10 replies to this topic

[Fats]

I am interested to hear from runners who have only one kidney. I recently discovered I only have one which is rare but not that rare (1/1000). The only sports-related advice I have had is don't take part in impact sports and don't get dehydrated.

I would be interested to hear from other runners with only one - particularly marathon/ultra runners. Has it affected your running in any way? Do you take any special precautions? Has your running caused any kidney problems for you? Feel free to PM privately if you prefer.

[glenda]

I have a friend , runner, who has 1 kidney. She is able to run very well. I could not understand what impact sports would hurt, but certainly keeping hydrated is an issue. You don't ant to dmage your only kidney.

[undercover brother]

i finally beat you at something ... more nephrons
the problem with contact sports is if you shatter one from trauma: one of the ?geelong footy players did this to himself a few years ago after running into a players knee.
as you dont have as many nephrons to play with yes rhabdomyolysis would be more of a problem so anything that prevents this/makes it less bad including early identification and avoiding nsaids is a good thing.

Edited by undercover brother, 01 April 2009 - 06:11 PM.

[runclimb]

Hi Fats,
Although both my kidneys are intact I have only half function in one. From a running point of view staying hydrated is pretty much the only concern I can think of ( I am not a medical professional, could be more things to worry about). For me it simply means carrying water when others may not deem it necessary, and drinking alot during the day to keep them flushed.

8yrs ago I had an operation to correct the problem ( to stop further loss of function), since then I have felt much better, previously I was lethargic and not as fit as I should have been for the training I was doing. It would be interesting to know how you feel generally and if you think it has effected your performances?

Since the operation I have ran several ultras and a couple of marathons. I did go back to the specialist a few years ago as I was urinating blood. I thought it may have been serious but several tests later he was satisfied that everything was fine and I simply should be drinking more. It was a rather hot few weeks and although I was only doing daily 10k runs I wasnt hydrating enough in between. Since then no problems at all for me.

I even played another season of football as well. From the contact sport point of view the problem is if you get a knock in your good or only kidney then you may be in trouble. It still needs to be a very heavy trauma ( something that is still unlikely ) but with one kidney you dont have a second one too fall back on. It is still worth noting that you can live off only a third of a kidney, although you would want to take very good care of yourself.

Unfortunately my problem has been passed on to my 17month old son, he is getting an operation in the next month or so to correct his function. Thankfully he will not lose any function as it is being corrected nice and early, unlike mine which was done at 21. Still abit upsetting to think about my precious boy going under the knife however. I really should have entered the R4TK, next year...

UCB, Tom Lonergan is the player you are thinking of. He has since made a successful comeback, wearing a special guard to cushion any heavy impact to the rib region. Although some might say a losing grand final isnt successful!!

Edited by runclimb, 01 April 2009 - 09:38 PM.

[Fats]

runclimb, on Apr 1 2009, 06:37 AM, said:

It would be interesting to know how you feel generally and if you think it has effected your performances?

I don't think it's had much effect, after all it took me 34 years to find out. It tends to take me quite a while to recover from big races (ultras) compared to other guys but I have no idea whether that is related to the kidney. According to the blood tests my renal function is fine on one.

Interesting point from UCB on the NSAIDs. I had read this elsewhere and it sounds like I should probably be avoiding ibuprofen from now on. Will do some more research on this. The other thing I read was that a low protein diet is a good thing. I eat a very low protein diet anyway so it is good to know I have been eating the right stuff.

Thanks for the feedback - I was half expecting to get no replies.

[Fats]

By the way runclimb good luck for your little boy's operation. Hope it is successful and not too distressing for you and his mother.

[Whippet Man]

Fats you will probably find that your solitary kidney is larger than normal. When scanning patients with only one kidney (often because the other was removed) the remaining one is generally enlarged (compensatory hypertrophy). And like UCB I steer away from the NSAIDs during ultras even with 2 kidneys. If things are going off I want to know about it. Good luck.

And the recovery thing just gets worse with age.

[tim]

I believe you should also assist your kidney post run with a few beer to help flush it out and get things working again.

[Paul Every]

Veteran marathoner of the 1970s/80s, George McGrath, donated a kidney to his son. George raced prolifically, regularly running sub 3 hours well into his 60s. It didn't seem to affect him.

Edited by Paul Every, 02 April 2009 - 10:40 AM.

[Dangerous]

Paul Every, on Apr 2 2009, 11:39 AM, said:

Veteran marathoner of the 1970s/80s, George McGrath, donated a kidney to his son. George raced prolifically, regularly running sub 3 hours well into his 60s. It didn't seem to affect him.

Hi All
I dont think you have anything to worry about running with one kidney (unless there is a problem with it). Lots of people have one (including me) - I dontated one to my sister who had total kidney failure 12 years ago. She is doing great. I have never really noticed any change since the op apart from the fact I need to drink a bit more water. I ran a few halves and a marathon last year (my first) and hope to do a few more this year.

Hope all goes well for all...happy running.

Cheers

[Gronk]

Fats,

The winner of last Sunday's Ocean Drive Marathon in New Jersey, Nick DeSantis, is due to donate a kidney shortly to friend.