# kidney stones and cooks.



## franzb69 (May 27, 2013)

It's no surprise that cooks often get kidney stones. I'm currently in a hospital after squirming in pain. It seems a stone blocked up my bladder. One of the most excruciating experiences I've ever had. 

Currently in a hospital gown waiting for my ct scan results and diagnoses. Went to the e.r. this 5am. 

This is gonna be expensive. Healthcare here is nonexistent and private hospitals are only after your cash. 

Gonna probably undergo shock wave therapy again. Last time it was 5 -6 years ago.

You guys better watch out for kidney stones.


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## El Pescador (May 28, 2013)

That was one of the things that contributed to me getting out of the business. I feel for you man.


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## sachem allison (May 28, 2013)

yeah, I pissed a pea sized one once, hurt so, bad I puked and then passed out. Not fun. On the plus side it was the only one in there.


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## tkern (May 28, 2013)

How does working in a restaurant lead to this?


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## franzb69 (May 28, 2013)

Pro cooks often use more salt than people who cook at home. 

Then there's the fact that we'd never listen to our doctors to cut down in the fat, salt and sweets. 

What's a cook that doesn't cook without flavor? 

Thanks guys.


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## sachem allison (May 28, 2013)

Not really salt, mostly organ meats, high protein foods, high oxalate foods such as spinach, rhubarb and wheat germ and dehydration and genetic predisposition., Travis your screwed. (bacon, Ham. Tongue, Liver, Kidneys and other cured meats)


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## franzb69 (May 28, 2013)

All the stuff I love. Lol.


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## tkern (May 28, 2013)

sachem allison said:


> Not really salt, mostly organ meats, high protein foods, high oxalate foods such as spinach, rhubarb and wheat germ and dehydration and genetic predisposition., Travis your screwed. (bacon, Ham. Tongue, Liver, Kidneys and other cured meats)



merde


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## Eric (May 28, 2013)

Probably more to do with not staying well hydrated. Drink more water.


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## El Pescador (May 28, 2013)

Dehydration did it to me.


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## franzb69 (May 28, 2013)

I drink lots of water all the time. All I drink is water and fruit juice. No soda, no alcohol, nothing


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## Haggises (May 28, 2013)

I had one last year. Woke up in agony and immediately did what any sensible person would do - googled the symptoms.
It was either a kidney stone or testicular torsion. It's amazing how fast you can drive to the ER when you think one of the boys may be at stake....

I was also horrified to see just how small it was when passed. 2-3mm. Felt like such a wimp. Can't imagine a pea-sized.....
I truly feel for anyone who has or had or will have one.


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## Dardeau (May 28, 2013)

I haven't had one (knocks on wood) in ten years, but it was awful. Puking was the least of it. I've been obsessively hydrating since then. Even then it can sneak up on you, one of the guys I worked with had high blood pressure, was taking medication for it, and the medication dehydrated him to the point where he had to be hospitalized. You can think you are taking care of yourself and still have the terrible consequences. My thoughts go out to you FB, I wish I knew something to do aside from hydrating. If the docs tell you any tricks to avoid this pain, and missed work, please share!


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## SpikeC (May 28, 2013)

Cranberry juice. When I was in the Army hospital there was a guy who had a catheter into his bladder, and he wouldn't drink the cranberry juice, so the thing would clog up. Then the docs would remove the tube and jam another one in. Each time it happened they were less gentle, and you could hear it all over the ward.
Cranberry juice! Drink it!


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## [email protected] (May 28, 2013)

kidney stone sucks.... so sorry to hear that. Let's hope it'll never happen again!


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## franzb69 (May 28, 2013)

Well ct scans came in last night. I have a 2.5mm stone in my bladder that wants to pass. Which is what was giving me the pain in my left side. They also found another one on my right that's still in my kidney. That one needs to get shockwaved. After an overnighter like this, I ain't waiting for it to get down to my urinary tract and pass. I'm still having pains at the moment. 

Hydrate whenever I can, as much as I can. I eat cranberries when I can find any. I also try to look out what I eat and whatnot. 

Thanks everyone. Gonna get out of the hospital today and will schedule the procedure soon as I can get to it

I suspect that the lemongrass essence and water I have been taking is aggrevated the situation. Since it's a powerful diuretic. I just didnt think it would be this soon and this painful. =(


This'll put a damper on my wanting to take up butchery for a bit.


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## stevenStefano (May 28, 2013)

El Pescador said:


> Dehydration did it to me.



That's interesting. I drink water when I work and can go through 6 litres a day sometimes but then inevitably I need to take a leak quite often so I find myself purposefully limiting how much water I drink


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## cnochef (May 28, 2013)

Eric said:


> Probably more to do with not staying well hydrated. Drink more water.



