ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- Ashley Stella loves to spend
time with her two pet lizards. She got them to keep her company after she had to
stop going to school.
"You're just standing there and, all of the sudden, you just feel this pain,
like, right here, like needles just poking you and moving around," says Ashley.
The pain is from kidney stones that keep coming back.
"I usually take a bit of medicine and curl up into a ball and just lay down,"
she says.
Mehul Dixit, M.D., D.M., is a pediatric kidney specialist at Florida Hospital in
Orlando, Fla. He says the diet of today's kids put them at risk for kidney
stones. The typical junk food diet -- too much salt and not enough water -- is
to blame for the tiny mineral deposits, which can bring excruciating pain when
they lodge in the urinary tract.
Water is key to preventing kidney stones. Children should have 30 ounces to 60
ounces of water each day beginning at age two. Kids should have only
three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt each day.
By following a special diet and taking medication, Ashley may be able to go back
to school soon.
For more information, please contact:
Mehul P. Dixit, MD, DM
Medical Director, Florida Hospital-
Pediatric Renal Transplant Program
Florida Children's Hospital
(407) 896-2836
