Drinking advice?

[The Hermit]

Heather,
I have the same problems(liver and kidneys) and cancer to boot. Avoid hard alcohol if possible as it destroys the liver in some folks. Avoid high cholesterol medicine too. Chocolate, which I love, can lead to kidney stones, and I have a cure for that if needed.
A cyst can be made of different materials. Some actually will periodicaly break, mine do. Those can be dealt with a home remedy. My boiled water, as in coffee etc. contains lime which builds kidney stones also.
I have a still which distills water and I drink mostly that. My doctor told me to also drink a beer a day.
My taste choice(to each his/her own) happens to be Bud.
I drank cranberry juice till I couldn't stand it anymore. Good luck with your problems.

  The Hermit

[AtlLaw]

Geeeeze!     All these folk be pushin their favorite!  What matters is what you like!  So I gwanna tell you what to do.     Now Ida done it myself, but I already have... several (dozen) times... and that really wouldn't help you.  So listen close.

I always tell wimmins "how do you know you don't like it unless you try it!"     So you got to try all the stuff out there before you can decide on what you want to stay with.  But remember your statistics courses; a small sample doesn't tell you much.  So, each night get you at least a 6 or 12 pack of ONE brand.  Drink each one and make notes on your impressions!

Now you being just a woman and all, I'd suggest you start with what is refered to as "girly beer."  That's the "Ultralite" stuff you see out there.  It also includes some of the beer that's been mentioned here but I won't comment on those poster's testosterone levels... 

Anyway, when you've tried all of those, graduate to the light beers, then the Pilsners and Lagers.  Feel free to repeat any brand you think is interesting.  At this point we are talking Domestic brands only as we must educate your pallet before we challange it!

Once you have sampled and made observations on every domestic beer made, including micro-breweries, switch to ales.  Complete this phase of your quest with those rarest of all domestic brews, Porters and Stouts

One note here.  By this point you are becomeing a rather accomplished beer drinker and have probably whipped some computer geek butt, uh, no offense there Matt...    but resist the temptation to over extend your study sessions.  The results can become quite... unexpected!    And avoid brewery tours!  Serious students have been known to drown in those vats!

By now you are ready to go INTERNATIONAL!  Imports open up a whole new world for a beer drinker of the caliber you will have become.  Not to mention the fact that by this time you will forgotten why you started this in the first place!  Good luck, call me for advice or my learned opinion any time!  You're buying   

[Rex in OTZ]

Go the the liquer market and try some, we all can throw out suggestions but it ends in what you want
Ive tried different types of beers and such
Some Ive tried and dident like some I kinda can stand at certain time's
 
Labric is a fruit flavored (dont know what its really but its good)
the european Budweiser Budvar is a good choice
Pilsner Urquell is another
Gralsh
I like european bevrages theve been at it awhile and have it down its quality over quantity
I grew up in the middle west and choked down some awefull stuff in my younger years and wouldent even touch the stuff today.
I like Alaska Amber Ale and ther oatmeal stout is rather flavorfull as well
I think if its for your health and must be consumed moderately on a daly bassis I'd burn out on just one brand/type i'd have to have variety Stouts,Ales, even a coors light just to make you appreciate what the good products are by setting a base line to work up from.
Ther's european, mexican, asian, caniadan beers are a good choice.

[Questor]

Heather:

I don't understand the advice to drink alcohol. Drinking more water will probably be a better thing. The problem I have with recommending any alcohol is that it may lead to a bad habit. I do still drink some wine, but I'll tell you a story that I hope you take to heart. Most stories of drinking are sad tales of dissipation, but mine is more subtle:

Many years ago I decided that I should have one of the finer things in life and I picked wine. My mode of enjoyment was to have about 8 ounces of it while reading in bed. It was relaxing and I enjoyed it. It helped me go to sleep.

I had sleeping problems.  I'd wake up at 3 or 4 and not be able to get back to sleep for a long while, and then when I'd get up I didn't feel rested. This went on for years and I never made a strong connection to the wine.

Then one day I figured it out, and I quit drinking wine at night. But I did switch to having some on a Saturday afternoon. The problem with this is that I tended to drink about twice as much as before and instead of just relaxing I got mildly inebriated. This had the effect of interfering with my Saturdays evenings, and it also still had the negative effect on my sleep.  This affected my Sunday mornings, and consequently had a negative effect on my target shooting.