Yup, good advice! I only had a small kidney stone once and it was on a crazy busy day. It definitely happened because I didn't drink enough water. Luckily mine was really small so meds broke it up and I didn't have to piss it out. Still hurt like a ***** though, I was on Oxy for 3 days.


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## RRLOVER (May 28, 2013)

I have drop two stones...the second time was worse....I truly feel your pain


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## Gravy Power (May 29, 2013)

have you guys had your stones analyzed? Are they calcium based? Or monsodium urate? If the latter, have you ever had gout?


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## Eric (May 29, 2013)

Almost all kidney stones are calcium oxalate.


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## Gravy Power (May 29, 2013)

Eric said:


> Almost all kidney stones are calcium oxalate.



Not true, up to 30-40% can can caused by and overproduction or underexcretion of uric acid. the same metabolic disorder that is resposible for gout, or a monosoduium urate arthrothopy commonly found in the feet or knees, otherwise known as gout. Psuedogout can also occur in the knees, which primarily consitsts of calcium pyrophosphate crystals and the inflammatory reaction to them.


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## tkern (May 29, 2013)

So all of us need to drink more water w/ cranberry juice?


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## Gravy Power (May 29, 2013)

If it is in fact monsodium urate, you can make dietary changes, such as ingesting less purines (organ meats, shellfish or beer). Otherwise there are very cheap medical alternatives are available.


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## franzb69 (May 29, 2013)

i had mine analyzed. mine are calcium based ones. never had gout. 

=D


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## Crothcipt (May 29, 2013)

I hate having gout. It is more confusing than anything else I have ever encountered. When looking up information you get the standby line of talk with your doctor. It's a kidney problem that is also a part of arthritis.


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## jimbob (May 29, 2013)

Yep gout sucks. Got it when i was 30, which is the exact age my dad, uncle and grandad got it too. While it can be largely hereditary, diet can control it. Unfortunately booze is a big one which is why i will probably get it forever! Funny, lying in agony, its easy to swear off booze, but when your healthy its easily forgotten....


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## Seth (May 29, 2013)

Calcium for me. There is a cheap drug that helps and seems to have few side effects. I was also given a list of foods to avoid that are high in purinal. Asparagus and chocolate, and others; but I hate to give up that chocolate asparagus.


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## franzb69 (May 29, 2013)

i quit drinking as my father is an irepairable alcoholic (he claims to have "quit" but keeps sneaking a few bottles here and there). 

i told myself i would never want to be like that. but then, we can't tell until we get there.

i too love asparagus. =(

ever since i got stones i have cut down heavily on my intake. but this time ever since early this year, i have stopped cold turkey. i'd rather have knives and SHARPENING stones than kidney stones. =D


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## knyfeknerd (May 29, 2013)

It's tough to stay hydrated on the line during service. Depending on what station you're working, you either sweat it all out, or you have to hold it through service-which can be seriously painful!-Or Both!
I know I'm going to have one or 2 or 3 of these in my life and I'm not looking forward to pebbles or boulders coming out of my peepee hole!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1


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## franzb69 (May 29, 2013)

> I know I'm going to have one or 2 or 3 of these in my life and I'm not looking forward to pebbles or boulders coming out of my peepee hole!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1



i just passed the 2.3mm stone on my left side a couple hours ago. felt it the whole time inching it's way out. when it was nearing the bladder, that was the point when i was already asking for demorol for pain relief. that was not fun. writhing and shouting in pain.

still got a long battle with the one on my right side. that one's much bigger. 4mm size. that one, i'll have to undergo extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy. already did that 5 years ago, and soon again. felt like paying someone a lot of money to get your ass kicked. since i don't have healthcare, i pay for everything. which is not fun either.


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## Gravy Power (May 30, 2013)

Crothcipt said:


> I hate having gout. It is more confusing than anything else I have ever encountered. When looking up information you get the standby line of talk with your doctor. It's a kidney problem that is also a part of arthritis.



I'm not a physician, but have been trained in this disease state more than any average M.D. has throughout medical school. There are a few tricky things to deal with when diagnosing and treating but it can be a fairly easy fix. Post any questions or PM me. There are roughly 100 types of arthritis, and gout, the most common inflammatory form in men over the age of 40, is the only one that can be "cured" so to speak.


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## stereo.pete (May 30, 2013)

knyfeknerd said:


> It's tough to stay hydrated on the line during service. Depending on what station you're working, you either sweat it all out, or you have to hold it through service-which can be seriously painful!-Or Both!
> I know I'm going to have one or 2 or 3 of these in my life and I'm not looking forward to pebbles or boulders coming out of my peepee hole!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1



Why not do what the boys in the military do and wear man diapers and just piss yourself away on the line. **Kitchen tour anyone? :eek2:


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## franzb69 (May 30, 2013)

> Why not do what the boys in the military do and wear man diapers and just piss yourself away on the line. **Kitchen tour anyone?



already reconsidering my current profession change lol.


