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Besides being painful, what arekidney stones?
Theyre solid formations of minerals and salts that crystalize in urine in the kidneys when concentrations are high. They can be as tiny as a grain of sand to pebble-size and larger. And they can develop at any age, from infants to the elderly.
Although some stones remain in the kidneys, others travel through the ureter and into the bladder, explains Howard Abromowitz, MD.
How Does The Urinary System Work
The body takes nutrients from food and converts them to energy. After the body has taken the food that it needs, waste products are left behind in the bowel and in the blood.
The urinary system keeps chemicals, such as potassium and sodium, and water in balance, and removes a type of waste, called urea, from the blood. Urea is produced when foods containing protein, such as meat, poultry, and certain vegetables, are broken down in the body. Urea is carried in the bloodstream to the kidneys.
Signs You May Have Kidney Stones
Publish Date: 06/23/2020
By Kristin Baldea, MD, Urology
Kidney stones are hardened deposits of minerals, salts and other natural substances that develop inside the kidneys.
Kidney stones develop when minerals that are filtered by the kidneys become concentrated. The minerals collect inside your kidneys where urine is formed.
Over time, these minerals can form stones that be as small as a grain of sand or as large as a golf ball.
At first, kidney stones usually dont cause symptoms, especially if they arent moving inside the kidney.
However, once they pass into the ureter , you may notice several symptoms.
This happens because the stone can block the flow of urine from the kidney to the bladder.
Below are some of the most common signs of kidney stones to look out for:
Severe Pain
Pain is the number one indicator of a kidney stone. This discomfort is caused when the kidney stone is moving around the kidney or through the ureters.
Such pain may take several forms, including:
- Pain in the groin or lower abdomen
- Pain that comes and goes in severity
- Pain while urinating
- Sharp pain along your side and back, usually just below your ribs
Because pain in your abdomen is a symptom associated with many conditions, its always a good idea to check with your doctor if you are experiencing this type of pain so they can give you a better diagnosis.
You will especially want to see your doctor if the pain prevents you from sitting down, causes vomiting or makes you feel feverish.
Prevention
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Let me know. Thanks for your question. I passed it along to one of our doctors to see if he could offer any guidance.
I never tell anyone I know how you feel, but do say that I can.
that include shingles, heart attack, kidney stones,
If you havent had a kidney stone, you likely know someone who has. Kidney stones affect one in.
Passing a stone the process of the stone moving out of the kidney and into and through the.
Black and Latino patients treated for kidney stones in emergency departments around the U.S. tend to get less pain-killing medication compared to whites, a new study finds. After reviewing the medical.
The only way to know for sure that you have a kidney stone is to see a doctor so she can make a diagnosis. You should make an appointment if you: Cant get comfortable standing, sitting, or lying down. Have nausea and serious pain in your belly. Notice blood in your urine. Have a hard time trying to pee.
Most people do not know they have kidney stones because they have no symptoms until the stones begin to travel within the kidney and to the bladder. When kidney stones begin to move, the stones can cause pain while urinating, cloudy urine, urine with an unusual smell, and blood in the urine that causes red, pink or brown urine, according to.
When these minerals form a stone, it can move into the ureter and block its flow.
This article explains all you need to know.
How Do They Test For Bladder Stones
Diagnosing bladder stones may involve:
Thirteen home remedies for kidney stones
- Water. Drinking water is one of the easiest ways to prevent and treat kidney stones.
- Lemon juice.
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What Is The Treatment For Bladder Stones
Typically, bladder stones need to be removed from the bladder by a urologist. Very rarely, they can be dissolved but this depends on the type of stone you have and can also take a long time.
Treatment for bladder stones includes:
- Cystolitholapaxy: During a cystolitholapaxy, providers use a scope to visualize the stones in the bladder and then break bladder stones into tiny pieces using lasers or ultrasound . The pieces are then removed from the bladder.
- Surgery: If the stones are especially large, you may need open surgery to remove them. Your provider makes an incision in your abdomen and takes out the stones.
Whats The Outlook For Kidney Stones
The outlook for kidney stones is very positive, although there is a risk of recurrence . Many kidney stones pass on their own over time without needing treatment. Medications and surgical treatments to remove larger kidney stones are generally very successful and involve little recovery time.
Its possible to get kidney stones multiple times throughout your life. If you keep developing kidney stones, your healthcare provider may work with you to discover why the stones happen. Once the cause is found, you may be able to make dietary changes to prevent future stones.
