Living Donors Online Message Board
Living Donation Discussion and News => Living Donation Forum => Topic started by: himer24 on September 26, 2018, 02:37:18 PM
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I have a question; when you donate a kidney, do you automatically have chronic kidney disease because you only have 1 left? I have stage 3 and i feel great. never had a problem since i donated 11 years ago. just wondering...
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Having only one kidney is not a "kidney disease" as long as the kidney is working well. I have been told that some doctors may simply look at your test numbers, compare them to charts for "average" (TWO-kidney) people and casually declare "stage 3 disease". Other doctors will look at your entire health picture, take into consideration that YOU have only one kidney, and THEN determine if you have "stage 3 disease" or if this is your a"new normal". So it would be wise, I think, to ask further questions. Does your doctor have experience in treating living kidney donors? That can make a difference.
Fr. Pat
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Hi himer24, you may need to educate your doctor(s), since they may not have ever had a donor as a patient. I keep track of my blood results to show that they are stable over time. This is your "normal" level as a donor. Interestingly, when I have been hospitalized for my colitis and am getting tons of IV and prednisone, my kidney function shows as actually normal. Love, elephant