Dead Kidney on my right side

[Crystal049]

I just recently found out that i have a dead kidney on my right side i have 2 doctors telling me that it could possibily cause cancer or other problems later on down the line and that i need to have it removed.  I also have 2 doctors that say that leaving a dead kidney in wont hurt anything but im not so sure about that.  I would like to know what u think should i have it removed or leave it in and take the chances of possibily getting cancer or other medical problems down the line.  Please help me i dont know what the risk are of leaving it in.  I personally think I should have it removed.  Please let me know what u think and the risks associated with leaving it in and the risks of having it moved.  The doctors say that my left kidney is functioning fine and they see no cancer at this time.  My dead kidney has already been there for about 1 and a half years.  I would greatly appreciate ur input u are my last hope please help me before its to late.  Thank you for your time and concern.

[lindahand]

With me they did a CT Scan with contrast. The contrast showed that there was no blood flowing into the kidney and it was thus 'dead'.

[getmeoutahere]

How do they know ur kidney is dead? I have kidney disease and its always my right one that hurts or gets infected. My symptoms are worsening too like swollen knees/and under as well as my feet are sometimes numb and tingly. Itchy back too + more. 40 years of this is getting very old

[lindahand]

I have a 'dead' kidney due to some unsuccessful surgery. I was told that removing it would be more damaging to the body than leaving it in. To be fair though the kidney surgery I had was supposed to be laparoscopic but they nicked a blood vessels and had to convert to open surgery so I have a very long scar across my abdomin. Because of this they would have to go through my back to remove that kidney. There would be too much scar tissue to go through the front laparoscopically. The surgeon never mentioned anything like the risk of cancer to me.

If you have laparoscopic surgery, and everything goes well, it probably isn't too big of a deal to get it removed. However if things go wrong you may have scar/abdominal pain and numbness like I do.

I am not saying this to scare you or tell you not to do it. I had a breast lump that was benign removed because I didn't want to deal with the fact it may turn cancerous. But breast surgery is nothing compared to kidney surgery, and it is good to know the risks going in.

I would also talk to your family doctor. They can sometimes help you interpret the 'specialist speak'. I personally would want some statistics behind what they are saying. If it is a 1% or 2% chance of turning cancerous - then I'd let it be because surgery carries much more than a 2% risk of bad outcomes. If it was 5% or 10% then I'd start considering it.

Whatever you decide to do will be the right decision. I say trust your gut instinct. I find it is more often right than wrong.