WWYD in this situation? (kidney stones vs. beach vacation, someone else's pain meds)

[melissel]

We'll be leaving for a beach vacation soon, and I'm terrified that one of my kidney stones is about to drop into the danger zone :( I'm not in pain currently, but I'm having twinges, and there's not enough time to arrange to have it blasted before we go (which I probably should have done awhile ago, but that's neither here nor there now *sigh*).

 

So I have lots of ibuprofen to bring, and I have some of my dad's leftover Percocet (from his own kidney stones). I've taken Percocet before and had no adverse reactions, don't have any of the contraindications, have no issues with acetaminophen, etc. I've passed a 2 mm stone before, and it wasn't that bad, but this other one is much bigger (6 mm x 2 mm, roughly), so I'm expecting it to be bad if it happens. The nearest hospital is 40-60 minutes away from our beach house, and there are no urgent cares that I can come up with that are closer (that are on my insurance, anyway).

 

Would you, in these circumstances (or any circumstances), take someone else's Percocet? I know it's a crazy question in general, and normally I'd never consider it, but I'm so afraid of being trapped in a remote spot in horrible pain.

 

WWYD? TIA!

[kalanamak]

It isn't legal, but I doubt you'd be busted. Don't drive on them. I personally would be reluctant, only because my license could be put in jeopardy, but if I was a general citizen (and I'm speaking as a general citizen), honestly, I would.

 

You know the cause.

You know the med.

You know the treatment, and you're smart enough to be alert for complications, like infection.

[melissel]

It isn't legal, but I doubt you'd be busted. Don't drive on them. I personally would be reluctant, only because my license could be put in jeopardy, but if I was a general citizen (and I'm speaking as a general citizen), honestly, I would.

 

You know the cause.

You know the med.

You know the treatment, and you're smart enough to be alert for complications, like infection.

 

Ha, being busted didn't even occur to me! I was more worried about dosage, complications, etc. He and I probably weigh around the same (I might weigh more, sadly--he's lean and stringy and a runner, and I'm...not any of those things!), which is what's making me think it might be OK, dosage wise.

[amyco]

Just make sure the pills aren't out of date...

[melissel]

Just make sure the pills aren't out of date...

 

They're definitely not--he passes his own kidney stones regularly, unfortunately. Stupid genetics.

[Miss Peregrine]

I would do it.

[calimom04]

I would if needed. Not sure if you tried this but I did a remedy for mine when I was in pain using lemon juice and olive oil. (mabe even acv I can't remember).. Let me tell you that worked within a couple hours and I passed mine. Although mine were very small and came out like a bunch of specks. I was in pain before though but after I had no pain.

[Jennifer3141]

Melissa, I think your only problem might be if you do end up in the hospital and you have already taken the Percocet... bend the truth about where you got it perhaps. Some doctors might be annoyed at the pill passing and be less likely to take you seriously.

 

And kidney stones are AWFUL. I get them 1-2 times a year too. Ack! :grouphug:

[Mama Geek]

I would take them if needed.

[pfamilygal]

Do you have any Flomax? 90% of folks will pass a stone within 12 hrs of taking it.

 

Honestly, as an ER nurse, we don't care what you've taken. We'll just dope you up and get you home :)

[melissel]

I would if needed. Not sure if you tried this but I did a remedy for mine when I was in pain using lemon juice and olive oil. (mabe even acv I can't remember).. Let me tell you that worked within a couple hours and I passed mine. Although mine were very small and came out like a bunch of specks. I was in pain before though but after I had no pain.

 

I've heard this and will probably try it, depending on the kind of situation I'm in if/when it hits. Can you tell me what you did? I did try just ACV the last time, but couldn't get down more than one dose, and OMW, did I have horrible heartburn for the next few days :svengo:

 

Melissa, I think your only problem might be if you do end up in the hospital and you have already taken the Percocet... bend the truth about where you got it perhaps. Some doctors might be annoyed at the pill passing and be less likely to take you seriously.

