This week, Jill answers a listener question about finding kidney stone help.
Jeff Sarris
Welcome back to the Kidney Stone Diet Podcast, the show about reducing your kidney stone risk and living your best life. I’m your host and fellow student, Jeff Sarris,
Jill Harris
And I’m Finn your kidney stone prevention mascot along with my loudmouth mother, Jill, your kidney stone prevention nurse.
Jeff Sarris
I love to see, you know, and yeah, he’s his hair has grown back because it got a little trimmed a little aggressively trimmed recently. So
Jill Harris
Let’s just say when I picked him up at the groomer, he said, ‘I’ll understand if you don’t want to take me home, Mama.’
Jeff Sarris
Yeah, he’s looking like his fluffy self again, which is awesome.
Jill Harris
He is, you know, we just finished doing a couple hours of these shows or whatever. And so by the time we’re done, this is the last one for the day. But by the time we’re at this point, he’s he’s going he’s not he’s kicking me, like under the table like pick me up. My we’ve started calling him Elmer as in glue, because I mean, he’s just addicted. He’s a little lover.
Jeff Sarris
And how often does he want to go for a walk?
Jill Harris
Oh, he has a hard time keeping up with me. But I’ll tell you what he’s been. He’s for a little guy. He’s only 16 pounds. Oh my god, can he keep up with me? Big giant Luke, who was 90 parents? He was like, very. I drove him nuts. He’s like, can we please go home? No, this dog, man right out of the gate. He keeps up with me. Because you know, I’ll do on the average when I’m feeling okay. 15,000 steps. And so it’s not all with him? Obviously, I you know, go to the grocery. I’m not taking them everywhere. But he does probably 1000 steps a day.
Jeff Sarris
Yeah, that’s impressive. I mean, it’s a little Yeah. And it’s impressive that you consistently are able to get that No, we’ve talked about it in the past, but I’m still in awe of that, because I definitely don’t hit even remotely close to 15,000 a day, even though I know I should. And I want to, but you’re very good at creating that system for yourself to get there.
Jill Harris
I think you know, a to people, you know, even when I’m not feeling that great. I do push myself to do as much as I can. I’m not getting 15,000 steps at that point. But it really helps my stress level, it gets me out of my own head, I take breaks during work, work, all the things because it emotionally helps me. And it’s just part of my life.
And so, you know, when patients come to me and say, Jill, you know, we’re working on weight loss or whatever. They’re always I’m like, you don’t have to work out in the gym like I do, all’s you have to do is just a few minutes an hour, can you get up and go for a walk? I mean, new studies are showing that people’s blood sugar really gets up, you know, it really does a lot better, it’s a lot more stable by just moving like 10 minutes every hour.
Now, of course, not everyone can do that because of their job or whatever. But you can do better than maybe you are now. So it’s the point in telling you about that study is it’s a it’s a very little amount of movement that we need to do, folks, you don’t have to be doing as many steps as I do. But can you just move if you’re somebody who doesn’t get up at all? Can you just do 1000 steps today, and then notice how much better it makes you feel. And then I mean, then you’re I’m always chasing that feeling. I’m like, if I don’t do my steps, I just don’t feel as happy.
When I do do my steps. I’m seeing people outside, I’m more social, I’m able to work things out. And then text Jeff, Jeff, another business idea, which he just loves. But that’s how I figured things out movement helps me sort out my mind because my mind can get overwhelmed and all kinds of you know, I have ADHD so I can get kind of junky up here. And so, you know, I’m very disorganized. So the movement creates the constant for me, it creates the stability for me, that really is helpful for me.
So I really, when my patients first start doing it their way, you’re a pain in the ass. But then two weeks, they write me and they’re like, God, I really do feel better. And now I’m me and my sister. The patient’s telling me, we’re in a competition. We put our Apple Watches together and we’re seeing Oh, you did force 1000 steps. I’m going to beat you today. So I mean, you’d be surprised. It just takes little baby steps in this case, literally, to get where you need to go. Right?
