Anyone else? Help!!
Posted , 6 users are following.
My husband has been dealing with kidney stones for most of his life. He's had 2 surgeries to remove large ones & had 2 lithotripsies last year. He has also been told he has Renal Tubular Acidosis but they have not prescribed any meds for this. They have told him to follow a low calcium-low oxalate diet. He only drinks a lot of water, tart cherry juice & lemonade. He was passing a lot of "gravel" daily but now it has turned to small stones. Last week he passed 9 and last night he passed 13 during one urination. They are not large and sometimes they break part quickly. They pass with no kidney pain but pain when he urinates. He's at his wit's end with trying to figure out what to do. Any help or suggestions??????
0 likes, 7 replies
Assassin1999 lynn31644
Posted
That sounds awful! I think he needs to keep bugging the doctor(s) for help. Maybe see a different doctor? A person can't just live like this. So are these uric acid stones then? I have a friend who swears by using baking soda with water to break apart his uric acid stones. He says it helps prevent more also. You'd have to google how much to take as I have never done it. I just did a quick search on Renal Tubular Acidosis, and it says there are 4 types. Which type does he have? One of the types involves the body not absorbing bicarbonate and excreting it instead, causing the body acidity to rise, which would be conducive to uric acid stones. Since baking soda = sodium bicarbonate, maybe something to that theory? According to my friend, it's his heart medication that started causing the stones as he had no prior history of stones until he started taking the heart meds. I hope you get some good news soon!
sarah87162 lynn31644
Posted
My friend recommended Robinson's Lemon Barley Water for kidney stones.
I had kidney stones all last year too big to pass and had them removed by keyhole surgery at beginning of December.
I think he needs to go back to a urologist and sort this problem out once and for all.
Good luck.
Keep in touch
Sarah
Luna_Sea lynn31644
Posted
You mentioned low calcium/low oxylate diet? If he's dealing with calcium oxylate stones, the low calcium diet could be contributing to the problem. It used to be believed that too much calcium and oxylate caused stones, but current studies say it's too much oxylate and not enough calcium. And if you are eating any oxylate (this doesn't work with spinach or rhubarb, avoid them altogether), eating it with a calcium rich source can sometimes prevent the stone and help the two bind in a way that allows it to pass without forming into a stone. Not sure about the exact science. But if you aren't getting enough calcium, your body pulls it from other sources and you are more likely to form stones. I've also been told not to use calcium supplements and that it has to come from calcium rich foods. I'm a calcium oxylate stone maker. I definitely don't consume nearly enough calcium because I have problems with dairy. I was also instructed by one urologist to cut back on animal protein and sodium. And the number one thing I've been told to do was increase my water intake substantially (120 to 150 ounces per day) which has been the hardest part for me to do.
You also mentioned tart cherry juice? I've never heard of using this...some berries are high in oxylate and I can't recall offhand if cherrys are one of them. And regular lemonade usually doesn't have enough lemon juice and too much sugar to be of much help. It needs to be very strong lemon water to reap the benefits. Has your husband had a 24 hour urine collection performed? It's important to determine what you are consuming too much of and what you are lacking. I'm low on magnesium, but magnesium supplements give me diarrhea, which defeats the purpose of staying hydrated.
Assuming your husband has calcium oxylate stones, the fact that a low calcium diet was recommended implies that his urologist is not keeping up-to-date with the latest research and information. It couldn't hurt to find a newer, more informed urologist. Especially considering his advice could be causing your husband to form more stones.
Barb1705 Luna_Sea
Posted
Hi Luna Sea, I've heard of tart cherry juice for Gout, but not for Kidney Stones. Also want to mention, when I asked my urologist what kind of stone I had, he told me he didn't know - said it was probably oxylate, and when I said "probably" he replied, yeah, that's what they usually are. Also, when I asked him why he didn't do a 23 hour urine test he told me he doesn't do that when you have your first stone, only does that when you have your 2nd stone. Have you ever heard of such?
Luna_Sea Barb1705
Posted
Barb, my urologist did the 24 hour collection to prevent stones. I'm not sure why he wants you to form another one if analysis could prevent it in the first place. Knowing the type of stone you are making will guide you on what dietary changes (if any) that you may need to make. And the different stones require different preventative methods. My first urologist did the same thing to me, but he looked at his patients as cash cows. It didn't benefit him for us to prevent stones. I discussed him with one of my facial clients recently who is a nurse, who knew him by reputation and even she said he was known to order unnecessary procedures to maximize profit and was terrible about follow up and preventative care. Made me so glad I changed urologists.
lesley_ann_53 lynn31644
Posted
Hi Lynn
I have a large kidney stone waiting for surgery my stone from what I'm told is calcium oxalate .There is a Facebook page called TLO is low oxalate diet they give you all the foods low med and high in oxalates they have lot of knowledgable people on that page . And low calcium diet is not good as calcium foods help bind the oxalates to them to come out in urine . All so I am taking drops every day called Chanca piedra it's a herb in Spanish for stone breaker . Hope he can get some relief good luck if you need anymore help to find Facebook page let me know
Lesley
lynn31644
Posted
Thank you all for your advice. His stones are mostly calcium oxalate. I should add that his diet is also low salt. He sees one of the best nephrologists in the northern NJ area and yes......we have discussed that he does need to have a certain amount of calcium in his diet. He cannot be totally calcium free. I am going to look into the lemon juice suggested. The tart cherry juice is for the small amount of uric acid in his stones. That is the same substance that causes gout & many patients suffer from both (although he has NOT had gout yet). We saw his regular urologist last week and he's due for another 24 hour urine next week. I have put 2 calls into the other doctor but have not heard back from him yet. We're just frustrated that he forms & passes so many stones weekly. Very grateful he's not in pain when it happens though.