Looking for thoughts and answers or at least your opinion

[Grumpy-1]

Been thinking about this and so I thought I would post it here.  Anyone that would like to pose an answer or thought, please do so.

When we are born, we have two kidneys.  We can live with one kidney - ie transplant or donor.  BUT !!!!  here is my questions:

Wouldn't it be better to get two transplant kidneys instead of one? 
If we can live with one, do we live half as long as with two? 
Is the quality of life half as good as with two?

Just wondering
Grumpy   

[jeannea]

I think for those with 2 good kidneys, life is good. For us, there isn't much help with 2 transplanted kidneys vs 1 and they can save 2 lives with 2 kidneys rather than just saving 1 life. The second transplanted kidney wouldn't benefit you much.

[KarenInWA]

I have heard of adults getting 2 pediatric kidneys, since one is not big enough for an adult. But, to transplant 2 adult kidneys into one patient would only double the wait time for everyone on the list. That would not be fair to anyone, especially since so many do good with one kidney. Post-tx problems are not because of the patient receiving only one kidney, they are due to issues of rejection or infection. Having one or two kidneys does not change that.

KarenInWA

[wj13us]

Grumpy:

I received a kidney from my uncle.  I was 13 he was in his early 40's.  My uncle lived to his late 80's.  So if that was only  a half life with 1 kidney he would have lived to 160 had he not donated one of his kidneys.  I'm now 52 with the same (1) transplanted kidney (my other two were rempved).  Had I got two my uncle he would have had only lived to 40.  Either that or he would have been on dialysis.

For live donors the two kidneys is simply not feasible.  For cadavers..there is just not enough to go around.

Bill

[Poppylicious]

1. Wouldn't it be better to get two transplant kidneys instead of one?

But we only need one working kidney to live a healthy life (many people are born with only one kidney and never have any problems); taking two kidneys would just be greedy and wouldn't necessarily achieve better results (I don't think, but I'm not an expert ... see answer to next question  )

2. If we can live with one, do we live half as long as with two? 

Although my levels dipped after donation, the remaining kidney was pretty quick to pick up the slack and my levels went back up to normal.  I hope to live a long healthy life into old age (mostly so I can become the crazy cat woman who wears an orange tea-cosy on her head and snarls at the kiddies) and nobody gave me any indication that my life would be cut short/in half due to donating a kidney!

3. Is the quality of life half as good as with two?

As someone who has recently gone from 2 healthy/working kidneys to just one healthy/working kidney I can promise you that the quality of my life has not changed.

 

[Riki]

I hope to live a long healthy life into old age (mostly so I can become the crazy cat woman who wears an orange tea-cosy on her head and snarls at the kiddies) a

But that's MY job!  *LOL*

I agree with others.  I just seems greedy to want 2 transplanted kidneys, at least, at the same time (I have 2 transplanted kidneys, but both rejected, one in 2001 and the other in 2004) and would make the wait times for kidneys twice as long

[lmunchkin]

A lady at my work only has one kidney and she just turned 79.  She is the most energetic woman Ive ever worked with.  She lost her one when she was in her late 30's.  Yes you can live with one kidney and live well, as with evidence through her.

lmunchkin
 

[sullidog]

Most people that I know who have had a double transplant have gotten it from a deceased child or baby. And when one kidney goes, it's most likely the other one goes too

[RichardMEL]

The benefit of getting two healthy kidneys transplanted in would not be there AND if you have some kind of condition that may attack a tx kidney you don't want two going the same way do you? Not to mention that that would be one healthy kidney that wouldn't be available to change someone else's life.

I absolutely understand the logic of the question, but one functioning kidney is enough to keep us living a pretty normal life - getting two isn't going to turn you into superman or anything and would involve needless surgery and taking a limited resource for no real benefit... IMHO.

[hubbyhatesdialysis]

Those are good questions Grumpy, I had never really thought about them before but am glad to know the answers to them now. 

[Grumpy-1]

thanks to all that replied.  PLEASE NOTE - I don't want to come off as being greedy on this.  I was just wondering.  For me, I would be happy with any transplant (one, two or  a dozen) [sorry sick humor]   It is nice to know that someone can function a normal life with just one kidney.  Again, thanks for the replies and input.    Grumpy

[RichardMEL]

Grumy it's all good. I didn't for a second think you sounded greedy - I think it was a reasonable and logical question to ask