For our medical jellies, should I have any concerns about having only one kidney?

Nope, you should be fine.

Lots of people have only one kidney and function just fine. ALL of the live donors live normal lives with one kidney. If your doctor doesn’t have any concerns, I would not worry about it.

You may want to get a medic alert tag so if you are ever in an accident the attending people will know you only have one kidney.

You’ll be just fine. The kidneys are one of only a few organs in the body that have a capacity far above what we require of them. From memory you can survive with 70% of one kidney functioning. The one you do have is also probably bigger than normal to compensate. Keep up your healthy lifestyle, and you won’t even know the difference.

You’re fine.

My brother has only one functioning kidney, and he’s never had any problems. However, he’s prone to get kidney stones, so with only one kidney, he was advised to stay on his stone-preventing meds religiously.

I’m sure your doctor is aware of the situation now. Be sure he/she does regular blood work. Continue a healthy diet because you are now more at risk for problems should you develop hypertension or diabetes. Good luck to you. You should live a long, normal life. Also ask your Dr about using large amounts of Ibuprofen.

My uncle has only one kidney, and it’s a transplant. You are alright.

One is fine. If you ever have chemo, make sure every one knows, though, they might slightly change the hydration protocol to compensate. I have one “works fine” kidney and a partial that barely functions due to a congenital problem in my youth. When I had chemo for cancer, it was the first time anyone expressed concern.

The question is should the writer have “concerns” about having a solitary. Yes, I would say that he should have concerns and take precautions to keep the one kidney that he has healthy – healthy diet, regular medical checkups and lab testing. As we age, our kidneys dont filter as well. Having two kidneys serves as backup, so there could be a risk as one ages. Best to protect against hypertension and not burden the kidney with excessive protein intake. Additionally, the risk of comlications in cases of trauma are higher, especially if the trauma is to the area with the solitary kidney. You may want to rethink any plans for extreme sports. Overall, if you are sensible and follow a healthy life-style, most people are just fine with one kidney.