Kidney stones?!

My friends partner was recently hospitalized for kidney stones. He isnt someone who goes to the gym very often however in the past he did go regularly. He was having protein shakes maybe 1-2times a day. The doctor told him that the protein shakes had caused it and he should stay away from all powdery supps as they are really bad for your body and can cause kidney stones and your kidney cannot process them properly, resulting in kidney stones.

I haven't heard of this before and was wondering if anyone else knew of something similar, had any stories of their own to tell etc. or is this doc talking crap?

[QUOTE=zeeynepp;940914913]My friends partner was recently hospitalized for kidney stones. He isnt someone who goes to the gym very often however in the past he did go regularly. He was having protein shakes maybe 1-2times a day. The doctor told him that the protein shakes had caused it and he should stay away from all powdery supps as they are really bad for your body and can cause kidney stones and your kidney cannot process them properly, resulting in kidney stones.

I haven't heard of this before and was wondering if anyone else knew of something similar, had any stories of their own to tell etc. or is this doc talking crap?[/QUOTE]

First off . . . did they send the stone(s) to a lab and find out what the stone was made of? And did they get this info from an actual urologist?

I have had a couple kidney stones and have also lifted and taken supps for years. My urologist basically told me my supplements were fine as long as I was drinking enough water. In my case, the stones were calcium oxalate, which are the most common kind of stone. It's important to know exactly what kind of stone they are dealing with to best understand what may be causing them--and thus how to try to prevent them. In the case of the calcium oxalate stones, the key is to avoid foods that are high in oxalates and there are foods that can be avoided and things you can do to help prevent/mitigate them that I have been following. A key piece of that for most stones is getting enough water. But the different kinds of stones require different approaches Unfortunately--I didn't find out what kind of stones I was getting until my last one . .. but now I know. :D

But your friend should start with making sure the stone is identified . . . and then they should be sure to work that through a urologist. If they get calcium oxalate stones like I do, PM me and I would be happy to share some info that I have. There are some very easy things that can be done to try and prevent them or at least to try to reduce their frequency.

i drink a protein shake every night before bed... im scare

[QUOTE=fawkingjoocy;940982173]i drink a protein shake every night before bed... im scare[/QUOTE]

Notsureifsrs.

[QUOTE=taf1968;940921213]First off . . . did they send the stone(s) to a lab and find out what the stone was made of? And did they get this info from an actual urologist?

I have had a couple kidney stones and have also lifted and taken supps for years. My urologist basically told me my supplements were fine as long as I was drinking enough water. In my case, the stones were calcium oxalate, which are the most common kind of stone. It's important to know exactly what kind of stone they are dealing with to best understand what may be causing them--and thus how to try to prevent them. In the case of the calcium oxalate stones, the key is to avoid foods that are high in oxalates and there are foods that can be avoided and things you can do to help prevent/mitigate them that I have been following. A key piece of that for most stones is getting enough water. But the different kinds of stones require different approaches Unfortunately--I didn't find out what kind of stones I was getting until my last one . .. but now I know. :D

But your friend should start with making sure the stone is identified . . . and then they should be sure to work that through a urologist. If they get calcium oxalate stones like I do, PM me and I would be happy to share some info that I have. There are some very easy things that can be done to try and prevent them or at least to try to reduce their frequency.[/QUOTE]

They didn't remove them, the doc said he could pass it naturally or something :/
I have no idea, I don't know all the details... He just warned my partner and I to stay away from protein and powder supps cos that's what he got told to stay away from to prevent it in the future...

Thinking about it makes me cringe. Ugh. Oh well, you have to risk it for the biscuit. *cough*

[QUOTE=zeeynepp;940998623]They didn't remove them, the doc said he could pass it naturally or something :/
I have no idea, I don't know all the details... He just warned my partner and I to stay away from protein and powder supps cos that's what he got told to stay away from to prevent it in the future...[/QUOTE]

Ah, ok . . . so they haven't even passed yet? If they are small, they should pass on their own . . . usually what they do is give you some little cups that have a screen on the bottom and you're supposed to urinate through them and that catches the stones. Then you take them in and they get sent to the lab and are analyzed for the type of stone. If he's not doing that at his Dr's advice, I would seriously recommend that he goes to a pharmacy and buys some of those cups and does it on his own so he can capture the stone and find out what it is--and then work with that.

I'm just giving my opinions as someone who has had stones and from what I've been told by my doctors . . . so take that for what it's worth. But the "it's your supplements" diagnosis without knowing what kind of stone it really is seems like a guess on the Dr's part (and maybe not a good one). My urologist straight-out told me that my supps were not the issue and that is was substances in the real food I was eating that were the cause of mine. But your friend may have different kinds of stones.

