Drink lots of water!
Okay, since I have come to know and care about many of you as sort of an on line extended family, I have to pass on a warning from what I've been having a very painful lesson in. Kidney stones.
A month and a half ago I had a kidney stone incident, and had to have a surgical procedure to get it removed. It was too big to pass, and it became lodged in the utterer tube between the kidney and bladder. A 5mm by 7 mm stone. I guess I've never been one to do things in half measure. On the 29th of march they tried to get to it via the urinary tract with a laser, but it was a no go, so they put a stent in, and I went back on the 13th. This time they got it.
But...
Having went through all this, and going back on MOnday to have this last stent removed, I just want to preach to you all; DRINK LOTS OF WATER! Not coffee, ice tea, sodas, but water. I don't want any of you to go through what i've been going through for the last couple of weeks. It ain't worth it. I'd say it was a giant pain in the a$$, but that ain't the part of the anatomy that suffers. Opposite side. Anyways, it's been educational in what I've learned from the docs at the VA hospital. I thought I was doing myself a favor by drinking large quantities of ice tea, but now I learn that tea, in large amounts can contribute to kidney stones. So can a large amount of animal protean in the diet. Now that breaks my heart, because i love good BBQ, but I'm cutting back on all meat products in my diet, as well as tea.
I go back on Monday to have this last stent removed, (thats gonna be fun!

) and hopefully I'll be done with this. But you all need to drink more water. Man, you don't want to be where I've been the past few weeks. Really!
Lots of water folks!
Carl.