Kidney Stones,Common after WLS?

Hi ,i was kept in hospital Friday night-sat night for severe pain lower right side,had morphine to quell the pain,sent home with colon prep(thought i was constipated)..went back in Monday still in pain(after calling Guelph for advice) Finally had a CT scan that found stones in both kidneys,now just waiting for them to pass(awesome)  and was just wondering is this common after wls?..i have never had them although my 3 brothers and my dad have..  holy crap i couldn't believe the pain involved with them.And i am sure there is more to come as they pass..on a good note i lost about 7 lbs from not eating for 3 days...

 I have heard that they are common due to the rapid weight loss.
I am dealing with kidney issues myself right now not stones but a really bad infection that has my kidney inflammed.  
I completely sympathize on you with the pain have spend a total of 26 hours in the ER with the pain

I also had kidney stones after WLS.  there is no direct link from the research I did but my Urologist noted 4 reasons that people get them....1) too much calcium  2) too much protein 3) dehydtration and 4)family history..you can put 2 and 2 together and realize the addition of high protein and low fluid might lead to them...in my case that was the problem.  I had a 15mm (extremely large) kidney stone that had to be blasted through lithotripsy 8 months after my surgery and another 8mm one that passed on its own 11 months after surgery.....

My experience MADE me very conscious of the lack of fluid I was getting so since the second one, I reduced my calcium vitamins (okay'd by doctor of course) and increased fluids...

I will say good luck, after 3 kids and WLS nothing hurts like a kidney stone!!

Hi there,

Yes I believe that it happens frequently. I had to have them blasted twice after lap band surgery. The pain is as close as it gets to having contractions!lol! I had 3 kids naturally and thought kidney stone pain was worse no matter the size of the stones! (Back pain) Drink litres of cranberry juice to flush them out if u can! Good luck and hope u feel better soon

Dana:.. Zactly!.. the intitial part of post op is heavily concentrated on the protein.. and it makes me a bit nervous. but I am drinking the water by the gallons (or as much as my pouch can hold)

Darren.. It is the equivilant of child birth.. Welcome  lol sorry.. my black humour.. it is very painful . I've seen it take grown men down in a heartbeat!

Hope it gets better  for ya!

I got Saliva stones and was told by the ENT is was due to dehydration and WLS.  It was worse then childbirth!  I was hospitalized as well as had to be on 2 different drip bags at home.

I had gall stones and my gall bladder removed which I heard is common with rapid weight loss.  Currently I'm dealing with a possible stone in my liver which may have escaped prior to my gall bladder being removed.  Did my MRI last week and am going back to see the specialist next week.

Thanks for all the replies!..i have been drinking 50/50 water and cranberry juice by the pitcher,nothing moving yet,pain has decreased a bit..they also have me on flowmax to relax the passages...

In addition to what everyone said about protein, hydration, calcium etc., there is also just plain genetics, some people throw stones and some don't.

Best wishes.

Prior to having WLS, I was very prone to kidney stones and usually had 2-3 episodes per year.  I got a new urologist who gave me some good advice.....drink 64oz water daily mixed with 1/2 c. lemon juice. It worked...haven't had any probs for last 3 years.

Since I had my VSG surgery, I reduced the lemon juice down to 1 Tbsp per 64oz water as I am concerned about too much acid.  I currently take 2 Raniditine daily (prescribed after surgery) and when I go for my 3 month check up at TWH on Oct 2 (actually 4 months but, they are behind) I will bring this up with NP and NUT

Certainly DON'T want those painful stones again!!

Verity