A question about kidney stones and diving

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destin4u07

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Location
illinois
# of dives
25 - 49
back in 2005 I did my ocean dive and went to a depth of 140ft 3 tank boat trip. 2 or three days after that trip I started having problems with kidney stones and never had any problems before. In nov of this year I did a 2 tank dive and within a day after my dive I started passing some more kidney stones and I havent had problems like this for the exception of when I did my dive in 2005. Is there anyone else that has experienced this. I am wondering if it is the water pressure hitting the body that is causing this problem with the kidney stones and causing them to dislodge. If anyone else has any info on this please let me know.
 
There is nothing about pressure changes that will affect your kidneys or the stones you may have formed in them. (Kidney stones form over significant time -- you can't make a sizeable one over a weekend.)

However, the one thing about diving that affects the kidneys is fluid fluxes. People get dehydrated when they are diving in warm climates, and also experiencing immersion diuresis (the thing that makes you have to pee while you are diving). Immersion diuresis makes you make lots of urine, which will tend to wash out any stones that have been lurking in the kidneys.

If you are a stone former, you will tend to form stones. If you make calcium oxalate stones (the most common kind), then the things you can do to avoid making them is first, to stay WELL hydrated so the urine is always dilute. Second, avoid excessive intake of calcium -- calcium supplements are contraindicated in stone formers, as is excessive consumption of dairy products. Third, you can avoid rich sources of oxalate, which include large amounts of black tea and heavy consumption of dark green, leafy vegetables like spinach and kale.

Stones form over time and lurk in the kidneys. We don't really know what knocks them loose, or why people pass them at the times they do, but big fluid fluxes as a causative influence make sense. So, on a dive trip, it makes good sense to stay constantly well hydrated, so you don't experience a sudden surge in urine production.

Nothing will absolutely prevent knocking a stone loose, though. If you've been through this before, it might make sense to ask your doctor for some pain meds before you go. If your pain is absolutely typical for your stones, it's not unreasonable to control the pain with medication and strain your urine for a couple of days. If the stone doesn't pass, you will need medical attention to ensure your kidney isn't obstructed and getting damaged. But if the pain passes and you see a stone in your strainer, you're probably okay. People who have passed multiple stones often deal with things this way, and only come to the doctor if the stone doesn't pass promptly.
 
Interesting post by TSandM...the bottom line is squeezing your body won't do anything to help form or dislodge a stone. I am sensing also that hydration may play an issue - consider drinking zero alcohol on your next dive trip and excessive amounts of water, and see what the results are. Then you might be better armed to draw your own conclusion.
 
i was not drinking alcohol before my trip or after had water to drink on my trip idk but ty u guys for your help from charleston sc
 
I had a similar experience a couple of years ago. I had been suffering from stones and had a blockage that was resolved with a laser procedure. However there were a couple of other stones that were quite large and I was scheduled for lithotripsy which was to be after my vacation in the Bahamas. My doctor provided me with some effective pain killers for my trip. After my flight down I was was in agony but that resolved itself after one day and I was fine for diving for the entire week. After the return flight I was in agony for about a day after which I passed one of the stones followed by another a few days later. It may have just been coincidental but at the time I thought that the flying and diving may have had something to do with it as the problem had been going on, on and off, for almost a year at that time. One of them was 12mm by 7mm with a nasty little spur on one side. I was not able to keep it as a souvenier as it had to go for analysis.
 

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