The Kidney Series

collage

Feb 16

I experienced a medical adventure during the summer of 2023. A large Staghorn Kidney Stone invaded my entire left kidney. Its surgical removal was slotted for June but was thwarted because of Covid. The test was a false positive.

Prior to said procedure I explored things kidney in an abstract collage format.

My first eight intuitive pieces graced the walls of Hela Provisions during the Sunnyside neighborhood STOMP in July 2023. I felt very honored by Anna’s ( owner of Hela Provisions ) invitation to participate. The stitched collages explore visually how invasive the stone was and how botanical things kidney are in nature.

Collages 7 & 8 are about the team of people who help a patient navigate things surgical and how much of a time suck it is to be challenged with our health. It took weeks to reschedule the original surgery.

97% of the stone was removed in August. I endured an exhausting, very painful 9 weeks of recovery until the rest of the stone could be removed. Folks were supportive, kind and brought Thai food. Collage 9-13 joined the series in October. 12 & 13 represent the absolute wicked presence of a stent, and the final minimally invasive laser procedure to remove what remained of the stone.

(2023. Five visits to UW Kidney Stone Center in Seattle utilizing medical transport. 37 phone appointments. All sorts of testing: Xrays, CT Scans, Blood and Urine Labs. Two overnight hospital stays.)

The 14th 8x8 healthy kidney no stone collage was added to the series in February 2024.

I learned that my stone’s pathology is 50/50 Struvite/Apatite. These types of stones are often called infectious stones. I do not experience infection symptoms and so far I have not passed a stone. I am in no pain. I was told to stop taking calcium and vitamin c supplements, to hydrate properly, and to increase my citrate levels which offers a diet sourced preventative strategy.

Ways to increase citrate include lemon water, or sugar free lemonade. After years of drinking lemon water. I developed a gag reflex to the smell and taste of lemon water. I don’t ingest artificial sweeteners. The highest form of citrate found in food is in grapefruit. I added a shot of organic grapefruit juice to my morning routine and tripled my citrate levels.

In April 2024 a new small stone was found. In June, 8 more were discovered. I am a stone builder but it is not clear why.

Collage #15 represents more stones.

Next step is to speak with a nephrologist. My nephrologist so far has explored my taking a medication - which I opted out of because it had sulfa in it which i am allergic too. She had me do a bone density test to see if there are calcium channel leaks. There are not. I have good bone density. ( yay!!) I have high and increasing levels of calcium in both my urine and blood. She wants to next get an ultra sound and nuclear scan of my Parathyroid gland. She has also suggested a urodynamic study to see if I empty my bladder properly. I will meet my new urologist in May. ( my 4th so far )

Winter of 2025 began with Influenza A and two UTI infections. Someone is chronic if they have 6 UTI’s a year. I had a UTI when I was younger after the birth of my daughter. Age 30. I then had an alarming to me UTI In Dec of 2022. Age 62. Small amounts of bacteria were indicated in my urine during the whole surgery process but not enough to be considered a UTI issue

Spring of 2025 CT finds a large burden of stones in my left kidney. Nothing like the large Staghorn Kidney stone removed in 2023, but new growth none the less. And, for the first time there is now a stone in the right kidney. 5x5 stitched collages 16&17 represent these new findings.

I am glad that I have a journal of this medical event. I would not have been able to recall all the details now.

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