I passed out at Wal-Mart today

[PhotonWrangler]

Jeez, glad you're ok. Pretty scary on the way down and embarrassing on the way back up! Also glad your son was nearby and ok.

Can you take something like Fosamax instead of calcium?

 

[AlphaTea]

You really aint gonna believe this!
The same exact thing happened to me in wally world a few years ago check out This discussion on CPF.
I also passed out and then awoke to a hysterical wife screaming for help...
Imagine that.
FWIW I am also a NRA Lifer.
Hmmm does anybody hear the Twilight Zone theme playing? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

 

[14C]

No but you need a new drug.......

 

[TRC]

Given the enormous numbers of kidney stones you have had, a significant change in diet is in order.

If you have medical insurance, you should see an internist who specializes in nephrology. He'll do a history, and blood tests to determine your levels of the chemicals which precipitate to form kidney stones. About $1000 later, he'll send you to a nutritionist. There are many, many dietary items which contribute to kidney stones.

First and foremost: drink lots of water. I'm talking Lake Superior here. Seriously; figure on 2500 to 3000 ml a day. Get used to getting up and going to the bathroom at least once during the night; kidney stones form during the night.

There are many forms of kidney stones, but the most common is calcium oxalate. Cut down on all foods with salt; this will help A LOT!!!. Also keep calcium intake down to 600mg/day from supplements, vitamins and ALL other sources (Dairy foods, ice cream, etc). If you use antacids which contain calcium (many do) you can switch to one that doesn't.

If you take more than the MDR of Vitamin C, (60 mg., IIRC)this can be a big contributing factor, as Vitamin C metabolizes into an oxalate.

ALL forms of tea contain oxalates, including iced tea, as do nuts, and other foods I unfortunately can't remember. (I have been looking for the literature, but I can't find it.)

If you Google kidney stones, and look for dietary information, you will find tons of useful advice.

You may have to change your diet and lifestyle somewhat, but almost everyone can eliminate kidney stones.

Lot's of dietary things can be contributing, and by eliminating them AND DRINKING LOTS OF WATER, you can eliminate the kidney stones.

Given your history, unfortunately, it's only a matter of time before a stone blocks your ureter, requiring emergency surgery. If you don't have medical insurance, and aren't below the poverty line, you will be paying for years.

Do some research on the 'net, and good luck!

I've had 4 kidney stones, all reqiring hospitalization and removal. (Use your imaginagination.....) I'm fortunate in having medical insurance. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[BB]

My doc also said to avoid brown sodas (with caramel coloring) as some contain oxalate type acid.

-Bill

 

[Pydpiper]

I am in pain just reading this..
I'm glad you are OK, and your son was well taken care of..

 

[PlayboyJoeShmoe]

Worst pain I've ever had so far was back pain...

This sounds WAY worse!!!!

Hope you find a solution, seriously!

 

[Sigman]

I had to drive my father to the hospital the day after I got my drivers license (oh that was like an "Earth's history" ago!)...

It was like 2:30 in the morning and I thought my dad was having a heart attack, I didn't know. He was practically upside down, standing on his head in the back seat of the car.

I hope I never find out how painful it is and am sorry that anyone must suffer a pain as you have described.

Seems you indeed have a history, but I still want to hope you never have to experience that again!

 

[KC2IXE]

RE Kidney stones and pain.

I'm NOT really sure which hurt MORE, my kidney stone, or my gall stone. The more I think of it, at least for ME, the gall bladder was slightly worse for one reason - it lasted LONGER. The attack started about 11pm and went on till 4:00am (about). BOTH were morphine territory, and BOY was I GLAD to get it

When I had my gallstone attack, one of my wife's co-workers had 1)Had a baby and 2) had a gallstone attack witin 2 weeks of each other. She said "natural childbirth hurts LESS than a gallstone attack"

And for those of you who are wondering about the surgery, what they can do once you have a kidney stone is "interesting". If it's in about the upper 1/3 of your tube, they can use ultrasound to break it up. If it's in the LOWER 1/3 or so, they can go in from "below" with a basket/laser, past the bladder, up the tube and break it up

In the MIDDLE 1/3rd is the hard part. The have 2 options. "real" surgery, where they either open you up or go into you back laproscopicly, and slice out the stone, OR they can wait, assuming your passing some urine around the stone. Each time it lodges and doesn't move, you have an attack. That is the case that I had. Was at the doctor ever week-2 weeks for an IVP to see if it was moving. It was, slowly, so we waited, and we waited - 3 MONTHS or so for it to get low enough to go in from below. Boy oh boy, I celebrated the day they told me I could have the surgery!! I wasn't going to spend 1-2 days a week at home, in bed, drugged out of my mind on pain killers

 

[LifeNRA]

