I'm DONE.

I did the 24-hour urine test. I just got back from delivering it to the hospital lab.

I hated, hated, hated doing this. I was in a foul mood all day yesterday.

1) What brainiac designed the toilet insert to collect the urine??? It has a tiny indentation to pour--only it doesn't work. The "liquid" does not stay in the indentation, it pours all over the sides. Mess, disgusting mess. I ended up using a disposable cup to collect so I didn't spill. And yes, I did spill and it ran down the outside of the collection container. OY.

2) What brainiac developed the container to store the "liquid"? It was so cheap, the lid didn't fit well. It was too tall to fit in my fridge, so I had to put it in at an angle, then stand it upright. Okay, do you see a problem here? Lid didn't fit/tip to get it in the fridge?

Yes, I spilled a tiny bit of urine in my fridge. Yes, I had a major meltdown over that. I was livid. Yes, I thoroughly sanitized my fridge, bitching the whole time.

That was absolutely revolting to me--plus you could smell urine in the fridge. I'm halfway tempted to throw out all our food; however, everything is sealed so it should be good, plus I intentionally timed this so there wasn't much in the fridge. Nothing got wet, except the paper towels that were on top of the plastic lining that I was storing the jug on. Gross, gross, gross.

3) I refuse to do this again. Ever. I know it's just pee, but it was one of the most disgusting, grossest things I've ever done. Never again. And I know darned well I will be doing it again. But I reserve the right to bitch whenever I feel like it--which is now.

I'm actually in a better mood today and trying to make fun of myself with this post. I was not happy yesterday and emailed my husband to let him know to stay far away from me. He was actually very supportive and didn't get on my last nerve when he got home, thankfully. He thought it was gross, too, and he could smell it.

Oh, and another thing--I had to run to the lab yesterday afternoon to get a second container. I drink 8-10 ounces of water an hour, per doctor's orders. They gave me a jug that holds about a half gallon of liquid. Um, that container was not big enough for the amount of water I drink. Next time I have to do this, and I refuse to ever do it again, I'm demanding two jugs from the get go. But I'm never doing it again.

Yup. I'm a baby. It's no big deal in the scheme of things, but it really repulses me, the thought of urine in my fridge where we keep our food. Yuck, yuck, yuck.

Thanks for allowing me to bitch. It's out of my system and now I can move on with things. It wasn't that bad, really. (Yes it was, it was awful.) It was just a pain to have to stay home all day by the toilet/fridge. Eww. Toilet and fridge should never be used in the same sentence. Ever.

Trying to be goofy and find my sense of humor.

Speaking of sense of humor, I found the funniest blog! It's got adult language, but last night a friend posted a link to it and I laughed so hard I cried. I want a big metal chicken. Here's the blog, and specifically the post that had me roaring.

Getting "It" Together Part 2

If you've read my blog for awhile, you know I whine and complain about the kidney stone thing. Well, I was supposed to do that 24-hour urine test this past March. I have not done it. The doctor's office has called and left messages on my phone. I have not returned the phone calls.

I know--no lectures needed. I have been so pro-active with my health, but this just threw me for a loop. It put me into a depression the likes I have never seen before.

The food restrictions are the worst and I'm at the point where I'm getting on with life. I follow the rules pretty well, I do have occasional cheats and if I do have a cheat, I drink tons of water. It's been difficult saying goodbye to almonds--all nuts, All Bran, spinach, beans, soy, etc., etc., etc. I'm there, though.

So I'm feeling better emotionally and thinking I need to get this test done. I decided I'd do it this week sometime. My son is gone at camp and I won't worry about urine contaminating his food. I won't worry about him knocking over the urine container in the fridge. I'm still grossed out beyond words about having to store 24 hours' worth of urine in my fridge, but the cooler idea won't work because we figured the dogs would get into it. Anyway, right when I decided to get this done, I got a letter in the mail.

They used my full name. It reminded me of mom, when I was in deep trouble as a kid: the full name, including my middle name. All caps and bolded! lol Dr. X would like to see you on this date. You must complete the urine test two weeks prior. yada, yada, yada

I laughed. He's going to hunt me down and get me back in there come hell or high water.

I feel like a shmuck. I just don't mess around with my health. Trying to figure out why I did not do this test, I've come up with two conclusions. One, I needed to not think about the whole kidney stone business. I needed to put it out of my mind. It was excruciating for years, doctors blew me off, I had two unnecessary surgeries when a simple x-ray would have found the problem. Water under the bridge, but I think I was so upset about all that, that I didn't want to face it.

Two: Don't mess with my food. Actually, when discussing this with my husband, I used the F-bomb. I'm still struggling trying to find filling and nutritious foods to replace what I can no longer eat. The last words out of my doctor's mouth when I had the stent removed were this: Follow this diet, do the urine test, and then we'll make further modifications to your diet.