My son had 3 of them at 10 years old and he passed his easily since they were small. Had to pee through the cone but he did not do it all the time so we never had anything to test. His doctor said it could be from lots of things but in kids that young who were into sports and drink lots of gatorades or powerades that if they did not drink enough water that sometimes the drinks were known to cause them. But... he was only speculating. He just suggested my son drink water as much as possible which at the time he was not doing.

nnnnnnnnnnnnoooooooooooo!!!!!!!!! my dink

Protein does not cause kidney stones. This is such an old myth. Most kidney stones are either oxalate stones or calcium stones. If you have an oxalate stone doctors usually tell you to limit your consumption of tree nuts, soy products, chocolate, etc. If you have a calcium stone they'll tell you to avoid salt/sodium. Dehydration can accelerate a kidney stone problem (so if you're eating EXCESSIVE amounts of protein and not drinking enough water, this can worsen an already existing condition). An old study was published over and over and over again in fitness/health magazines that simply stated that people with kidney stones *sometimes* had a higher amount of protein in their urine, and suddenly protein=stones.

[QUOTE=Kemo1990;941134643]nnnnnnnnnnnnoooooooooooo!!!!!!!!! my dink[/QUOTE]

LOL . . . yeah, if you've never had one, you can't even begin to fathom the pain. Actually, on the really small stones, the part where they come out isn't the painful part (wasn't for me anyway). It's the pain from the swelling and the "back pressure" in the kidney and the related plumbing that floors you. I didn't feel a thing when the stone actually came out (wouldn't have even noticed if I hadn't been straining the urine). Different case with the bigger ones . . . my dad gets HUGE stones that are all jagged and they just make me cringe when he shows them to me.

:eek:

[QUOTE=danap3681;941133333]My son had 3 of them at 10 years old and he passed his easily since they were small. Had to pee through the cone but he did not do it all the time so we never had anything to test. His doctor said it could be from lots of things but in kids that young who were into sports and drink lots of gatorades or powerades that if they did not drink enough water that sometimes the drinks were known to cause them. But... he was only speculating. He just suggested my son drink water as much as possible which at the time he was not doing.[/QUOTE]

Yikes . . . I'm sorry to hear that. Hopefully he hasn't had anymore. I've got a pretty high tolerance for pain and my stones absolutely doubled me over in pain. I can't imagine being 10 and dealing with that.

If anyone experiences a stone or knows of someone who gets a stone, I highly recommend getting with a urologist and getting the stone analyzed (if you can capture it). With my first stone, I ended up in the emergency room (thought it was my appendix) and they sent me home after a few hours of fluids and painkillers--and they told me to catch the stone and see my doctor. I went to my general family doctor with the stone . . . he had it analyzed and just said "it's a calcium oxalate stone--drink more water and you'll be fine". That turned out to be less than helpful advice.

On my second stone, I decided to see my dad's urologist. They did the full test on the stone when it passed and then they also did blood work and a 24-hour urine collection/analysis. They gave me a TON of information on the type of stone and what was causing them . . . and how to avoid them, foods to avoid, things to do proactively, etc. Been clear for about 4 years now. If I had known all that I know now, I probably could have completely avoided the second stone (or made it less likely to happen).

[QUOTE=taf1968;941173133]Yikes . . . I'm sorry to hear that. Hopefully he hasn't had anymore. I've got a pretty high tolerance for pain and my stones absolutely doubled me over in pain. I can't imagine being 10 and dealing with that.

[/QUOTE]

I was called to pick him up from school with back pain. Thought it may have been from football or whatever. Got him in my truck and he was in the back seat worming around and was in so much pain. And of all the days I had to stop and get gas. UGH!! He could not sit still or lay in one place. It was bad! Worst part for him was having to show the doc his manhood. He has not had any since. We make sure he drinks a ton of water to avoid another one in the future.

[QUOTE=danap3681;941205653]I was called to pick him up from school with back pain. Thought it may have been from football or whatever. Got him in my truck and he was in the back seat worming around and was in so much pain. And of all the days I had to stop and get gas. UGH!! He could not sit still or lay in one place. It was bad! Worst part for him was having to show the doc his manhood. He has not had any since. We make sure he drinks a ton of water to avoid another one in the future.[/QUOTE]

Ouch . . . that brings back memories . . . all of them bad.

My last one hit when I was at a Colorado Rockies game with my son, who was 7 at the time. We had taken the light rail train downtown (we live 30 minutes away in the burbs) and decided to leave a little early. While walking to the train station, I started getting that ache in my back and said "uh oh" to myself. It intensified while we waited and was walloping me hard by the time we got 1/2 way home--had to switch trains and wait 20 minutes for the next (felt like 5 hours). The whole time, I'm trying to not show how much pain I'm in so my son won't worry.

Finally got to the park & ride, and then had to drive us home . . . about a 15 minute drive. Got home, dropped my son off with my wife and drove myself to the emergency room. What a day!

