# Is there anything a person with only one kidney can't do? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 27, 2010, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-a-person-with-only-one-kidney-cant-do/562049 "2010-11-27T04:26:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-a-person-with-only-one-kidney-cant-do/562049/21 "2010-11-27T15:21:47Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > Nobody has mentioned the appendix??!! I did. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-a-person-with-only-one-kidney-cant-do/562049/22 "2010-11-27T15:22:56Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Tonsils, and you can’t eat ice cream or something? Not sure I’d call a bunch of lymphoid tissue an organ. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-a-person-with-only-one-kidney-cant-do/562049/23 "2010-11-27T16:37:15Z")
I believe skin is considered and organ?? You could donate grafts and regrow your own and do anything. Regarding limbs as opposed to organs. You might be able to donate some of your toes to someone who lost fingers and toes to something like frostbite or a disease if they could be properly attached. I understand a big toe can be used as a thumb. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-a-person-with-only-one-kidney-cant-do/562049/24 "2010-11-27T16:49:26Z")
> [@smithsb](#): > > I believe skin is considered and organ?? You could donate grafts and regrow your own and do anything. You can donate some skin, if you don’t mind some significant scarring. It can be a very worthwhile thing to do. But you don’t want to lose too much, or death will ensue. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-a-person-with-only-one-kidney-cant-do/562049/25 "2010-11-27T18:13:55Z")
I was told recently that I was missing a kidney (I was in on an unrelated matter–I woke up in a bathtub full of ice and a sharp pain in my side). I would love an answer to this question, but maybe that’s because I can’t grasp the idea that no, there is nothing different. There’s no telling when it actually happened, and CAT scans show that the remaining kidney grew in size to compensate. The urologist kept saying I had nothing to worry about per se, and that it’s something that should be evaluated every few years (since I don’t really have a backup) but that there’s nothing I need do special. He did say that I may not want to participate in medical experiments, but the single kidney would likely disqualify me anyway. But no admonition to avoid certain activities or recreational pharmaceuticals (at least not the classes that I’m partial towards), nothing. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-a-person-with-only-one-kidney-cant-do/562049/26 "2010-11-27T18:29:00Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > Damn. Back to the drawing board. > > Any organs a person can live without- minus participation in one or two popular leisure activities? > [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](#): > > their junk, they can’t it it in someone’s trunk For that matter, someone’s trunk. Can’t have anal sex without an anus. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-a-person-with-only-one-kidney-cant-do/562049/27 "2010-11-27T19:09:13Z")
> [@](#): > > Derleth, your donated eye/3-D idea is good. Though, as it will appear onstage she will have two eyes so she’ll have to explain that one of them is glass. That’s easily-enough dealt with. Just have the character wear an eyepatch. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-a-person-with-only-one-kidney-cant-do/562049/28 "2010-11-27T22:44:07Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Tonsils, and you can’t eat ice cream or something? After my tonsils were removed, I ate TONS of jello and ice cream. They gave me pretty much all I wanted at the hospital. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2010, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-a-person-with-only-one-kidney-cant-do/562049/29 "2010-11-28T00:39:19Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > That’s easily-enough dealt with. Just have the character wear an eyepatch. No good. She’ll be interacting throughout the show with her gift-giver (me). If my gift to her is something that requires two eyes, I’ll see that she’s got the eye-patch- and it would be illogical to not address it. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2010, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-a-person-with-only-one-kidney-cant-do/562049/30 "2010-11-28T00:43:19Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > No good. She’ll be interacting throughout the show with her gift-giver (me). If my gift to her is something that requires two eyes, I’ll see that she’s got the eye-patch- and it would be illogical to not address it. Maybe she could wear stylish dark glasses and something to cover most of the top of her head/face, like a scarf or long hair: You think she’s making a fashion statement, but she’s really hiding a patch. Taking off the glasses would be the reveal. ---
**Author:** ![Brandinho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Brandinho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brandinho)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2010, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-a-person-with-only-one-kidney-cant-do/562049/31 "2010-11-28T09:21:36Z")
It’s a bit morbid and perhaps unrealistic, but you could have a brother donate a kidney and then get injured during a family football game where his other kidney is damaged which forces his brother to donate his own kidney back to him. There’s a joke about being an Indian giver in there. ---
**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-a-person-with-only-one-kidney-cant-do/562049/32 "2010-11-30T18:43:27Z")
> [@The\_Controvert](#): > > Can’t have anal sex without an anus. I have it on [good authority](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monty_Python) that such a transplant was attempted on the late President Nixon. Unfortunately the donor organ rejected him. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-a-person-with-only-one-kidney-cant-do/562049/33 "2010-11-30T19:36:35Z")
Well I feel dumb now coming in after 32 posts to say “donate a kidney.” ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-a-person-with-only-one-kidney-cant-do/562049/34 "2010-11-30T19:49:46Z")
I think the US (and possibly other) militaries may reject someone who lacks an organ, even one that isn’t technically needed for life, due to the possible fact that it could have some effect in the heat of action. Perhaps the other gift (given to the kidney donator) could be a scholarship to the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland (or the equivalent in the applicable country) which they can’t accept because they would fail the induction medical exam. ---
**Author:** ![ducati](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cc9497/32.png) [@ducati](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ducati)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-a-person-with-only-one-kidney-cant-do/562049/35 "2010-11-30T20:03:18Z")
Kidney donors are generally told to restrict “dangerous” activities, aren’t they? So give him a motorcycle, parachute, hang-glider, or something equally dangerous. Bull-riding gift certificate? Acapulco high-dive lessons? A race car? Help me out, people! ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-a-person-with-only-one-kidney-cant-do/562049/36 "2010-11-30T20:22:56Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > I thought a kidney would be a funny thing to sell, so then the seller of the kidney has to receive a gift that requires that the recipient has two kidneys. He could get one of [these.](http://dinnerdiary.org/2008/09/13/steak-and-kidney-pie/) ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-a-person-with-only-one-kidney-cant-do/562049/37 "2010-11-30T20:39:50Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Spleen’s been mentioned. > > Pancreas can be done without, as long as the person takes insulin and digestive enzymes. > > Gall bladder is not necessary, nor is the appendix. > > Testes, ovaries, uterus, prostate all can be done away with. > > Large intestine isn’t really needed, one will need to use an ileostomy with bag and modify their activities accordingly. > > Stomach can be removed, and people still get by. > > A lot of the small bowel can be removed, but most folks will need to have a little left behind to live. Trying to survive on hyperalimentation (food via central IV line) is not real pleasant, but one can last for years in some cases. > > Adrenals can be removed, and replacement hormones given, but it ain’t pretty, and eventually most people prefer death. > > Thyroid can be removed, and folks will get by with replacement hormones. Same for the parathyroids. > > As for the OP, other than donating a kidney, people with one normally functioning kidney don’t need to restrict their activities in the vast majority of cases. But how many of those could you actually sell? ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-a-person-with-only-one-kidney-cant-do/562049/38 "2010-11-30T20:43:55Z")
Suppose they sold a lung. They could then receive as a gift a wind instrument such as a trumpet, or scuba gear, or something else that involves breathing. I don’t know if any of those things are technically ill-advised or difficult for a one-lunged person, but people would get the joke. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-a-person-with-only-one-kidney-cant-do/562049.md?page=1)