Juju..Jelly belly.. asked:
Diabetes runs in my family and I am scared that I might get it. I recently found out that I was born with one kidney. I havent spoken to a doctor yet but i am curious. Can a person with one kidney and diabetes live a normal life?
3 replies on “How does diabetes affect a person that has one kidney?”
Well, first off, having one kidney has a prognosis or a normal life span (I know this because my son was born with one kidney, so I did the research, as long as there are no other abnormalities, lifespan is the same as anyone else).
The same cannot be said for diabetes, it does shorten lifespan, by quite a bit if not controlled, whether you have one or two kidneys. The best thing to do if you have a strong family history of diabetes is to eat well, exercise regularly, keep your weight in the normal range and see your doctor regularly to check up on you so that you minimize the chance that it does develop and catch it early to begin treatment if it’s unavoidable.
Diabetes only affects the kidneys if you are not controling your sugar. So if you eat right and take your meds you can live life just like anyone else!!
I work in a Kidney Dialysis unit so I can tell one thing Diabetes is the number one cause of Kidney Failure and you only have one. So, monitor yourself very close and any sign of problems go see a doctor and head it off at the pass if you can.