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rafe
04-25-2007, 21:21
Last Friday I woke up with severe abdominal pain. Called the doctor, he told me to go to the ER. It seems I have a kidney stone. I had planned a weekend hike on the Massachusetts Mid-State trail. Saturday I'm feeling fine, so that afternoon, the stone and I took off for the trail. I took the Oxycodone with me. Biked 13 miles from Princeton MA to Whitmanville. Stayed at Muddy Pond Shelter on Saturday night. Lit a one-match fire. I was happy. Slept like a log, wearing flannel, in a summerweight (45 degree) down bag.

Sunday I walked from the shelter, through Leominster State forest, over Mt. Wachusset, back to my car at the Audubon sanctuary near Princeton. One guide says it was a 13.5 mile walk. The "official" trail guide says it's 18 miles. Whatever. Pain kicked in during the morning but I just kept walking. Not a cloud in the sky. A bit warm, in fact. It was around 75 degrees most of the day. Laid on some sunblock. Wished I'd taken the sunglasses. This was a trial run for my new Nimbus Ozone pack. I wasn't carrying much of a load, maybe 23 lbs or so with food and water. Love the pack.

Tomorrow I'm back to the hospital to deal with the stone. Such is the life of the middle-aged hiker.

Frolicking Dinosaurs
04-25-2007, 21:26
You have to have some stones to be able to hike with that sort of pain.

Jester2000
04-25-2007, 21:29
Funkee Munkee passed a stone while on his thru in 2000. He said it was excruciating.

I didn't know what he was talking about. I passed stones and rocks and trees and lots of other things. Never had a problem.

Skidsteer
04-25-2007, 21:37
Sheesh T2.

I thought you were going to tell us a story 'bout hiking with Mick, or Keith, or Ron.:D


Hope everything comes out as painless as possible...

rafe
04-25-2007, 22:02
You have to have some stones to be able to hike with that sort of pain.

The pain is a bit more bearable once you know what's causing it. I was hoping (in vain, apparently) that the hike might make it want to move on. I've learned a few things about the "health care system." Doctors lie. You've got to fight the &$%@# system every step of the way. But you probably knew all that. Kinda sucks. Probably suck a whole lot more once the bills start rolling in. ER visits, CAT scans, etc.

TIDE-HSV
04-25-2007, 22:31
with a guy who passed stone after stone. Just had a bad metabolism and kidneys. He'd paddle, even really tough rivers, pull over and take a oxycodone, then take off again. I don't know how he did it...

Footslogger
04-25-2007, 22:45
Tomorrow I'm back to the hospital to deal with the stone. Such is the life of the middle-aged hiker.

==================================

I share your pain.

In 2003 I hiked the entire trail with what ended up being serious kidney stone disease. Had an idea that might have been what was causing all the abdominal pains but was too stubborn to get off the trail.

Ended up having 2 surgeries to get rid of them once I got home.

My best advice is to find out why you are making them and their composition and then adjust your life accordingly.

Keep on drinking water ...or better yet, lemonade !!

'Slogger

Shutterbug
04-25-2007, 22:52
Last Friday I woke up with severe abdominal pain. Called the doctor, he told me to go to the ER. It seems I have a kidney stone. I had planned a weekend hike on the Massachusetts Mid-State trail. Saturday I'm feeling fine, so that afternoon, the stone and I took off for the trail. I took the Oxycodone with me. Biked 13 miles from Princeton MA to Whitmanville. Stayed at Muddy Pond Shelter on Saturday night. Lit a one-match fire. I was happy. Slept like a log, wearing flannel, in a summerweight (45 degree) down bag.

Sunday I walked from the shelter, through Leominster State forest, over Mt. Wachusset, back to my car at the Audubon sanctuary near Princeton. One guide says it was a 13.5 mile walk. The "official" trail guide says it's 18 miles. Whatever. Pain kicked in during the morning but I just kept walking. Not a cloud in the sky. A bit warm, in fact. It was around 75 degrees most of the day. Laid on some sunblock. Wished I'd taken the sunglasses. This was a trial run for my new Nimbus Ozone pack. I wasn't carrying much of a load, maybe 23 lbs or so with food and water. Love the pack.

Tomorrow I'm back to the hospital to deal with the stone. Such is the life of the middle-aged hiker.

I got dehydrated on the first day of a three day hike on the Colorado Trail. It caused a kidney stone to start moving. I had the choice of going back up the mountain for one day or down hill for two. I chose the down hill hike. That was the most miserable two days of my life. I saw only one person during those two days and he was across the valley from where I was. After I completed the hike out, I had surgery to remove the stone.

