Most people who are born without a kidney (or with only one working kidney) lead normal, healthy lives. A person may have had one kidney removed during an operation in order to treat an injury or a disease like cancer. A person may have donated one kidney to a person who needed a kidney transplant.

Their basic functions include:

• Regulation of extracellular fluid volume. The kidneys work to ensure an adequate quantity of plasma to keep blood flowing to vital organs.
• Regulation of osmolarity.
• Regulation of ion concentrations.
• Regulation of pH.
• Excretion of wastes and toxins.
• Production of hormones.

The kidneys are powerful chemical factories that perform the following functions:

• remove waste products from the body.
• remove drugs from the body.
• balance the body’s fluids.
• release hormones that regulate blood pressure.
• produce an active form of vitamin D that promotes strong, healthy bones.

Living with One Kidney: What to Know. Although most people have two kidneys, you only need one functioning kidney to live an active, healthy life. If you have only one kidney, it’s important to protect it and keep it functioning well because you don’t have a second one to take over if it fails.

Although drinking one to two drinks a day typically won’t be an issue, if you have one kidney, it will. When you drink, you will generally urinate more. But, your kidney is not filtering any blood. So, alcohol is still in your blood.

A nephrectomy is a major surgery to remove all or part of your kidney. The kidneys are two small, bean-shaped organs in the abdomen. They filter water and waste products from your blood.

Pain in your belly or on the side where you had the kidney removed. The pain should get better over several days to a week. Bruising around your wounds. This will go away on its own.

Although overall kidney function decreases after a nephrectomy, the remaining kidney tissue usually works well enough for a healthy life. Problems that may occur with long-term reduced kidney function include: High blood pressure (hypertension) Chronic kidney disease.

Here are 17 foods that you should likely avoid on a renal diet.

• Dark-colored soda. In addition to the calories and sugar that sodas provide, they harbor additives that contain phosphorus, especially dark-colored sodas.
• Avocados.
• Canned foods.
• Whole wheat bread.
• Brown rice.
• Bananas.
• Dairy.
• Oranges and orange juice.

Water. Water is the best thing to drink for kidney health because it gives your kidneys the fluids they need to function well, without sugar, caffeine, or other additives that do not benefit your kidneys. Drink four to six glasses of water every day for optimal kidney health.