 

And kidney stones are AWFUL. I get them 1-2 times a year too. Ack! :grouphug:

 

Thanks, I didn't think about that. I'll remember to be cautious if I have to go to the hospital. My first was not so bad--I think if I hadn't been so confused and scared about what was happening, I could have handled it more easily (passed it at home after just a few hours of moderate pain). I'm not expecting this monster to be nearly so easy!

[kalanamak]

 

Honestly, as an ER nurse, we don't care what you've taken. We'll just dope you up and get you home :)

 

:iagree:ER nurses are too busy dealing with meth-meltdowns, opioid overdoses, foreign bodies in the colon to worry about you and your dad's pain pills. ;)

[melissad2]

I would take them if I was in enough pain. Pain overrides rational thinking at some point :).

[KidsHappen]

I would if needed. Not sure if you tried this but I did a remedy for mine when I was in pain using lemon juice and olive oil. (mabe even acv I can't remember).. Let me tell you that worked within a couple hours and I passed mine. Although mine were very small and came out like a bunch of specks. I was in pain before though but after I had no pain.

 

Are you sure that wasn't your gall bladder? That cure is for gall stones and that sounds like what you passed.

[calimom04]

I've heard this and will probably try it, depending on the kind of situation I'm in if/when it hits. Can you tell me what you did? I did try just ACV the last time, but couldn't get down more than one dose, and OMW, did I have horrible heartburn for the next few days :svengo:

 

 

I did 2oz olive oil and 2oz lemon juice mixed. I'm pretty sure I didn't drink the whole thing because it was sooo gross. LOL.. let me warn you though I kinda gagged on it and I was in the bathroom within 30 min.. lol but it did help.

 

ETA: This is the site I got it and its for kidney stones. http://www.earthclinic.com/CURES/kidney_stones5.html#RF

Edited June 2, 2012 by calimom04

[melissel]

Are you sure that wasn't your gall bladder? That cure is for gall stones and that sounds like what you passed.

 

I've heard it for kidney stones as well--there's also ACV and coconut oil, Coca-Cola and olive oil, etc. I think the idea is an acid to break up the stones and an oil as a buffer.

 

I've been told that you can't actually pass gall stones. There's nowhere for them to pass to, and if one "passes," it passes to a place where it becomes life threatening. Have you heard differently?

[KidsHappen]

I would take it in a heartbeat but be warned that even that may not be strong enough. When I had them I had pain meds at home but it finally reached a point where the pain was so bad that the medicine was even touching it. I ended up at the hospital with a morphine drip and it still hurt.

[melissel]

I did 2oz olive oil and 2oz lemon juice mixed. I'm pretty sure I didn't drink the whole thing because it was sooo gross. LOL.. let me warn you though I kinda gagged on it and I was in the bathroom within 30 min.. lol but it did help.

 

Yep, sounds a lot like my experience :lol: I can confirm that drinking ACV through a straw does not make the experience any easier!

 

Just out of curiosity (because I've been wondering this since I first read all the testimonials), did you know you had a big stone in the first place, and then you passed it as tiny fragments? I read all those stories and think, "How did you know you wouldn't have just passed the stone already anyway?" I wonder how many people know they had a bigger stone that then passed as smaller fragments after one of the DIY treatments.

 

I really want to believe it will work, especially after my urologist pointed to a spot about an inch below where the stone is currently sitting and said, "That is your stone, and HERE is where you're calling me from the emergency room in agony." :blink: :svengo:

[melissel]

I would take it in a heartbeat but be warned that even that may not be strong enough. When I had them I had pain meds at home but it finally reached a point where the pain was so bad that the medicine was even touching it. I ended up at the hospital with a morphine drip and it still hurt.

 

KH, what happens after the morphine drip? Is that all the hospital does, just pain meds? And then you still have to pass the stone via the scenic route anyway? I feel like I could be in horrible pain at home for free!

 

ETA: And do you happen to remember how big that one was?

[bkpan]

I would not hesitate to take it if I was in pain!

[happypamama]

Any chance you could call your doctor and explain the situation and maybe have him/her call in a script for Percocet or something?

[kalanamak]

Any chance you could call your doctor and explain the situation and maybe have him/her call in a script for Percocet or something?

