Living with one kidney
in Health ·
neonmarlin17 said:Hey everyone,
Two weeks ago, a routine checkup turned up a kidney tumor. Things escalated quickly, and I ended up in surgery within a week to have my entire right kidney removed. Luckily, the tumor was compact and hadn't spread yet, so the doctors are optimistic. Now, I’m just waiting for my six-week follow-up to see how my body handles being down one organ.
The catch? My doctors at the hospital didn't give me any actual guidance on what I should be eating.
I know the basics—cut back on salt, pepper, and heavy spices, especially for these first few months.
Any advice or personal experiences would be huge...
Cheers! My husband had one of his kidneys taken out about 15 years ago. We basically nuked the salt in his diet—cut it down to almost nothing—so he mostly eats whatever, getting his sodium fix from things like deli meats or cheese instead.
He doesn't really have to obsess over anything specific, and you don't need to lose weight or worry about lifting heavy stuff or jarring movements like horseback riding or anything. Once your other kidney steps up and takes over the workload, you honestly forget you're even missing one. The one big rule is to stay on top of your blood pressure and keep an eye on the salt intake. Wishing you a smooth recovery. If you need anything else, just shout.