So, I went to the ER last night for kidney stones...second time in my life, and let me tell you, if you have never had them, be thankful. It's like being in labor with no cute baby on the other side of the pain.
I drink plenty of water, so I'm just curious, has anyone else had them and pinpointed a cause?
Well, it finally passed (thank God) and I appreciate all the ideas. As far as the high oxalate foods, I do eat a lot of chocolate, nuts, peanut butter, etc (like, way too much, really) and that might be it. The last time I had one, I was on a celery kick and had been eating a ton of celery for about a month, with peanut butter. And of course, I drink pop... :) Caffeine free these days, though, which has really taken all the fun out of it.
Thanks again, ladies!
I know that pain! I have only had one & I did follow up with a specialist. I had too much calcium in my body. So i stopped taking calcium/magnesium supplement & changed to just a magnesium one. Someone also said that drinking too much soda pop (in my case dr pepper) also causes it. I hope I never have another.
My husband gets kidney stones, and so I researched a lot and found there is some that believe that taking magnesium and a B complex will help keep the stones away. He has been taking both and hasnt had any stones until he stopped taking the B complex (we ran out and he didnt tell me) and low and behold he got one again. So I believe there is some truth to these studies!
http://www.mg12.info/articles/kidney-stones.html
http://www.doctoryourself.com/kidney.html
http://www.mgwater.com/rod16.shtml
Just a few Ive read. Just google magnesium and kidney stones and a bunch of stuff will pop up.
Good luck!
I had been a vegetarian for years...and I still got them regularly. Many things cause kidney stones, excess calcium, acid (this is from meat), magnesium/ammonia, and there are rare kidney stones made of cystine.
Unless you know which type you have, you don't know how to prevent them. The most common is calci kidney stone (calcium). Only a doctor can tell you which you have an how to prevent them.
I pass kidney stones at least twice a week. I don't even go to the doctor anymore. I simply pee in the hat the doctor gave me and strain them through the mesh strainer he gave me. (It's not a real hat, it's one of those things that looks like a puritan hat that sits on the rim of the toilet...the nurses called it a hat.) I put it in a specimen cup and take it the doc's...they give me a new specimen cup and the process starts over.
Sadly, none of the diets I have tried work. I gone vegan, vegetarian, cut back on my calcium intake...nothing works. I'm prone to kidney stones and I have narcotics if the pain gets to bad. If I don't pee for 18-24 hours, then I go to the hospital and they break them up so I can pass them. I had an MRI done several weeks ago to check the tumor on my adrenal gland and they found 22 kidney stones on the one side alone.
Just keep drinking the water...but add some lemon to it. That always always always helps me. Something in the lemon makes them easier to pass.
*hugs*
I have never been through it but I watch my husband all the time. His body just produces them. Sometimes they are from calcim and some from sodium. He has C.T. scans every 6 months. Thank God for insurance. If you can catch one that you pass your doctor can have it tested. You need to go see a urologist. Good Luck
Hi Mrslavallie---Kidney stones are largely the result of excess animal protein consumption. Not always but most often. Human protein needs are quite small despite what different industry recommendations are. Excess protein is removed from the body via the kidneys. There is likely no one thing that has led to your body's predisposition to kidney stones but there are a couple of different risk factors involved. And I don't suggest that you've had a meat laden diet...but maybe one that challenges your particular body chemistry. Our bodies work best with a diet that is primarily plant based...about 90% of calories should come from plants while no more than 10% from animal protein.
I can share additional info with you if you'd like. I work with and am taking a series of wellness classes taught by a Naturopath who has her PhD in Nutrition. I would be happy to help in any way that I can. Hope this helps. Good luck...D.
I've been to three different urologists (due to moving) and have been given different "solutions." I get calcium-oxalate stones. The first urologist told me to cut back on oxalate foods (chocolate, tea, nuts, strawberries ... that's all I remember), the second told me to drink 10 glasses of water a day, cut back on salt and don't worry too much about which foods I eat and the third told me to drink lots of water and 4 oz of lemon juice a day.
I just had a kidney stone on Sunday (so 2 days after yours!). I can't tell you how many times I said, "Drugs! IV drugs! I need drugs!!!" This one came on insanely strong. I was feeling funny around 10:00 am and was screaming "drugs" by noon. The last time I had a stone (about 2 years ago) it took me about 5 hours before I decided I needed to go to the hospital.
I think most of the tips you've gotten so far have merritt, but most likely the reality is you need to keep drinking lots of water and accept the fact that some of us are simply prone to getting stones. My doctor x-rayed me last November (so less than a year ago), and I got one last weekend. Maybe he didn't see it, maybe it just formed that fast. What can you do? Oh, yeah, "Drugs! IV drugs! Drugs!!!"
stress stress stress. you may also try taking a cranberry pill daily, along with your multivitamin. i have had them, i totally feel for you. hang in there...
I had a kidney stone about a year ago. It was causing pain for about 2 weeks. I was scheduled for a procedure but I finally passed the stone day before the procedure. I retrieved the stone which the urologist considered to be a large one...7 mm...about the size of a grain of rice. He called it an oxalate stone, which I think are the most common. He said eating lots and lots of high oxalate foods causes them, but some people will get them for no known reason. He said that many people may not realize that stones, even small ones, do not form overnight or even within a matter of days or weeks. They take months and months to form.
I've also heard that drinking a warm glass with lemon in it every morning will help those who have a propensity to have kidney stones, especially the oxalate kind. It's sort of like a preventive measure.
What my urologist told me is that there are different kinds of stones, so if you are having pains, try to "filter" or catch your urine to capture the stone - them bring it in and have it tested, they can be made of mostly calcium, oxalate, or phosphorus I think....different types of stone require different changes in diet. But the only way to know which one is ot catch a stone and have it tested.
Good Luck - I had an attach of them last year in the fall, and it was AWEFUL - like you said, I have had 2 kids though mine were by C-section, but this was by far the worst pain of my life, including C-section recovery!
Jessie
A lot of tea and ice cream is also a problem. I forget why those two can form stones, sorry!!
So glad you are feeling better!
Dawn
I know some one who had kidney stones recently. She is diabetic and drinks a lot of diet pop and Crystal Light. He said it was from the large quantities of artificial sweeteners and a crappy diet. You can't live off from diet food and 100 calorie packs. LOL She now has to drink far more regular old fashioned unflavored WATER. I don't know if that helps but it is one of many factors for some people.
My husband had gotten them a couple of times pretty close together and had to have it surgically removed. Diagnosis.. Sodium!! Just an FYI: If your a soda/pop drinker Pepsi (regular) has the lowest sodium content. There are some generic ones also that come close. Anyway we cut out ASLOt of the sodium content in the diet since then and Wahlah NO more stones! LOL
