Dr. Carolyn Male - hospitalized 5/30/13

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by bcday

Rip out the IV line already in place and send you home? You mean, without your procedure getting done?

Yikes.

Rip is my word, but yes, remove the IV line and send me home b/c as I said above I wouldnot stay o/n, my choice. I have those guidelines from the Anesthesiology Dept out in the LV room and I'll give you the exact words that they used later.

Carolyn

[b54red]

Carolyn, I'm glad you made it through the hell that is a kidney stone again. The quick removal of them seems much less urgent to the doctor than the patient. I had my first one removed when I was only twelve years old and in the fifty years since then they have made great strides in the treatments; but many of them still seem to be Medieval tortures. One thing that has really changed is how much they charge to put you through the mill and the massive bureaucracy you have to wade through.

Good luck with your recovery and hopefully you won't have any more problems for a while. Now that it is over you can look back and laugh because the only other option is to cry.

Good luck,
Bill

[dustdevil]

Hi Carolyn.

Sounds like you're getting back to your ole feisty self...that means recovery is going well For kidney stones, you need to eat cranberries regularly!

Dust

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

Rip is my word, but yes, remove the IV line and send me home b/c as I said above I wouldnot stay o/n, my choice. I have those guidelines from the Anesthesiology Dept out in the LV room and I'll give you the exact words that they used later.

Carolyn

From perioperative instructions:

A responsible adult MUST come with you to the hospital and drive you home, AND stay with you for 24 hours post surgery, OR anesthesia cannot be given and the procedure will be cancelled.

On another sheet I can't find it says something like if no person to stay with you after surgery you can be admitted and stay over night in the hospital until such aperson can gbe found.

Carolyn, who yes, did play tennis, but just casually. The elementary school she went to had two courts and the HS had several, but it was usually just my friend Jackie and me hitting balls in the middle of the street where we lived, and making sure to hit some over the fence so Mr. Miller would yell at us and tell us to get in there and get those balls, and then would add..... better bring your bathing suits so you can also go in the pool. And yes, she will be watching all the US Open tennis she can, Dish, via sattelite, but if storms are around, off goes the TV AND computer since her home has been hit by lightning already once this summer.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by b54red

Carolyn, I'm glad you made it through the hell that is a kidney stone again. The quick removal of them seems much less urgent to the doctor than the patient. I had my first one removed when I was only twelve years old and in the fifty years since then they have made great strides in the treatments; but many of them still seem to be Medieval tortures. One thing that has really changed is how much they charge to put you through the mill and the massive bureaucracy you have to wade through.

Good luck with your recovery and hopefully you won't have any more problems for a while. Now that it is over you can look back and laugh because the only other option is to cry.

Good luck,
Bill

True enough Bill, but how would you like to get on with your life KNOWING that you still have stones in the left ureter.

Carolyn

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by dustdevil

Hi Carolyn.

Sounds like you're getting back to your ole feisty self...that means recovery is going well For kidney stones, you need to eat cranberries regularly!

Dust

Cranberries have been suggested to prevent UTI's, true, and it's highly controversial at that and he one County nurse also suggested it. But I've read nothing about it preventing K stones.

In the postop instructions from the urologist it specifically stated that cranberry juice should NOT be used since it's too acidic. Some other items were also warned against.

Carolyn

[Sodak]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

Cranberries have been suggested to prevent UTI's, true, and it's highly controversial at that and he one County nurse also suggested it. But I've read nothing about it preventing K stones.

In the postop instructions from the urologist it specifically stated that cranberry juice should NOT be used since it's too acidic. Some other items were also warned against.

Carolyn

Depends on the type of stone, but almost always lots of water and if calcium stones (the most common) hydrochlorothiazide, a common "water pill" for high blood pressure, even if BP ok, as long as it is tolerated. This from an internist.

[Keger]

Be well, take care. Stay strong, I know you will. All the best.

[GreenSand117]

Carolyn,
I apologize if you have already mentioned this but I will ask anyway...have they ever done an analysis on the content of your stones? My mother was plagued with stones until they did an analysis and found she had a good deal of uric acid in her stones. She then went on allopurinol (the gout med) and she hasn't had a kidney stone attack since 1989. I am sure your doctors have considered all of this but I thought I would just mention it just in case.