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## tkern (Jun 24, 2013)

In the ER with possible kidney stones. Right abdominal is a lot of pain and pissing blood. It seems Son foretold my downfall.


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## franzb69 (Jun 24, 2013)

oh crap. and here i just found out last night that pain from kidney stones is much worse than being in labor. sorry to hear that.


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## tkern (Jun 25, 2013)

6mm x 5mm stone blocking one side and a few smaller less-vocal stones on the other. Never had a morphine drip before. good times.


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## franzb69 (Jun 25, 2013)

odd getting the kind of pain relief or "high" you get from morphine. i'd rather get something more plant based if you know what i mean. =D

mine's .4cm x .25cm on my right. it's still there. i hope to god that one does try to pass through my urinary tract.


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## ms4awd (Jun 25, 2013)

Get well soon


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## xdrewsiferx (Jun 27, 2013)

Man I am so glad that I have not ever had stones before. 

Get well soon! 

on a related note. When I was in Cali I saw a woman selling jewelry made from kidney stones


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## tkern (Jul 19, 2013)

I just fired a stone out before service. Not pleasant.


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## knyfeknerd (Jul 19, 2013)

tkern said:


> I just fired a stone out before service. Not pleasant.


Nice!


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## sachem allison (Jul 19, 2013)

told you!


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## Crothcipt (Jul 19, 2013)

xdrewsiferx said:


> Man I am so glad that I have not ever had stones before.
> 
> Get well soon!
> 
> on a related note. When I was in Cali I saw a woman selling jewelry made from kidney stones



This made me laugh.... again.


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## tkern (Jul 19, 2013)

sachem allison said:


> told you!



Send me some feathers so I can tie them around my junk to spirit the stones away.


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## K-Fed (Jul 19, 2013)

I'm late to the party but ive had the once so far when I was 20. Most pain I've ever experienced.


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## sachem allison (Jul 19, 2013)

tkern said:


> Send me some feathers so I can tie them around my junk to spirit the stones away.


on a more serious note thank you, she has flown away.


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## Crothcipt (Jul 19, 2013)

I was wondering how she has been doing. Wish I could have helped.

On the other hand I have always assumed my odd pains was a stone.


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## tripleq (Jul 20, 2013)

I suffered two kidney stones while working in a hotel kitchen. The stones were killer but the dose of Demerol I got in the emergency was worth the trip


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## franzb69 (Aug 13, 2013)

a little update on kidney stones and maybe a couple of other things. 

i've been recently juicing parsley, celery and a few other things for a few weeks that i've read about that says it helps with a host of things along with my kidneys and apparently my prostate which is enlarged according to a C.T. scan. been doing it for 3 weeks. wasn't able to source organic fruits and vegetables as much as i could but i am doing what i can with what i've got. and so far it's been helping quite a bit. at least i think so. my skin is clearer, i have more energy, i am thinking clearer, i am feeling better. 

after about a week and a half of doing this and i felt something pass through my urethra like a stone. maybe it was just a piece of the stone or maybe i had managed to shrink the stone enough that i could pass it effortlessly. as you guys well know there were two stones that were found in my previous ct scan one on each side. i knew i passed the stone on my left side since the pain went away and i felt it pass after being in the hospital for 36 hours. and i knew the stone on my right was still there because i could still feel it. so anyway.... what i'm saying is that, this juicing thing might just help us in more ways than one. so you guys maybe should consider it.

i am going to continue this juicing thing and will try to source more organic fruits and veg for me to juice. 

if you guys are interested in what i have been juicing, lemme know and i'll post the stuff i've been juicing and what other stuff i've been drinking aside from the juicing that may have helped along the way.

=D


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## bahamaroot (Aug 13, 2013)

I passed a couple stones five or six years ago. HURT LIKE HELL! Demerol is the greatest! They make a cranberry pill you can find in the vitamin section of the pharmacy. Two to four pills a few times a week and drinking plenty of water. Best prevention plan for stones according to my doctor. A lot of the back pain I had turned out to be my kidneys. The cranberry pills really helped.


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## franzb69 (Aug 14, 2013)

i buy dried cranberries by the buttload. =D

been eating them nonstop, everyday for 2 years. it's helped my UTI but hasn't really helped me with my stones. anything helps though. =D


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## tkern (Aug 14, 2013)

I've switched from coffee to tea for the past week and it seems to have helped the pain I get from the stones that are still there. Also found a cranberry tea.


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