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 have seen lots of folks here say their BP went down right after surgery ( me included ), so I think that's just one of those things that happens. I don't think you can drink too much water, (within reason of course! ), certainly not enough to raise your BP.

Ok I can't resist.... I am glad that you don't have a leak and are now comfortable taking a leak...

Khy