[QUOTE=taf1968;941334783]Ouch . . . that brings back memories . . . all of them bad.

My last one hit when I was at a Colorado Rockies game with my son, who was 7 at the time. We had taken the light rail train downtown (we live 30 minutes away in the burbs) and decided to leave a little early. While walking to the train station, I started getting that ache in my back and said "uh oh" to myself. It intensified while we waited and was walloping me hard by the time we got 1/2 way home--had to switch trains and wait 20 minutes for the next (felt like 5 hours). The whole time, I'm trying to not show how much pain I'm in so my son won't worry.

Finally got to the park & ride, and then had to drive us home . . . about a 15 minute drive. Got home, dropped my son off with my wife and drove myself to the emergency room. What a day![/QUOTE]

Man... what bad timing!!!

He probably drank too much protein. It's not being utilized so the kidney has a bigger load to filter out. Excess protein leads to higher levels of uric acid, which can lead to stone formation. You also need to stay hydrated so that the filtering is smooth and won't clog up. Key thing is to stay hydrated. There is also a way to control this through acidifying or alkalinizing depending on what kind of stones you have but I didn't read and pay enough attention in class to be able to tell you.

[QUOTE=Kemo1990;941134643]nnnnnnnnnnnnoooooooooooo!!!!!!!!! my dink[/QUOTE]

The doc said it was more painful than a woman having a baby. So enjoy ;)

[QUOTE=resilience5241;941161413]Protein does not cause kidney stones. This is such an old myth. Most kidney stones are either oxalate stones or calcium stones. If you have an oxalate stone doctors usually tell you to limit your consumption of tree nuts, soy products, chocolate, etc. If you have a calcium stone they'll tell you to avoid salt/sodium. Dehydration can accelerate a kidney stone problem (so if you're eating EXCESSIVE amounts of protein and not drinking enough water, this can worsen an already existing condition). An old study was published over and over and over again in fitness/health magazines that simply stated that people with kidney stones *sometimes* had a higher amount of protein in their urine, and suddenly protein=stones.[/QUOTE]

So pretty much drink heaps of water and you'll be fine? Thanks for the info btw

That's really interesting. So there is a link between protein drinks and kidney stones?? I have had two bouts of kidney stones in my life (went to ER and had to have CT scan to diagnose). I have been taking supplements for a couple months now and I had a few stones last week. I haven't had them in years. Hmmmm

I'd have them find out what the stone consists of. Drinking too much black tea can cause kidney stones....it's totally a shot in the dark for the doctor to just attribute it to the protein supplements as there are more dietary factors that come in to play.

[QUOTE=megdaig;941600543]I'd have them find out what the stone consists of. Drinking too much black tea can cause kidney stones....it's totally a shot in the dark for the doctor to just attribute it to the protein supplements as there are more dietary factors that come in to play.[/QUOTE]

This ^. Isn't spinach supposed to be very high in oxalates as well and eventually turn to kidney stones if eaten daily? That is one of the reasons they say to rotate your greens?

[QUOTE=ilovethe80s;941610853]This ^. Isn't spinach supposed to be very high in oxalates as well and eventually turn to kidney stones if eaten daily? That is one of the reasons they say to rotate your greens?[/QUOTE]

Spinach is one of the absolute highest in oxalates . . . so are almonds, cocoa powder, soy, and sesame seeds. There are a couple others that if you are prone to calcium oxalate stones to avoid like the plague. If you are not prone to those stones, though, I don't think it's a problem--but don't quote me on that. I get calcium oxalate stones, so I have a whole list of stuff that I stay away from. When I got my last stone (before I knew better) I was on keto for a year and was eating literally pounds of cocoa roast almonds every week and eating spinach frequently. Was basically the worst thing I could have been doing to myself.

One of the interesting things my urologist told me was that if you do eat something high in oxalates, to have some milk or cheese with it. Apparently, if you eat the calcium in combination with the oxalates in a meal . . . they bind together during digestion rather than in the kidneys. So it helps prevent stones that way--if you just eat the high oxalate foods without the calcium it apparently gets into the urine and then gets into the kidneys where the stone can form with calcium there. Also, drinking lemon juice because it's high in citrate helps to prevent and break down the stones. I go through a bottle of lemon juice every week and drink a lot of sugar free lemonade.

[QUOTE=zeeynepp;941525263]The doc said it was more painful than a woman having a baby. So enjoy ;)[/QUOTE]


I would have to say it's not as painful as induced labor, but pretty darn close.
This info is interesting. I had kidney stones back in 2003 and it just so happened that I was on the Atkin's Diet. (tons of protein)
I believe my water intake was substandard, hence the kidney stones. ( I got ibuprofen and had to pass them on my own--evil doctor!!)
Although I lost weight on this diet, I have been too scared to even attempt it! :)
to try it again...The Pain!!