I have passed others, but that was the only one that required surgery.

rafe
04-25-2007, 23:28
My best advice is to find out why you are making them and their composition and then adjust your life accordingly.

Keep on drinking water ...or better yet, lemonade !!

This is the first. I'm prolly not drinking enough water. But my sister's son (who's in his twenties) recently had a similar problem... so genetics might be involved. There are lots of different causes. They'll know more once they analyze the stone, I think.

Alligator
04-25-2007, 23:46
Sheesh T2.

I thought you were going to tell us a story 'bout hiking with Mick, or Keith, or Ron.:D


Hope everything comes out as painless as possible...I thought he left the R off and I was thinking why does that need a whole thread.

How's that old saying go This too shall pass.

Hope it's not a recurring problem.

superman
04-26-2007, 07:09
The AT generally has enough water to stay hydrated but hiking is an activity that is made for producing kidney stone. I've passed two stones after two hikes. One was on the PCT and one on the CDT. Those trails are a lot more difficult to stay hydrated on. My stones are 100% uric acid so I take allopurinal every morning now. It doesn't matter so much whether your stones come from dehydration or genetics once you realize that you are prone to get them hydration is an absolute. As I lay on the floor of an emergency room writhing in agony I swore to god that I would stay hydrated from now on. I would have promised about anything at that point.

SGT Rock
04-26-2007, 07:11
I have been through that a couple of times.

Drink water.

Lone Wolf
04-26-2007, 07:12
Drink water.

or lotsa beer

SGT Rock
04-26-2007, 07:13
That would work, and thee are other benifits too like the pain inhibitors from it, the relazation while trying to pass, and the alcohol being an antiseptic.

Sounds like a win-win combination.

camojack
04-26-2007, 07:20
Quote:
Originally Posted by SGT Rock http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/images/buttons/viewpost.gif (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?p=356954#post356954)

Drink water.


or lotsa beer

:banana Or BOTH!!! :banana

oldfivetango
04-26-2007, 07:31
Sorry to hear about your pain,TT.In all honesty I have always heard
that beer is the solution to kidney stones,but that could just be a
southern redneck legend.Wouldn't hurt to try it though.:D
Oldfivetango

Footslogger
04-26-2007, 08:57
This is the first. I'm prolly not drinking enough water. But my sister's son (who's in his twenties) recently had a similar problem... so genetics might be involved. There are lots of different causes. They'll know more once they analyze the stone, I think..

=========================================

Exactly !! Mine are Calcium Oxolate Dihydrate in composition. There are 5 basic types of stones and then variations among those 5. The most common are calcium based.

Regardless of the type of stone though ...the best overall defense is drinking a lot of water REGULARLY and keeping the plumbing going. Stones are like crystals that can and often do grow so large that they can not pass on their own.

I've passed dozens of stones (literally) and have only had one instance (during my 2003 thru) where the stone could not pass. In my case the stone was located deep in the kidney (collecting system) and small "chips" were breaking off while I was hiking and causing irritation to the kidney and lining of the ureter.

I wish you all the best. Hopefully your experience will be breif and relatively unpainful. I've been making stones since the early 70's and have had the full range of experiences.


'Slogger

Alligator
04-26-2007, 09:17
....
I wish you all the best. Hopefully your experience will be breif and relatively unpainful. I've been making stones since the early 70's and have had the full range of experiences.


'SloggerSo much for the beer theory;) .

Pennsylvania Rose
04-26-2007, 09:28
I'll never forget seeing my burly husband writhing on the floor of the emergency room bathroom when he had kidney stones. Can't believe some of you hike with that kind of pain.

Footslogger
04-26-2007, 09:44
So much for the beer theory;) .

==================================

You got that right.

Man ...if beer was the cure I woulda been stone free years ago !!

'Slogger

orangebug
04-26-2007, 10:01
Most of the world walks through renal colic and labor pains, at least until things are obviously about to pass. The sudden cramp can put a good man/woman down on the floor, but the cramp will relax (generally) and allow the stone to move a bit further south until it hits the next reactive area to clamp down and cramp. Walking is about as good as anything, as there really is no way to find a comfortable position to wait it out.

I have heard a variety of opinions regarding which is worse - labor pain or kidney stones. I have only experienced one, and it was a b****. :eek:

Footslogger
04-26-2007, 10:15
I have heard a variety of opinions regarding which is worse - labor pain or kidney stones. I have only experienced one, and it was a b****. :eek:

========================================

Sat bedside for 2 (L & D's) ...I'll take the kidney stone !!

