Matty Billemeyer is just 8 years old but already has had four bouts with stones, the first in 2007, the last a year ago in April. He was first stricken in his first-grade class; the school nurse, his parents and even the emergency room doctors all thought it was his appendix. "It felt really painful and intense," the Doylestown, Pa., boy recalled. "I was really scared because it was hurting a lot."
Darryl Billemeyer said it was frightening seeing his son writhing and screaming in pain. The boy was transferred from a local hospital to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, where ultrasound tests showed kidney stones. "We really didn't know what to make of it," Billemeyer said. "I definitely thought they were more of an adult thing."
The first time, Matty needed surgery; the other times the stones passed during urination. Now he takes diuretic pills to increase urination, brings a water bottle to school everyday, and has given up favorite foods, including sausages, pickles and packaged ramen noodles — all high in salt.
His parents are both busy teachers, and with four other sons, family meals used to include quick processed foods like canned spaghetti or chicken nuggets. Until Matty's diagnosis, salt "wasn't something we really thought about," Billemeyer said. The main problem associated with kidney stones is extreme pain. It is caused by stones blocking urine flow, which, if untreated, could lead to kidney damage.
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