Back in 2003, I started experiencing strange pains in my back. They were easy enough to
ignore, so I did. Not too long after that, I started having sharper pains just below my
stomach on the sides. I remember the time frame, because it started before we came to
Houston for my brother's wedding at Christmas. I mentioned it to my mom. I decided that
it hurt more when I was drinking soda, so I stopped drinking soda.
A month later, the pain increased, so I went to the doctor. He had me pee in a cup. He told
me that nothing was wrong because there were no white blood cells in my urine. I didn't
know what to think about that, so I just left and went about life. Fortunately, the pain didn't
continue hurting too much longer after that.
Fast forward to the spring of 2008. I had a toddler and little baby only a few months old,
when I started having the same pains again. This time, they were MUCH worse. One
Saturday, we went to a party for a friend's son. On the way back, I was in excruciating
pain. I called my mom and she told me that it is probably kidney stones. She told me to
drink lots of water and go to the doctor or hospital. I decided I would call a doctor on
Monday. I am one of those silly people that only go to the doctor if I am on my death bed,
so you can only imagine what it would take to get me to go to the emergency room at
midnight. Apparently, a tiny (4mm) kidney stone will do the trick.
There is a reason that most people compare this pain to giving birth. I had just given birth a
few months before, so it was easy to compare. I can tell you that I would rather give birth
because at least you get something positive out of that agonizing experience. The hospital
gave me a CT scan and a prescription for pain killers. I left the hospital not feeling any
better. Pain killers may be great for someone who feels like they are dying of pain, but not
the best thing for a woman who is nursing a baby. The next few days were less than fun for
me. Trying to pass that huge stone was NOT pleasant. I visited a urologist after that and it
all came down to the fact that I don't drink enough water.
Fast forward again to 2013. Do you see a pattern here? It is not that I wasn't trying to
drink more water. I guess I am just not that successful at it. This time, as soon as the
pains started, I knew exactly what it was. I also knew that if I went to the doctor, I'd most likely be
told to drink lots of water and let it pass. I looked up remedies online and came across the
olive oillemon juice remedy. I put 2 TBS of olive oil and another TBS of lemon juice in a
shot glass and downed it. The pain subsided rather quickly. When it came back, I did it
again.
I also mentioned my kidney pains to a friend, Tiffany. She had recently started
using essential oils and was kind enough to give me my first bottle of lemon oil. She told
me to add a drop or 2 to my water to support my kidneys. Within a few days of doing these 2 things, my pain was gone. I finally felt like I had a good solution.
I guess I have to wait to 2018 to see if the pattern is completely broken, but I am doing my part to support my kidneys in the mean time. I drink lemon oil in my water on a regular basis, which
makes drinking water more appealing.
I have mentioned what I have used and liked. There are other great oils to support kidney function including lemongrass, cinnamon, juniper berry, clary sage, wild orange, rosemary and coriander.