For me, it was better to just give it up.  At least the habitual part. Now I'll have a small amount occasionally, with a special meal.

My point is that even light drinking has negative side-effects. I don't recommend it.

[Oldtimer]

Beer is best for flushing the kidneys.  Wine is too dehydrating.  In France and Italy, in the heat of the day, they drink beer and hold off on the wine until the day cools off.  German wheat beers (Hefeweize) are much milder than the barley based beers.  Leinenkugel is an American hefeweize that is brewed in Wisconsin and comes in several varieties.  In Germany, we mix wine and sparkling water to make a refreshing drink called Schorle.  If you use a German Reisling, then the alcohol content is close to that of beer and you have none of the bitterness of the hops.  French Reisling is made to a considerably higher alcohol content.

[billy_56081]

Beer is great for flushing out kidneys and bladder infection. My grandma used this method. It was the only time I ever saw her drink.

[Mikey]

Heather - that's about the craziest thing I have ever heard, and I have heard a lot.  I have known people who have lost a kidney and who have been told to avoid consuming alcohol.  Plain old water should be just as good a 'flush' as a alcohol laden drink. 

The only reason beer makes ya whizz as much as it does is because you consume as much of it as you do and that makes ya whizz - think about it...when they tell you to 'drink water' they mean in 8 oz glassfulls - beer comes in 12 or 16 oz containers.  Go drink four glasses of water or knock down two tall frosty cold ones and once you start whizzin' you will keep whizzin'; the body works normally that way. 

Keeping your body continually hydrated is the best way to keep the filtration system of your kidneys in proper working order.  If you don't like alcohol then don't drink it. 

[Questor]

I agree with Mikey. Please read my previous post. This is a serious matter.

[Questor]

One refinement to Mikey's post is that alcohol is a diuretic, which dehydrates you. This dehydration is one of the reasons I used to get up in the middle of the night two or three times to pee. And I was drinking relatively small quantities, as a 220 pound man. This was not even enough alcohol to be considered "moderate" drinking. It was light drinking. Yet it still had a negative effect.

[Heather]

Thank you for all of the advice.  I respect the advice against drinking alcohol at all. I refuse to drink twice a week as recommended by the doctor, but as the cyst are in a state of growth I experience extreme kidney pain.  I guess the alcohol serves two purposes in those instances.  It helps to flush the build up on the cyst before it has time to merge with the cyst, and it eases the pain to where It is almost tolerable.  Even taking a Tylenol or stronger narcotics would be very bad for my kidney's so I must avoid anything for pain.  If drinking two beers or a couple glasses of wine takes some of the pain away and is actually good for my kidney's, then that is what I am going to do. 

I really appreciate the concern for my wellbeing and the warnings of what drinking could lead to, but fortunately for me I have my children and my love to remind me everyday to not let ANYTHING change me in a negative way.  I am treating this as any other medication and only using when necessary to improve the quality of my life, not worsen it. I don't particularly enjoy the taste of any alcohol.  I have found that I can tolerate bud light with lime in a can only, as the bottles just don't taste the same.  I will most definitely try some of the suggestions in the future.  I will keep ya posted on which ones I like and which one's of you I think are crazy for drinking that nasty stuff...lol  j/k  Thanks again!

Heather

[Tommyt]

Amber Bock made by Bud its a nice sweet dark beer
More than I can think of looked at me and said that brown beer looks funny
after they try it they become Amber-Bock people,or at least like it
Very few didn't think is was bad
I no longer drink alcohol but that was a good beer
Good Luck
God Bless
Tommyt

[Questor]

Heather:

Since that is the case, then my recommendation is something like a white zinfandel (it's pink in color). Fetzer brand is excellent. It's slightly sweet, and my women friends like it a lot. It is also one of the least expensive decent wines, and is available in 1.5 liters for around $10. It has a relatively low alcohol content. Another option is 3.2% beer by Miller Lite. I don't know if they sell 3.2% beer in Alabama, it has less alcohol than most beers. Flavor is good.

I avoid Tylenol and its generic equivalents because the therapeutic dose is very close to the toxic dose.

[SHOOTALL]

Ken's hard lemonade with crandbury juice would work well . I use it to pass kidney stones .