David.

[nancyruhl]

So glad you are home and starting the healing process. Hopefully all will go well with that "gravel" that is the result of the breakup of those stones.

As a recent and now sometimes operating room nurse, I am relieved that all the standard protocols were followed. And for all those folks out there reading, I would like to say that these "snags" are put out there for your safety. Standard care requires certain antibiotics for preexisting conditions and also certain antibiotics for certain procedures. Site marking is for guaranteeing right side surgery. Insisting on someone being there with you for 24 hours after an anesthetic is for your own well being. Usually all instructions are spelled out before you come to the hospital. They really don't want to cancel anyone's surgery.

That being for said, most hospitals have an outpatient pharmacy that can fill prescriptions for antibiotics and pain medications before you leave. So sorry you had to deal with unnecessary pain.

Hoping for only good news from here on out.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by Sodak

Depends on the type of stone, but almost always lots of water and if calcium stones (the most common) hydrochlorothiazide, a common "water pill" for high blood pressure, even if BP ok, as long as it is tolerated. This from an internist.

KS #1, dunked in a tank of water, no report on kind of stones

KS #2 and KS #3, lithotripsy, stones were calcium oxalate

KS #4, temp stent put in May 31 to bypass stone, infection with Klebsiella detected. Stone not removed until infection cleared, actually two infections since I picked up MERSA at the rehab place.

KS #5, the recent one last Thursday. I asked Dr.H when he came to the surgical prep room if the stone reports would be back by Sept 9th when the stent will be removed, and he said it takes longer than that, but I'll ask for that report eventually. Both kidney and ureter stones, just b'c I'm curious.

KS #2 and #3, same urologist who told me to drink lots and lots of fluids, preferably water, to keep the urine dilute so that the Ca++ and oxalate molecules didn't meet up so frequently to form stones. He was never without a plastic container of water whenever I saw him for followup, etc.

I don't have high BP. I do take Accupril since most diabetics do in order to protect the kidneys.

The reason I was transferred to the rehab place is b;c I had serious edema of the legs and feet from the 6 liters of fluids and additional albumin that I was given to get the bp up.

At the rehab -place I was given a very strong diuretic, I don't know the name, just told it was strong, and lost 14# in 4 days. Easiest weight loss I ever experienced.

Dr. H did not like that I was drinkling ginger ale, Xstal Lite , different flavors, and Diet Pepsi. Said they could facilitate stone formation. I looked at what was in each and I do remember some of my chemistry, and except for the Diet Pepsi I couldn't see anything that would foster stone formation. Have now switched to no caffeine Diet Pepesi,

His RN and he both brought up doing a 24 hr urine to see what foods I might be consuming that could be problematic. Previous to that someone I know had done that for a different reason and I'd Googled the 24 hr procedure and read quite a few of the links and saw nothing about it determining what kinds of foods were possibly a problem for K stones.

So we shall see and that's my current situation.

I do thank you very much for your input and I was going to say why don't you PM me in the future, but I've found that more people than I ever imagined have K Stones, so maybe discussing it here in this thread might be a help to others as well as to myself.

Carolyn, who did read your Yellow/Gold new tomato thread and will get to that when she can.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by GreenSand117

Carolyn,
I apologize if you have already mentioned this but I will ask anyway...have they ever done an analysis on the content of your stones? My mother was plagued with stones until they did an analysis and found she had a good deal of uric acid in her stones. She then went on allopurinol (the gout med) and she hasn't had a kidney stone attack since 1989. I am sure your doctors have considered all of this but I thought I would just mention it just in case.

David.

David, I just answered that question in my post to Sodak. Twice the stones were calcium oxalate.

Carolyn

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by nancyruhl

So glad you are home and starting the healing process. Hopefully all will go well with that "gravel" that is the result of the breakup of those stones.