Jeff Sarris
And it’s really good for mental well, let’s say brain health. specifically to because like not to, not to prescribe anything at all, but like, I know, I’ve seen different things about combining activity with mental stimulation. So maybe that’s listening to a podcast or an audiobook, maybe that’s talking on the phone, maybe it’s having a conversation or doing things that stimulate the activity side of the brain. And the intellectual I guess, for lack of a better term, but when you stimulate both of those, it keeps all the connections just healthier.
It’s it’s more just sort of what, what our brains want from us. So it’s just just one more little thing. Like, if we can get out and get that little bit of activity, if it’s just walking, and combining it with something that’s potentially very valuable.
Jill Harris
Yes, absolutely. And a lot of people will say, I listen to you. And Jeff, when I go on my walk, I’m a huge fan of podcasts. I listen to a lot of podcasts, my audible books when I’m walking. So yeah, I mean, I am really not a happy person if I can’t get my stepson, because I’m not well, and here’s one more thing on this subject. Until you’re really sick. You don’t realize how you take movement for granted.
When you can’t move, you’re really going to be sad. So, you know, you just take it for granted the things you can do. And then one day, I hope to God not for you. But if you’re listening to me, it’s because you’ve got a kidney stone and you’ve suffered in some way, you know, you get sick, and that’s just the impetus to never take it for granted again. So that is like the one thing that illness will bring into your life hopefully, is change. You know, like, oh, hell, no, I’m never getting a stent. I’m never getting a ureteroscopy.
Again, I don’t care. I’m calling Jill. We’re going to I’m going to do all everything. She says, I’m never going to make a stone again. And you know, and I’m going to move and all the things. So chip sickness will change your mind real quick, and will change your perspective. And you will stop taking granted of this miraculous thing called the body, honestly.
Jeff Sarris
Yeah, I’m actually right along those lines. We, we have a call from someone who’s exactly in that spot. They want to make a change. So what do you say we jump into it?
Jill Harris
Fire it up.
Listener Voicemail
Hi, my name is Denise Popova. I am a former resident of Lake Zurich, in Illinois, born and raised in Chicago, currently living in Arizona and just found out I have a kidney stone and a male rotating kidney. And there’s really disappointed about living out here thinking about moving back as the healthcare out here is just terrible. Based in the suburb, I’m in Queen Creek, Arizona, our population explosion out here.
But long story short, is there any way possibly to speak to you I cannot find a dietitian out here. I love your podcast. I just I just been aimlessly Googling and everything to get some insight into what’s going on with me. And like I said tried dietitians out here. There’s none. I mean, they just want to do a diet for overweight I’ve went through countless of them. So I love what you’re saying. I think you’re really informative.
No one knows about oxalates either the doctors I went to a kidney doctor didn’t say anything. They evidently they don’t believe in diet. Just like I said really, really frustrated about the health care system out here so desperately looking for something. I guess I’m eat healthy and then eat unhealthy all my life. Don’t smoke, don’t drink. I’m not overweight, but I’m seeing a urologist soon. Can’t get anybody to do a 24 hour urine either. I guess I’m gonna have to apply for it out of pocket and do that. But anyway, like I said, long story short, is there any way to possibly speak to you i?
Jeff Sarris
And I’ll just cut it off there just to be for any personal or personal information. But yeah, I mean, it is. This is something that like we like to allude to that you are accessible, but not everyone knows. I mean, people do listen, they’re here for the information. So I do think it’s important to Yeah, obviously, sort of address the concerns but also that you are accessible.
Jill Harris
Yeah. So yes, I’ve been helping patients and students lessen their kidney stone risk for 25 years. And so I’ve been doing that in various forms, but over the last, you know, six years, five years, whatever. I’ve been doing it through phone calls. And so yes, you can work with me. If you go to kidney stone diet.com shop. You can see all the services. There’s a 15 minute call for just quick questions. There’s an hour call for a full consults along with dietary changes, going over lab results, the whole the whole shebang.
