A world of hurt (kidney stones)
10-27-2007 | 08:46 AM
#21
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On Reserve
Joined: Apr 2007
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From: Sitting
Timing is definately everything...if it had happened two days later I wouldn't owe anything, and if it had happened a month earlier my last employer would have paid me while I was out and covered the expenses. oh well...
11-20-2007 | 08:45 AM
#23
New Hire
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 1
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From: Airbus Captain
I did the kidney stone thing a year ago last June. It was 3 months and a day from start to requal. I had to laugh, crew sked wanted me back within an hour of getting my medical faxed in! I ended up going non-current by a day. That triggered a sim event. A mom on my son's baseball team said she'd rather give birth again than have a stone pass. She oughta know, she's had 4 boys and two stones!
In my case it took two blasts to crack the 23mm marble I had left in me. I squirted the 2mm one out in the beginning of the adventure right after a dinner out. I almost passed out while driving home on the freeway. The hospital was at the next off ramp 1/4 mi ahead. Thank you sweet Jesus! The emergency room nurse said that's she's seen bikers and construction worker types crawling around on the floor crying from the pain.
I agree, the lithotripsy procedure was nothing, it's passing the small stones & fragments that gets your attention. It felt like a really bad back ache on my lower left side that got worse very quickly, probably only 45 minutes until the little stone passed. The fragments from the second ECSWL passed at a little league game the night after the second blasting. It took several hours for the fragments to flush out. Yeah I was talking to God alright. The morphine based pills from the doc didn't even touch the pain. The only thing that worked well was to get into a hot bath. As hot as I could stand. I spent most of the night doing just that. Surprisingly it did the job...
The ALPA Aeromedical contractor in Colorado didn't have the inside track at all. They told me I'd have to do a chemical study, send in documentation to the feds, etc. They made it sound like I was signing up for the space program. My AME said all I needed was a clear x-ray or CT scan. The FAA went with the x-ray...with the caveat that if a stone returns, my medical is automatically pulled. My AME being a Flight Surgeon for decades provided me with the right answers. Thanks Doc!
Suffice it to say drink lots of water and don't hold yer pee. Seriously!
Tailwinds~
In my case it took two blasts to crack the 23mm marble I had left in me. I squirted the 2mm one out in the beginning of the adventure right after a dinner out. I almost passed out while driving home on the freeway. The hospital was at the next off ramp 1/4 mi ahead. Thank you sweet Jesus! The emergency room nurse said that's she's seen bikers and construction worker types crawling around on the floor crying from the pain.
I agree, the lithotripsy procedure was nothing, it's passing the small stones & fragments that gets your attention. It felt like a really bad back ache on my lower left side that got worse very quickly, probably only 45 minutes until the little stone passed. The fragments from the second ECSWL passed at a little league game the night after the second blasting. It took several hours for the fragments to flush out. Yeah I was talking to God alright. The morphine based pills from the doc didn't even touch the pain. The only thing that worked well was to get into a hot bath. As hot as I could stand. I spent most of the night doing just that. Surprisingly it did the job...
The ALPA Aeromedical contractor in Colorado didn't have the inside track at all. They told me I'd have to do a chemical study, send in documentation to the feds, etc. They made it sound like I was signing up for the space program. My AME said all I needed was a clear x-ray or CT scan. The FAA went with the x-ray...with the caveat that if a stone returns, my medical is automatically pulled. My AME being a Flight Surgeon for decades provided me with the right answers. Thanks Doc!
Suffice it to say drink lots of water and don't hold yer pee. Seriously!
Tailwinds~
11-26-2007 | 03:57 AM
#25
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 3,333
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Man sorry about your ordeal and especially the bills you got to pay. That really sucks!
My father had kidney stones and so did a good friend to my parents. They both used the same procedure as you did and their stones were mainly calcium. My dad's doctor recommended to stay away from tea and coffee - I believe they're de-hydrating so even though you're drinking liquids, you're actually depleting H2O from your system. He said that if you must drink it – take at least 2 glasses of water for each cup of tea/coffee, preferable right after you drank the tea/coffee. Cranberry juice, etc were very good, he said. My dad simply stopped drinking tea and water all together - it's been 12 years since his stones. I’m sort of following his regimen to avoid having to go through the hell he went through.
Also, once a year he gets an ultrasound to see if he’s got any kidney stones. Insurance won't pay for it but he's doing it for his own peace of mind; also, if they were to find something, they'll treat it before it causes any major pain - so far nothing.
My mom's friend was told pretty much the same, lots of water, etc, etc. She (supposedly it's more common in men than women, can't remember why) has two kids and said she'd rather give birth to 10 more “super-sized” children than have to deal with kidney stones all over again. She said that although giving birth hurt really bad it was like vacation comparing to having kidney stones.
Good luck to you, hope you'll never have to experience that again!
My father had kidney stones and so did a good friend to my parents. They both used the same procedure as you did and their stones were mainly calcium. My dad's doctor recommended to stay away from tea and coffee - I believe they're de-hydrating so even though you're drinking liquids, you're actually depleting H2O from your system. He said that if you must drink it – take at least 2 glasses of water for each cup of tea/coffee, preferable right after you drank the tea/coffee. Cranberry juice, etc were very good, he said. My dad simply stopped drinking tea and water all together - it's been 12 years since his stones. I’m sort of following his regimen to avoid having to go through the hell he went through.
Also, once a year he gets an ultrasound to see if he’s got any kidney stones. Insurance won't pay for it but he's doing it for his own peace of mind; also, if they were to find something, they'll treat it before it causes any major pain - so far nothing.
My mom's friend was told pretty much the same, lots of water, etc, etc. She (supposedly it's more common in men than women, can't remember why) has two kids and said she'd rather give birth to 10 more “super-sized” children than have to deal with kidney stones all over again. She said that although giving birth hurt really bad it was like vacation comparing to having kidney stones.
Good luck to you, hope you'll never have to experience that again!
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