Kidney Patient Guide

Hi . I have just got back from my Urology appointment and the consultant has decided to remove my left kidney . He said " even though removing this kidney will leave you in a very brittle state I feel there is no alternative but to remove the kidney " . I don't know what he means by Brittle ?

I am to have some tests first and then the op will go ahead. Please can someone give me some links about Nephrectomy

I feel very shell shocked and I can only remember bits of what was said

Solo

Hello Solo,

It is always difficult to think when you are given news like that, this link may help a bit https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/nephrectomy

When you have read the link, I think the best thing to do is to write down the questions you will have. Contact the consultants secretary, and explain you have some urgent questions could they arrange an appointment with someone who can answer them for you. You will be very unlucky if this should fail, if it doe's, go to see your GP with the list.

Information from the consultant or the staff who know your case is always better than stuff turned up on the internet.

Best wishes.

Many of us have had it done, it is a biggish op but we have all survived. Cheer up it is always for the better. They removed one of mine so could have room for a transplant that followed. Let me tell you, would do it ALL AGAIN to reach where am now.

Hi Solo ...
sorry you are feeling a wee bit shell shocked ...
its never easy when they tell you something you weren't expecting to be thrown into the conversation ...
I think ... (yes ... it does happen on rare occasions!! ) ... that when the Dr said brittle ... they meant fragile ...
your feeling crap now ... and you will feel more crap after ...
but you will start to feel things are getting better eventually ...

Thank you all for the replies and the links .

The consultant has made an appointment for me to see the Specialist Renal Nurse on Monday to help talk me through a lot of what is going to happen . I will tell her about the forum and how supportive you all are too

I have had both my kidneys removed because they were huge and would not have left room for a transplant. They had failed anyway so I was carrying them around for nothing. Feel much better now and I have got my waist back which can't be bad☺

It is a shock, but it's a relatively straightforward, if major, op. They didn't even stitch my wound sites, they glued them up and you can, 2 years later, barely see the scars.

I had some fairly major pain issues post-op, but within a few days I was up & about and back to work after 3 weeks off.