Kidney stones and lemonade?

 I've read some back  posts about people suggesting lemonade to help with kidney stones. I have never had a stone, but I think I have one now. I drink a lot of water, so dehydration is not the cause. The pain started last night. How much lemonade is recommended?  And how do you take it without the added sugar?

 I want to say MsCalCulator, Sue, was one that talked about that. She's on the other site. Sending a link via PM.

--gina 

I'm following both boards and havent chosen one over the other. I think they both have their pluses and minuses!  I posted the question over there as well.

Not sure if the lemonade thing works but have you had your labs done recently?
Please make sure to have your PTH level checked since a high PTH can lead to stones.  
You may want to see an endo and have a 24 hour urine collection done.  This is to measure the amount of citrate in your urine.  If your level is low, you can become prone to forming stones.  I had to up the amount of calcium citrate that I was taking and I was also prescribed potassium citrate to take three times a day to increase the citrate in my urine.  You might need to have the level of oxalates measured.  For some folks who are prone to stones, following a low oxalate diet may be helpful.  I had to cut plain unsweetened iced tea out of my diet.  It was my go-to drink but black tea is a high oxalate food.  

With a quick google search, I found this link from CBS News.  It says the reason for the lemons is because it is a natural source of citrates.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/05/24/health/webmd/main1 653742.shtml 

 Thanks for all the info. I get my 3 month labs next week. Now I'll know what to look for!  I also have a spreadsheet which had all my blood test results for the past 10 years so I will look for a trend.  My blood test next week will be my first post op test. I feel like I'm  back in elementary school trying to learn this stuff!

Yes, it is overwhelming in the beginning... at least it was for me.  We're constantly learning.  BTW, you won't know about your citrate level unless you do the 24 hour urine collection thing.  I am sure if you ask, your PCP will allow you to do it.  Even if your PTH is at a good level, if you don't have a baseline dexascan/bone density scan done, I'd ask for one as well.  You'll want something to compare to down the road if you ever do start to have issues with your PTH.  Better to know where you're starting out.

Good luck!  

 I just saw that Sue responded to you over there. Glad she chimed in.

--gina

I just recently read something that said 4 glasses of real lemonaide a day for prevention - so you could even up that.  Thats real lemonaid made from real lemons.  I sweeten mine with something like Splenda or Equal.  I also take my Potassium in the form of Potassium Citrate.  PCP wrote me a script.  I figure an ounce of prevention is worth a lb of cure.

 Amen to your last comment!  I am going to start drinking lemonade, with RealLemon every day. It certainly isnt going to hurt me. Some say it works, some say it doesnt! But I dont want to have this as a recurring problem!  Thanks for commenting.