<p>I attended a [mathom</a> & pancake breffist](<a href=“World Wide Words: Mathom”>World Wide Words: Mathom) this afternoon ( at which I was able to dump/share some of my stuff and escape without anyone elses!) where the conversation delved into family genetic anomalys which prompted some disagreement. I was curious about it, so when I got home I naturally googled- which then led me to look up my own congenital quirk, a bicornuate uterus.</p>
<p>Since I am not interested in having any more children- it never comes up at the Dr.( they just check for Vit D) , but I was stunned to learn, that apparently along with the horned uterus, quite often the woman has only one kidney.
I am kind of freaked out.
There goes my rock & roll lifestyle. :(</p>
<p>My BIL has one contiguous kidney–as far as I can tell, it’s like two normal shaped kidneys facing each other, but meeting in the middle, to make it one. Doesn’t seem to have slowed down his rock & roll lifestyle, much, though. :)</p>
<p>You can as your MD to order a renal ultrasound to determine if you have two kidneys.</p>
<p>Assuming the kidney functions normally, the main risk of having only one kidney is a traumatic injury to that kidney.
So wear your seatbelt securely across your hips; refrain from rugby, tackle football, other contact sports and skydiving.</p>
<p>Many people donate a kidney to a family/relative, turning themselves into a 1 kidney person. These people are not placed under any restrictions, activity or otherwise.</p>
<p>My grandmother had a severe illness in her 20s which resulted in her having 1 kidney removed (luckily for her, in the days before kidney transplants, the other kidney was ok). She lived till nearly 90 with no further ill effects due to kidney problems (died of lung problem). In fact she once held a “50 years without a kidney” party LOL.</p>
<p>We discovered this when she became very ill as a child. An ultrasound found an enlarged kidney with a blocked ureter, with another smaller kidney on top of it with its own ureter. On the other side she has the same thing, 2 fused kidneys with their own ureters as well. </p>
<p>Surgery repaired the blockage, but the kidneys were left alone.</p>
<p>About 10 years ago, my s-i-l donated a kidney to her brother (his kidneys were destroyed during cancer treatments). She had three children after that. Every year, her brother sends her flowers on the donation anniversary.</p>
<p>I know 4 people who have one kidney, 3 men in their 50s, one of whom donated a kidney to his son last year, and one woman in her fifties. They all lead perfectly normal lives.
In fact the woman runs marathons.</p>