Kidney Stones

Any suggestions on how to get back to low carb living without bringing
getting a kidney stone attack?

I have never felt as good as I did when I did the an altered version of
Atkins. By altered, I mean I did eat some starchy veggies, but not to worry,
no potato was involved. I lost 40 pounds and was loosing more and then I
woke up one morning in agonizing pain and it turned out I had kidney stones.

I had to resort back to eating carbs as part of my recovery process. A few
more pounds later, I am frightened to gain more weight as I was doing
amazing. I have 30 more pounds to loose to reach my goal.

Anyone have any advise, suggestions, foods I could cut out and foods I could
count in would be greatly appreciated. I guess anything that could trigger
stones again..

Anything really! I just want to get back as going back to eating carbs feels
like a junkie has gone back to drugs. I am eating carbs and I am so
desperate to cut them out and start low carbing again!

Thanks!

Pretty simple... don't eat too much protein, and drink lots of water.

On Sun, 28 Sep 2003 19:22:24 -0400, "SanXP"
wrote:

Any suggestions on how to get back to low carb living without bringing
getting a kidney stone attack?

How long had you been LC before the attack? DH has suffered
monstrously from kidney stones (including multiple Lithotripsy
procedures to shatter overly large stones) and his specialist said
that it's not what you've been doing 'lately' that counts but what you
were doing 2 to 3 years previously that triggers the formation of
stones.

According to his specialist, drinking 2 to 3 litres of water-based
fluids daily (without fail) is the BEST way to avoid an attack since
it washes out the nucleus of a stone as soon as it forms, before you
would even notice one. Some people need to avoid purines (in red
wine, beef especially aged beef, brassicas (broccoli, cauliflower,
cabbage etc) and mushrooms mostly) but in many people that degree of
care is not needed if they drink enough fluids.

DH also needed a year or two on Allopurinol (an anti-gout medication)
but he's been off that 6 years and has not had an attack since. He
keeps drinking his water, and joined me on LC a year back and has had
no sign of stones.

Aramanth

WOW that gives me hope! I feel for DH.

My kidney stone which I caught and saved, was only the size of two head pins
and it took 11 days to come out. I didn't require medication. Just pain
killers and since they made me ill, I managed to survive the episode with
Aleve on hand.

I had been 9 months on LC before I got the attack. It has been six months
since my attack and I have been drinking 2 liters of water a day. So that
helps.

Now my will power test is going back on the LC wagon. I did it before, I
don't know why I am so frightened. I guess it must be the pain that I
experienced that makes me skeptical. But now that I am drinking more water,
exercising at least 3 times a week, I think I can try it again.

I am a monotonous person and I usually stick to the same food forever. So,
perhaps I might have indulged too much on one particular food.

I guess I will plan out this coming week and try to get back on and
finally get rid of the 30 pounds to go!

190/160/130


"Aramanth Dawe" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 28 Sep 2003 19:22:24 -0400, "SanXP"
wrote:
How long had you been LC before the attack? DH has suffered
monstrously from kidney stones (including multiple Lithotripsy
procedures to shatter overly large stones) and his specialist said
that it's not what you've been doing 'lately' that counts but what you
were doing 2 to 3 years previously that triggers the formation of
stones.

According to his specialist, drinking 2 to 3 litres of water-based
fluids daily (without fail) is the BEST way to avoid an attack since
it washes out the nucleus of a stone as soon as it forms, before you
would even notice one. Some people need to avoid purines (in red
wine, beef especially aged beef, brassicas (broccoli, cauliflower,
cabbage etc) and mushrooms mostly) but in many people that degree of
care is not needed if they drink enough fluids.

DH also needed a year or two on Allopurinol (an anti-gout medication)
but he's been off that 6 years and has not had an attack since. He
keeps drinking his water, and joined me on LC a year back and has had
no sign of stones.

Aramanth

WOW that gives me hope! I feel for DH.

My kidney stone which I caught and saved, was only the size of two head pins
and it took 11 days to come out. I didn't require medication. Just pain
killers and since they made me ill, I managed to survive the episode with
Aleve on hand.

I had been 9 months on LC before I got the attack. It has been six months
since my attack and I have been drinking 2 liters of water a day. So that
helps.

