Kidney Stones (x 4) (parental advisory)

[jameslrock]

Healing prayers for you while typing.

[Weirdcuba]

Originally Posted by FreddieFerric

My wife had a single kidney stone that she was able to pass the traditional way. I still remember the days she spent in bed in utter agony with hydrocodone that did little to ease the pain. She's said many times since that she would never want to experience that kind of pain ever again. So, I sympathize with what you've been through. Hopefully once they're out and you've healed up you'll never have another one.

I’ve had several women note that they’ve had kidney stones and babies, and they prefer babies! No fun ...

[For The Love of Music]

Hurts reading, and admire you pushing through, winners don’t quit!

Is the cause of this not enough hydration or something else?

[Weirdcuba]

Difficult to determine the cause. As I said, I went 14 years since my last bout and I thought I had beaten these things with tons and tons of water. Apparently, that wasn’t working as I had hoped.

There is some dietary connection based on the chemical make up of the stones. I’ve heard theories about alcohol, caffeine, tea, animal protein, mineral content of water, chocolate, etc. I’m going to get very serious about this aspect once I’m through this week’s surgery. I’m also going to get an X-ray once a year just in case to avoid anything like this in the future.

I’m convinced it is due to sins of past lives and too much rock n roll.

[raker]

Originally Posted by Weirdcuba

A couple of weeks ago, I immensely enjoyed myself over the weekend at the show in Munich with my law partner. We usually cycle and other stuff when I’m over there, but I wasn’t interested this time for some reason.

After the show, I flew to our office in Brussels and found myself doubled over in pain on Tuesday night (even passing on a wonderful Belgium beer I had just ordered). I then found myself in the (French speaking) ER in Brussels at 5.30 am on Wednesday morning. After a few hours (and a CT Scan), I was pronounced with not one, two, or three, but FOUR kidney stones. Being equal opportunity sadists, I had two on each side, the largest of which was 3 cm. On top of that, I was in partial kidney failure due to the stones ( this explains why I wasn’t interested in great cycling with my law partner). I cajoled them into letting me get on a plane the next day with a bunch of meds and returned to the states (that was, shall we say, a long and painful ride).

NO payment required for medical services in Belgium, which was quite the concept, irrespective of one’s view on these things.

Then Friday morning here in the states, I had stents put in both sides to drain the kidneys, which made me feel better (sort of, but only sort of - really just replaced one pain with several others). These babies were too large for lithotripsy or basket retrieval, so on Wednesday, they lasered two of them on the left (entering through perhaps the worst avenue one might imagine), and that brought a bit of relief (but yet new varieties of pain, into which I will not go for purposes of not offending my audience).

Then, I attended my daughter’s high school graduation yesterday, which was a wonderful event and I was glad to be there, but it was not without pain. I somehow stumbled through and she walked the aisle (headed to Wellesley next year!). I’m scheduled to have the last two removed the old fashioned way on Tuesday - with a knife because they’re too big to get out any other way. Then, they remove the stents (via the same avenue in which they were inserted - yes, that one!), and hopefully I’ll be done.

This is my fourth bout of kidney stones, but it had been fourteen years, so I thought I had found the solution (boy, was I wrong). All in all, I made it back to the states, attended my daughter’s graduation, and shouldn’t have any long term effects from this, so that’s good. That said, the different types of pain, over such a long period of time, and the fear of it recurring is not pleasant.

My best wishes to all who have suffered this and similar pain - may we not suffer it again.

I’ve had at least five severe episodes. A doctor in Singapore recommended a diet of potassium citrate: no problems since.

[Weirdcuba]

That is well indicated for stones of Uric acid. My past stones have been of calcium oxalate, but we’ll see this time. I thought lots of water had done the trick, but I’ll have an X-ray / year to avoid any future scenarios as this one.

[bradleyc]

A female coworker admitted to me that her past kidney stones were far more painful than giving birth. I’ve given birth to a few stones too and feel your pain bro, get well soon!

[Masterlu]

Originally Posted by Weirdcuba

I’m convinced it is due to sins of past lives and too much rock n roll.

Certainly brings new meaning to Rolling Stones.

[SCAudiophile]

Jim,...hope you get through this and feel better soon!

[W9TR]

Jim,
Glad you mostly on the clear side of this episode. It hurt just to read about it.
Tom