Your kidneys are two bean-shaped organs each about the size of your fist. They are located in the middle of your back just below your rib cage on either side of your spine. Above you can see The Kidney Kid’s kidneys.

 

The kidneys have lots of functions. –

They remove waste products from the body.

They balance the body’s fluids

They release hormones that keep your blood pressure steady

They produce red blood cells   and

They help give you strong and healthy bones.

 

Blood is pumped from your heart to each kidney. The kidney then filters this blood through filters called nephrons and returns it cleaned to your heart.  The waste product leaves your body through urine. If these nephrons are not working properly over a length of time this causes you to feel tired, sick and not very hungry.

It is very important that when this occurs that you see a doctor and that you eat the proper foods and a dietitian should be consulted. When you attend your clinic you will be able to talk to a dietitian and get good advice about what you should be eating and more importantly what you should avoid eating.

 

For more information about how the kidneys work please go to www.kidney.org.uk/Medical-Info/kidney-basics/index.html

 http://www.kidney.org.uk/cgi-bin/kidney/instabookSearch/search.cgi?all=Chronic+renal+failureey release

We are extremely grateful to Craig from CeeJay Software for all his work in setting up and managing this website at no cost to the charity. You can contact Craig on 01324 553589