“It’s the closest that a man will ever come to experiencing the pain of childbirth,” the attending nurse proclaimed with a noticeable glee in her eyes. Her comment only added to my misery as I writhed in pain on a stretcher in the emergency room, waiting to pass a kidney stone.
Well, I just returned from Spokane after visiting with a urologist about my history with kidneystones. Yes, I pass kidneystones frequently. So frequent that when I feel one working it's way down the ureter, it only feels like a headache. It's not this debilitating pain like it used to be. It doesn't hurt anymore since I'm so used to this feeling. I went to Spokane for a CT/IVP scan, a test in which they look for stones in the kidneys, ureters, bladder, or urethra. (TMI...I know but hey, it's true!) They usually show up on CT scans so after not seeing a urologist for 6 whole years, I was shocked to hear I only have 3 stones in my left kidney and none in my right! I even passed a stone yesterday but lost it in the toilet. Darnit. The stones are each 3mm which is great news! They can all pass naturally - no surgery is needed! Once I had a 9mm stone in my left kidney that needed to be blasted since it wouldn't pass on its own. Picture a bullet. That's how big that sucker was!
So, while I'm waiting for these stones to pass, I have to try to catch one! Yep, that means straining my urine! Yippee for me. But without a stone, they can't determine what's causing them so they need to analyze a stone to determine which of two types it could be.
Mineral deposits such as those that formed in my kidneys develop in one out of ten people during their lifetime and account for nearly ten out of every 1,000 hospital admissions. Stones can result whenever a chemical imbalance occurs in the kidney. The type of stone that forms depends upon the exact nature of the chemical imbalance and reflects different causes.
1. Calcium oxalate stones, the most common type, result from dehydration or excess levels of oxalate in the diet. (Oxalate is found in certain vegetables, nuts, berries, chocolate, and tea, and I'm told to avoid all these foods. Um, chocolate? Seriously?)
2. Sodium urate stones, a second type, are caused by an inborn error in metabolism that leads to excessive production of uric acid. Uric acid is the breakdown product of adenine and guanine (key components of DNA and RNA). As a normal metabolic activity, the cell turns over biomolecules—continually replacing “older” molecules with newly synthesized ones, thereby maintaining structural and functional integrity. The cell recycles most of the adenine and guanine generated from the breakdown of nucleotides (the building blocks of DNA and RNA) through what biochemists call the salvage pathways. Still, the cell targets a significant portion of adenine and guanine for breakdown and secretion in the form of uric acid.
So at this point, I need to catch one of the stones, have it analyzed to determine which type it is, then stick to the rules of how to avoid making stones anymore. People, I have been passing stones for 10 years. But don't worry, I am confident that you'll all be able to tell me, "Urine good hands!"
20 comments:
I am so sorry for your misery and hope they can solve the problem. Strain away!
I didnt know you suffered from stones. do you really think that after you have given birth and have kids that there is such a thing as, "too much info" I mean come on, we're tough. Very interesting details, i learned many new things. hopefully, this too will pass (and you'll catch the little sucker) best wishes in your pursuit!
I got mine analyzed and it was type 1. Both my mom and aunt only had one kidney stone in their lives, so I'm hoping that part of it is hereditary! There's just no way I'm avoiding those things...unless it were to become something more than it has. Cuz, yeah...chocolate? I don't think so!
Um, yeah, you lost me at mineral deposits. I can just picture you squatting over a strainer.
But seriously, I'm so glad it went so well! That is great news. Looks like you dodged a bullet. Heh, heh.
Glad you got this kind of news. Nothing too bad. But straining pee day after day will get old. Kinda like collecting pee in a cup day after day. ;) Hey, we still have Kelly's kidney stone from over a year ago that we need to have analyzed. Thanks for reminding me! And love the pun!
That was alot of stone information that I have never even knew about. Really quite a process in producing a stone. What a total pain to have to strain. But for a good cause. I hope they nail the analyzation quickly so you can move forward to the rules. This is way to long for someone your age to have to go thru. So in this size Kim, is it way less painful? Or just as painful at any size? I've just heard nothing but horror pain stories.
