I didn't mean to imply the mica would be a health problem. I have no info on that. If your intake of calcium is low and output is high, I might worry about pituitary issues and PTH. The calcium could be leaching from your bones, which would be a real issue. You can ask the nephrologist about that possibility. I have said before, I had a friend with a pituitary tumor, and she had all kinds of issue before it was discovered, but once she had the tumor removed, everything became normal and she is now about the healthiest person I know at 61 years old. Don't worry about it, but do ask about it. I may just be blowing smoke, but you should find out where the excess calcium is coming from. Easiest thing to try for drinking water would be to just buy it in jugs or carboys and see if anything changes before making a big investment.
The test and our interactions here made me paranoid enough to go to Walmart and buy 3 gallons of Spring Water and 3 gallons of Drinking Water. I just got back. I may as well do whatever I can to fix this stuff. I'm a little over 1 week into the antibiotic, so I may as well remove this variable from my maiden voyage. The urology practice answered my message...they've told my new doctor that there are lab results to look at, so maybe I can get meds to help with the calcium soon. I have never been able to discover what "Total Dissolved Solids" really are, and wonder why the expensive lab tests do not analyze them. I took a 12 hour Master Well Owners class from the woman who runs the state-wide water testing program through an extension office of Virginia Tech. Maybe I should send Erin an email and ask her (I'll look through the course material first so I don't disappoint her.) As I said, TDS are present in municipal tap water, but the constituent components of TDS must vary widely. What's interesting is that the web says that they are less than 1 micron in diameter. My first water analysis was done in 2010 before I installed filters and a softener, and TDS=348mg/L. The second was done in 2019 after I installed the 5 micron poly filter, the [supposedly] <1 micron charcoal filter and the softener (which is also supposed to provide some level of filtration.) TDS=344mg/L on that second test. That's only a 1% difference. So all of those tiny dissolved particles are making their way through my new filtration system. And since the results for hardness went from "High" to "0" in the 2019 test, I would assume that the TDS do not include those minerals. So what have I been drinking? I, too, wondered about my skeletal system giving up its calcium. I do supplement it...10µg in the multi plus another 50µg in a supplement (Max Recommended Amt = 100µg.) But I don't think I should be excreting it like that. Calcium is one of those minerals where you supplement under counterintuitive conditions, but I cannot recall details. Getting on HCTZ will at least plug a finger in the dike. Maybe a bone density test would be in order.
My understanding of TDS is to put the solution through a 1 micron filter then evaporate the solvent, in this case water. If you use 1 liter of water and put it through this process, you should be able to weigh the residue for the TDS. I assume it would be dried to a standard dryness. My brother was a commercial water plant operator during his working life, so I will ask him if he has any input on this but I suspect eh commercial guys just send a sample to a lab for evaluation. Everything less than 1 micron will pass through your filter anyway, so you would need the distiller or the RO system to process this yourself. Since it is defined as "dissolved", it will be in solution and would be difficult to filter out by conventional filtration.
So to further the data collection on urine pH in this thread and for me to think out loud... From Livestrong Very acidic urine can raise the risk of uric acid, cystine and calcium oxalate kidney stones. -Acidic (low pH) urine can be caused by metabolic acidosis (failing kidneys), diarrhea (which depletes electrolytes), or starvation Very alkaline urine can raise the risk for struvite and calcium phosphate stones. -Alkaline (high pH) urine can be caused by urinary tract infections or vomiting From SelfDecode Meat, fish, dairy, and grains all increase the number of acids that the kidney has to filter into the urine (thus lowering the pH.) I've read inferences that apple cider vinegar has the same effect. Most vegetables and fruits (especially citrus) generate alkaline compounds, reducing the number of acids the kidneys must filter (thus raising the pH) I wonder if my pH is high due to perpetual colonization of bacteria on the catheter (but not full-blown UTIs.) Although I was on low-dose antibiotics for 3 days before I did the collection, beginning bacteria levels were not measured so the infection may have been high. I think having a catheter is going to forever compromise a urine pH test. Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteria (and others) are urea-splitting, increasing the levels of ammonia in the urine while concurrently increasing its pH, thus causing the calcium to precipitate out of it. But that article says that in their study, Klebsiella pneumoniae failed to raise the pH above 6.4, whereas 7.2 was the threshold for encrustation. That article also saidt The most effective way to prevent catheter encrustation was shown to be diluting urine and increasing its citrate concentration strategy raises the nucleation pH (pHn) at which calcium and magnesium phosphates crystallize from urine increasing the fluid intake of a healthy volunteer with citrated drinks resulted in urine with a pHn of >8.0 in which catheter encrustation was inhibited I've requested the full text on a study about the use of citrated drinks as a preventative for catheter encrustation.