Now my will power test is going back on the LC wagon. I did it before, I
don't know why I am so frightened. I guess it must be the pain that I
experienced that makes me skeptical. But now that I am drinking more water,
exercising at least 3 times a week, I think I can try it again.

I am a monotonous person and I usually stick to the same food forever. So,
perhaps I might have indulged too much on one particular food.

I guess I will plan out this coming week and try to get back on and
finally get rid of the 30 pounds to go!

190/160/130


"Aramanth Dawe" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 28 Sep 2003 19:22:24 -0400, "SanXP"
wrote:

Any suggestions on how to get back to low carb living without bringing
getting a kidney stone attack?

How long had you been LC before the attack? DH has suffered
monstrously from kidney stones (including multiple Lithotripsy
procedures to shatter overly large stones) and his specialist said
that it's not what you've been doing 'lately' that counts but what you
were doing 2 to 3 years previously that triggers the formation of
stones.

According to his specialist, drinking 2 to 3 litres of water-based
fluids daily (without fail) is the BEST way to avoid an attack since
it washes out the nucleus of a stone as soon as it forms, before you
would even notice one. Some people need to avoid purines (in red
wine, beef especially aged beef, brassicas (broccoli, cauliflower,
cabbage etc) and mushrooms mostly) but in many people that degree of
care is not needed if they drink enough fluids.

DH also needed a year or two on Allopurinol (an anti-gout medication)
but he's been off that 6 years and has not had an attack since. He
keeps drinking his water, and joined me on LC a year back and has had
no sign of stones.

Aramanth

On Sun, 28 Sep 2003 19:22:24 -0400, SanXP wrote
(in message ):

Any suggestions on how to get back to low carb living without bringing
getting a kidney stone attack?

I have never felt as good as I did when I did the an altered version of
Atkins. By altered, I mean I did eat some starchy veggies, but not to worry,
no potato was involved. I lost 40 pounds and was loosing more and then I
woke up one morning in agonizing pain and it turned out I had kidney stones.

I had to resort back to eating carbs as part of my recovery process. A few
more pounds later, I am frightened to gain more weight as I was doing
amazing. I have 30 more pounds to loose to reach my goal.

Anyone have any advise, suggestions, foods I could cut out and foods I could
count in would be greatly appreciated. I guess anything that could trigger
stones again..

Anything really! I just want to get back as going back to eating carbs feels
like a junkie has gone back to drugs. I am eating carbs and I am so
desperate to cut them out and start low carbing again!

I am sitting here typing this gritting my teeth from the pain of one
currently stuck in the ureter on the right hand side. The short answer is
that as far as I have been able to determine there is no relationship, other
than anecdotal, between an LC diet and kidney stones.

I ended up in the emergency room in June and they found one on each side. The
one on the left isn't moving and the one on the right stalled where it is
after about a week. For a while I was going to the Urologist every two weeks
for an X-Ray, but nothing was happening and I can't afford to continue to
make his boat payments.

There are basically three kinds of stones (I forget all the details... you
can google it). Two are known to be caused by specific diseases in which diet
is a factor. The third and most common type by far (around 95% of all stones
if I recall correctly) are calcium stones. Nobody knows what causes these or
how to prevent them although speculation and old wives tales abound. There
are no studies that I could find definitively linking these to diet and/or
amount of fluid intake. There does appear to be a strong genetic correlation
and two of my children have had kidney stones.

Since this was my first attack and since I had been on LC for 6 months prior,
I naturally assumed there might be a relationship. There may be, but there is
no scientific evidence supporting it. And kidney stones are so common that it
is not unlikely that some people who would get them anyway will get them
after starting an LC diet and then blame the diet... and opponents of the
diet will seize on this to criticize the diet.

No one likes to hear that the doctors don't know what they are talking about
because that leaves you in a hopeless state. Unfortunately, in my experience,
there are many illnesses that fall into this category... probably more than
don't. Hope springs eternal and doctors become rich "practicing" on you. I
generally don't let them "practice" on me... I'll wait until they get it
right :-)

The bottom line is that if you have calcium stones all they can do is give
you pain killers and relieve the pressure on your wallet while waiting for
nature to take it's course. You can, of course, have surgery, but that is too
nasty to think about :-)

Not what you wanted to hear, I am sure.