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Ginger For Kidney Stone Stuck In Urethra
Ginger has so many health benefits, it should be one of the many natural treatments in the ‘Farmacy in Your Fridge.’ One of the benefits is helping to dissolve kidney stones.
To consider ginger, you first should consider the many benefits that this super food provides.
Among its many benefits:
- reduce the risk of kidney stones
- helps maintain liver health
- a rich source of vitamin C
- a source of magnesium
- an effective treatment for asthma
Causes Of Kidney And Bladder Stones In Chinchillas
What causes them are minerals, typically calcium, which accumulates within the bladder.
What are the causes of kidney and bladder stones in chinchillas? They happen when the bladder remains full for longer periods of time. This is due to the fact that it gives the minerals in the uric acid time to crystalize, and there are several reasons as to why this could occur.
The first is a urinary tract infection, and these can occur when bacteria travel up the urethra and infects the lining of the bladder, and this can happen even in the kidney. The infected tissue becomes swollen.
This is due to the fact that the body tries to send blood, or in other words, more antibodies to the infected area to kill the bacteria there.
The dilated blood vessels and extra blood make the area swollen as a result, the more you know.
This is good for fighting off the infection, however, it is bad due to its context, as the entrance and the exit of the bladder might be cut off completely.
The tube from the bladder, which is on the outside is called the urethra, and it can get swollen and pinched too.
This swelling will stop your chinchilla from being able to urinate altogether. The urine has a greater chance of forming crystals, especially while the infection is still active there.
A hair ring can have a similar effect, and that can occur when a male chinchillas fur gets stuck in the sheath of its penis.
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How To Treat Ureteral Stones Effectively
Ureteral stones treatment depends on the size and also the location of the stones. The underlying medical condition with kidney stones can also be taken into consideration to treat ureteral kidney stones.
In case of larger stones where your urinary tract is blocked, your doctor may conduct below ways to cure it
When it comes to modern treatment, it doesnt provide a lasting relief. And after some years of treatment, you may develop stones again. However, kidney cure in Ayurveda is the most effective cure to stones.
Choose kidney cure in Ayurveda to get rid of your ureteral stones naturally.
How Will I Know If I Have A Kidney Stone
To find out the size and type of kidney stone you have, your doctor may do tests, including:
- Blood tests to show if there is too much calcium or uric acid in your blood
- Urine tests to show the type of wastes that are in your urine. For this test, your doctor may ask you to collect your urine over two days.
- Imaging tests, such as an ultrasound, CT scan or X-ray, to show kidney stones in your urinary tract
If you get kidney stones often, your doctor may ask you to urinate through a strainer to catch stones that you pass. Your doctor will then find out what they are made of to decide what is causing your kidney stones and how to prevent them.
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How Can I Prevent Ureteral Stones
There are many ways to prevent ureteral stones:
- Drink more fluids. Its a good idea to drink at least 2 liters to 3 liters of fluid each day. Water is best, but other fluids, such as lemonade or orange juice, are also good options.
- Limit the amount of animal protein in your diet. Animal protein including meat, eggs and fish increases the amount of uric acid in your system. Lentils, beans, green peas, seitan and tofu are good protein sources that wont increase the amount of uric acid in your body.
- Limit the amount of sodium in your diet. Consuming less than 1,500 milligrams of salt per day helps reduce your chances of developing a ureteral stone. You can replace salt in your diet with salt substitutes, herbs, spices, lemon juice or flavored vinegars.
- Limit the amount of oxalate in your diet. Oxalate is a nutrient found in spinach, almonds, cashews and potatoes. Foods and drinks that have a lot of calcium can help prevent oxalate from crystalizing.
Your healthcare provider may also ask you to pee into a special strainer or filter until you pass your ureteral stones. Then, theyll collect your stone and analyze it to determine its chemical makeup. Your healthcare provider can then use that information to create a treatment plan that prevents stones from forming again.
What Kidney Stone Pain Feels Like And Where Youll Feel It
Not all kidney stone pain is the same. For example, the location of pain can change as the stone moves from the kidney to the bladder, says Lieske. When a stone is moving into the ureter, people may feel pain in their flank, or side, or their back, he says.
Notably, if the stone is stuck where the kidney connects to the ureter, the pain can be severe, says Ralph V. Clayman, MD, a professor in the department of urology at the University of California in Irvine. On a scale of 1 to 10, pain can be a 10, he says. There is no position in which the person is comfortable.
This type of pain has a tendency to come and go in 10- to 30-minute cycles. It can also radiate to the groin area and the front of the thigh, he adds.
