tissues are compatible with the kidney recipient. If they arent, our living donor program can also educate you about the paired donation program.

What Is Stage 4 Kidney Disease

Chronic kidney disease happens if your kidneys have been damaged. Kidneys can become damaged from a physical injury or a disease like diabetes or high blood pressure. Once your kidneys are damaged, they are not able to filter blood or do their other jobs well enough to keep you healthy. Some of the important jobs kidneys do:

• Filter blood
• Help keep blood pressure under control
• Keep bones healthy
• Help make red blood cells

There are five stages of chronic kidney disease. The mildest are stages 1 and 2. In these early stages of kidney disease, the kidneys are damaged and not working at full strength. At stage 3, about half of kidney function has been lost. This can cause other problems, like high blood pressure or bone problems. Treatment of these problems is very important, and it can even help slow down the loss of kidney function. At stage 4, severe kidney damage has happened. At this stage, it is very important to slow the loss of kidney function by following your treatment plan, and managing other problems like high blood pressure or heart disease. Stage 5 is kidney failure. If kidney failure happens, you will need a kidney transplant or dialysis to live.

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Can I Continue Working

If you’re well enough, you can keep working for as long as you feel able.

Talk to your employer as soon as you feel your condition is affecting your ability to do your job so you can find a solution that suits both of you. For example, it may be possible for you to work part-time.

The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 requires employers to make reasonable adjustments to help a person with a disability.

This might, where possible, include changing or modifying tasks, altering work patterns, installing special equipment, allowing time off to attend appointments, or helping with travel to work.

What Causes A Solitary Kidney

• birth defects.
• Some people are born with only one kidney because the other kidney never developeda condition known as renal agenesis or kidney agenesis. A solitary kidney is sometimes diagnosed before birth by a routine prenatal ultrasound sometimes it is diagnosed later in life after an x-ray, an ultrasound, or a surgery for an unrelated clinical condition.
• Some people are born with one normal kidney and another abnormal, nonfunctioning kidney that may eventually shrink so it is no longer visible on x-ray or ultrasound before or sometime after birth. That condition is known as kidney dysplasia.

surgical removal of a kidney. Some people must have a kidney removed to treat kidney cancer or another disease or injury. That surgery is known as a nephrectomy. When a kidney is removed surgically, the ureter is also removed.

kidney donation. A growing number of people are donating a kidney to be transplanted into a family member or friend whose kidneys have failed. Many people even donate a kidney to a stranger in need.

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How Long Can You Survive With One Kidney

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hazord wrote:

anatollo wrote:

What can you tell me about living with just one kidney? How long can you survive? I mean, it looks like my left kidney will have to be removed and I would like to know what will happen afterwards. Doctor said that I should be just fine, but how can I when my kidney will be extracted?

im having problems with my left side i think it might b my kidney ? is it ? what will happen ? is it an important organ ? please reply

Keeping Your Single Kidney Healthy

Treatment for childhood cancer sometimes requires the removal of one kidney. You can live a normal life with one kidney, as long as it remains healthy. Heres what you need to know to assess your risk for problems with your single kidney and to help keep it as healthy as possible.

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Your Kid Can Still Be A Kid

Luckily, the kidneys are located in the middle of the back, tucked up under the ribcage. If your childs kidney is in this normal spot, it is well-protectedand not easily injured.

Your child can still run, ride a bike, play on the playground and do other normal activities. No special diet is needed, either. Check with your doctor for specific advice, but in general, let your kid be a kid!

Why Do People Have A Single Kidney

There are three main reasons why a person may have only one kidney:

• A person may be born with only one kidney. This condition is called renal agenesis. Another condition, which is called kidney dysplasia, causes a person to be born with two kidneys, but only one of them works. Most people who are born without a kidney lead normal, healthy lives.
• A person may have had one kidney removed during an operation in order to treat an injury or a disease like cancer.
• A person may have donated one kidney to a person who needed a kidney transplant.

