On October 8, 2000 during my first trimester with Caleb, I went in for my initial ultrasound. During the visit we learned that the baby was developing beautifully, but in addition to giving birth to a boy, I would soon be delivering 2 very large kidney stones (1cm and 2cm.) For those of you who have suffered with this ailment you know that these “stones” should have been labeled “rocks” instead because they were so large. It was like Plymouth and Gibraltar were growing in my kidney. Needless to say, the pregnancy and delivery were complicated and very arduous as a result of the stones. When Caleb was 11 days old, I was back in the hospital for my first ESWL (extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy - a procedure that uses shock waves to break up a kidney stone into small pieces that can more easily fit through the urinary tract and pass from the body.)
Over the next four years I was in and out of the ER and hospital for a total of 7 lithotripsies and thousands and thousands of dollars. I changed my diet drastically and began consuming buckets of water, but because of an abnormal type of kidney (medullary sponge kidney) my body continued to make stones. This was getting old fast, and very expensive. There had to be a better way, so I began educating myself about urology and nephrology. I read everything I could find about kidney stones, their prevention and cure, including home remedies.
One Sunday at church, I casually mentioned one of the home remedies I’d read about to a friend and he said, “Yeah, I know about that cure, it worked for me - twice.” I was stunned, a home remedy given credibility by a trusted friend. With a bit of skepticism, I considered giving it a try. So during my next attack, I sent Wade to the grocery store to purchase the two common ingredients for the remedy. I followed the instructions of the remedy and waited. I only had to wait about 45 minutes before the 4mm stone passed. I was shocked, giddy, elated. It worked!!!! I had been relieved of the pain and hassle of a kidney stone with about $5 dollars worth of supplies and 45 minutes. This was revolutionary for me. Could this mean no more ER visits, no more huge sums of money spent on ESWLs, no more senseless pain? The answer for me has been YES !!!! I have not visited the ER due to kidney stones nor had an ESWL or any real stone pain for the past 3 years.
I continue to visit my family physician every 6 months for a KUB (kidney,ureter, bladder) x-ray for extra measure. When I do have a stone, I rush home to perform the remedy. When I return to the doctor’s office for a follow up x-ray they are always baffled about the expediency of the home remedy.
Like 80% of stone formers, I make calcium oxalate stones. Our kidneys are the cleaners of the body, they filter blood to remove excess mineral salts and other wastes. Part of the cleaning process is to produce urine that excretes the waste from the body. Kidney stones form when your urine becomes so saturated with calcium oxalate and other minerals that no more of it can dissolve into the urine. Its kind of like trying to dissolve too much sugar in your tea. So, the undissolved portion of the mineral develops into crystals. These crystals bunch together to form barbed stones that hurt like the dickens when they travel from the kidney, through the ureter, down to the bladder and out through the urethra. This process can be more painful for men (so I’m told) because the urethra in males is longer than in females. Up until the urethra, kidney stones are equal opportunity pains in the……you know where.
The remedy is simply chemistry in reverse. Chemistry forms stones in the first place, so it makes sense that chemistry can destroy them. For the low, low price of $49.99 you too can be kidney stone free and I will share with you the two ingredients you need for this home remedy. Just kidding. All you need is a 2 liter of Coca Cola and a bunch of asparagus (8 ounzes.) Within a 15 minute period, drink the entire 2 liter of Coke, wait 10 minutes then consume the pureed asparagus. It is important to puree the asparagus and eat this like a soup. I put lemon juice and a little salt for taste. Follow this by drinking several glasses of water. You will feel miserably full for about an hour, but relief should come quickly. During this time, I can actually feel the stone moving from my back and around my side. I have only minimal pain during this process. It sure beats the ER and $4000.
Please be smart about this. If you know you have a stone and it’s under.5cm then you might want to try the remedy. What can it hurt? But if you’re experiencing excruciating pain and you’re not sure what’s going on, GO TO THE DOCTOR!!!!! I’m not a physician, I’m just a kidney stone former who has found a home remedy that works for me.
So how does it work? From what I understand, the phosphoric acid in the Coke begins to dissolve the calcium oxalate stone, then the asparagus (which is a natural diuretic) helps expel what’s left. GROSS ALERT: (I guess if you’ve read this far, you don’t really care) I’ve actually done a little research of my own and put a previously passed stone in a bowl with Coke. After about 3o minutes it was a mushy mess. It had been dissolved. I did the same experiment with lemon juice and got the same results. During one particularly painful episode I knew I was facing a large stone, so I drank lemon juice and real lemonade for a week, when I did the home remedy I passed a smooth stone. It looked like a baby river rock. The lemon juice had knocked the edges off and had actually shrunk the stone so it could pass. Since then I have combined lemon juice with my 2 liter of Coke and have gotten very good results.
Once again, I’m not a urologist, nephrologist, or any other kind of “ologist.” I’m simply telling a story about my journey with kidney stones. To date, I’ve passed nearly a dozen stones with this remedy ranging from 1mm to 5mm in size. After hearing about a close friend who was in the ER because of a painful stone, I wanted to share my story. I merely hope that reading this will help someone else avoid the pain of kidney stones. It’s too gross and embarrassing to tell it for any other reason. Yuck.
Your stone-free friend - Heather.
) But I have more energy and I’m losing that pesky tummy bulge.
