Biking and kidney stones

[colorisnt]

Oye. So, today I had surgery to remove kidney stones that we noticed on Monday when I woke up in the most incredible pain imaginable. I am no stranger to pain, as I also have migraines and endometriosis, but I do have trouble dealing with the stones. My family has a history of UT problems and my mom had stones when I was a kid, so I know I am predisposed to it. As a kid I had various UTI's and my urologist believes I am just prone to such things.

I do drink a TON of water, but because of my steroids which I am on for asthma and my migraine medication, it seems to not always matter! I never want to do this again, so I want to be as careful as possible.

Do any of you ladies have UT/kidney stone issues? How do you cope with them and prep/ride/recover? Is drinking a lot of water enough or are there other things to consider. I had someone tell me to drink stuff with citric acid, but I am allergic. I know, I'm a blast. But seriously, I love biking a lot and being off for a week and a half has KILLED me. I just want to get back on the bike as soon as my doctor clears me. I have a stent in now, but pretty soon I will be good as new he says!

[bmccasland]

Hope you feel better soon. I've heard cranberry juice helps.

Take it easy and let your body heal.

[buffybike]

I was diagnosed yesterday with a kidney stone. Five days ago (my last ride) I was so tired and my heart rate was racing up so high that I had to cut my ride in half. I knew then that something was wrong. I chalked it up to dehydration but then the back pain started. I've got an appointment with a specialist today and I plan to ask lots of questions, including when I can get back on my bike. Honestly, I'm too scared to ride right now. We're experiencing temps in the high 90s...by 10 a.m. it's already 85 with 100% humidity. My worst fear is that I'd be out in the country, alone, and my kidney stone would decide it wants "out"! I'll re-post after I speak with the specialist today. Hopefully this thing will resolve itself soon and I can get back on my bike. Seeing other cyclists on the road has me burning up with jealousy!!

[KnottedYet]

I had a kidney stone, it passed on its own. (HUGE relief!) However... I didn't want to reach in and retrieve it (long story) so I don't know what it was made of.

My doc said there are two different materials they can be made of, and the dietary restrictions are radically different for the two. Since I didn't grab mine, she couldn't tell me what foods to avoid and what to eat more of.

Be sure to ask for the lab report on your stones!

[colorisnt]

Thanks for the replies. Yeah, I am definitely going to get the report back on my stones from the urologist when I go Tuesday. I already feel tons better, but with temps in the 90's through the weekend, I am almost glad I am on bedrest. I would be too tempted to do something stupid.

I know cranberry juice is great for UTI's and uric acid stones, but not calcium stones, so I will be sure to get that information. I am easily drinking 1/2 a gallon of water and two bottles of G2 a day, so that is good. I was told minimum 6-8 glasses of water today and I have done that already this afternoon.

I also have to strain my urine (ick!) to catch anything that was left. I am sooooo sick of doing it though. They should better be able to tell me what is going on when I go back for my follow up. Now, though, even with the stent in I am 10x's more comfortable.

[Owlie]

Do you drink tea? Apparently the tannic acids have a tendency to bind calcium and form precipitates. (So, black tea with milk or taking calcium supplements with tea is not a good idea...) Depends, of course, on what your stone is...

[CycleTherapy]

I had a kidney stone when 6 months pregnant. Ouch. They assume the pre-natal vitamins with their mega-calcium dosage was responsible. They could only give me Tylenol 3 for relief. Trust me, giving birth was less painful than the stone !

Anyway, I was able to catch the stone. This might be TMI, but it was like fine beach sand. The lab was able to verify that it was a calcium based stone. I am fine now as long as I hydrate often. FYI, with everyone now days pushing extra calcium in diet and supplement form....you must be wary, if your stone is a calcium type. My Dr. doesn't want me to supplement calcium, just take in what I get in my normal diet.

Hope this helps someone.

[colorisnt]

I feel so, so sorry for you ladies who had them while preggers. Many of the women I talked to got them then. It's awful pain - misery. I don't take calcium supplements because my psychiatrist does not recommend taking ANY supplements with my antidepressant/OCD meds. However, I get far more than my daily amount of calcium just because I LOOOOOVE dairy and drink about half a gallon of milk in a day in a half easily. I passed part of a leftover stone this morning early, so it will be analyzed. And no, I don't drink tea. Even with living in the UK for a year, I couldn't stomach it. I am a coffee drinker - I have about 4 shots of espresso in the morning. I know coffee, too can be an issue, though, but the doctor didn't want me to quit cold turkey thanks to withdrawls making me pretty sick.

[soprano]

Have you ever had a kidney stone before this? When I had my first one, I was told that most likely it would be an isolated incident, and that I really shouldn't worry unless I got another.

You mentioned migraine medication, but didn't say what kind. Topamax can cause kidney stones. My neurologist was going to have me try it for a preventative, but decided to try a few other things first because we know that I'm prone to forming kidney stones. (Pamelor/nortriptyline works great for me.)

I habitually drink about a gallon of water a day, more on hot days when I'm riding a lot. It was hard at first (I know every bathroom in town!) but has been worth it.

[colorisnt]

Yep, it's Topomax that I am on. I was warned about it and took EXTRA care since there is a genetic history of kidney stones, UTI's, etc. Mom and Dad have both had issues with them. I would switch if I knew something else would work to stop them, but I haven't had luck with anything else. Right now, I am in between places. When I move to Missouri in a little over a month, I will get a great neurologist that comes highly recommended and go from there.

Stent caused a lot of pain tonight and I was SURE I was going to die. Still in a ton of pain, but it helped to hear from my doctor. Left a message, they paged him and he called me in three minutes. It's just the stent, nothing else is wrong and I am very healthy otherwise. Reminds me that I need to take biking slow when I go back.