Sufferers of kidney stones know that there are few things on this Earth that can be more painful than the formation and passage of one. Through personal experience, one man learned that the medical system can cause as much, if not more, suffering as the stones.
This information is for you if you want to learn more about potential problems that a kidney stone sufferer can face.
Chris Mitsoff is sharing his stories of dealing with the pain of both kidney stones and doctors with you on this page in the hope that sufferers like him can avoid some of the problems he experienced, such as potentially lethal prescription combinations, operating room mistakes and conflicting diagnoses and prognoses.
Signs of stones began in early adulthood.
Chris was born to Macedonian immigrant parents in Cincinnati, Ohio on Dec. 17, 1925. He spent most of his teen years in the nearby city of Middletown, where his family had moved. During that time he pursued his lifetime passion, writing stories, by working as a reporter at the local newspaper, the Middletown Journal. The newspaper editors recognized Chris’s skills and abilities at a young age, and allowed him to cover sporting events for publication even though he was still only a teenager. Chris went into the U.S. Army and served in Germany with the 508 Parachute Infantry Regiment after graduating from high school. While he was serving with the 82nd Airborne Division after World War II, he experienced a stone “letting loose.” Military medical personnel discovered a large kidney stone, known as a staghorn stone, forming in Chris’ kidney.
“You don’t forget the first three or four kidney stone attacks you experience,” according to Chris. “First of all, you wonder what it is that is cutting up your insides. As the pain progresses, you wonder if you are going to die.”