Damn it, I don't want *any* modifications. I was doing well. My blood work was great. I was full on fewer calories. Now I'm always hungry. I don't want to further modify anything. So it freaked me out. I buried my head in the sand.

Well, getting my shit together as I'm doing, I'm facing it head on. I'm not happy about it, I'm certain I'll have to make further adjustments because I can almost always feel my kidney which can't be right. It is what it is.

Time to put on the big-girl panties, face it, adjust, move on and get rid of the rest of this weight.

It's hard, but I will make it. One step at a time.

Hopeful News for Me!

Couldn't sleep, so decided to visit my old friend, Google. If you ask the question right, you're more likely to find more answers.

I can't even remember what question I asked this time, but I hit a jackpot of useful information regarding my kidney stone diet.

According to the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse,

How does oxalate in the diet affect kidney stone formation?

Some of the oxalate in urine is made by the body. But eating certain foods with high levels of oxalate can increase the amount of oxalate in the urine, where it combines with calcium to form calcium oxalate stones.

This, I knew.

How can a person limit oxalate in the urine?

Many foods and beverages contain oxalate, but only a few have been shown to increase the amount of oxalate in urine:

• spinach
• rhubarb
• nuts
• wheat bran

Avoiding these foods may help reduce the amount of oxalate in the urine.

This is new to me, the part that says only a few have been shown to increase the amount of oxalate in the urine. That is HUGE. A lot of my favorite foods that I had to give up are NOT on this list! I am so hopeful that I can eat beans again! Other things, too!

It looks like I will never be able to add nuts back, although several of the websites specifically mentioned peanuts and almonds as the two nuts that were on a similar but expanded list. I am so hopeful.

So my plan is to continue as the doctor ordered, but when I see him the next time, I'm definitely going to ask about this! Plus, I'm going to research further and see if I can find the research/studies online. It helps to read the actual studies because sometimes they can be misleading. They're difficult to read for a lay person like me, but I muddle through them.

This makes me hopeful, very hopeful, especially since my bladder has been rumbling all day today. It cramps and rumbles and flutters. Something is going on. I've been drinking tons of water, but I'm worried that remaining kidney stone is making an appearance. It has done this before and then gone away, so hopefully it will go away again. I do hate having that hanging over my head, though, knowing there will soon be the intense pain.

But again, very hopeful I can expand my diet more. The diet restrictions have been extremely difficult to accept. I have my fingers crossed!

Refrigerated Urine, Anyone???

I am supposed to do my 24-hour urine test this week. This is the test where I collect my pee for a period of 24 hours. It's not going to happen. I'll try next week. What's stopping me?

I cannot stomach the thought that I must refrigerate my urine for 24 hours. Call me OCD or what you will, it repulses me beyond belief. I don't know that I can contaminate my fridge with that. I find it repulsive and disgusting.

What's a girl to do?

I can't figure out how to deal with the ugly brown container, which is roughly a 1/2 gallon jug. Where will I put it? How will I keep it from our food? What about smell? What about germs?

I can't stomach it. I don't know that I can do it. It may not happen. I don't mess around with my health, but this? It's just beyond disgusting to me.

Ideas? This may not happen because I don't think I can handle it. Stupid, huh--it's just pee. But darn it, it's where we keep our food.

Nothing Happened

I rescheduled our appointment for today. I was fully expecting something to happen with this kidney stone--but nothing did. It's still sort of just twinging, waving, whatever, and the kidney--I can feel it. It doesn't hurt, but I'm very aware of its existence.

So I was a little freaked out today and did nothing. I did hit over 14,000 steps, but I didn't do a formal workout. I should have. I've worked out through much worse, I just kind got a bit scared.

And that's that.

Tomorrow is a fresh new day, and even though something is going on down there, I'm just going to revert to pre-discovery-of-the-kidney stone days and work out and go on with life.

You just never know! I didn't want to take a chance on being out of town and having something hit me, though. I suppose it was worth it.

Oh...the scale? Was up 1 1/2 pounds this morning. I know that was water weight, but not what I wanted to see at all. It gets so frustrating.--but I keep on plugging away, scale be damned. It does tick me off, I've had awesome deficits this week. Oh well.

Just When I'm Feeling So Good--

Tonight my ureter started spasming a bit, my kidney is very sore, and I'm afraid, very afraid.

I have a kidney stone remaining after my surgery--I think it may be on the move.

Thank God for narcotics, of which I have some left.

I may have to cancel tomorrow's out-of-town appointment...time will tell. I've been sucking down so much water, I'm going to be up all night.

Bring it. Let's get this thing out of here and make it history. It is SO time to move on from this.

Dietary Restrictions

The most important:

1) Drink so much water that urine is clear.
2) Reduced Salt Diet. No more than 2300 mg of salt a day. (VERY difficult and I'm not a salter!)
3) Drink lots of lemonade. (yuck, but I'll put Real Lemon in my water.)