No fun!! What urologist do you see? We are going to Spokane for Jordan soon...he has some kidney issues. Not stones, thank goodness! I have heard that they are very painful. Good luck catching the next one! :-)
Urine good hands...Kim you are so funny!
I knew that you were trying to pass one, but I had no idea that you've been doing this for the last ten years! Well, I guess it's good that they don't hurt too much anymore!
Well, what a clever play on words. I enjoy thinking of pee going through a small sand and water strainer. I am sure the device you are using is much more then a sand toy, but none the less I am laughing thinking of the you saying "I have to strain my urine"
I can't believe you've been enduring those painful stones for so long. That's amazing. I hope you get rid of the ones you have quickly and can be done for good.
"Wash your hands after going to the bathroom, and after changing diapers too" Yeah, that is a little song that just came into my mind after hearing you straining your pee~ Yikes! Whatever it takes~! I hope they find out what is wrong!
Jan - my first stone I passed was in college, I was 22, barely married and thought I was about to die. I had no idea what in the world was wrong with me. It woke me up from a deep sleep - this excruciating pain in my back. I couldn't walk, could hardly talk or breathe, it was absolutely the most horrible pain I had ever experienced up to that point. When I got to the ER, they were leaning towards a kidneystone but wanted to rule out appendicitis and an eptopic pregnancy. When they said "kidneystone", I thought there's no way! I'm not an old feeble grandpa! I wouldn't get one of those! But sure enough, the other tests were negative and I was sent home with lots of drugs and a strainer to catch the little stone. I never caught it. It was most likely only a 2 or 3mm stone, but it was unbearable. All the horror stories you've heard about the pain of stones are usually true! I've just gotten to the point where I can handle it. Maybe my ureters are stretched out because of the frequency that stones pass through them, I don't know. I would much rather have gone through child birth than pass another kidneystone but now that I'm so used to it, I've changed my mind. Labor is much more painful for me! But the pain is not from the stone actually moving down the ureter. It's from the backup of urine that is being blocked from the stone. That's why you can usually tell where in the urinary tract the stone is. Stones that are larger than 4-5mm usually don't pass naturally. They require the laser treatment! They need to be blasted because it's physically impossible for them to enter the ureter at that size. Luckily mine are all small - this time!
Maren - I went to Dr. Whiting. He was a very nice and informative doctor. I don't know if he's also a pediatric urologist but know he would have a referral if you needed one. I liked him a lot.
Thanks for all the encouragement, ladies! I know - this too shall pass!!! (Hopefully soon!)
Man that stinks.... good luck.
Well that doesn't sound like fun. I've heard the pain is comparable to labor. I hope the straining reveals some answers for you.
Ha Ha "urine good hands" that was funny. I'm so sorry you have trouble after trouble with those. That does not sound fun at all. Good luck with that one!!!
I have had kidney stone issues since I was 14, yep pretty much stinks! I remember all the times the doctor would tell me that child birth would be easy after passing stones. Unfortunately my first birth was SO MUCH worse than any of the stones I have ever passed (c-sections followed before things got too out of hand!). My husband just tells the doctors that I am a huge whimp when it comes to pain....I like to think that I have more pain that most, lol. I hope things go easy for you and you can find out what type you have because I have found straining is draining.
Wow Kim. That still sounds like no fun at all. You have a very good pain tolerance for sure. Still think your to young to have started this in college. Just no fair.
Oh man, that seems like no fun. Robyn had problems last summer and it turned out to be a 12mm stone. They blasted it and it broke up a little, but still left a 9mm stone they had to remove by surgery. Then a few smaller ones to pass. Now she has problems with the ureter and has to have surgery to remove scar tissue from it trying to pass. She has to lay off the soda as it helped to dehydrate and cause them and be careful with chocolate.
Anyway, good luck with the whole thing. Thanks for saying 'hi', we're still in Layton.
I'm sorry you keep having to deal with those. You did make me laugh out loud with the "urine good hands" though. I hope the situation gets better for you!
he he he.... "urine good hands". I love corny humor. Thanks for a good laugh.
on a more serious note, I am sorry that you have to deal with this. I have never experienced it, but I hear it's miserable!
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