Oxalate

When I had my first kidney stone back in March I was ready to do whatever I needed to do to prevent another stone formation. At the time the doctor told me to be patient. Although these problems tend to be genetic it could have been a freak occurrence. He said we'd address diet change if another stone formed.

So, that's where I am now. 4 months later with 2 more stones. Call me crazy, but I think it's time to address my diet....changing it to low in oxalate. Not surprisingly, looking at my daily intake I'm seriously high in oxalate. I have a pretty set diet....meaning I eat the same thing almost daily. (Yes, I don't adventure through foods like most people. I enjoy what I enjoy, but ultimately food isn't my thing and would be ecstatic if I could go through life without dealing with deciding what to eat and actually going through the motions of eating.....but that's another post for another time). I have milk with Ovaltine for breakfast - milk is low whereas Ovaltine is high in oxalate. Lunch usually is cheese and an apple - cheese is ok, apple is high, unless peeled. My snacks and dinner vary. If you have calcium oxalate issues you should avoid Vitamin C supplementation - I was taking a vitamin C supplementation daily. Soy is high in oxalate. My diet isn't loaded with soy, but it's present.

Gah! So yeah, I think it's time to make some adjustments. It's not going to call for me giving up being a vegetarian (according to my research), just making some changes. However, before I make further changes I thought it'd be a good idea to ask my doctor. I've put in a call to my doctor and am hoping to hear back soon. Wishful thinking? Dunno. I have yet to be offered an examination, so I also asked if I should come in for an exam. Maybe an exam is uncalled for, but basically I've been diagnosed with a stone through testing and have yet to hear from my actual doctor. It's not that I don't trust the nurses in his office. I just think it's easy to have things overlooked when the communication is going through multiple individuals....oftentimes not even the same individuals.

And it's not so much that I'm worried about having the stone. Yeah, it's painful, it's been 3 weeks, I'm worried that I'll need to have "surgery" at the beginning of the year AFTER my deductible resets, and I want it to pass, but at this point I want to be proactive in preventing future stone formation. Basically I'm looking for professional guidance and advice. As expected, I've ventured into the Internet to do my research and have compiled a ton of information. I consider myself a realistic person who can decipher fact vs. crap and come to a consensus, but once again, I'm looking for the reassurance that I'm doing the right thing.

For instance, everyone says, "drink cranberry juice." Sounds like an excellent idea. However, cranberries (or any berry for that matter) are high in oxalate. So if I'm trying to prevent calcium oxalate stones, but drinking cranberry juice that can encourage formation of stones, it defeats the purpose....right? Well, it depends on what you read.

Guess I'm in a conundrum. If anything, at least I've learned a few things from this experience. One thing, if you're not an advocate for yourself, no one will be, and you're screwed.