Kidney stone breakthrough procedure at UW called 'game changer' for patients

[nittany03]

So UW Medicine has apparently pioneered a 1-day 10-minute treatment for kidney stones. What’s more, NASA has been funding this for 10 years as an ORM factor for sending folks to Mars.

For those twentysomething kiddos who don’t know, if you’re prone, nephrolithiasis is an issue that will typically first rear its ugly head around your prime qual-earning middle-to-late JO years, especially to men. And under the current treatment regime, it can be a year-plus-long med down NAMI pain train getting treated and then sitting around waiting on a waiver. Hope you like being pulled and stashed random places.

I know of at least four aviators I served with who got hit, including myself. And retained stones are a Big Fucking Deal in aviation, because the pain of passing one is functionally incapacitating.

Wonder if eventually this leads to easing up of the waiver requirements a bit, if the docs can have an handy little inpatient stone zapper they can take on the boat or forward. Life would have shaken out very differently for yours truly without getting benched, just in the sense of when I ended up places, people I ended up meeting, deployments I ended up going on, etc.

 

[Mos]

 

[Randy Daytona]

So UW Medicine has apparently pioneered a 1-day 10-minute treatment for kidney stones. What’s more, NASA has been funding this for 10 years as an ORM factor for sending folks to Mars.

For those twentysomething kiddos who don’t know, if you’re prone, nephrolithiasis is an issue that will typically first rear its ugly head around your prime qual-earning middle-to-late JO years, especially to men. And under the current treatment regime, it can be a year-plus-long med down NAMI pain train getting treated and then sitting around waiting on a waiver. Hope you like being pulled and stashed random places.

I know of at least four aviators I served with who got hit, including myself. And retained stones are a Big Fucking Deal in aviation, because the pain of passing one is functionally incapacitating.

Wonder if eventually this leads to easing up of the waiver requirements a bit, if the docs can have an handy little inpatient stone zapper they can take on the boat or forward. Life would have shaken out very differently for yours truly without getting benched, just in the sense of when I ended up places, people I ended up meeting, deployments I ended up going on, etc.

Roller Coaster?

https://www.science.org/content/article/roller-coasters-can-help-you-pass-kidney-stone#:~:text=By%20tracking%20how%20far%20the,of%20the%20American%20Osteopathic%20Association%20.

 

[Mos]

Roller Coaster?

View attachment 39105

https://www.science.org/content/article/roller-coasters-can-help-you-pass-kidney-stone#:~:text=By%20tracking%20how%20far%20the,of%20the%20American%20Osteopathic%20Association%20.

Based on that, perhaps aggressive maneuvers in a Navy aircraft could be therapeutic. I'm reminded, however, of a NATOPS warning against maneuvering as a means of shaking loose hung stores.

 

[nittany03]

Based on that, perhaps aggressive maneuvers in a Navy aircraft could be therapeutic. I'm reminded, however, of a NATOPS warning against maneuvering as a means of shaking loose hung stores.

That goes double when the act of said hung stores departing the aircraft stops you from being able to land it without ejecting because oh my god the pain . . .

 

[taxi1]

the pain of passing one is functionally incapacitating

Pregnant women reading your post

 

[sevenhelmet]

Pregnant women reading your post

View attachment 39108

Based on my observations during my own children's births, I am fairly certain that a woman couldn't land an airplane during childbirth either, so I'm not sure what your point is.

I do think it's cute how every time somebody talks about kidney stones, that one person always has to bring up childbirth. Yeah, that clearly hurts a lot too. Thanks for pointing that out.

 

[taxi1]

You passing a stone?

 

[nittany03]

Based on my observations during my own children's births, I am fairly certain that a woman couldn't land an airplane during childbirth either, so I'm not sure what your point is.

I feel like this is a gag you’d see on Robot Chicken or something.

Edit: Also, while I obviously don’t have personal experience, I’ve read some women who said stones were worse.

 

[sevenhelmet]

I feel like this is a gag you’d see on Robot Chicken or something.

Or better yet: "Excuse me, ma'am, I know your baby is crowning, so I need you to try and land this airplane for a scientific study about kidney stones"

 

[taxi1]

Usually the internet delivers, but this is the best I could find with a quick google. Pretty sure that's her OB/GYN in the jump seat.

 

[taxi1]

Edit: Also, while I obviously don’t have personal experience, I’ve read some women who said stones were worse.

I vote for sinus block. Fuck that hurt.

 

[sevenhelmet]

I vote for sinus block. Fuck that hurt.

Dislocated shoulder for me. Took the paramedics 45 minutes to show up and transport me to the hospital, and then took an hour and a half for the hospital to "find someone" who could reset my shoulder. After about an hour out of socket, I was delirious from the pain. They had to inject me with morphine to get my muscles to relax enough for them to reduce the shoulder back into place.

Ugh.

Having said that, child birth is clearly no joke, and I'll bet sinus block and kidney stones aren't either.

 

[Aggie91]

Navy Wife and mom can speak from personal experience:

1. Kidney stone (had no idea what was happening during first stone passing, went from totally normal cooking breakfast to vomiting on floor in undescribable pain within 15 minutes). My 4 year old son called 911. Surgery to remove large stone. I felt close to dying.

2. Unmedicated (not by choice) childbirth. At least I knew what was happening and I was in the hospital.

3. Severe burns on foot.

4. Multiple broken bones playing sports (meh). About a 3/10. Nothing compared to kidney stone.

My heart goes out to anyone who has suffered that pain…especially the first time it happens. I’ve subsequently passed two more, but knew what was happening and went to ER. The subsequent stones were smaller and less painful.

 

[MIDNJAC]

Navy Wife and mom can speak from personal experience:

1. Kidney stone (had no idea what was happening during first stone passing, went from totally normal cooking breakfast to vomiting on floor in undescribable pain within 15 minutes). My 4 year old son called 911. Surgery to remove large stone. I felt close to dying.

2. Unmedicated (not by choice) childbirth. At least I knew what was happening and I was in the hospital.

3. Severe burns on foot.

4. Multiple broken bones playing sports (meh). About a 3/10. Nothing compared to kidney stone.

My heart goes out to anyone who has suffered that pain…especially the first time it happens. I’ve subsequently passed two more, but knew what was happening and went to ER. The subsequent stones were smaller and less painful.

A close childhood bud of mine has his story about finding his old man, in the throes of apparent death incapacitated on their kitchen floor as a younger guy, and him picking up the phone and calling 911. Was "just" kidney stones, but he thought his pops was a goner. 30+ years later, his dad is a retired firefighter, who owns a plum orchard in the OR willamette valley, and makes us nice seasonal plum wine. I saw my wife endure a medicated as well as an unmedicated birth. To your point, she knew exactly what was happening during the latter. She remembered, and still very much remembers to the detail, that I got her takeout and missed the salsa and also didn't notice that they didn't include the side of black beans. She has held that grudge against me for a remarkable amount of years (that idiot turns 5 this dec)......though maybe not as much of a grudge as the one she holds against me for missing the next 9-10 months of his life on workups/deployment immediately thereafter