Kidney removal

[robgoddard]

I have had a 'bad' kidney removed, as a result of a bad infection. The root cause was a PUJ obstruction which my consultant advises was probably congenital, and the kidney may have never functioned correctly since i was born.

My question to you is; should i be concerned about continuing diving with one good healthy kidney?

Can kidney infections be brought on by diving?

 

[zeN||]

Rob I've never heard of nephrectomies contraindicating diving, unless the one remaining kidney is also impaired. Infections from diving usually occur in the respiratory and auditory routes, of course your MD is the final word cheers zeN||

 

[ssra30]

Well, in person who donate one of their kidneys for transplant, as far as activity is concerned,usually they are told to avoid contact sports or activity where
the remaining kidney could be damage physically.
As far as contact sports go, I think scuba diving is pretty low on the list unless you are one of those people that use back plate and like to hual it above the head and flip it on your back since that theoretically could bang against your back near where the kidney is. If the remaining kidney is functioning normally, I don't see any problem with diving in that regard.

 

[Soggy]

Sorry to hear it....

I almost lost a kidney when I was a child as a result of a congenital UPJ obstruction as well. Now, one of my kidneys is permantley malformed and liked to collect stones. I'm having a Percutaneous Shockwave Lithotripsy done in a few months which basically means they are going to stick a hole into my kidney and pluck the stones out manually.

Kidney issues are no fun. I am under pretty much constant care of a Urologist. I haven't had a physical in several years, but I've seen a Urologist about every 3-4 months.

How is the other kidney?

 

[dirt diver]

Nephrectomy doesn't contraindicate diving. I gave my spare to a friend a few years back, and the local DAN doc here in town said it wasn't an issue, once it'd healed. I gave it 6 months just 'cos of the pulling I was getting the first few months. My surgeon DID make me promise to give up skydiving, due to the possibility of injury to the remaining kidney.

Never had any trouble with it on any dive, although I've finally given in and started bald-faced lying on all of the med releases and saying "no problems". Got tired of some idiot divemaster thinking he knew better than my DAN doc (who'd signed me off). Here three years later, it's just a thin line, and I don't miss it at all.

Amusingly, one fool divemaster thought that there was a gas pocket internally where the kidney had been, and didn't believe me when I told him it'd likely been filled in with fat long since, even if the surgeon *had* left a small amount of void in there. The guts just kinda flow around to fill the empty space, and any air pocket would have been absorbed by the tissues long since....

As to the original poster's question about kidney infections due to diving, I'd think it would only be an issue if you're diving in an area contaminated by sewage or other biohazards. I'd hope the dive operator kept tabs on any local bio problems from effluent discharge. I haven't -heard- of anyone getting a serious infection from diving (other than otitis).