PeterK

Ouch!!! Damn that sounds so painful. Good luck with that. I head kidney stones comes from like unproperly cleaned vegetables and stuff. Esp. Spinach

Short Final

DD

Good luck on the second one. The bad memories came flooding back after your last post. YIKES!

If you work for an ALPA carrier, ALPA aeromedical was a GREAT help getting me back in the air about a week after I passed the stone. Use them, thats what you dues pays for. Keep drinkin' that H20!

SF

andy171773

I know that Salt content is also a large factor in development of these lil **********....hope you feel better..best of luck!

Bloodhound

I've heard from a few different people that if you get three stones over time, it's a permanent medical dequal. But it may vary based on the cause. I know a guy who has had a few and apparently his body lacks some chemical or doesn't function properly to eliminate them. So he is quite possibly done with his flying career because he will always get them.

u2drvr

Actually, salt has little/nothing to do with it since it easily dissolves. The vast majority of stones are Calcium Oxalate (oxaltes are found primarily in green leafy vegetables).

I had a stone while deployed overseas that required surgical removal (not fun.) After returning to the states, I did a CT scan and consult with a USAF Urologist and was given a waiver by the AF to go back on flying status. I did my FAA 1st Class a few months later. I gave copies of all the tests and reports to the AME and he sent it in and the FAA had no problem with it. I'm currently swimming in the SWA pool.

Keep drinking that water!! Statistically, 50% of men who develop a kidney stone will develop a second at a later time.

Cheers,

U2DRVR

planecrazyjenn

Ditch I feel for ya...and I'm not a male. I've never had one, but I have given birth...and if you wanna compare it that way - well it seems like a good comparison. At least we have the option for medication. Anyway, if the FAA will let me fly with what I have...I don't see any reason why you shouldn't be able to.

Good luck with all this...and that nasty second one.
PCJ

p.s. If you see the claw...run. My husband had to result to that for his...and needless to say, he was out of commission for a while. :-p Man that's gotta suck.

DitchDog

FINALLY, some good news for a change!

I just got the call from the FAA saying I'm cleared to fly again! Thanks for all the help and support from everyone.

The surgery went off well (at least I think...I was knocked out). It's called a Lithotropsy and it's basically highly focused sound waves to break apart the stone. Afterwords I had about one day of pain and discomfort (and peeing a lot of sand). then it's been good ever since. The followup x-ray showed that I was clear.

The Doc says that the majority of stones are created by dehydration. Some are calcium, some are uric acid. Mine were calcium and they tend to be harder than the others. He also recommended keeping my pH balance up. I kinda lost him there for a minute but basically the higher the pH, the more the stone can be disolved into your system (or at least keep them from forming). With this in mind, he sayed to drink juices like Cranberry and Black Cherry. I hope this helps everyone in the future....I am now a firm believer in water and hydration.

Details:
Total days off without pay - 2 months (almost to the day)
Total medical bills - $13,000 (insurance wont cover because the policy started two days after the initial E-Room visit)
Time it took the FAA to review my case once all paperwork was in - 15 Days
Water Drank - Lets just say ABQ is now in a drought

Cheers!
DD

TNT AV8R

$13,000 in bills? Holy crap! Too bad about the insurance not covering it. I guess timing really is everything.

Spartan07

Ditch, I'm really glad to hear you survived that whole ordeal! Good to hear the surgery went well and I hope the recovery isn't too bad.

This also raises an interesting point in so far as hydration. I have heard that over hydration can actually be a problem. I don't know the specifics but I -think- it amounts to not having enough electrolytes in your system if you pee too much and it is always clear.

When I served in the military I was -always- drinking water to stay hydrated for PT and 'humps'. At one point during the school of infantry I was drinking a gallon jug of water at night before I went to bed. Generally on average I would wake to urinate (Had to go BAAAAd) at least twice per night during any kind of training event or school (And yeah, it was always crystal clear). I never really noticed any adverse effects from my non-stop water drinking 'habit' but I was told that over-hydration is a bad thing.

If it were me I would continue to drink lots and lots of water. Electrolyte deficiencies sound a lot more bearable than kidney stones!

DitchDog

Thats a good point Spartan...I used to work at the Grand Canyon and every summer people would get themselves into trouble when hiking. People think they have to drink tons of water (which is true) but they are only getting half of it right. Everyone is so surprised to hear that one of the most important thing to bring with you on your hike is some sort of salty snacks (trailmix etc...). It's true...you can create an imbalance in your body. People can end up overhydrating and having seizures!

I dont want to underemphasize the importance of hydration, but your right, you have to balance it out. God does that mean I have to eat those friggin pretzels all the time now?