For those who’ve had a kidney stone, you might fear that you simply’ll have one other. Eradicating or passing your stone doesn’t stop future stones. However together with your well being care supplier’s assist, you may scale back your threat of forming new stones. Observe up together with your supplier to assist discover new stones. Relying in your medical situation, you might have to comply with up each 3 to 12 months for the remainder of your life.
Drink a number of water
Staying well-hydrated is the easiest way to cut back your threat of future stones. Drink 8 12-ounce glasses of water each day. Have 2 glasses with every meal and a pair of glasses between meals. except your well being care supplier has restricted your fluids. Preserve observe of your consumption. Attempt retaining a pitcher of water close by in the course of the day and at night time. Ask your supplier about how a lot fluid you need to have you probably have congestive coronary heart failure, kidney illness, or kidney failure.
Take medicines if wanted
Medicines, together with nutritional vitamins and minerals, could also be prescribed for sure varieties of stones. It’s possible you’ll need to write your doses and drugs occasions on a calendar. Some medicines lower stone-forming chemical compounds in your blood. Others assist stop these chemical compounds from crystallizing in urine. Nonetheless others assist hold a traditional acid steadiness in your urine.
Observe your prescribed weight-reduction plan
Your well being care supplier will let you know which meals comprise the compounds you shouldn’t have. Your supplier may recommend speaking with a dietitian. They might help you propose meals you’ll take pleasure in that will not put you in danger for future stones. Deliver your partner, companion, or shut pal with you once you meet with the dietitian so you may have assist in your weight-reduction plan modifications.
It’s possible you’ll be instructed to restrict sure meals, relying on which kind of stones you’ve had. Restrict the quantity of salt in your meals to about 2 grams a day. It will assist stop most varieties of kidney stones. Be sure you get sufficient calcium in your weight-reduction plan, and steer clear of additional calcium dietary supplements. The really useful calcium consumption to assist stop calcium stones is 1,000 to 1,200 mg per day. (You possibly can eat 3 servings of dairy merchandise with meals to satisfy the advice.)
For calcium oxalate stones: Restrict animal protein, resembling meat, eggs, and fish. Restrict grapefruit juice and alcohol. Restrict high-oxalate meals (resembling cola, tea, chocolate, spinach, rhubarb, wheat bran, and peanuts). Restrict sodium consumption, as a result of it causes elevated leakage of calcium in your urine.
For uric acid stones: Restrict high-purine meals, resembling crimson meat, shellfish, anchovies, and organ meats. These meals enhance uric acid manufacturing. Avoid alcohol and drinks with excessive fructose corn syrup. They’ll enhance your threat of forming one other kidney stone.
For cystine stones: Restrict high-methionine meals. (Fish is the commonest, however they embrace eggs and meats too.) These meals enhance manufacturing of cystine.