docs... kidney stone/protein question

I'm getting skinny-fat and feel disgusting and I want to start working out again. I want to bulk up like I did in 2006 before I found out i had 10 kidney stones. Unfortunately, up in the paradise of socialized medicine, I can't just book a quick appointment at the nutritionist. It will take months before I can see anyone that knows what they are talking about.

My question is this. Am I doing actual harm to my kidneys by following a diet that helps form stones? Or is the only thing I have to worry about the pain of passing them and a possible infection if they cause blockage? I had two types of stones, calcium-based and larger uric acid stones.

I'm considering doing my normal routine to bulk back up, and then easing back to a more natural maintenance diet once i've put on the muscle and developed a nice physique once again.

I am going to see a doc but it won't be for months. That's just the way things are up here. =/

Thanks Jumbie. An interesting thing that I came across in my own research into the effects of creatine MH is that creatine supplementation can reduce concentrations of uric acid in urine. I found that interesting since high concentrations are partly responsible for uric acid stone formations. The creatine and protein ingestion are obviously separate issues, but the creatine was of interest to me as well because I once tested high for creatinine, but in a subsequent urinalysis and blood tests by a urologist (after I was off the supplements) everything was normal. Anyway, I know they treat uric acid stones with potassium citrate, but I wonder if anyone's considered using creatine to decrease the concentration of uric acid itself? http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1...ubmed_RVDocSum First, I'm not blaming canadian healthcare for my stones. I just think it's lame I can't book a specialist at my convenience (that I would happily pay for) and instead have to wait months to see one, short of getting on a plane to the States. Second, my stones came about on their own. I had stones long before I ever lifted weights or drank protein shakes. Third, I was only on that diet for a little over a month before I had a check-up and identified a potential issue and stopped the diet completely. Stones generally take years to form. Anyway I wasn't really look for smartass answers. The last time I asked an actual doctor about it, I asked if the higher protein intake could be offset by high enough water consumption. She was a family doc and couldn't really give much of an answer. High protein can certainly increase the risk of forming stones, but how much risk increases is uncertain and is complicated by water intake. Increasing protein without increasing water intake is probably a good recipe for rapid stone formation, but if I stay very well hydrated (clear piss), the risk might only be marginal, in which case I don't mind it. For that matter, if protein intake was a very high risk factor to stone formation, body building forums would be full of people complaining about kidney stones, but that is not the case. I'm obviously a stone former, but how much diet contributes is debatable.

I was just checking... Apparently a nutritionist can be just about anything. It's not a protected title in canada. A dietitian has to be registered with a regulatory body, but the requirements are basically just a bachelor's degree in nutrition, although some may have more education. I thought there was a medical specialty but apparently not. Still, these questions are best for a nephrologist/urologist imo.

Jumbie, do you think there's much value in me seeing a dietitian? Or should I just wait until i can get in to see the urologist?

Alright. You're basically confirming my own feelings on the subject. I'll just drink lots of water while doing what i want to do, and talk to the specialist when I get in to see him.

I no longer have full access to the journals so I can only read the abstract, but this is what it says:

"PURPOSE: To study the effects of 8-week creatine monohydrate (CrM) supplementation on blood and urinary clinical health markers in football players. METHODS: 14 football players were randomly assigned in a double-blinded fashion to Cre (n = 7) or Pla (n = 7) group. The Cre group ingested 15 g/day of CrM for 7 days and 3 g/day for the remaining 49 days, whereas the Pla group ingested maltodextrin following the same protocol. Football-specific training was performed during the study. Total body mass was determined and blood and urine samples were analysed for metabolic, hepatic, renal and muscular function markers, before and after supplementation. RESULTS: A gain of total body mass was observed after CrM intake, but not with placebo. Blood and urinary markers remained within normal reference values. There were no significant changes in renal and hepatic markers after CrM intake. However, total creatine kinase (CK) activity significantly increased, and uric acid level tended to decrease after CrM use. Likewise, serum glucose decreased in the Cre group following supplementation. No significant differences in urine parameters were found in either group after supplementation. CONCLUSIONS: 8 weeks of CrM supplementation had no negative effects on blood and urinary clinical health markers in football players. Properties of CrM may, however, be associated with an increase in CK activity, improving the efficiency for ATP resynthesis, a phenomenon indirectly confirmed by the decreasing tendency in uric acid concentration. Furthermore, CrM seems to slightly influence glucoregulation in trained subjects."