Virginia Tech Extension partners with the State of Virginia to offer reduced price well water quality tests as a way of gathering this data throughout the state. I have to wonder why there is no analysis of TDS, given that some of them may have real health implications. I've talked about the process they use before...you can have your test results mailed to you, or you can attend a presentation that discusses the data gathered from everyone in your region that tested at the same time. When I attended the presentation (confirmed by other reading), I was/am shocked at the degree of hardness of my water. Virginia in general and my region in particular are known to not have hard water issues, but my place was way off the charts and everyone else was normal-to-soft. My hardness is 225mg/L (or 13 grains) My TDS is 344mg/L So there is a higher concentration of TDSes that there is hardness components. Perhaps it's too expensive to precipitate them out and then analyze them. But you gotta think they may be harmful. I'll ask Erin that, too.
Ask about taking vitamin k2/7 which with vitamin d3 could put extra calcium into your bones and less in your kidneys. Did he suggest supplements that can help? Drinking water/lemons can help keep stones down but as was pointed out, what else is in the water. Ask about distilling. And with antibiotics have him recommend appropriate probiotics. Poor John.
I take Vit K1 and Vit K2. I am not certain that lemons in the water is a good idea...they advised it without any data regarding the underlying issues. As I said above: Very alkaline urine can raise the risk for struvite and calcium phosphate stones. -and- Most vegetables and fruits (especially citrus) generate alkaline compounds So citrus juice makes the water LESS acidic (more alkaline), thus increasing the risk for these stones. It is horribly confusing and counterintuitive. I started taking lemon juice yesterday and stopped because of this data.
Hey John, I hv not read the entire thread but what i quote below is from a search on google about 'cause of excess calcium in ones body.' Hypercalcemia is usually a result of overactive parathyroid glands. These four tiny glands are situated in the neck, near the thyroid gland. Other causes of hypercalcemia include C..... certain other medical disorders, some medications, and taking too much of calcium and vitamin D supplements. It could be pertinent to your situation or i may be way off.
Another data point I'm embarrassed I did not post earlier because this whole thing has me freaking out. Between my multivitamin and a separate supplement, I take 820mg of calcium every day, plus whatever I get in my diet. I think the recommended amount for a man is 1,200mg daily. In any event, assuming that the entire 820mg is absorbed, it's possible that excreting 543mg of it does not indicate some pathological issue. I'm trying to decide if I should get in to see my GP and get a bone density test and a parathyroid gland test, or wait to see the nephrologist on Dec 30.
You originally said you didn't supplement or eat dairy so I thought dumping calcium was an issue. It still may be, but doing a PTH level should be an easy way to check that out. I am sure all the calcium taken in is not absorbed, but there is no way to determine how much is taken in. I assume your blood calcium levels are okay. There are other things that can cause calcium to dump through the kidneys, but the nephrologist may answer those questions.
Yeh, I stated that I did not know where the calcium came from. I was not thinking straight. Regarding blood levels...they are almost always good regardless of what else is going on, I believe. I'd sure like to get some tests going. Waiting 6 weeks for a nephrologist appointment is not a recipe for successful outcomes. I called yesterday and pushed, so they put me on a cancellation list.
The problem with nephrologists is they always address renal failure patients first, but he/she should have some good input for you. Endocrinology would be the last resort. A really good "GP" might be able to solve some issues too, but they are few and far between.
It is kind of weird but I Maybe a GOOD nutritionist or alternative medicine practitioner? I learned that there are several calcium and magnesium supplements that are garbage. Calcium carbonate is not absorbed, neither is magnesium oxide. They are touting red algae for plant based calcium now. What you eat really is the best medicine usually with the least side effects. But you must fix what is broken from here.
I was sitting here whining to myself about my current GP because he does little else other than refer you out. I've got some G.I. issues kicking up, but know if I wait in line to see my GP he'll just make a referral so I can then wait in the other guy's line. My last GP always made a diagnosis and the prescribed treatment. I've been thinking of seeking out someone local who is in the MDVIP Concierge program like my last GP was.