Help! I've been fighting with a massive kidney stone since January...was put in the hospital for a week the initial time (my system was septic by the time the doctors figured out it was a blocked kidney by the stone that was causing the problems.)...almost died....
Anyway since then have had lithotripsy (misspelled! in my terms....stone blasting!) twice and it still have not totally cleared the stone...still have approximately 20% of the stone....however the doctor says that is it broke up into small enough pieces that it should pass on it's own...and to come back to see him in four months to double check that all of it has passed.
My question is do you know of anything I can do to help it pass? Have heard that cranberry juice helps...also I drink enough water to drain an ocean.....very concerned because doctor is saying only other option is surgery....something I don't want to do....
Any help or books or web sites or info that you can offer would be appreiciated!
Thanks in advance,
Natalie
nedgar@swbell.net
In Reply to: Kidney Stones posted by Natalie Edgar on June 08, 1998 at 14:35:03:
Dear Natalie,
I will bet that, if the doctor had what you have, he would insist on having the lithotripsy done again and maybe even again--I know I would. The smaller the fragments are, the less damage, pain and suffering the person will experience trying to pass them.
Do you know the chemical analysis of your stone? If not, why not? It is very simple for your doc to tell you how to catch a fragment and get it analysed. Without knowing the analysis, there is no way to tell you how to keep this from happening again.
Just get a box of 4X4 gauze and urinate every time through a fresh gauze till you catch a fragment you can see. Get it analysed. The doc can order the analysis from the same lab where he has sent all your other blood specimens. If your doc hasn't already done this, you need a better doc: that would mean this one is not the least bit interested in preventing you from going through this experience again.
If this analysis has already been done, let me know what it is. The fact that you did not mention it is the reason for my above statements. If it had been done, you should have been told why this is so important.
Walt
In Reply to: Re: Kidney Stones posted by Walt Stoll on June 10, 1998 at 10:33:27:
No I don't know the chemical analysis of my stone....my doctor is a reallllllll a-hole. He's decided that the reason I have a stone is because I need to loose weight (about 80 pounds the first time I saw him in January since then have lost 25 pounds!! HEEE!!HEE!!). He says the reason I have stones is diet related. But I asked him about the chemical makeup of the stone and he said he could not get it the first time because of all the infection and the he knew that the cause of the stone was that I needed to loose weight, change my diet and exercise...
I asked him about having the lithotripsy again (we've done it twice) and he said that you can't have it more than two times. Made me wait 6 weeks between the first and second time said the kidney needs time to heal from the blasting. During all that time (from January - May) had a j-stint to keep me from getting plugged up again....last time I saw him he took the stint out and said the fragments were small enough that they should pass on their own (yes it would hurt but to call him and he would give me pain pills!!!) and that he would see me again in 4 months to be sure I was stone-free if not clear then we would have to "re-evalute".
Tried to switch doctors after the first lithotripsy....took all my films and records and went to another urologist after he looked over everything and heard all the stuff I went thru he said that he agreed that my doctor was an a-hole and had little to no bedside manner BUT that he was one of the best in the area and considering how complicated my case was that I should stay with the turd until I get well since he was so familiar with my case. (Can you tell I really don't like the guy that much?!!)
So here I am now....trying to do anything I can think of to be sure that the stupid stones pass. I've searched the web to try and validate what the jerk says that being overweight can cause stones....haven't been able to find anything...found alot of stuff that says it's diet related but no link between obesity and stones that I can find if there was wouldn't there be alot more people out there with stone? Pointed that out to the turd last time I saw him and told him didn't want to hear about it again!!! You should have seen his face! HA!!
Yes I've changed my diet and am exercising.....yes I drink enough water to empty the ocean....but I'm concerned because I've also read on 'net that if fragmented stones don't pass that they can recoagulate (misspelled.....stick back together again!) into one big stone....then I would be back at square one! So that's why I'm here trying to see if there is anything else I can do......
Sorry so long.....thanks again for your help.
Nat.
In Reply to: Re: Kidney Stones posted by Natalie on June 10, 1998 at 15:16:26:
Dear Natalie,
Sounds like your "expert" has begun to believe his own propaganda. His statement about not being able to analyse your stone because of "infection" is a clumsy way of covering his a--. It has nothing to do with the analysis and he knows he has been negligent about not getting that analysis. I suppose is is only natural for a God to guess correctly about the chemical makeup of a stone without having to analyze it (grin). One just catches the stone and washes off any "infection" by hand----then analyze the stone. Ask your lab doc.
Lithotrypsy works because ONLY something hard absorbes the sound waves. Nearly all of the energy goes to the stone and very little to the kidney tissue. I have never heard such a lame reason for not doing it more than twice. I am not a kidney specialist but I DO know about physics. Of course a little of the energy is absorbed even by the skin as it goes through but the amount is so tiny that it is not a factor to soft tissue.
IF your stone analysis says that diet has something to do with your tendency to form stone, high doses of vitamin B6 and magnesium will do a lot more than any weight loss might do. I wonder if your Godlike doc said anything about that?
It would be amusing for you to insist that he give you articles showing that weight loss had something to do with stone. Of course, you are better off with the doc you are seeing now. Beware of "the best in the field" they frequently believe their own press----dangerous for anyone.
Let us know how you do.
Walt