Once the stone has moved down to the part of the ureter closer to the bladder, a person tends to have pain in the abdomen or groin, says Lieske. Men sometimes feel pain at the tip of their penis.
As the stone moves down the ureter, it can also mimic the pain of other conditions, says Clayman. For example, if the kidney stone is on the right side of the body, it may feel like appendicitis, or inflammation of the appendix. If the stone is on the left side, people may mistake the pain for diverticulitis, inflammation, or an infection within the small or large intestine, he says.
Fortunately, from this point, the stone can usually pass from the bladder out the urethra, which is typically twice the diameter of the ureter, says Clayman.
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Is There Any Way To Make Them Pass Faster
The best home remedy to encourage the stone to pass is to drink lots of fluids, especially plain water and citrus juices such as orange or grapefruit. The extra fluid causes you to urinate more, which helps the stone move and keeps it from growing. You should aim for at least 2 to 3 quarts of water per day.
Smaller stones are more likely to pass on their own, so you should take steps to keep the stone from growing. This includes eating a diet thats low in salt, calcium, and protein.
However, you need all of these for your body to function properly, so talk with your doctor about an appropriate diet to help you pass the stone.
Passing a kidney stone can be very painful. Taking pain medication such as ibuprofen wont speed up the process, but it can make you a lot more comfortable while passing the stone. A heating pad can also help.
If you have a fever, significant nausea, or are unable to keep down liquids without vomiting, you should seek medical care.
Likewise, if you have only one kidney or known kidney problems or damage, see a doctor immediately.
An infected kidney stone is a surgical emergency. If you notice any signs of infection, go to the hospital.
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What Causes Kidney Stones
There are four types of kidney stones:
- Calcium stone:This is the most common type of kidney stone. Calcium that isnt used by your bones and muscles goes to your kidneys. Usually, the kidneys will get rid of the extra calcium through the urine. Calcium stones occur when some of the calcium remains in the kidneys and collects over time.
- Struvite stone:A struvite stone is more common in women. It usually forms after a chronic urinary tract infection. These stones are usually made of ammonia.
- Uric acid stone:A uric acid stone forms when there is too much uric acid in the urine. You may be at risk for this type of stone if you eat a high-protein diet or if youve received chemotherapy.
- Cystine stone: A cystine stone isnt very common. The disease that causes cystine stones to form runs in families and is called cystinuria.
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One Seriously Strange Way To Pass A Kidney Stone
Scientific research, folks in white lab coats, gleaming laboratories, occasional Eureka moments interspersed with hours of work still sounds interesting if not glamorous. But sometimes, science requires more dedication, more sacrifice. Two physicians made the effort studying the effect of Thunder Mountain, a Disney World roller coaster, on kidney stones small crystals that form in your kidneys.
The study
The authors built a 3-D model of a kidney and ureter, the anatomic tube that connects the kidney to the bladder. The model faithfully recreated the kidneys collection system, the pathway a kidney stone takes as it follows urine out of the body. They wanted to know whether these crystals or stones would move because of outside forces, like those you might experience on a roller coaster. Three different size kidney stones were placed in three different locations within the kidney then, securing the model in a backpack the authors rode Thunder Mountain twenty times. Thunder Mountain is a roller coaster ride of two and half minutes at about 35 miles per hour with all the curves and dips you would associate with such a ride.
Kidney stones
Long-term treatment includes increasing fluid intake to more than a liter daily and avoiding calcium supplement. Interestingly enough, dietary calcium, the calcium contained in our food has not been shown to increase risk it actually lowers risk. So much for supplements.
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Follow These Top Warning Signs Indicating You May Have Kidney Stones
About one out of every ten people will have a kidney stone at some point in their lives, according to the National Kidney Foundation, with stones occurring about twice as often in men. Kidney stones have become more common during the past couple of decades. That increase could be due to the concurrent rise in obesity, which is a potential risk factor for kidney stones.
Kidney stones form when minerals and salts in your blood create hard concretions inside your kidneys. Normally, your kidneys filter out these materials, but when concentrations are high or when your kidneys are overworked or arent working normally, the substances can collect and clump together, forming sharp crystals. Very small stones may be excreted on their own when you urinate. But sometimes, the crystals get stuck and thats typically when most symptoms begin.
Larger kidney stones usually cause significant symptoms almost right away. With smaller stones, the symptoms can be less obvious and more difficult to discern. If you have a kidney stone, getting prompt medical care is essential for preventing complications. Heres a list of some of the most common kidney stone symptoms to watch out for.
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