So, on Friday night, I start having these pains. They become excruciating and unlike any I've ever experienced except for labor. They're even intermittent in the same way--crushing and then over, crushing and then over. Not relishing a trip to the emergency room, I have Tom look up some symptoms online. What the hell is it? Appendicitis? (Wrong side.) Pancreatitis? (Wrong symptoms.) Kidney stones? Bingo!
Apparently, kidney stones cause this horrific pain when the hardened little crystals pass from the kidney to the bladder. Most manage to pass without any medical assistance, but the process is, well, rather unpleasant.
Relieved that no organs seem in danger of imminent explosion, I grimace (okay, moan loudly) and bear it. Within the next day, I have three more of these experiences. I write to Dan Perlman of Casa Saltshaker fame, expressing my dismay at missing his grand 50th birthday party the night before and explaining why. He writes back that he's had the damn things himself and the best remedy is to drink the juice of one lemon with about the same amount of olive oil. I drink three of these salad dressing shots during the day, and since then, I have had discomfort but not the horrible pain of the first night. Thanks, Dan!
What causes kidney stones? Well, based on what I've read online, I'd say what caused mine is the calcium tablets I started taking when I went to the US about three months ago. Yes, here I was doing what I thought would be good for me--osteoporosis prevention, etc--and it gives me kidney stones. From now on, I will stick with getting my calcium from my fabulous Tom-prepared meals, thank you very much.
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NOTE: Okay, since I posted this, several people (including Saltshaker Dan) have written to say I should continue taking calcium tablets--that they're not the likely cause--and that kidney stones take a long time to form so they probably didn't just pop up during the summer. Calcium-rich foods can cause kidney stones, and one culprit is meat.
Okay, so I was a vegetarian for about a decade and then about three years ago started eating meat again (the taco cart near our place in Mexico just kept calling to me...what could I do?) and of course, here I am in Argentina, where I would be missing out on a mainstay of the culture if I skipped the beef. I don't eat a ton of it, but perhaps the last three years of meat-eating after so many years of sticking with the vegetarian diet could have a lot to do with it.
Will I give up meat? Well, I'll definitely eat less of it, drink more water, take my calcium tablets and hope for the best. These things can drive you crazy if you dwell on them. I know well the arguments for eating meat vs not eating meat, and I've come to the conclusion that it's best all around not to get too obsessed about eating rules in general. Better to do the best I can on a daily basis (while keeping in mind the causes of kidney stones.)
Here's a big (but not too big) toast of purified water....
Monday, September 22, 2008
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3 comments:
You're welcome! By the way, research shows that taking calcium supplements, as long as you're getting plenty of water, and, take them at mealtime not on an empty stomach, actually lowers your likelihood to get kidney stones, not the other way around. In fact, calcium-containing food is far more likely to cause the problems than supplements because of the difference in the way they're absorbed and eliminated (to put it delicately). Given the three month timing it's also unlikely - kidney stones often take years to build up - what probably happened is that your body was low in calcium because it was being depleted by your diet or other reasons, leaving too much free oxalate in your system which aided in the formation of the stones, probably building up over time, and it was essentially coincidence that you or your doctor realized you needed supplemental calcium around the same time that the stones were approaching large enough to cause you pain.
Hi
The lemon juice and olive oil remedy is an ancient one - for GALL stones. Gall 'stones' are solidified cholestrol lumps that collect in the gall bladder in the right top side of the abdomen.
However glad to hear that your 'presumed' kidney stones are not causing pain anymore.
Regards
Anne
An Argentine friend told me that drinking mate with a lot of polvo (dust) can cause kidney stones. If you drink mate look for "bajo en polvo" or make sure you turn your mate over with your hand cupped on the top to catch as much dust as you can.
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