Bear in Emergency Room - This Too Shall Pass

Ow!


No idea, but hugs to the poor damn ursid!

Kidneys stones are mostly unavoidable, unless having, time to time, some cleaning of the kidneys.

It's the genetic part of us that determine the making of stones. The way of life only makes it more or less prominent/frequent.

Re: Bear in Emergency Room - This Too Shall Pass


I've asked the Lady Diane to respond here; she may have usefull information.

BBB

Kidney stones are small, solid masses that form when salts or minerals normally found in urine become solid crystals (crystallise) inside the kidney. In most cases, the crystals are too tiny to be noticed, and pass harmlessly out of your body. However, they can build up inside your kidney and form much larger stones.

What causes kidney stones?

In most people the underlying cause isn't known. Some people with kidney stones have lower levels of citrate in their urine, which usually stops the stones forming.

Different kinds of kidney stones form from different salts in the urine.

Calcium stones are the most common type of kidney stone. They are either spiky or large and smooth, and are made up of calcium oxalate or calcium phosphate.

Calcium stones are more common in people who have excess levels of vitamin D or who have an overactive parathyroid gland. People who have medical conditions such as cancer, some kidney diseases, or a disease called sarcoidosis are also more likely to develop calcium stones.

Uric acid stones are smooth, brown and soft. Excess amounts of uric acid can be caused by eating a lot of meat. Conditions such as gout and treatments such as chemotherapy can also increase the risk of getting uric acid stones.

Struvite stones (infection stones) are usually large and have a horn-like shape. They develop when there is too much ammonia in the urine. This can happen if you have a urinary tract infection (UTI), because the bacteria that cause these infections can generate ammonia. This kind of kidney stone is most often found in women.

Cystine stones are yellow and crystalline. They develop if you have high levels of cystine in your urine, which happens if you have a hereditary disorder called cystinuria. Only one in a hundred kidney stones are caused by this condition. Cystine stones tend to develop earlier in life than other kidney stones, usually between the ages of 10 and 30 years.
Who gets kidney stones?

Men are more prone than women, and around half of all people who have previously had a kidney stone will develop another one within five years.

Other risk factors include:

* a family history of kidney stones
* being aged between 20 and 40
* taking certain medicines such as diuretics (water tablets), antacids and thyroid medications
* having only one kidney, or an abnormally shaped kidney
* eating a diet high in protein
* being regularly dehydrated
* having very poor mobility (eg, being confined to bed)
* having a disease of the small intestine or a small intestinal bypass

http://hcd2.bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/html/Kidney_stones.html

I've had kidney stones a few times. A urologist should be able to do a few tests, and determine if it's a lifestyle problem, or if your simply prone to them, as I am. I've passed a couple with no pain treatment at all, and a couple doped up on peth. I prefer to have the drugs. Good christ they're painful.

I've read that drinking soda contributes to kidney stones.

Poor Bear.

Great info, Dadpad. I'm guessing the size, shape, color is why the Doc wants you to catch them in the strainer.

He drinks a lot of milk... So the Vitamin D may factor in. Also, the dehydration from riding his bike in 100 degree weather.

We are in a drought, so I didn't know if perhaps there tends to be a higher incident of kidney stones in a population where the water is low, which would make me think that it would have more minerals.

I'll have to look that up when I geet a chance.

He was in a lot of pain prior to getting to the ER. Lucky for him, all he has to do is whimper and they shoot him full of whatever he requests.

All the very best for the bear, and thanks for informing, squinney!



Mrs Walter has some hundreds of .... gallstones (grains), which leads to frequent bilious colics and an unavoidable operation quite soon.
(But even with such she never had to go to the emergy room, all was done by our family doctor.)

Sounds like a vegetarian diet and increased water intake, if anything, should help rather than hurt!

All the best to the Bear.. hope he'll feel better soon!

(((Mrs. Walter)))

That was what Bear went through with his gallstones a couple of years ago. Don't let her ignore them. They can become serious quickly if they block the gall bladder or pancreas.

Thaks, squinney. (She knows that ... we are just looking for a 'convenient' date for the operation.)

(We both had a terrible night yesterday: anoher serious attack.)

Right, nimh. With the increased water intake I was thinking along the lines of more minerals being in the water since our lake levels are low at this time. I don't know how much of that gets filtered by the Public Water Department.

Dunno about people, but in animals we think of stones being more likely to form when the critter is dehydrated for long periods of time -- the urine becomes more concentrated, stuff is more likely to precipitate out (just like the lakes).

Poor Bear. I understand that kidney stone problems can be very painful.
I doubt that a vegetarian diet would cause or exacerbate an existing condition. Quite the opposite.

Hasn't he been down this road before?

Best wishes to the Bear and Mrs. Hinteler...

Ouch!

All the best to Bear and Mrs. H.



Could the extra water be flushing the stones out? Probably a good thing all in all, but ouch.

I was told that the vibrations from driving a lot were a big factor in triggering kidney stones crisis..

thanks and hugs to squinney for being there. she remains my best medicine.

i've got percoset now so i'll go bacy work tonight stone or no stone.

pills kicking in. back to sleep.