 

I cannot "call" in percocet. It has to be a written script in this state. In some states it has to be on special triplicate forms. Too strong, too valuable. One tab can get 12-20 bucks on the black market out here.

[calimom04]

Yep, sounds a lot like my experience :lol: I can confirm that drinking ACV through a straw does not make the experience any easier!

 

Just out of curiosity (because I've been wondering this since I first read all the testimonials), did you know you had a big stone in the first place, and then you passed it as tiny fragments? I read all those stories and think, "How did you know you wouldn't have just passed the stone already anyway?" I wonder how many people know they had a bigger stone that then passed as smaller fragments after one of the DIY treatments.

 

I really want to believe it will work, especially after my urologist pointed to a spot about an inch below where the stone is currently sitting and said, "That is your stone, and HERE is where you're calling me from the emergency room in agony." :blink: :svengo:

 

I really didnt know if it was one big one. I went to the dr who didnt do tests even though I told her I was feeling nauseas, felt like I needed to push something out, go pee alot, backpain. Low cramps. I honestly thought I had a uti. But they did test my urine and nope all clear. Next day I was having more low cramps,backpain. So much that I went back to acute care. Dr didnt do tests but said my symptoms didnt sound like kidney stones(i asked).. Went home and felt like it was so I researched the remedy,drank it and there ya have it. I felt better within a couple hours.

[fourcatmom]

I really didnt know if it was one big one. I went to the dr who didnt do tests even though I told her I was feeling nauseas, felt like I needed to push something out, go pee alot, backpain. Low cramps. I honestly thought I had a uti. But they did test my urine and nope all clear. Next day I was having more low cramps,backpain. So much that I went back to acute care. Dr didnt do tests but said my symptoms didnt sound like kidney stones(i asked).. Went home and felt like it was so I researched the remedy,drank it and there ya have it. I felt better within a couple hours.

 

 

The kidney stones I have had have been worse then labor. I am talking on your knees bent over in pain on the floor of the ER. I seem to get them when I go camping. I wonder if somehow stress or change in environment is enough to get them moving in me. I am afraid to go camping now since it's happened twice, two years in a row. The 3rd one was the day my oldest dd graduated from Kindergarten and I was in the ER. Does anyone else seem to correlate theirs with stress or change?

[jewellsmommy]

;) I may or may not have taken someone else's pills, like my mom's, in a similar (not kidney stone, but much pain..) situation that I may or may not have been in. :D

[melissel]

I really didnt know if it was one big one. I went to the dr who didnt do tests even though I told her I was feeling nauseas, felt like I needed to push something out, go pee alot, backpain. Low cramps. I honestly thought I had a uti. But they did test my urine and nope all clear. Next day I was having more low cramps,backpain. So much that I went back to acute care. Dr didnt do tests but said my symptoms didnt sound like kidney stones(i asked).. Went home and felt like it was so I researched the remedy,drank it and there ya have it. I felt better within a couple hours.

 

Thanks for explaining. It sounds a lot like how my first stone went. I'll be prepared with the ingredients just in case. Can't hurt, right?

 

The kidney stones I have had have been worse then labor. I am talking on your knees bent over in pain on the floor of the ER. I seem to get them when I go camping. I wonder if somehow stress or change in environment is enough to get them moving in me. I am afraid to go camping now since it's happened twice, two years in a row. The 3rd one was the day my oldest dd graduated from Kindergarten and I was in the ER. Does anyone else seem to correlate theirs with stress or change?

 

I know my current one starts to get "irritated" if I'm dehydrated at all (which I suspect is why it's been bothering me lately). Any chance that, with all the stress/heat of those events, you weren't drinking enough liquids or were drinking more caffeine?

 

;) I may or may not have taken someone else's pills, like my mom's, in a similar (not kidney stone, but much pain..) situation that I may or may not have been in. :D

 

:lol:

[melissel]

I would do it, but I'm not sure I'd even be able to enjoy my vacation. I've seen my husband have kidney stones and he was a mess even with drugs.

