[CH] Still breathin..
George (r2b9@earthlink.net)
Sat, 29 Jul 2006 22:49:18 -0400 (GMT-04:00)
Hi everyone,
I've had an eventful year, both good and bad. I'll start with the bad (some parts of the story are horrific. Steel yourselves!) Back in February I had severe pains and ended up in the ER. Turns out it was kidney stones, two to be precise. The smaller was trying to exit and got stuck between kidney and bladder. It was very attention getting, to say the least. It had to be removed by "out-patient surgery" which involved the doc using a laser to break it up and a probe with a basket-like claw to remove the pieces. Let's just say he didn't cut any new routes into my urinary tract... that stone was 7mm, about the size of a pencil eraser. It was the SMALL one. From the xrays, I also had one happily residing in my left kidney, and it was 15mm. About the size of a US nickle. There would never come the time that I would even remotely be able to pass that. So, I was scheduled for 'electro shock lithotripsy' where they blast the stone to sand, and it does pass at that point over the course of the next few hundred urinations. All that worked great, and I'm back in action again. Now for the horrific part... There are a number of foods that I am told are contributory to kidney stone formation. Basically, any food that is high in oxylate compounds is a no-no. The funny thing is, it looks like the list for my normal diet. Nuts, seeds, dark vegetables, all greens except iceberg (spits at ground) lettuce, all sodas with phosphoric acid (Coke, Mt. Dew, all their variants) animal organ meats, and worse of all... brace yerselves, lads & lassies.. CHILE PEPPERS!!! Yes, our beloved El Grande is my personal Kryptonite.
However, while I may make sacrifices elsewhere, damn the oxylates, full speed ahead! I won't give up my chiles until they pry my calcified kidneys from my cold dead body!
Primarily, though, my problem was that I'd been in a constant state of dehydration, and no other reason. My blood is textbook perfect, no abnormalities in it at all. So, I drink my water like a good boy now. Lots of it. I can't make new stones if I'm flushing my kidneys out. :)
So that was my bad news. Now for the good news!
I played the lead in a Star Wars fan-film submission to Atom Films annual contest. Our film won, and won big. It took Audience Choice and the coveted "George Lucas Selects" award, where Lucas himself picks his favorite. That, for me, is like a validation for being a rabid Star Wars fan- for the last 30 years, I'd been a fan of his work, now, he is a fan of mine. If you'd like to see the film, it is 8minutes long and viewable at http://www.atomfilms.com/af/content/pitching_lucas . And, it's family friendly, so no need to worry about your boss firing you for polluting the T1 line at work!
DRINK MORE WATER, PEOPLE. And, contrary to the old theories- dairy calcium is *preventative* to kidney stone formation, by blocking calcium oxylate accumulation in the kidneys by passing it out through the digestive tract. So, eat more chiles and put out the fire with good ol' milk, yogurt & cheese!
Though, for real fun, eat habanero cheese to put out the fire!
Jim, hope to see you at the Indiana State Fair!
Take care, all,
George Starkey