Thread: Kidney issues

It's amazing the things the medical profession find these days compared to previous generations. I hope that things work out for the best Bob.

Best wishes Bob.

Lucky you weren't asked to donate one!

Originally Posted by BobL

The doc called me back after my recent annual diabetic related blood tests and said everything was OK except I still had high blood pressure and my kidneys were leaking more protein than they should, so he sent me off for an ultra sound.

While the scan was taking place the sonographer developed a quizzical look on her face, which had me worried, do I asked

"Something wrong"

To which she replied

"Oh nothing to worry about, I can only find one kidney"

There's not even a remnant of the other so chances are I was born that way.

As to be expected the other is enlarged - hopefully that is to cope with the extra load, but I now need to go see a specialist.

Looking up a few kidney websites they say you can live fine with just one (after all look at all the kidney donors out there) but in later life (especially for diabetics) having one kidney can lead to higher blood pressure which leads to protein leakage.

I also found out that on average 1 in 750 people are born with only one kidney (thats about 35,000 people in Oz) and males have a greater likely hood than females.

They also advise being careful with full contact sports - never mind the sports what about all the fights we had as kids?

Anyway, after many years of wondering, I now look like I have an explanation for my higher than average blood pressure - Its been like that for more than 20 years.

Hi Bob

I think that is good news.
You have an explanation for the higher blood pressure which might -- after consultation with the appropriate specialists -- allow a change to any medication you're taking

Please keep us advised Bob!
fletty

Bob I know three people with only one kidney. One by choice as a donation to his son who had lost both to illness and another close to me who lost one through a non cancerous tumor. All are doing well many years later.

My Grandmother made 90+ with only half a kidney - it was supposed to have been removed but when they opened her up they discovered that the other kidney was necrotic (dead) and had to remove that. Then they cleaned up the nasty bits of the functioning kidney, washed it in copper sulphate and stitched her back up. The wonders of medicine in the 1930's. She had had her tonsils removed by having hot irons put down her throat to burn them out (cautery) when she was a young girl - no anaesthetic either. Made them tough in those days.

1 and 3/4 hours at the kidney specialist this morning.
Talks about thorough.
He asked me first if I was up for it, and spent most of the time reviewing graphs of changes in various personal medical tests.

It turns out that my only kidney is 160% the size of a regular kidney! but there is nothing outwardly wrong with it (i.e. wrong shape or unwanted lumps and bumps etc).

The protein leakage by the kidney is most likely blood pressure related and although he doubled my BP med dosage he said getting rid of 10kgs will make a bigger difference and getting rid of 20 will be even better!

One thing he told me was that I am very close to controlling my diabetes with the ultra-low carb diet I am on and asked me to stick to it.

Next problem to deal with is the old water works which get me up every two hours at night.

Originally Posted by bsrlee

She had had her tonsils removed by having hot irons put down her throat to burn them out (cautery) when she was a young girl - no anaesthetic either. Made them tough in those days.

My wife had her tonsils cut out with a pair of scissors without any anaesthetic and fully awake, when she was 9 years old. Not something that I would care for.

Hi Bob,

so did you ask if

Originally Posted by BobL

my only kidney is 160% the size of a regular kidney! but there is nothing outwardly wrong with it (i.e. wrong shape or unwanted lumps and bumps etc).

is "normal" size for a person with only one kidney?

and I can vouch for the effectiveness of

Originally Posted by BobL

getting rid of 10kgs will make a bigger difference [to high BP] and getting rid of 20 will be even better!

Originally Posted by BobL

One thing he told me was that I am very close to controlling my diabetes with the ultra-low carb diet I am on and asked me to stick to it.

congratulations.

Originally Posted by ian

. so did you ask if is "normal" size for a person with only one kidney? .

"Normal" is for the average size person with two kidneys.

Actually the doc didn't say "size", he said it was 160% longer in the longest dimension.

In terms of volume, assuming it is roughly spherical in shape, that means the volume is ~2.6 x more than the average kidney.

So given I am bigger than average and kidneys are not spheres I have the same volume of kidneys as a person with two kidneys, except it's all in one kidney.

Originally Posted by BobL

One thing he told me was that I am very close to controlling my diabetes with the ultra-low carb diet I am on and asked me to stick to it.

Next problem to deal with is the old water works which get me up every two hours at night.

I hope things work out well for you BobL. I also have diabetes which I have managed so far with diet. My GP suggested what he calls "a modified Paleo" diet which has very low carbs and also a lower fat content than a lot of other people have. i.e. no fried eggs and bacon and other fried food.
It certainly seems to work for me with my HBA1C measure usually below 6.

Originally Posted by safari

I hope things work out well for you BobL. I also have diabetes which I have managed so far with diet. My GP suggested what he calls "a modified Paleo" diet which has very low carbs and also a lower fat content than a lot of other people have. i.e. no fried eggs and bacon and other fried food.

There's nothing wrong with using good fats, or with frying - just don't use gallons of oil or the wrong oils.
Once I changed to all good fats my cholesterol levels went totally normal.
Bad fats are not what most people think - bad fats are primarily any vegetable oils except olive.
Even butter, lard and dripping are better for you than canola oil.
Of course you can't eat a bucket load of any of these because they have a lot of calories.

For me breakfast is basically asian style. This morning I had chillies, ginger, spring onion, cabbage and couple of sardines with an egg on top. A table spoon of oil to fry off the onions, ginger and chilli, then add 2 cups of shredded cabbage and a dash of fish sauce and bit of water. Once most of the hardness has gone out of the cabbage top with a couple of sardines and an egg in the middle. Put the heat on low and the lid on the pan. The egg steam poaches in the veggie and sauce juices. Very tasty.

Other breakfast combos are drawn from; tomato, red onion, garlic, mushroom capsicum, bean shoots, bean sprouts, spinach leaves, snow peas, celery, green beans. Every now and then I'm tempted to have a Weetbix but then I look at how bland and pappy it looks in SWMBO's bowl and get out the fry pan.

I had a TURPS a couple of years ago because I got sick of getting up every two hours and standing around for half an hour trying to empty. Now I empty easily, trouble is I still get up every two and a bit hours, probably due to the toxins I have to ingest for RA though. I can tell you that my first evacuation after after they removed catheter post op was so painful I passed out on the floor, unusual they told me. There is another bonus if your wife is still of child bearing age, the taddies swim upstream after a TURPS which makes it difficult to impregnate. Would I do it again? You betcha, anything is better than standing around for ages trying to empty at three in the morning.