Damn it hurts

I woke up 2 nights ago with the ugent need to void.   Nothing but a dribble.  This continued for a couple hours.  I went to the E.R. they put in a cath which burned like a mother.  They didn't get anything out either, so they retried 3 times.  Nothing.  I was finally able to get some out for them, and they said it looked like I had an infection going on.   Started antibiotics and lots of cranberry juice.  It seems to get worse as the day goes on.  I had to take some liquid vicodin to go to bed last night.  I woke up this morning, felt great and the plumbing was working well, but it has declined as the day went on.  I have a follow up appt with my primary doc today.  Now the back pain is starting, so I'm thinking kidney stone as well.  Now it hurts worse than when i went to the E.R. Any ideas or suggestions, anyone experience anything like this before.  Anything associated with the bariatric surgery that I should use to talk to the doctors about.   Thanks Scott

Seht/Scott, To start- So sorry for your pain. Hope it’s just a Urinary Tract Infection and not “Stones.”

#1 Cause? Not getting enough water!  That will definitely allow kidney stones to form.  Whether or Not You’ve had WLS. Increased consumption of protein raises levels of uric acid in the urine.  This coupled with not getting enough water could lead to the development of “Uric acid stones.”  Although that would often present as Gout before the formation of the stones, they are both possible risks. More likely is the most common type of kidney stone- Calcium Stones. Insufficient hydration, that marks some people who have Gastric bypass allows concentration levels of the minerals to form calcium stones.  If you don't drink enough water, your urine becomes more concentrated the higher concentration of these mineral substances can form Kidney stones. Now that said- Are you getting in ALL of your water? Did your doc give you a “Must drink this much minimally?”  Many do. Because some who are not getting enough fluid intake due to restriction of diet, develop kidney stones, some will assume that it can happen in a matter of days or a few weeks.  It Doesn’t.  If the urine is Very concentrated, it still takes time to “grow solid structures within a liquid environment.” (Like those “Magic Growing Crystals!” that you could buy as a kid and they took so long to grow that you gave up in a about 3 weeks and poured it all in the toilet?) Same here. [There have been recent batches of mis-information on the main-board that characterize Kidney Stones as if they just “Pop-Up” like blood clots at the moment the surgeon cuts the intestine.] Sorry my babble is partly an attempt to make sure that someone won’t accidentally read this and come away with the completely Wrong Impression that the Surgery “Gives you Kidney Stones!” If this were the case, Kidney stones would be a New Phenomenon, directly linked to WLS.  (this was the claim of some well intentioned gal on the Main Board recently.) It is Not. Kidney stones have been found in Egyptian mummies! Now, (my Bull-*hit out of the way) Some info from The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases : “The number of people in the United States with kidney stones has been increasing over the past 30 years. The prevalence of stone-forming disease rose from 3.8 percent in the late 1970s to 5.2 percent in the late 1980s and early 1990s.  White Americans are more prone to develop kidney stones than African Americans.  Stones occur more frequently in men.  The prevalence of kidney stones rises dramatically as men enter their 40s and continues to rise into their 70s.  Once a person gets more than one stone, others are likely to develop.” Not drinking enough fluid (water) to stay properly hydrated, Causes Kidney Stones! Whether they are the Calcium or uric acid type. If your bypass is restricting you to the extent That you can’t drink enough fluid to stay properly hydrated, Then get that aspect of your By-Pass adjusted ASAP. But if you’ve not gotten enough water by not keeping track of it, And that is the Most likely, Then the focus needs to be “fixing the symptom” or result of the dehydration Now And take every precautionary measure to prevent them in the future. Unfortunately,If you've had more than one kidney stone, You are likely to form another; so prevention is Very important. Although they take a while to form, they can break off from their source of formation And “present” (or cause noticeable symptoms) super quick. It’s that “sudden hit” of symptoms That have lead some to think of them as “Caused by__________” (fill in the blank with what ever was done when symptoms showed up) Typically, after the doc gets a sense of size/placement of the stone The doc may prescribe simple medication to prevent calcium and uric acid stones. These drugs control the amount of acid or alkali in the urine, The key factors in crystal formation.  This is in fact the most common “fix” They typically will reserve surgery for the following reasons- If it will not pass on through and causes constant, intense pain. Is too large to pass or is “stuck” in a critically impairing position. It blocks the flow of urine. It causes ongoing, unmanageable urinary tract infection. It damages kidney tissue or causes constant, Significant bleeding, or It has grown substantially larger (from follow-up x rays). If it is determined that your Kidney stone/s are from calcium oxalate concentration, Some foods the Dr. is likely to tell you to avoid include- Chocolate, coffee, cola, nuts, spinach, strawberries, and tea. Those are the typical ones that people “miss.” The others are a walk in the park- Beets, rhubarb, and wheat bran. (yeah, miss that rhubarb already!) If you’ve read my crap at all, you know I’m like the preacher that “runs long” So forgive the Novella of a reply… Hopefully your doc will quickly find  the solution And as is the case most often, you’ll be given a prescription, Told to lay off the Beets and Rhubarb, And you’ll be told to drink enough water to generate At least 2 quarts of urine daily. To get that “output” thing right… ****** a measuring device for a few days And make sure you’re output is at least 2 quarts! That way if you ‘sweat away’ some of your hydration It still won’t effect the formula.  How much to drink? Enough to fill 2 quarts with urine, even if that is more than 2 quarts, as it will be! Hope it’s as simple, soon a memory, and that you get to enjoy some good pain meds along the way. Best Wishes- Dx

