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"Do you drink a lot of water during the day?"
"Sure I do. A pot of coffee, a can of Coke. You know, the usual stuff for a college student."
"That's not what I meant! How much water do you drink in a day?"
"Well, coffee has a lot of water in it..."
The doctor didn't like my answer and, years after having gone through the pain I experienced from those kidney stones, I stick to what he told me: I drink almost a full three liters of water per day, especially when it is warm out. The pain of the kidney stone was so bad I was nauseated and I could barely walk without falling. I remember the nurse commenting that my blood pressure was extremely high compared to the follow-up exam.
Avoid surgery. A girl I knew suffered the same fate in college and had to go under the knife. Once a ureter has been opened to remove a stone, it cannot heal without a supporting, internal piece. "They put a tube in me to keep the ureter from collapsing on itself" she told me. Thinking it was a short section of tubing that covered just the affected area, I asked how they removed it or simply left it in. She told me that no, the tube is not a short one. It is, in fact, a full-length catheter and removing it is very simple and "very unpleasant".
"They just pulled it out."
Water. Lots of water. Must drink tons of water. And cranberry juice. Ow. Ow ow ow. Hydration needed. Daily.
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