chrisj1968 Posted January 27, 2013 Share Posted January 27, 2013 ok, as some of you know, I was in the military. back in 1995, I had an appendix operation as did 7 others from my battalion. We had all been involved in UN peacekeeping operations in the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia. June of that year, I had my appendix taken out. then a couple weeks later, I had intestine removed, how much? I was told a foot and a half of small and some large. So from 1995 through may of Last year, I had problem after problem after problem, not knowing what was going on. May 2012, I was put under the knife for a third time to fix a new problem. They resected and removed an additional foot of small bowel. so, afterwards, the surgeon says to my wife and I, that it is customary to take all the bowel out of the abdominal cavity and measure it to determine how much bowel there is. The average person has about 20 feet on average. The surgeon told my wife and I that I had 6 feet (1 meter 85 approx.) . so that meant the Army actually removed 14 feet being conservative. the surgeon himself took an additional foot so I'm looking at 5 feet now plus the remaining half of my traversing colon on the Left right side, the descending colon, sigmoid and the rest. anyway, I get kidney stones a few years back and we couldn't figure out why. 4, 6 and 8mm 3 different occasions all on the left side. so last night, I was taken by ambulance to the ER and had a 1mm kidney stone on the ... left side! after 3 years of not having any. What I was able to ascertain with the help of a urologist is that, when a guy like me, with a terribly short bowl, I lose precious bodily fluids due to diarrhea that I have everyday all day since 1995. I lose salts so I drink Gatorade G2 to keep my electrolytes up and salts I lose. But this urologist finds that my urine is acidic and the atoms can't release their Electron proton, can't release or something to that effect and they create the calcium oxcylate kidney stones. So I was told to take anything with citrate (Gatorade G2, sodium citrate) and did well for 3 years with no problems.. until last night. I don't care if you have a 1mm stone or an 8mm stone.. it hurts! I've been told that the pain is equivalent to child birth pain. Ok, if that's the case; Where are my darn gifts for giving birth 4 times now? LOL :laugh: Has anyone else had a kidney stone before? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xendrome Posted January 27, 2013 Share Posted January 27, 2013 Yeah I have had 2 total, and and appendectomy, which I thought was a 3rd kidney stone. I had a 3mm and 5mm. What I have always been told is, to constantly drink fluid... water, anything.. stones do not form unless your kidney is empty of liquid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisj1968 Posted January 27, 2013 Author Share Posted January 27, 2013 my fluids in take vs dehydration is a constant accordion effect. But they did give me great pain drugs..whew... cheech and chong action Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Growled Member Posted January 28, 2013 Member Share Posted January 28, 2013 I had one kidney stone a few years ago and I'd almost rather die than have another. I feel for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattmatik Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 I've had two so far. I have yet to go to the hospital for one - the thought of being in that much pain and having to wait in the ER and fill out paper work, I rather not do it. The first stone was almost unbearable. I had no idea what was going on, I was peeing blood, I had no insurance at the time. I laid in the fetal position on my bathroom floor for 3-4 hours. I was drinking a lot of water but more so to keep me from vomiting (which I did 2-3 times). Finally, in one fell swoop after peeing the pain was gone and I could see the stone in the bottom of the toilet (I was peeing straight water at that point). The second one happened in the middle of the night on Thanksgiving. Woke up with back pain and a nausea feeling. Went down stairs to watch TV and it just got worse. Crawled upstairs and woke my wife up and told her something was wrong. Again, I laid in the fetal position in the bathroom and vomited - and then I knew what was going on. Drank some cranberry juice and a lot of water and my step-mom brought over some pain medication that were left from when my dad had terminal cancer. Myself, my wife, and my step-mom work in an ICU so I knew what I was taking. This one didn't last as long, and when it passed it was a bit smaller than the first. Its scary because once you get one your chances of follow-up stones just increase. I drink a lot of water, try to limit my calcium intake, etc. but I know its inevitable. I feel for you and anyone else who has had them/will have them. One of my good friends at work had one on shift one night - it was his third so he knew what was happening but man, that look on his face was horrible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nothing Here Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 I have had several. Not a fun thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sikh Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 How do you avoid kidney stones? My dad has had 2 and I agree with you guys, they do not look pleasant at all. I would like to avoid them at all if i could. I do drink about a gallon (milk gallon) of water every day. What else can help stay away from increasing your chances of getting a kidney stone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charisma Veteran Posted January 28, 2013 Veteran Share Posted January 28, 2013 I used to get kidney and bladder infections almost once a year, and I had a stone and that was the FINAL straw, it was horrid. I asked the doctor and found out that sodas/fizzy drinks, especially with sugar, were the main cause. (Looks like it contributes in a different way to the same problem you have via other means--acidic urine and losing good things you need to keep the environment there balanced). At that point I was drinking loads of Dr. Pepper and almost no water. I quit all sweetened drinks and sodas and haven't had a problem since, thank God. You mentioned you drink Gatorade... but you know what's better for that, coconut water. I buy it in bulk on Amazon and drink at least one per day. It's like "nature's energy drink"--has all the electrolytes and lots of good stuff your body needs, without the sugar of Gatorade. It's the perfect hydrator--is even used in a pinch for blood transfusions in some areas because it is almost identical to our plasma. And it's tasty. Anyway, I highly recommend that (no, I don't work for any company, I'm only promoting it because of how much good it's done me--I won't even mention the brand I get, as long as it's sold in those 'tetra packs' and is as fresh as possible it's good). Look it up, give it a shot :D And most importantly, I hope you're fully recovered soon. That is no fun at all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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