Hi, I have a condition that has resulted in only one functioning, compensatory hypertrophic kidney. My small kidney was caused by childhood urinary tract reflux and UTIs at this time. You may obviously have this from a different conidition, but one thing that the hypertrophic kidney has caused is high blood pressure. My blood pressure needs medication to keep it below a normal level (I feel so much better from this), and I also have to test myself for UTIs regularly, and seek antibiotic treatment immediately if I have one (if it gets to your kidneys you'll be feeling very unwell). I also take a dose of antibiotics after sexual intercourse as a preventative, as this was found to be causing more UTIs. As I am a woman (not sure if you are!)the high blood pressure also means I can't use any birth control method involving hormones.
I have been told that some people do need to have the small kidney removed, but not everyone does, and I seem to be fortunate here. The main things to find out are what caused the damage, and also try to avoid damage to the larger kidney. You will need extra special care if you are pregnant, because high blood pressure can obviously be a problem here. If it is caused by urinary tract reflux, then if you have children, they should be examined as it can be hereditary. But, apart from this, it has had very little effect on my life and I hope that you find yourself in the same situation.