Steve

You can ask your Urologist about the Oxalate restricted diet - some say it
helps keep away kidney stones - I've had 4 in my life. But most say drink lots
of water and stay low sodium. My brother and I both have had kidney stones, so
maybe they run in families. Why would carbs affect kidney stones? Maybe they
want you to eat less meat. I don't think anybody has the total answer.

Lithotrypsy doesn't hurt anything but your wallet or your insurance companies
wallet.
There's a new drug called Thoradol that kills the pain instantly, but must be
given in the hospital because the dosage is critical.
I'm a kidney stone survivor!

When I used to megadose vitamin C, I would take Magnesium as well to
counteract the kidney stones, it's what Dr. Weil advised for people who
megadose Vitamin C and knock on wood it's kept them away from me.

PJ

Megadose in my case being 20g. of Vitamin C a day, or 20,000mg/20 1000mg
tablets daily. Helped me heal quickly but I don't recommend a prolonged
regimen.

--


"If voting could really change things,
it would be illegal." - Unknown

"Nothing can confound
A wise man more than laughter from a dunce."
- Lord Byron

"There is no subject so old that something new cannot be said about it." -
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky





"SanXP" wrote in message
...
Any suggestions on how to get back to low carb living without bringing
getting a kidney stone attack?

I have never felt as good as I did when I did the an altered version of
Atkins. By altered, I mean I did eat some starchy veggies, but not to
worry,
no potato was involved. I lost 40 pounds and was loosing more and then I
woke up one morning in agonizing pain and it turned out I had kidney
stones.

I had to resort back to eating carbs as part of my recovery process. A few
more pounds later, I am frightened to gain more weight as I was doing
amazing. I have 30 more pounds to loose to reach my goal.

Anyone have any advise, suggestions, foods I could cut out and foods I
could
count in would be greatly appreciated. I guess anything that could trigger
stones again..

Anything really! I just want to get back as going back to eating carbs
feels
like a junkie has gone back to drugs. I am eating carbs and I am so
desperate to cut them out and start low carbing again!

Thanks!

Thanks for all your responses. Please keep posting if you have anything to
share about his condition.

I feel for all of you who have posted. The pain is so horrible. I don't have
children yet, but I have heard that it's worse. I do think genetics play a
role. My father did have them in the past..

The only thing I opt to do now is drink plenty of water. I do have a minor
wheat allergy so that explains why LC works for me too as eating wheat too
much makes me gain weight.

I heard inactivity also does trigger stones. I had been very inactive for
extended periods in the past. I worked in a office with a computer all day
and the only exercise I got was walking to my car and then into my home.
Aside from the occasional shopping trip, I really didn't exercise.

However, that has all changed now. I do work out at least 3 times a week at
the gym, I am not working right now so I have all the time in the world.
Therefore, I think drinking plenty of water and moving a bit more increases
my chances of not getting them again. I do understand there is no guarantee,
but I will try to do my best with these two things for now.

I am back on LC as of today, wish me luck everyone as I know it is a
challenge when one starts!



190/165/130..... BOOO I weighed myself again today and I have gained 5 more
pounds! I am hoping it's water only lol


"SanXP" wrote in message
...
Any suggestions on how to get back to low carb living without bringing
getting a kidney stone attack?

I have never felt as good as I did when I did the an altered version of
Atkins. By altered, I mean I did eat some starchy veggies, but not to
worry,
no potato was involved. I lost 40 pounds and was loosing more and then I
woke up one morning in agonizing pain and it turned out I had kidney
stones.

I had to resort back to eating carbs as part of my recovery process. A few
more pounds later, I am frightened to gain more weight as I was doing
amazing. I have 30 more pounds to loose to reach my goal.

Anyone have any advise, suggestions, foods I could cut out and foods I
could
count in would be greatly appreciated. I guess anything that could trigger
stones again..

Anything really! I just want to get back as going back to eating carbs
feels
like a junkie has gone back to drugs. I am eating carbs and I am so
desperate to cut them out and start low carbing again!

Thanks!