kidney stones...
I was back in the er for a 2 nd time in 1 month. My Dr thinks it is the extra calcium supplements, and even though I am already drinking a ton of water (60-80 oz a day) she wants me to drink more. I am also dealing with a growing cyst on my left ovary. On the bright side I am 93 lbs down, and it has been a very long time since I have been this low in weight. I have less than 40 lbs to go, and I am almost to the Overweight range and I am a week shy of 5 months.
HW: 322.8 SW: 305.3 RNY 6/9/14. Preop Loss: -17.5 M1: -22.4 W5: -4.5 W6: -1.6 W7: -4.7 W8: -3.3 M2: -14.1 W9: -2.8 W10: -3.7 W11: -2.9 W12: -3.1 M3: -12.5 W13: -6.1 W14: -3.2 W15: -3 W16: -2.5 M4:-14.8 W17: -4.2 W18:-4.5 W19:-3.6 W20: -0 M5: -12.3 W21:-.5 W22: -4.5 W23:-9 W24: -3.4 M6:-17.4 W25:-2
If you are taking ONLY calcium citrate (and NOT calcium carbonate), the calcium is NOT contributing to your kidney stones. Calcium citrate actually helps discourage stones.
I had never had kidney stones in the 45 years before my surgery, but got my first one a couple of years after surgery and have had 4 incidents in as many years. After the last one, I started taking a multivitamin with NO calcium carbonate in it, and that seems to have helped.
Because of my own experience (and a bad experience with my first urologist who told me to stop taking my supplements and got very huffy when I asked about the difference between the citrate and carbonate), I did a bunch if research in medical journals and discovered that there are a number of reasons that RNYers are more likely to develop kidney stones.
Here is a post that I wrote about what I found.
Lora
14 years out; 190 pounds lost, 165 pound loss maintained
You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there.
Lora,
I just read your "article" of all the research that you did. Very good information and really good to know. I haven't had kidney stones yet (did get gall stones and had my gallbladder removed), but at least it makes more sense after reading your research. I love when someone else does the research for me!!!
Like Lora said, what kind of calcium are you taking? If it's calcium citrate and your doctor thinks that is causing kidneys stones, he or she needs to do some reading. Calcium citrate does NOT cause kidney stones. However, calcium carbonate does. If you're taking that, stop. We can't absorb it anyway.
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
I been taking Calcium Carbonate. Oh well maybe I will get the vit D benefit from it. My husband after his RNY has had huge kidney stones, to big to pass. Approx every 6 months he has issues. Has had shock wave lithotripsy and they went up both sides and blasted them and he needed stents after for a couple weeks. He takes no calcium supplements at all. Prior to RNY but after his lapband he had one episode of kidney stones. We went to see the surgeon last week and he was telling him "you didn't advertise the kidney stones, Dr" Dr smiled and said "hey at least you look good passing them" :-D
Well, how about starting calcium citrate so you don't get osteoporosis.
What an inappropriate and insensitive comment for your surgeon to make.
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
It would depend on the type of kidney stone, but to prevent all types reducing the amount of animal protein is recommended. I try to limit my proten to 45 grams per day, this obsession rnyers have with too much protein is extremely hard on the kidney's. And as much as some will love to say I am nuts, lemon water is a huge factor in helping prevent stones. I have experimented with taking vitamins not taking vitamins and see little difference in my labs as long as you eat a well balanced healthy diet. I am trying to avoid them personally.
