The Kidney Stone Incident, Part 2 . . .

I saw the urologist on Monday for my follow up, and no - I don't have another stone  :-D  Well, I have what they think could be a precursor to another stone, but the changes I'm making should guard against anything every happening with it.  I also have what they call a peripelvic cyst - but, again, it's not bothering anything and they say it's fine.

The doc was quite impressed by my success with my sodium and fluid intake/output.  :-)  In fact, he said that he didn't expect me to do as well as I did, and that it's very rare that any of his patients do nearly as well over time as I did right out of the box.

They decided to do a quick ultrasound there in the exam room to make sure my bladder was emptying as it should.  The nurse came in, and I told her I'd like to empty my bladder before the scan.  She said. "Yes, absolutely.  You can go down the hall or use the toilet in here."

Um . . .

I was thinking, "does she want me to use a bedpan???" when she walked past me, opened the cupboard doors under the sink, and swung out a toilet.

I'm not kidding - she swung out a full-size toilet, complete with toilet paper


I'd wondered before what that large black button was on the panel the last time I was there.  It's the flush.

:-D

My bladder is just fine.

Seriously.  A swing-away toilet.  Do you think they use these in tiny houses??

:-D

Anyway, I do have more work to do.  As mentioned before, my calcium, citrate, and pH are out of whack, and I know myself that I'm not getting enough vegetables in (the eternal struggle).  I coached again with Jill Harris yesterday.  Her help has been extremely valuable on this journey.  I would not have come this far without her help.

So what's Part 2?  Well, Part one was "drink more water/eat less salt."  Part 2 is "get more calcium/eat less sugar/eat more vegetables."

Onward  :-)

Oh, this is just in case you need an 80's flashback . . .


Comments

Michelle said…
Well done! The medical establishment knows how to fix a great many problems and conditions with diet and lifestyle changes, including heart disease and diabetes, but as your doctor pointed out, patient compliance is the biggest problem.

I have been appointed guardian for an African violet at my office; it's owner is out fighting cancer. I need a quick primer; I've never had one!
Anonymous said…
Yay!! for Annie! Keep up the good work. I know how hard it is to change one's lifestyle and eating habits. Watching all the "don'ts" makes it hard to eat a well-balanced meal. But it sounds like you have a great support system and the best part is you're committed to getting healthier.

Janice H.
Linda said…
That swing out toilet is way cool!

Congrats on hitting your goals and being recognized for them by the doc!

Are you open to adding supplements to help you meet your goals? I know that calcium supplements are often horse pill-sized, but if you're trying to get some extra calcium while you're learning to include more veggies, maybe it's the boost you need. I was just looking at the University of Michigan's Health Library page (it was linked from an article) and they had a lot of research about supplements. I was looking at their documentation on magnesium (which I'm taking at the GYN's recommendation) and saw some interesting notes about magnesium citrate and potassium citrate helping prevent kidney stone formation.

Between my Vitamin D3 (5,000 units), women's 50+ multi-vitamin, magnesium, and biotin supplements, I feel like I'm full up when it comes to popping pills these days, so I don't blame if you for perhaps declining to add anything else to your routine. I do enjoy my daily figs so much, though, (they give me just enough fiber, as well as calcium, potassium, and magnesium) that I'm probably going to plant a fig tree in my yard. :-)

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