Kidney Stones

[Iflewjetz]

I had one a few years ago. We had some friends over for dinner and I winced through some pain. It got worse and after they left, my wife and I were standing in the garage waving. I fell on my knees and yelled what must have sounded like a dinosaur. I had never felt that kind of pain. It felt like Mike Tyson was punching the he11 out of my lower left back and George Foreman was squeezing the $hit out of my left testicle. I did lithotrypsy about 4 times and it was too big to break up.
I finally had to go to other options, surgery because I had burned up all my vacation and sick leave. That was pretty painful. Poking a tube directly into my kidney while I was awake and the drugs wearing off.
ALPA was great when I was stone free and I had my medical in a couple of weeks.
Drink your water.

 

[SLOTH]

Some of you guys toughing it out reminds me of the time when I had one... OUCH! My doctor told me that the kidney is very sensitive to blockage, and will seize function all together if the blackage remains for a long time (ie large stone). Toughing it out may not be the best option if you desire to keep 2 kidneys. Needless to say I drink water like it's going out of style, and have reduced softdrink, coffee, etc. intake dramatically. Besides all the kidney benefits, my weight control has been much better as well.

 

[ELVISP]

You guys are killing me with these stories. I had to slam a water just in case!

 

[Big Dog]

Women who have had kidney stones say it's a toss up as to what is worse, kidney stones or child birth. There is no other pain quite like waking up from anesthesia and finding a wire hanging out of your member. The other end is tied to a stint keeping your ureter open. Those were the longest 3 days of my life.
In short, drink plenty of water, avoid caffeine as much as possible & consume animal protein in moderation.

 

[Rabble]

I don't mean to seem dishonest, but if you go to the emergency room with a random kidney stone, you pass it, the urologist subsequently gives you the green-light... then why not just chalk it up to "don't ask - don't tell"?

How would FAA Aeromedical ever find out about the episode if you don't self-disclose?

 

[erj-145mech]

How would FAA Aeromedical ever find out about the episode if you don't self-disclose?

Because you would be falsifying a federal document when you applied for your next medical?

Do you pad your logbook also? "Well, if flew .9, but I'll just make it a 1.9 in the log." No difference.

 

[HighSpeedClimb]

Individuals with recurrent episodes of kidney stones are required to present information to the FAA that they are free of stones before returning to aviation duties. This is a recent change in FAA policy effective September 2003. Recurrent episodes generally require a 24 hour urine analysis as well.
For those pilots/controllers who have retained stones that do not pass, the FAA will consider granting a waiver if their physician can affirm that the stone appears stable and is unlikely to pass spontaneously. Stones greater than 2 mm in size or those located in the upper or mid calyces are less likely to receive waivers. The hazard is that a retained stone may pass during flight and compromise flying safety.
A recent change in the Guide to Aviation Medical Examiners indicates that individuals with a history of retained stones may not be cleared to return to flight duties by their AMEs after documenting they are stone free. Instead, authorization must be obtained from the FAA Aeromedical Certification Division (AMCD) or the Regional Flight Surgeon.
For the first episode of a stone, the FAA will not generally require follow-up reports from the pilot or controller's personal physician on subsequent FAA medical examinations. Those with a history of recurrent or retained stones should expect to be required to submit these reports for several years at the time of their FAA medical examinations.

 

[Champ42272]

Had my first (and hopefully last) kidney stone on Sep 1, 2007. It was 3mm and the most painful thing I have ever gone through. Passed it in in the ER in less than 3 hours (I know how lucky I am).

I just wanted to comment that I have to agree with Occam's Razor input about Vitamin C. This is the only dietary different thing I have done in the last 3-6 months and will never take additional Vitamin C again.

At almost 52, the excess Vitamin C argument strikes a chord with me, I suspect it is the culprit in my case.

Just my opinion, I could be wrong.

Champ 42272