The Mighty Kidney

Dad had a few t-shirts kicking around the house that said, "I love you with all my kidney" and picture of a nice healthy looking little red kidney.

It's appropriate really, since the kidneys are every bit as important to sustaining life as the heart. The heart gets most of the attention, but if the kidneys fail to do their job then the heart just circulates toxins around and around the body, eventually allowing it to poison itself.

Sometimes I'm aware of my own kidneys, larger than they should be, deformed beyond recognition. I can almost feel them at times, pressing against the side of my rib cage, or mildly aching. It's a horrible thought to remember how they look in an ultrasound, but even though they're slowly losing function - as is confirmed year after year - they're still doing a pretty good job.

Every morning I take a tiny lisinopril that's supposed to help make their burden easier to bear.

Nine years ago, Dad's kidneys were overtaken by the cysts and he relied on dialysis to do the filtering.

Seven years ago I discovered that mine were also compromised, and just a few weeks later Dad got a transplant.

Five years ago Dad's new kidney was removed. It failed, because it carried a horrible virus and had to be sacrificed. Back to dialysis.

Now he's free from that regimen. I feel relieved for him.

I don't know what will happen. It's hard to know if the lisinopril, or fish oil, or anti-inflammatories or plant proteins will keep my kidneys well. It's impossible to know if dialysis or a transplant is in my future. They may not affect me in more ways than a daily tablet or an annual visit to the nephrologist. And then again, they may change everything.