Getting Educated

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One "side effect" of taking my sister to all of these appointments the last few years is that I am learning new things all the time. The current focus is now her kidneys. She had x-rays to check on why her back always hurts and they found a cyst on a kidney. Because there was no change over a six month time frame she was referred to a urologist. The good news is, based on further tests, the cyst is benign. The bad news is, she has a large kidney stone in her other kidney. The education I am claiming, from sitting in on these appointments, is the role calcium plays in preventing kidney stones and the role salt plays in causing them. We are all told that salt raises your blood pressure and increases your chance of stroke. Her sodium in her blood stream always reads low. That is because the TONS of salt she has always eaten is excreted through her kidneys and is causing her to have this big huge stone. Lessons learned: Eat calcium rich foods when enjoying foods high in oxylates. Drink lots of fluids. Cut back on salt. An excellent substitute is any citrus flavored fruit or juice as it helps dissolve the substances that could cause stones. I have always tried to learn my lessons from my sister's example. It still works for me.