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How Long Will I Need Dialysis For

It depends. In some cases, kidney failure may be a temporary problem and dialysis can be stopped when your kidneys recover.

But often, someone with kidney failure will need a kidney transplant.

It’s not always possible to carry out a kidney transplant straight away, so dialysis may be needed until a suitable donor kidney becomes available.

If a kidney transplant is not suitable for you for example, because you’re not well enough to have a major operation dialysis may be needed for the rest of your life.

How Should Caregivers Talk To Children About A Family Member’s Advanced Cancer

Children deserve to be told the truth about a family members prognosis so they can be prepared if their loved one dies. Its important to answer all of their questions gently and honestly so they dont imagine things that are worse than reality. They need to be reassured that they will be taken care of no matter what happens.

Caregivers need to be prepared to answer tough questions. To do this, they should know what their own feelings and thoughts are about the situation. They need to be able to show children how to hope for the best while preparing for and accepting that their loved one may die.

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Ask Your Doctor For A Survivorship Care Plan

Talk with your doctor about developing a survivorship care plan for you. This plan might include:

• A suggested schedule for follow-up exams and tests
• A schedule for other tests you might need to look for long-term health effects from your cancer or its treatment
• A list of possible late- or long-term side effects from your treatment, including what to watch for and when you should contact your doctor
• Suggestions for things you can do that might improve your health, including possibly lowering your chances of the cancer coming back
• Reminders to keep your appointments with your primary care provider , who will monitor your general health care

What Is A Kidney Transplant

Kidneys are vital organs that filter blood to remove waste, extra fluid, and salt from the body. If they stop working, it’s called kidney failure. Someone with kidney failure must go on or get a kidney transplant.

A kidney transplant is an operation where doctors put a new kidney in the body of someone whose own kidneys no longer work. One healthy kidney will do the work of two failed kidneys.

Because people can survive with just one kidney, a living person can give a healthy kidney to someone with kidney failure. This is called being a donor. A kidney also can come from a donor who has recently died, but the wait for this kind of donated kidney can take a year or more.

Most kidney transplants are successful. People who have kidney transplants will take medicines for the rest of their lives to prevent the body from rejecting the kidney. Rejecting means that the body’s immune cells destroy the new kidney because they sense that it’s foreign.

But aside from that, many kids and teens who have kidney transplants go on to live normal, healthy lives after they recover from surgery.

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Can Donating A Kidney Shorten Your Life

Compared to the general public, most kidney donors have equivalent survival, excellent quality of life, and no increase in end-stage kidney disease .

Some studies have indicated a slightly increased incidence of ESKD post donation among certain groups in particular black donors, younger donors, donors genetically related to their recipients, donors related to recipients with immunological causes of their kidney failure, and overweight donors. However, the risk is still lower than that of the general population.

Can You Live Without Your Kidneys

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Medically Reviewed by Transplant Services

Your kidneys are two bean-shaped organs found just below the rib cage. Most people are born with two one on each side of the spine.

Your kidneys are two of the most vital organs in your body. They work to keep your blood stable, allowing your body to function properly.

Each day your kidneys filter about 120 to 150 quarts of blood into urine. They prevent the buildup of waste and extra fluid, and produce hormones that help your body:

• Regulate blood pressure
• Build healthy and strong bones

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What About A Kidney Transplant

According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Health, almost 200,000 people in the United States have a functioning transplanted kidney.

A kidney transplant is only done when you have no functioning kidneys. The risks of the procedure and side effects of the medications youll need for the rest of your life outweigh the small increase in function you get from a second kidney.

If your solitary kidney gets injured or sick and stops working, you might be eligible for a transplant.

No matter how many kidneys you started with, you only receive one kidney in a transplant. The transplanted kidney usually gets bigger and works harder over time. Eventually, your transplanted kidney will function almost as well as two kidneys.