Thanks everyone for the advice and well wishes.
Unfortunatly I have no insurance at this time.
When I had insurance I went to 3 specialist in 3 different cities and found no relief. I have been on special diets with no relief. I drink a lot of water everyday.
I have had to have a couple of stones removed in the past because of blockages. The last one I had removed had been blocking my tube long enough to swell my kidney 25% larger than normal. The Doc put a rubber hose in my tube to keep it open after the surgery to be removed in a couple of weeks. Urinating was so painful I would nearly cry.
Funny thing about that tube. The tube went from my bladder to my kidney and had a hook shape on the end at my kidney. There was a string tied to the lower end of the tube so the Doc could reach up inside me and yank it out. I had noticed the string would apear when I would urinate. And sometimes it would just come out a little bit whenever it felt like it. Well I went to have the tube "yanked" out. Yes they put an insrument up your you know what and yank it out. While I was laying on the table waiting for the Doc dreading what was coming I noticed my little friend the string sticking out. I just grabbed it and started pulling it out. I swear I didnt think I would ever get that whole tube out. It just kept going and going. But I did get it all out with some pain mind you. Well the Doc walks in the room and says "Lets get that tube out of you". I just held it up and said here you go Doc. That Doc just about fell over. Said he had never seen anyone do that before. I guess I had been in so much pain for so long it didnt bother me as bad as it normaly would have. I think that Doc told everyone that would listen that day about that. The nurses clapped when I walked out of the room. I didnt think at the time it was such a big deal. I just know that after he explained to me how he was going to "yank" it out that I didnt want no part of that. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Edit: AlpaTea that is really amazing. Both of us pass out at Wal-Mart because of kidney stones and both of us are life NRA members. I knew I should not have drank that special root beer they sent me with with my life membership kit /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif.

 

[TRC]

Sorry my advice is 'been there done that' for you.

I haven't had a kidney stone in 4 years, since I changed my diet and made a real effort to drink a lot of water.

Man, I KNOW what kidney stones are like, and for whatever it's worth, you have as much sympathy as I can give!

Wish there was more I could do to help out is all.... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[flownosaj]

[ QUOTE ]
LifeNRA said:
So who else can say that they have passed out at Wally World?

[/ QUOTE ]
I haven't, but we occasionally get a patient in to our cardiac wing from Walmart with chest pain or who had passed out.
Next most frequent is the IHOP--must be stuffed waffle month /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[lymph]

[ QUOTE ]
LifeNRA said:
Stevieray,
Hope you never have another one.
Doc thinks my kidney's are drawing calcium away from my bones thus resulting in stones in my kidney's and arthritis in my bones. If I take calcium suppliments for my bones it will just cause more kidney stones. Kind of a catch 22.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hello,

Are they calcium oxalate stones? My doctor said that recent studies have shown that taking calcium suppliments can help prevent them, contrary to previous thought. Ingesting calcium causes the oxalate to bind harmlessly in your gut, instead of allowing it to go into the bloodstream and bind with calcium there, which would then lead to stones.

It's still a new idea, but you might want to ask the doc about it if you get that type of stone.

Good luck!

 

[lymph]

[ QUOTE ]
LifeNRA said:
...The Doc put a rubber hose in my tube to keep it open after the surgery to be removed in a couple of weeks. Urinating was so painful I would nearly cry.
Funny thing about that tube. The tube went from my bladder to my kidney and had a hook shape on the end at my kidney. There was a string tied to the lower end of the tube so the Doc could reach up inside me and yank it out. I had noticed the string would apear when I would urinate. And sometimes it would just come out a little bit whenever it felt like it. Well I went to have the tube "yanked" out. Yes they put an insrument up your you know what and yank it out. While I was laying on the table waiting for the Doc dreading what was coming I noticed my little friend the string sticking out. I just grabbed it and started pulling it out. I swear I didnt think I would ever get that whole tube out. It just kept going and going. But I did get it all out with some pain mind you. Well the Doc walks in the room and says "Lets get that tube out of you". I just held it up and said here you go Doc. That Doc just about fell over. Said he had never seen anyone do that before. I guess I had been in so much pain for so long it didnt bother me as bad as it normaly would have. ...

[/ QUOTE ]

Yep, been there - except my doctor had sent me home with the tube in and told me, simply, "just pull it out in 3 days." I took a couple Vicodin, said a prayer, and pulled. Not fun!

 

[daloosh]

Hope you are feeling bettah, Life, hang in there, you gotta son to raise!
daloosh

 

[KC2IXE]

Hey,
I didn't get any root beer with MY life membership, or when I upgraded to endowment status. Think I should give them a call?

Charlie

 

[LifeNRA]

Lymph,
Yes Calcium Oxalate stones. Thanks for the info. I will look into that.

daloosh,
How ya doing buddy?

KC2IXE,
Yes, call them and ask them where your special Charlton Heston brand root beer is. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif An endowment member should get a whole case.