The Amazing Kidney

I never knew how I would react to knowing that the surgery was definite. I didn’t really take my previous surgery date seriously as I knew that I was going for a second opinion and most likely the first surgery would be cancelled. Now I am two days away and I feel very relieved. It’s been eleven long weeks and I am ready to return to my normal activities – running, cooking, exploring NYC, and hanging out with friends.

The real test will be about four days after the surgery when the doctors will have a better understanding about my tumor cells and type. The hope is that this surgery is all that I need. However, there is a possibility that I might need chemotherapy and/or radiation. Right now I am just happy to get the growth out of me and have my other kidney take over the job for the one that will be removed.

Come to think of it, the kidney gets little respect, even though it works 24/7 to eliminate all those toxins that accumulate in our bodies. Scientists don’t really know why the majority of us are born with two kidneys when we only need one (we actually only need 2/3 of one to work and 1 out of 750 people are born with 1 kidney.) I am grateful for having that second kidney and think that it would be awesome if we had backups for all our organs. I am amazed that my remaining kidney will increase in size by as much as 40% to perform the extra work and happy to know that by all indications living with one kidney is no different from living with two, with the exception of participating in contact sports. Luckily, I never wrestled much and my college flag football days are long gone.