I woke up at 6 am today and was in a lot of pain, the first thing that went through my mind was a sleeve leak, then perhaps an abdominal aneurysm. It came and went and then returned worse then ever. I decided it was time to head to the ER.

The pain seemed to let up as I set there in the waiting room (of course!) and I had the sudden urge to urinate and it felt really weird in my bladder. I went and sat on the toilet rather then stood and felt a lot of stinging when I urinated. I had to really push to get a few squirts out and gave up. I went back to the waiting room and sat a while, Again I had to urinate and went to the restroom again, this time I stood to go and noticed how pink my urine was - there was blood in my urine. It then hit me that I had a kidney stone!

They took a urine sample and confirmed the blood. An X-ray and CT scan later they found a small stone still lodged in my left kidney. I had evidently passed another small stone earlier.

I was VERY fortunate that I only had two very small ones and that the first passed in just a few hours. Other's I've talked to that had multiple and large stones say that it is excruciatingly painful. They sometimes have to be pulverized with an ultrasonic pulse or even removed by an operation.

CHIEF CAUSE? Not drinking enough fluids to keep my kidneys flushed. The high Protein diet may also have contributed.

So DRINK YOUR Water GUYS and GALS! Don't end up like me! SIP SIP SIP!

Thanks for the heads up -- and I really hope you're feeling better soon!

Hope you feel better. Glad it wasn't a leak.

take care.

Deb

Well, after my Sunday kidney stone episode I got in to my regular doc today. He again stressed drinking MORE Water and was telling me how to use a product named EmergenC to acidify my urine without it tearing up my stomach like regular Vitamin C tablets might. I then told him I took 4 to 6 Tums (Calcium carbonate) a day when the stomach acid started to make itself known. "AHAA! There's the culprit!".

It turns out that VSG'ers should NEVER take Tums as they will probably lead to kidney stones. I was already taking a PPI. His solution for the little upset / acidy feeling I was getting? Plain old soda crackers, saltines will do too but unsalted is better. A few crackers won't hurt my diet, pregnant women the world over have been using them for morning sickness for hundreds if not thousands of years.

So tonight I will nibble on a few crackers before bed instead of popping the tums.

Lesson learned

Wow! Thanks for the warning. I am 11 days post op. I have been drinking only about 16 oz water a day, and last night popped a couple of Tums for heartburn. No more of that! I'm sipping as I type...haha. I hope you are much better, and thanks again!

OUCH! Glad you are feeling better, and thanks for the warning... I'll be back in a min, just gonna get a drink of water!! =]

Wow! Thanks for the warning. I am 11 days post op. I have been drinking only about 16 oz Water a day, and last night popped a couple of Tums for heartburn. No more of that! I'm sipping as I type...haha. I hope you are much better, and thanks again!

Pardon me for digressing from ROOTMAN's issue (glad you are doing better, Rootman). 16 OZ of water is NOT ENOUGH. Force yourself to drink more - small sips all day. You will end up in the emergency room with an IV needle in your arm if you don't. Take care of yourself - please.

Wow, good to know. Thank you so much, Rootman.

Thanks for reminding us how important it is to stay hydrated. We need to get around 64oz of non caffinated liquids a day. Did you know low blood pressure is a side effect of not drinking Water? Think is why you can be lethargic.

Glad to hear you didn't have major complications...like surgery. Hope you are feeling better and drinking often.

Hope you feel better Rootman! Take good care of yourself

Hey I know your pain!!! I pass Kidney Stones often but mine are from my parents. LOL I'm SO GLAD to see EmergenC is good for me. I drink them a lot!! I'm GLAD you are feeling better!!!

I was SO SCARED to have my VSG surgery because of my Stones. After talking to my Doctor he told me this weightloss surgery would be on the ONLY one he would do on me.

GOOD LUCK!!!

Ok I see this post is from Feb so I think Rootman is better I hope, but the info about fluids and Tums is good for all the newbies. Sip, sip, sip!!

Before surgery I had bad bad bad heartburn because of all the pills I was taking. Tums were my best friends. Post surgery, I haven't had not even one bout of it, but needless to say I will have to sever that friendship if the heartburn rears its uglyhead again lol.

Passing a kidney stone is the closest a man will ever come to experiencing labor pains and giving birth. Gives you a WHOLE new admiration for the mother of your children, doesn't it? If you have no children then respect for your own mother!!!

Valentina

I woke up at 6 am today and was in a lot of pain, the first thing that went through my mind was a sleeve leak, then perhaps an abdominal aneurysm. It came and went and then returned worse then ever. I decided it was time to head to the ER.

The pain seemed to let up as I set there in the waiting room (of course!) and I had the sudden urge to urinate and it felt really weird in my bladder. I went and sat on the toilet rather then stood and felt a lot of stinging when I urinated. I had to really push to get a few squirts out and gave up. I went back to the waiting room and sat a while, Again I had to urinate and went to the restroom again, this time I stood to go and noticed how pink my urine was - there was blood in my urine. It then hit me that I had a kidney stone!

They took a urine sample and confirmed the blood. An X-ray and CT scan later they found a small stone still lodged in my left kidney. I had evidently passed another small stone earlier.

I was VERY fortunate that I only had two very small ones and that the first passed in just a few hours. Other's I've talked to that had multiple and large stones say that it is excruciatingly painful. They sometimes have to be pulverized with an ultrasonic pulse or even removed by an operation.

CHIEF CAUSE? Not drinking enough fluids to keep my kidneys flushed. The high Protein diet may also have contributed.

So DRINK YOUR Water GUYS and GALS! Don't end up like me! SIP SIP SIP!

Two nights ago I tried getting that 6th feed in by eating at 8:30 p.m. I need to figure out how to get a few more calories. I cannot eat that late at night and again I was up with horrible acid reflux. Aside from eating too late, I never have any reflux issues. Well, it was so bad that I was popping Tums all night long. The first I'd taken Tums since surgery and then I happen to read this today.

Thank you for the head's up. I wonder if it's the same risk if you are staying well hydrated?

Also, since surgery I am drinking about 1/3 of the Water I used to drink. I used to be a very heavy water drinker. ONLY getting 64 ounces a day took a lot of getting used to for me. Well, almost immediately after surgery my blood pressure dropped like a rock. I had to quit both meds. So I'm wondering if I was creating my high blood pressure by drinking way too much water. I certainly have not lost enough weight to have impacted my blood pressure to that degree. So it just makes me wonder.....

I'm so excited to hear that about EmergenC!!! I had though I couldn't have it because it's considered "effervescent"?? How exciting, has it helped you at all?