What is happening to me?

Disclaimer:  I weigh daily but I do not live or die by the scale.  I love to see my weight loss and use the scale to keep record of my progress.  But it does not change how I feel about myself or how I go about my day.

Ok, with that out of the way, I need some advice as to what is happening with me.  Last Monday I weighed 220.2 pounds.  I was very excited to almost be in the teens of the 200s.  All last week I either stayed at 220.2 or even went up a little bit to 220.8.  No big deal because I know my body does this around ovulation time.  On Saturday morning, I again weighed 220.2 pounds.  I went and did my very first 5K (yeah me!!!!).  When I got home I weighed before I got into the shower and was at 219.8.  I thought the 5K was definitely going to help break those 220s.

I had noticed that I was having the urge to pee a lot but not actually producing anything when I went to the bathroom.  Later that evening, I noticed blood.  I called my gastric doctor (their instructions say to call before going anywhere) and they thought I had a UTI and they were calling in some meds for me.  About 15 minutes after getting off the phone with them, I started having horrible pains in my lower back on the right side.  My husband rushed me to the ER.  Before they took me back to the room, I was weighed and the scale said 102KG.  I was given 2 bags of fluid and some meds.  After a CT scan, it was determined that I have a 3mm kidney stone.  With meds in hand, I was sent home to pass it on my own.

Sunday morning I woke up and was up to 224 pounds!  That's a 4 pound weight gain in less than 24 hours.  My husband said it was from the fluid they gave me.  But I remembered that 102KG weigh in prior to the fluids and I decided to convert that to pounds.  Guess what?  102 KG is 224 pounds.  So I was already up 4 pounds before the fluids.  This morning I weighed in at 223.8 pounds.

So what can cause this 4 pound weight gain?  Is it from the 5K? Is it from the kidney stones?  I ate chicken at lunch time on Saturday and I didn't even have dinner prior to the ER visit.  I'm a little confused by this large weight gain.

And while you are reading this novel, anyone know how to prevent kidney stones?  I never want to have another one of these for as long as I live.  Way too painful for me!

You start off by saying you don't live or die by the scale. You are very, very wrong about that.

I think you have a lot going on, and bigger things to worry about than what the scale says. Stay away from the damn scale.

I'm not stressing over the weight gain.  I'm more concerned about what is causing the weight gain.  Is it just fluid retention from doing the 5K?  Or is it related to the kidney stones and something I need to talk to my doctor about.  Big difference.

Any time you are injures or ill, the scale is irrelevant. It clearly has you in a panic. Weight doesn't matter right now, not even a tiny bit. Focus on what you need to do to resolve the kudney stones, and prevent them in the future. The scale will take care of itself, really.

I would think that if your kidneys are not working properly, then you are retaining fluid.  The stone sounds miserable and i hope it passes quickly and easitly.  Try not to obsess about your weight while you are going through this episode.  You will be back on track before you know it.  Get well - 

I have read that there is a link between calcium supplements and kidney stones.  There doesn't seem to be the same connection between calcium obtained through dietary measures. I would talk to your doctor/nutritionist about it.

In addition to what everyone else advised, excessive exercise can cause you to retain water too.

Make sure the calcium you take is calcium citrate and NOT calcium carbonate.  Calcium carbonate will cause kidney stones.  Your mutli-vitamin probably contains calcium carbonate.  It's hard to find one that doesn't. That means you have to drink a lot more fluids.  

Getting enough fluids will help to prevent kidney stones.  Remember, 64 ounces is the MINIMUM required amount.  I have to drink 120 ounces daily to feel good.

As a kidney stone sufferer I agree with the above post - about calcium, and water.  The retention you experienced was quite likely a combination of the 5K and the kidney stone.  

Kidney stones are miserable, and you need to make sure you try to catch it when it passes.  If you start to experience a fever, get to the hospital as the stone might be stuck.  When it comes to prevention, it's water, water, water.  They'll tell you to drink fluids, and many people drink cranberry juice, but that is full of sugar.  You're better off drinking water and keeping your kidney's flushed. 

Feel better soon!

Fluid.  Sudden weight gain or loss is nearly always fluid.  Your body is sick - retaining fluid.  You've been pumped full of fluid.  You ran a race and stressed your muscles - fluid retention.  I suggest you stay off the scale until your condition is back to normal.

Kidney stones.  Been there, done that.  Stones are caused by a variety of things.  Calcium is not always the culprit.  If they didn't have you catch your stone in a filter, there's no way for them to know what kind of stone it was or what's causing it.  For example, mine were struvite (infectious) stones.  Not caused by diet at all.  If you go to Dr. Google, you'll see wide world of kidney stone types.

They didn't really say to catch the stone but my husband asked if I would.  I noticed that my urine is not straining through the strainer at all.  I don't think that's a good sign.  I'm going to make an appointment with a urologist and see what needs to be done.