There’s the kidney stone prevention course. You’re gonna get a lifetime access to videos explaining the kidney stone diet. And then right now, before we change that, you can get access also to the group calls, where you can ask me questions three times a week, and it’s with other kidney stone formers, I think the best value is the kidney stone prevention course. Because you get those videos, nearly five hours worth of videos explaining self-guided videos, and then you get to come in and talk to me about them. But a lot of people do like to work with me privately.
And then there’s the urine analysis call, which you’re not, you know, you don’t have a 24 hour urine collection. But that’s a very valuable call where people get their results from their urine collection, and they want to understand them better, so they can have a great conversation with their doctor. So for you, Denise, you should check out the kidney stone prevention course go to kidneystonediet.com, you’ll see it there. Or if you want a one on one experience with me, and it will be worth every damn cent, I promise you, you can go to kidneystonediet.com and find my private consults.
Just go to the shop page at kidneystonediet.com. Shop, there’s many different price points to work with me. And we can get you fixed up. You know, there’s there are, there’s not a lot of people that specialize in this. That’s the problem as far as dietitians and stuff. And also, you know, you do need a doctor, any doctor can order a 24 hour urine collection. And of course, you don’t want to pay out of pocket, it’s expensive. You know, I’d really push back on getting those ordered. It’s unfortunate and always makes me so sad when patients tell me doctors won’t order it. Because there’s a lot of things on that urine collection that you won’t know you have until you do that urine collection. Important things, think about urine calcium, you’re not going to know that that’s a problem. And unless you do a urine collection.
So Denise, I look forward to working with you, we can really get a lot done together. Yeah. And you don’t need you know, many patients have one call with me and they’re done. They’re on their way. It’s not like I want to work with you for weeks and months. That’s why if you want a long term solution, meaning you want accountability and all that, get the kidney stone prevention course, if you just want an in depth dive on just you your kidney stone disease and dietary changes, order the one hour consult but go to kidney stone diet.com, the shop page, and you can see all my services listed right there. I look forward to meeting you. We’ll get it fixed up sister.
Jeff Sarris
Yeah. And that’s the whole reason you do this is because unfortunately, it’s hard to connect with an expert someone like experts in their own area, of course, but for this specific results, the outcomes that everyone listening and watching this want it you would you’re hard pressed to find anyone with even remotely as much experience as Jill. So that’s why this is why the whole platform exists why we ask for the support to comment, like share with people because this is this is the spot with as much practiced information like 20, over 25 years now. Yeah, Jill’s been doing this. And this is where we want to make sure people end up so they get the results that they need, and don’t have to suffer any longer.
Jill Harris
I think we’re to what makes me because people said well, you’re not a dietitian, actually, no one’s really said that. But I’m sure some people think that. But you know, what I’m doing here is I have vast experience in how to change lifestyle habits. It’s not always about going like salt, 1500 milligrams, actually, but it’s about talking to a person, understanding who they are as a person, what they will do, what they won’t do. make lifestyle changes based upon who they are as a person, what they like, what they don’t like, what they’re willing to do, what they absolutely won’t do, what other medical conditions they have.
What makes me different is different is I understand how people what people do, because they’ve told me, so I have 1000s and 1000s of patients I’ve talked to and from all those wonderful people, I have learned how to help people make lifestyle changes, not just bark orders, but really get in there learn about the person. So what I do is, you call me for results. I’ll give you results, not just not just a pamphlet of advice. I’m going you’re calling me to get results.