Control Other Health Problems

You may have other disorders, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, which can damage your kidneys. One of the goals of your treatment is to make sure these are well-controlled. Ask your healthcare professional what you can do to keep these conditions under control – and do it! Some of the things your healthcare professional may ask you to do:

• Take medications called angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers as part of your therapy. Studies have shown that these medications help to protect your kidney function. You may also need other blood pressure medications to control your blood pressure.
• Lose weight if you are overweight
• Cut down on salt in your diet to control blood pressure
• If you have diabetes, monitor your blood sugar, follow your diet and take your medications as prescribed

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Can Kidney Disease Be Prevented

Seeing your healthcare provider on a regular basis throughout your life is a good start for preventing kidney disease. About one in every three people in the United States is at risk for kidney disease. Identify and manage any risk factors for developing kidney disease.

• Control your high blood pressure. Normal blood pressure is 120/80.
• Control your blood sugar if you have diabetes.
• Eat a healthy diet. Follow a low-fat, low-salt diet.
• Dont smoke.
• Be active for 30 minutes at least five days a week.
• Maintain a healthy weight.
• Take nonprescription pain relievers only as directed. Taking more than directed can damage your kidneys.

How Do Health Care Professionals Diagnose A Solitary Kidney

During pregnancy, a health care professional can diagnose kidney agenesis and kidney dysplasia while conducting a prenatal ultrasound. Ultrasound uses a device, called a transducer, that bounces safe, painless sound waves off the fetuss organs to create an image of their structure. Ultrasounds during pregnancy are part of routine prenatal testing.

If a fetus is diagnosed with kidney agenesis or kidney dysplasia, health care professionals may recommend additional ultrasounds before and after the birth to find out how the solitary kidney functions over time and to check for other health problems.

In an adult, health care professionals may diagnose a solitary kidney during an x-ray, ultrasound, or surgery for some other condition or injury.

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How Does Eating Diet And Nutrition Affect A Solitary Kidney

If you have a solitary kidney, you do not need to eat a special diet. However, you can keep your kidneys healthy by staying well hydrated, not taking too much salt, and not gaining excessive weight. If you have reduced kidney function, you may need to make changes to your diet to slow your kidney disease progression. Work with your health care professional or a registered dietitian to develop a meal plan that includes foods you enjoy eating while maintaining your kidney health.

Why You Might Need A Lung Removed

Lung cancer is the most common reason. Usually itâs cancer that starts in the lungs, but it could also happen when tumors spread there from another part of your body.

Not everyone with lung cancer will need to have a lung removed. It may be an option for people with tumors that are especially large or grow near the center of the lung.

Other health problems that may need treatment with a pneumonectomy include:

• Serious injury to your lung
• Fungal infection in your lung
• Bronchiectasis, when the walls of your airways get thick and scarred

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Do What You Can To Manage The Complications Of Kidney Disease

Kidney disease can cause other health problems throughout your body including:

• Heart and blood vessel problems
• Anemia
• Mineral and bone problems
• High blood pressure
• Poor nutritional health

If you have stage 4 kidney disease, you are probably experiencing some of these problems already. Your healthcare professional will work with you to develop a treatment plan to help manage these problems and keep them from getting worse. Treatment may include diet, exercise, and medications. It is very important that you follow your treatment plan because it can greatly improve your quality of life and how long you live. It can also help to slow or even stop kidney disease from getting worse – and it may even stop or delay kidney failure.

Reasons For Having One Kidney

Again, most people are born with two working kidneys.But sometimes, just one kidney works. And some people are born with only one kidney.

The reasons for this may vary and can include:

• Renal agenesis a condition where someone is born with only one kidney.
• Kidney dysplasia a condition where someone is born with two kidneys but only one of them works.
• Kidney removal certain diseases may require you to actually have one of your kidneys removed.
• Living-donor kidney transplant you can donate one of your kidneys to a person who needs a kidney transplant.

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