 

Guess what, I was lucky like you. I got a UTI, which I've been told is rare for men. The first time I went to the ER for a cut finger, I got CIPRO for an antibiotic. I spent over a week with diarrhea, and then it went away when the pills ran out. When I had trouble urinating, I went to the ER, they did **** test and confirmed a UTI. I told the doc about bariatric surgery, and he gave me Bactrum, instead of CIPRO. It's always a good thing to mention your surgery to a doctor you haven't seen before. It could save you some miserable time in the mens room.

Dude, based on what you have said, it almost definitley sounds like it is quite possibly a kidney stone.  See a urologist.  Taking pain medicine and it gets better, then comes back as the day wears on sounds like stone issues.  I'm no doctor, but I have had my share of kidney stones and that is exactly how they feel and that is exactly some of the sided effects = not being able to pee much, low back pain.  The stone is irritating the tissue internally, thus making you feel like you have to go constantly.  Make sure you keep taking your pain meds as prescribed and get to the urologist - ultimately, he/she is going to be the one to get you fixed up.  Unfortunately, high protein diets and not drinking enough water tend to cause the issues related to having problems with stones.  There are a whole myriad of reason and casues for stones - I won't bore you to death.  To make a long story short, this is the closest you will ever come to experiencing what a woman goes through in givng birth to a child.  Good luck my friend and drink lots of fluids - and the cranberry juice does work.  Taz

Saw the Doctor today, he upped my dosage of anti-biotics, he said that the 250mg the E.R. gave me was really insufficient for someone my size.  He trippled the dose.  He also gave me a large injection of anti-biotics while in his office and a shot of pain meds.  The pain meds didn't squash the pain, but they did make me very tired, which allowed me to fall asleep.  I was hurting so bad, that I threw up in his office.  He said if the pain got to be too bad tonight, to pack a toothbrush and come to the hospital, because he would admit me. I woke up around 11 pm and the pain was finally gone.   Luckily I still have a full bottle of liquid vicodin from the RnY, so that will help me get back to sleep tonight.  That stuff never did anything for me pre surgery, but now it just nocks my ass out. Thanks for all the responses.  I know I haven't been getting enough fluids, but that's gonna change. Scott