In the info I was given:
drink 8-10 ounces of liquid each hour you are awake
drink more when exercising, when it's hot or when ill
water is best to drink between meals
drink milk with food, especially high oxalate food
1200 mg of calcium a day--good choices:
milk, yogurt, pudding, low fat and nonfat ice cream, and swiss, cheddar and mozzarella cheese

No more than 100 mg oxalate per day--this is the toughie!

Aviod:
grapefruit juice
tea
beets
beet greens
spinach
swiss chard
rhubarb
star fruit
All Bran (I eat this daily!!!--correction, I used to eat it daily)
buckwheat flour
granola
soy milk, any variety
almonds (I eat these daily for heart healthy fat!)
mixed nuts
sesame seeds
tahini

There's a list of medium-oxalate foods with the limited amounts I can eat. Includes all my favorite beans, sweet potato, tomato paste, fruits, bran cereals, soy products, nuts and....CHOCOLATE

Only 3 ounces of meat, chicken or fish twice daily. HORROR!

High fructose corn syrup increases the risk for developing kidney stones.


~~~~~

Okay, so it doesn't look that bad on paper (or screen) but when I stop and consider I am picky when it comes to veggies, it's not that easy. Plus, I'm trying to do a heart healthy diet and the two don't go together too well. What's good for the heart isn't necessarily good for the kidneys.

Further research on the Internet gives more highly restricted lists. The no-eat foods on this list have the same oxalate value as many foods that I love that did not make the list. I'm only allowed 100 mg oxalate a day...well, this may turn into the starvation diet.

It's scary as hell to me. The 3-ounce meat rule? Well, I usually eat 5-6 ounces of meat, chicken or fish at a time, so it's almost cut in half. Protein fills me, and that's going to be tough.

I was okay with the info the doctor gave me, but when I started researching oxalate levels in other foods, I had a major freak out. I cried well into the night last night. I've cried many times today. I've also become very angry. Did I do this to myself with my poor choices for all these years? It is what it is, and I'm not happy right now, but there's nothing to do but comply, figure things out, find new normals and bitch and moan about it along the way.

I think that this diet change will probably be one of the most difficult changes I've ever had to make IN MY LIFE. Sounds silly, but I'm a picky eater. And all those foods I hate are foods I will have to embrace. DAMN

This is going to take awhile to get under control. Today I'm already at 1600 mg of sodium and that's just with breakfast and lunch, and I'm allowed 2300. Holy moly, I'll be over.

I have ordered a low oxalate cookbook. (I'll probably gag at every recipe in it. That's the whiner in me being honest. lol)

My body pH is all messed up, I am forming these crystals, I can't help but wonder....could this be a reason why my weight has been SOOO slow at coming off? My chemistry is off.

I'll get there. I'm doing my best, learning, figuring it out. (With a poor attitude, I admit.) I'll get it down, because GOOD HEALTH IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN chocolate or bran flakes or beans or 6 ounces of meat or almonds....

Goodbye Stent!

Well, it's gone, that nasty stent.

I was scared to death for this appointment. I was scared it was going to hurt. My fears were unfounded. It did not hurt and I was very surprised that it took seconds. The doctor said take a deep breath and when you blow out, out comes the stent. It was fast and easy.

It was long, over a foot long, and dark green. It looked like some kind of electrical wire. I was so glad to have it gone.

Took a big pain pill when I got home and I'm glad I did as my kidney was talking to me through that medication.

The bad news: There is still a stone in my right kidney.

The worse news: My diet has to change drastically. That is being saved for another post. It's complicated, and it's overwhelming.


I'm to drink lots of water. He told me that rather than drinking X amount of water, the true test is how much urine you produce. Everyone should produce two quarts of urine a day. That said, no one measures their output. So, the thing to look for is clear urine, so clean that you can read a newspaper through it.

He wants me drinking lots of water and lemonade. I don't like lemonade, plus I don't want the calories or the sugar. I do, however, put lots of Real Lemon in my drinking water. That will have to do. Lemonade is gross to me, always has been.

My stone is mixed calcification, whatever that means. I have to go back in six weeks. I have to collect all my potty for a period of 24 hours and keep it in the fridge! (OH, Gross!!!) Then it gets tested. Then I see the doc again and will get further diet restrictions/advice. The doctor thinks that I may have had a kidney infection along the line somewhere, thus that mixed calcification. That's kind of scary.

So I am SOOOO happy to be rid of the stent. I can start exercising as I feel comfortable. In fact, I did walk one mile with Leslie tonight, but I took it very easy, didn't do knee lifts and barely lifted my feet off the ground. I want to heal.

However, while I'm happy, I am also freaking about about my diet. I'll follow what they gave me but I have questions. I think in six weeks, I will have a book of questions. It would be nice to see a dietitian/nutritionist because I am very concerned over heart health and some things I do for that, such as almonds daily, I am not allowed.

So while it was supposed to be a joyous day, I'm feeling a bit blue over the diet bit. I'll post more about it tomorrow when I've thought through it more.

It's done, though. Thankfully.