At least I was able to walk the whole time (well ...almost)

'Slogger

Rhino-lfl
04-26-2007, 13:49
or lotsa beer

Doesn't that dehydrate you more? Its a diuretic.

Footslogger
04-26-2007, 14:10
Doesn't that dehydrate you more? Its a diuretic.

======================================

Water is pulled out of your system to metabolize the alcohol ...so yeah, ultimately drinking beer (or any alcoholic beverage for that matter) has a dehydrating affect on your system. It's offset a little by the water used to brew the beer but it still causes dehydration.

'Slogger

Marta
04-26-2007, 15:03
I have heard a variety of opinions regarding which is worse - labor pain or kidney stones. I have only experienced one, and it was a b****. :eek:

Which is bigger--a baby or a kidney stone?

Actually, I thought food poisoning was worse than unmedicated labor and delivery.

Marta/Five-Leaf

PS--You have my sympathy and respect for walking through the ordeal.

Footslogger
04-26-2007, 15:08
[quote=Marta;357124]Which is bigger--a baby or a kidney stone?

=================================

...but think about this. Relatively speaking, the "exit" for the baby is a tad larger than that for the stone.

All things considered, not to mention that stones are generally crystalline with jagged edges, I'm not sure "size" is a valid way of looking at this one.

'Slogger

Rhino-lfl
04-26-2007, 15:30
[quote=Marta;357124]Which is bigger--a baby or a kidney stone?

=================================

...but think about this. Relatively speaking, the "exit" for the baby is a tad larger than that for the stone.

All things considered, not to mention that stones are generally crystalline with jagged edges, I'm not sure "size" is a valid way of looking at this one.

'Slogger

That is ... ya ... more ouch for stone then baby. However, if you ATE a big piece of crystal and had to pass it, say the size of a baseball, that might be ... erm ... ouchfull.

Marta
04-26-2007, 15:55
[quote=Marta;357124]Which is bigger--a baby or a kidney stone?

=================================

...but think about this. Relatively speaking, the "exit" for the baby is a tad larger than that for the stone.

'Slogger


I'm not so sure about the "relatively" thing. #2 son, Big Ben, weighed ten pounds at birth and had a really big head. (He was too big to wear newborn clothes. BTW, he's 6'5" now.) I was walking pretty slow the morning after he was born.

But I'm just yanking you fellas' chains--I'm willing to grant that passing a kidney stone is pretty horrible. I knew a fellow in Kentucky who did not believe in medical care. (God was supposed to take care of it all.) Or birth control. He and his wife had 15 kids--all home births--without medical intervention. Then he had some kidney stones... Lo and behold, he suddenly rethought the whole medical care thing and went to the hospital. Passing a stone must be bad if it caused this guy to put his soul in peril. Or maybe stones are just too hard for God to deal with.:D

Marta/Five-Leaf

Rhino-lfl
04-26-2007, 15:57
[quote=Footslogger;357127]


I'm not so sure about the "relatively" thing. #2 son, Big Ben, weighed ten pounds at birth and had a really big head. (He was too big to wear newborn clothes. BTW, he's 6'5" now.) I was walking pretty slow the morning after he was born.

But I'm just yanking you fellas' chains--I'm willing to grant that passing a kidney stone is pretty horrible. I knew a fellow in Kentucky who did not believe in medical care. (God was supposed to take care of it all.) Or birth control. He and his wife had 15 kids--all home births--without medical intervention. Then he had some kidney stones... Lo and behold, he suddenly rethought the whole medical care thing and went to the hospital. Passing a stone must be bad if it caused this guy to put his soul in peril. Or maybe stones are just too hard for God to deal with.:D

Marta/Five-Leaf

If his wife can drop a litter of 15, he can deal with a stone. I hope she killed him lol.

Footslogger
04-26-2007, 15:59
[quote=Marta;357142][quote=Footslogger;357127]
But I'm just yanking you fellas' chains--I'm willing to grant that passing a kidney stone is pretty horrible. I knew a fellow in Kentucky who did not believe in medical care. (God was supposed to take care of it all.)

===================================

Well ...they say God works in strange ways. To the best of my knowledge though(and personal experience) God does not do Kidney Stones.

'Slogger

Jester2000
04-26-2007, 17:18
Which is bigger--a baby or a kidney stone?


What's a baby stone? If it's a kidney stone the size of a baby, I'd say that's harder to pass.

As you can imagine, when I was born I was covered in jagged edges. . .

rafe
04-26-2007, 22:59
Had my err... procedure this afternoon. I'm over the hump. The bigger chunk of the stone is gone, but a couple of smaller bits remain that should pass on their own. The only downside for the moment is this constant urge to pass water. Like, every five minutes or less. I haven't dared stray too far from the porcelain throne. Appreciate the good wishes.

