Tim Carter’s Kidney Stone Story
Posted on January 20, 2015.
On October 7, 2014, I flew to Los Angeles with my youngest daughter for a week of vacation.
We were staying at my good friend Russell's house and he has a special connection to Disneyland. My daughter had never been there, so the morning of October 8th, off we went for a fun day.
By 11:30 in the morning, I was feeling very bad and had to be driven back to my friend's house while he and my daughter stayed at Disneyland.
Sometime between 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m., I hit the wall and was in terrible pain. The life squad came and took me to the hospital. I had no idea what was happening, but the pain was so great I passed out numerous times.
They discovered with a CAT scan I had a kidney stone. The stone was so large, 7mm, the urologist did a procedure where he inserted a camera and laser-blasting tool up my you-know-what. Yes, I was anesthetized.
One of the dangers from a large stone and the procedure is you can get a tear in the ureter, the tiny pipeline between your kidney and bladder. I was one of the five percent this happens to.
Sometimes scar tissue grows and closes off the ureter. I'm that guy. My left kidney is not draining. If you don't correct this, the kidney dies.
It's possible that the same procedure and the laser might be able to cut through the scar tissue. So says my NH urologist. But if there's too much, it's time for Plan B.
My urologist hasn't told me what Plan B is yet, but I have a feeling I know. I'll keep you posted.
The bottom line is you may have written with good wishes and included some of the medical trials you're going through. My situation, compared to yours, is like me having the smallest paper cut in the world.
If you're having a medical issue, I wish YOU the best! This is one reason I try to do so many things like my outdoor ham radio, the train conductor gig in the summer, and kayaking. You can't do those things if you feel bad.
P.S. Want to avoid kidney stones? Just drink an extra liter of water a day, The extra water helps flush out the impurities that otherwise collect and turn to stones in your kidneys. I'm not an MD, so I can't give medical advice.The advice above is shared from my California urologist.
My prayers will be for you, thanks for the "water" advice, even when we know this, it is hard to do, you are a very much loved and looked up to person. I respect you so much, enjoy all you do with your website, etc.Sincerely, Katherine
Best of luck and hoping for a great outcome.
All the best mate, hope all goes well. I've just come through that "cancer thing" that everyone seems to be catching and all I can say is that with great healthcare and a positive attitude, the expectation is a lot worse than the result!
Chas.
I am so sorry you had to go through that tremendous ordeal.
Matt
Dear Tim,
I will pray for your safety and complete recovery!!!
Bob L.
May 4th last year I had my second kidney stone - 9 mm. Surgery happened fast, gratefully. My acupuncturist told me 1 tablespoon on apple cider vinegar a day will prevent it. So far so good! Thanks for the liter of water tip, also! Here's to no more kidney stones!
Good luck and best wishes Tim.
All the best with your procedure. It is remarkable what they can do. I suspect they will but in a little culvert type of thingy like the ones under the road and leave it there for a while till the ureter stretches and the scare tissues stops growing. Hope all is well and you are peeing over the fence in a couple of days
Thanks for sharing Tim, there's a definite increase in my water intake after reading your tale. Good luck with "over the fence".
Tim : take care and love your info God bless
Tim, as someone who has also had several kidney stones I want to repeat Donna's suggestion about the vinegar, although my urologist's suggestion is lemon juice. If you are affected by stones you may need to raise your urine's citrate level and acidic liquids seem to be what is recommended.
Also I hope that they evaluated your stone's composition. Some stones are caused by certain foods and liquids in your diet, although I was told that most were calcium stones like mine. Mine were also affected by going on a low carb diet (higher protein) and not adding the extra fluids to flush the added stone-causing components created by the diet.
Tim--Ditto re all the above well wishes! I've had several stones, but none as large as that. After the 1st one, you can diagnose the next one yourself - nothing like it!
Prayers sent your way for a good surgery and quick healing.