 

Yeah, I don't expect to be having much fun at that point. I'm mainly just thinking of emergency pain management if the whole thing should arise. I'm sure I'll be locked in my bedroom while everyone else is out having fun *sigh* With luck, it won't come to all of this, but I'm trying to have all my plans in place.

[melissel]

Aww..I hope that doesn't happen. :grouphug:

 

Thanks, so do I. Especially because I just double checked the hospital location and it seems my insurance provider site is measuring distance as the crow flies and not by driving route :confused: The hospital they claim is 22 miles from the beach house is actually more like 60 by driving distance! Now the nearest hospital (a different one) is at least an hour away :banghead:

[KidsHappen]

I've heard it for kidney stones as well--there's also ACV and coconut oil, Coca-Cola and olive oil, etc. I think the idea is an acid to break up the stones and an oil as a buffer.

 

I've been told that you can't actually pass gall stones. There's nowhere for them to pass to, and if one "passes," it passes to a place where it becomes life threatening. Have you heard differently?

 

Yes, my dd had gall stones when she was pregnant. They wanted to put off the surgery until after she had the baby so she tried the flush instead. It basically breaks the stones down into a grainy slush that can be passed. They checked her again later and they were gone. This probably wouldn't work with larger stones.

[LucyStoner]

If there isn't time to get and fill your own script, you should be fine taking him. With all the above disclaimers about legality and such.

 

We toss all old pills according to recommendation (either in kitty litter or return to a pharm waste site) because my husband would compromise his licensing for any pill passing and why take that chance?

[happypamama]

I cannot "call" in percocet. It has to be a written script in this state. In some states it has to be on special triplicate forms. Too strong, too valuable. One tab can get 12-20 bucks on the black market out here.

 

Ah, I did not know that, but that makes sense. Still, I think before taking someone else's meds, I would at least call my doctor and discuss the situation.

[jenn-]

I would take them but would only take one right before someone started driving for the Er. My dh just had a 6+ mm stone that would not pass. The ER put in something that stopped the stone from blocking the kidney which is why it hurts. Then he ended up waiting two weeks for the machine to break it up to come to town.

[PeacefulChaos]

The kidney stones I have had have been worse then labor. I am talking on your knees bent over in pain on the floor of the ER. I seem to get them when I go camping. I wonder if somehow stress or change in environment is enough to get them moving in me. I am afraid to go camping now since it's happened twice, two years in a row. The 3rd one was the day my oldest dd graduated from Kindergarten and I was in the ER. Does anyone else seem to correlate theirs with stress or change?

 

This. Mine have always been pretty awful...my most recent one was on our trip to visit family 17 hours away. I have to get lithotripsy for that one, most likely, though I'm on flomax right now for 7 days... We shall see.

I guess I say mine are always pretty awful - I have had some where they aren't quite so bad. This one, the pain meds didn't even touch it, and after about 36 hours I was like we have to go to the ER. It was the worst pain ... No matter what I did, there was no relief. (over the 9ish years I've had kidney stones, I have probably had...idk... 4-5 that have been this bad). They are the worst for me when I'm pregnant lol. :)

I would guess that it's more how much you are drinking during those times than the stress itself.

I hate stones....blech...

[Dealea86]

My mom, my dad, and I all had surgery of some kind last year, and we were all prescribed percocet for the recovery. I was the last one to have the surgery, and my mom told me not to bother filling my prescription because they had pills leftover from their surgeries and there was no sense wasting money on medicine they already had.

 

Now I did end up filling my prescription (and not taking their pills), but it was mostly because I wasn't certain what they had was what my doctor prescribed (it turns out that either my mom or my dad - can't remember now - had something very slightly different).

 

I think there's a huge difference between taking someone else's medication for something you're self-diagnosing, and taking someone else's medication for a condition your doctor would probably prescribe it for anyway (ie taking someone else's percocet after surgery or for kidney stones).

 

You know you have kidney stones. You could be fairly certain your doctor would prescribe it (or a very similar drug) if you weren't going on vacation. Therefore, while the legal situation is a bit iffy, I can't imagine anyone having a moral problem with you taking your dad's medicine (seriously, who is going to prosecute you for taking percocet while passing a kidney stone??).