I'm not taking sides on the stones-vs-childbirth debate. When I was very young, I thought that both men and women had their own great perils to face in adulthood. For men, it was being sent off to war. For women, it was childbirth.

Jester2000
04-26-2007, 23:03
When I was very young, I thought that both men and women had their own great perils to face in adulthood.

For women, it was childbirth. For men, it was women.

Skidsteer
04-26-2007, 23:20
For women, it was childbirth. For men, it was women.

Yes, well that and the remote but ever present danger of snagging little soldier in a pants zipper.

rafe
04-26-2007, 23:36
For women, it was childbirth. For men, it was women.

Yep, that's why the Taliban wrap theirs in burqas.

superman
04-27-2007, 07:17
I've been to war, I've passed kidney stones and I've got ex's. Picking which was more difficult to deal with is too fine a hair for me to split. They all brought a tear to my eye.

Marta
04-27-2007, 07:24
For women, it was childbirth.

Childbirth being a result of fooling around with men... My husband and I have long debated whether children are the punishment or the reward. Obviously they're both.

Footslogger
04-27-2007, 09:01
[quote=terrapin_too;357276]Had my err... procedure this afternoon. I'm over the hump. The bigger chunk of the stone is gone, but a couple of smaller bits remain that should pass on their own.
================================

This too shall pass !!

You have your nalgene handy ?? The words "Clear" and "Copious" are forever etched in your vocabulary.

'Slogger

rafe
04-27-2007, 09:25
This too shall pass !!

You have your nalgene handy ?? The words "Clear" and "Copious" are forever etched in your vocabulary.

Funny thing is, I'm extremely conscious of hydration when I'm hiking. It was bad habits in "the real world" that caused this.

In fact, after this weekend's hike, I've decided I really need to look into "hydration systems" for backpacking instead of water bottles & simple platy bags. Another innovation I've been resisting...

greentick
04-27-2007, 09:31
What's a baby stone? If it's a kidney stone the size of a baby, I'd say that's harder to pass.

As you can imagine, when I was born I was covered in jagged edges. . .

Working in the ER I see a kidney stoner almost every shift (working one now).

The best description I have heard was from a 56 y/o lady who has had stones all her life: "Its like birthing a baby wrapped in barbed-wire..."

Never had one myself, never care to have one, and that sends shivers up my spine.

AFA drinking beer, alcohol for medicinal purposes, applied liberally within!:D

SGT Rock
04-27-2007, 09:33
I've been to war, I've passed kidney stones and I've got ex's. Picking which was more difficult to deal with is too fine a hair for me to split. They all brought a tear to my eye.
You know why divorces are so expensive?

superman
04-27-2007, 15:06
SGT Rock,
OK, why are divorces expensive?

Photofanatic
04-27-2007, 15:35
SGT Rock,
OK, why are divorces expensive?
It is a matter of supply and demand. Everytime someone demands a divorce there is an attorney willing to meet his demands as long as that someone pays the bill. Meanwhile nobody wins except the attorney.

SGT Rock
04-27-2007, 15:41
SGT Rock,
OK, why are divorces expensive?
Because they are worth it.

Footslogger
04-27-2007, 15:56
Because they are worth it.

================================

One thing for sure ...lawyers definitely get THEIR money's worth out of a divorce (unless it's their own, maybe ??)

'Slogger

moxie
04-27-2007, 16:24
I hiked with a stone, a small stone from Katahdin I placed on the summit of Springer where I picked up a small stone and carried it all the way to Katahdin and left it there. For some reason, must be because I am part Native American, I never hike without a small stone from the summit of Katahdin, The summit of Katahdin is a sacred place and supposed to be home to the Gods.

superman
04-27-2007, 17:18
SGT Rock,
I was hoping for a funnier answer.

Jester2000
04-27-2007, 21:54
I hiked with a stone, a small stone from Katahdin I placed on the summit of Springer where I picked up a small stone and carried it all the way to Katahdin and left it there. For some reason, must be because I am part Native American, I never hike without a small stone from the summit of Katahdin, The summit of Katahdin is a sacred place and supposed to be home to the Gods.

So wait. You littered on a sacred mountain?

orangebug
04-27-2007, 22:09
...lawyers definitely get THEIR money's worth out of a divorce (unless it's their own, maybe ??)Got _MY_ money's worth from my divorce. I had no idea what a great idea it was until it was long over.

Still, I'd prefer divorce over another kidney stone. At least my first divorce was better than my first kidney stone.