As a recent and now sometimes operating room nurse, I am relieved that all the standard protocols were followed. And for all those folks out there reading, I would like to say that these "snags" are put out there for your safety. Standard care requires certain antibiotics for preexisting conditions and also certain antibiotics for certain procedures. Site marking is for guaranteeing right side surgery. Insisting on someone being there with you for 24 hours after an anesthetic is for your own well being. Usually all instructions are spelled out before you come to the hospital. They really don't want to cancel anyone's surgery.

That being for said, most hospitals have an outpatient pharmacy that can fill prescriptions for antibiotics and pain medications before you leave. So sorry you had to deal with unnecessary pain.

Hoping for only good news from here on out.

Thanks Nancy.

Snag #1 with the hour delay re Vancomycin was a surprise and of concern since Howard and I both expected that I'd go to surgery quicker. He has obligations elsewhere and that was the concern.

Snag #2 about someone being here at home with me WAS my fault, b'c I did get a sheet from Dr. H's Office saying that, but I didn't take it seriously b'c back in 2008 when he took out that other stone, the Anesthesiology Dept did not have that requirement.

The script for Percocet was given to me with discharge papers as I was ready to have Howard drive me home, and we were at that time in the Day Surgery section of the hospital and I do think there is a place in the other section of the hospital where prescriptions can be filled. But with all the delays it was very late and I knew Howard needed to get home and I wanted to as well.

My two recent hospitalizations, for the low K/cardiac unit two years ago as well as this recent one for the bp collapse, etc., were both STAT situations and normal procedures were bypassed. And the normal procedures when I had the two hips put in in 2006 and 2007 were not quite the same.

Carolyn, who didn't get much sleep last night, not b'c of pain, but serious T-storms that just wouldn't stop.

[Sodak]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

KS #1, dunked in a tank of water, no report on kind of stones

KS #2 and KS #3, lithotripsy, stones were calcium oxalate

KS #4, temp stent put in May 31 to bypass stone, infection with Klebsiella detected. Stone not removed until infection cleared, actually two infections since I picked up MERSA at the rehab place.

KS #5, the recent one last Thursday. I asked Dr.H when he came to the surgical prep room if the stone reports would be back by Sept 9th when the stent will be removed, and he said it takes longer than that, but I'll ask for that report eventually. Both kidney and ureter stones, just b'c I'm curious.

KS #2 and #3, same urologist who told me to drink lots and lots of fluids, preferably water, to keep the urine dilute so that the Ca++ and oxalate molecules didn't meet up so frequently to form stones. He was never without a plastic container of water whenever I saw him for followup, etc.

I don't have high BP. I do take Accupril since most diabetics do in order to protect the kidneys.

The reason I was transferred to the rehab place is b;c I had serious edema of the legs and feet from the 6 liters of fluids and additional albumin that I was given to get the bp up.

At the rehab -place I was given a very strong diuretic, I don't know the name, just told it was strong, and lost 14# in 4 days. Easiest weight loss I ever experienced.

Dr. H did not like that I was drinkling ginger ale, Xstal Lite , different flavors, and Diet Pepsi. Said they could facilitate stone formation. I looked at what was in each and I do remember some of my chemistry, and except for the Diet Pepsi I couldn't see anything that would foster stone formation. Have now switched to no caffeine Diet Pepesi,

His RN and he both brought up doing a 24 hr urine to see what foods I might be consuming that could be problematic. Previous to that someone I know had done that for a different reason and I'd Googled the 24 hr procedure and read quite a few of the links and saw nothing about it determining what kinds of foods were possibly a problem for K stones.

So we shall see and that's my current situation.

I do thank you very much for your input and I was going to say why don't you PM me in the future, but I've found that more people than I ever imagined have K Stones, so maybe discussing it here in this thread might be a help to others as well as to myself.

Carolyn, who did read your Yellow/Gold new tomato thread and will get to that when she can.

I eagerly await your input Carolyn, and if I have further takes on your health and care thereof I will PM.
Dick of So. Dak.

[GreenSand117]

Carolyn, yes since your stones are of the CaC2O4 variety, the allopurinol would not help you...too bad, as that may have been an easy fix for you as it was for my mother. I guess you can only continue doing as you have been and hope for the best.

David.