You could do all free things I have on my website, too. Okay, you buy the meal plan to get results, because maybe you’re somebody who doesn’t want to figure out the oxalate for every meal, or think about what’s for dinner, the meal plan service will give you that every day, you don’t have to think about anything, you just make the recipes, which are really easy. But the reason people call me or get to RT are to get results, not just information results. So you could also get there on your own Denise, we provide all these podcasts, all the free things on the website. But if you want to work with me, I’ll get you there a hell of a lot faster than I promise you. Yeah,
Jeff Sarris
For sure. Yeah. And I think that’s also like thank you for calling in. Because we it’s easy for us to assume everyone knows. Everyone knows you can work with Jill, everyone knows about the group calls, everyone knows about the all the free resources. And like, I’ll mention them at the end of the episodes, but we don’t know who’s out there. So if there are any questions that you have that maybe you’re afraid this is too basic of a question too obvious of a question, please call in, please let us know. Because we just want to help people as much as we can. And you don’t know what you don’t know and we don’t know, either, what you don’t know. So we just need to get as much information as possible, which of course is is what Jill does on the calls as well learning about you as a person, not just handing over data.
Because if it were just facts and numbers were all that we needed to make change, we would all be in perfect health perfectly fit doing everything perfect perfectly according to these numbers and systems. But it’s about so much more. It’s deeper.
Jill Harris
It’s about how also I would be bored off my ass. So I could never do that. What I love about my job is I get to meet people and talk to them. And what’s the best part of my job is they’ll say, Oh, God, I can’t believe I’m telling you this, but this is what I do or don’t do. That’s my favorite part. Because it’s like, Oh, good. I’m not alone. I’m not enough. I think to myself, we’re so human, we just do all kinds of stuff. I mean, you know, so and also, you know, I know, this is a dumb question, Jill, there’s no dumb question.
The diet industry has really just messed us up. We don’t know if we’re coming or going. What’s healthy, what’s not, I mean, it’s just a mess. So we have all kinds of crazy notions. So when when, when I need you, in whatever form you choose. It’s like being with a friend. I mean, that’s what my patients will say, I feel like I know my whole life.
What you see on YouTube is who you get on the phone. I’m a little even weirder on the phone, quite frankly. But it that’s that’s how I relate. That’s what that’s who I am. I’m not what is this fake? It’s who I am as a person. So I like meeting people. I like hearing their problems. I like hearing their obstacles. And I like working with them to figure out what’s the best way to fix it. There’s no one way. So you got to understand people, you got to understand what people do. I also people will say something and I’m like, I know, because everybody says that.
Don’t worry about it. Jill, I’ve never had calcium my whole life. I know because nobody has. So the great thing about having so much experience is you’ve, you’ve heard a lot of the same stories. But everybody’s a little different and how they presented and everybody is different on how they want to get there, what will work for them. And so my job is trying to figure that out. That’s what makes it so cool. So it’s never the same call over and over for me because I’m talking to different people in different countries in different states. I’ve talked to people all over the world.
So I get to I get to learn about humans and human nature. And that is what makes me so incredibly happy. I love human beings. I love figuring it out. We’re messy. We’re not square crazy. And that’s what makes life fun. Right. So that’s it. Thanks
Jeff Sarris
Again, Denise for that question for calling in. And Thanks, Denise. Yeah, hopefully we can steer you in the direction that best suits your needs. And for anyone else out there, that number again is 773-789-8763. Or you can send a voice memo to podcast at kidney stone diet.com And we will feature you in the future. I love that that Finn’s like Okay, I think we’re done for this episode. We’re ready to go. But yeah, thank you everyone for tuning in for liking, subscribing, commenting, doing all the things that help us reach more people.
And if you know anyone who needs help, please send them the website, kidneystonediet.com. Send them to the YouTube channel, kidney stone diet on YouTube or any whatever way. People want to be reached. We want to try to reach them. We want to help people in as many different ways as possible. So thank you to everyone tuning in. Thank you to everyone listening Thank you Jill for all of your time as always and we’ll wrap for this week and we’ll see you all next time
Jill Harris
Thanks Denise!
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