At first, I didn’t.
They were a source of pain and some embarrassment.
They got in the way of my male “macho” self-image.
They were the points of my vulnerability.
I hated them, and always referred to them as “my damn kidneys.”
This was so for over 40 years.
Now, older (definitely) and wiser (maybe?) I realized that “hating” my kidneys was not the best relationship I could have had with them.
Over those 40 years, I lived!
Those “damned” kidneys were keeping me alive, doing their job under increasingly difficult circumstances!
They had no choice in being “built” with faulty genes!
It wasn’t fair for me to “hate” them!
It wasn’t even helpful. There is no advantage in “hating” a part of yourself!
On the contrary. It is helpful to nurture then to the best of your ability.
If there isn’t much that you can do for them physically (and you can maintain your medical and dietary protocols!), you can at least nurture them mentally.
You can mentally vision your kidneys, cysts and all, and develop a compassionate relationship with them. Yes, even mentally “talk” to them, letting them know that you know it’s not their fault they they are failing.
When you refer to them, consider saying, “my hurting kidneys,” or “my diseased kidneys.” This takes away any negativity you used to have toward your kidneys.
Now, you may think the above “mind game” is silly. You have every right to think that if you are having difficulty on your “PKD Odyssey.”
Yet, when I learned to do this as part of my NLP training, I felt a noticeable relief of internal stress whenever I thought about my disease, which was…often!! 
The point is that in “loving” your diseased kidneys, you become more aligned, with less internal conflict which takes a toll on your energy.
Being aligned is a definite aid in accepting your situation and also increases your courage to move forward along your PKD Odyssey.
And that goes even more for a transplanted kidney!
Stay Aligned!
Peace and Blessings!
Coach Richie Perl
Certified Professional Coach
Certified Trainer of Neuro-Linguistic Programming
I did not enjoy having my kidneys in my body, and when I got them removed it was a huge relief; but believe it or not, when I had them removed with the right one I felt like a part of me had died (which technically it did) and with the left one I felt (and I know this makes me sound crazy) like my kidney loved me and was sending me good vibes and love and hoping I was ok, and I don’t know but part of it was and is still alive in a lab, so maybe I’m crazy, or maybe our body “loves” us even if it hurts us.
Hi, Betty!
Your feelings are VERY valid!
A part of you DID die!
Grief is normal and necessary!
Not only are you not “crazy,” you are INCREDIBLY normal!!!
Even though your kidneys were diseased, they still were made up of “Betty stuff!”
The feeling you have that your kidney loved you makes 100% sense!
I do so admire your courage!
Keep On Truckin’ !
Peace and Blessings!
Coach Richie Perl