Coventry's Journal: Bread And yet more tests... (an update)

So... its been awhile since I've done the /. journal thing... here is a quick update on my health (since I left people hanging with my last post):

In Feb/March they determined (after may a test) I had a 12mm stone in my left kidney, and a 4.5 mm stone in my right. The pain was getting worse, and I was put on vicadin. Needless to say my work suffered. I did have good days, but not enough. On doctors orders I began drinking lots and lots of water.

On March 19th I went in for ultrasound therapy on both kidneys, and for another procedure whose name I forget but involves going up into the bladder to take a 'look around'. They discovered my 12mm was actually a 14.5mm - either it'd grown or they hadn't gotten that good a look previously. Recovery wasn't too bad - they gave me even more vicadin for the pain.

BTW: Vicadin prevents me from sleeping. I get loopy, and when tired and on vicadin I just lay there in a daze - when I do sleep its very light and almost anything wakes me up.

ok, so, in april I finished recovering... and then there was more pain(!). So I schedule another apointment, and of course don't get in until late in the month. The doctor scheduled more tests, and I went in for more tests. Results: the stone in my left side was a tough bugger, and was still there, but reduced in size to 8mm. Hence my pain.

On July 2nd I went in for a second round of ultrasound therapy. Recovery was much faster. After explaining the sleep issues, I was given Percocet instead of vicadin. I felt great for a week, and passed a small rock garden in fragments. After a week I got suddenly knockled down with pain again... very bad pain - the worst since before the first set of therapy... but the pain was on my _right_ side! So, I met with my doctor, and we both admited to being puzzeled, and tomorrow (today) I go in for an IVP - thats the test with the contrast solution they pump you full of and then take xrays.

So... now I can go for several days without being knocked down by the pain, but it still isn't over.

Argh.

My diet has already been modified, has been for months. I drink 1 soda a day, over a galon of water a day, very rarely drink milk (I didn't do it very often previously either), and have made tons of small changes away from foods high in calcium...

which of course, brings me to an odd request: If you know someone at a food company, ask them to quit fortifying random products with calcium! I have to buy generic and not-so-good tasting brands of bread because all of the major brands I can find have now fortified thiers with calcium - some even have 20% RDA a serving! This goes for white and whole wheat breads. Even my favorite bread for making toast - roman meal - is now fortified! And thats just bread! Its a kidney stone suffer's nightmare out there.

rant over. sleep next.