How Are Simple Kidney Cysts Treated
In most cases, simple kidney cysts don’t need to be treated. However, if a cyst is putting too much pressure on another organ or is affecting the way a kidney works, it might be necessary to shrink or remove the cyst. There are 2 procedures that are most commonly used to treat simple kidney cysts:
- Aspiration and sclerotherapy: The doctor inserts a long needle under the skin to puncture the cyst and drain the fluid. A strong solution is then injected into the cyst to shrink it. This procedure can be repeated, if necessary.
- Surgery: Surgery to remove a cyst can usually be done laparoscopically, using thin instruments inserted through small holes in the abdomen. During surgery, the doctor first drains the cyst and then cuts or burns away the cyst itself.
Why Do Doctors Examine The Contents Of The Stone
There are four types of stones. Studying the stone can help understand why you have it and how to reduce the risk of further stones. The most common type of stone contains calcium. Calcium is a normal part of a healthy diet. The kidney usually removes extra calcium that the body doesn’t need. Often people with stones keep too much calcium. This calcium combines with waste products like oxalate to form a stone. The most common combination is called calcium oxalate.
Less common types of stones are: Infection-related stones, containing magnesium and ammonia called struvite stones and stones formed from monosodium urate crystals, called uric acid stones, which might be related to obesity and dietary factors. The rarest type of stone is a cvstine stone that tends to run in families.
Make Your Own Beet Juice Without A Juicer
You can enjoy the flavor and health benefits of beet juice, even if you don’t have access to a juicer.
Start by scrubbing beets to remove dirt and grit. Trim away the bottom tip and chop off the leaves. Roast in a 400-degree oven for around an hour or until fork-tender. Plop the roasted beets into a blender, make sure the top’s on tight, and pulse until smooth.
Most people prefer to chill and strain before serving, but that’s entirely up to you.
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How Long Does It Take To Pass A Kidney Stone
The amount of time it can take for you to pass a kidney stone is different from anothers. A stone thats smaller than 4 mm may pass within one to two weeks. A stone thats larger than 4 mm could take about two to three weeks to completely pass.
Once the stone reaches the bladder, it typically passes within a few days, but may take longer, especially in an older man with a large prostate. However, pain may subside even if the stone is still in the ureter, so its important to follow up with your healthcare provider if you dont pass the stone within four to six weeks.
Can Kidney Stone Symptoms Come And Go
The length of time a stone can hang around is the primary reason that a person may feel like kidney stone symptoms come and go.
Once you start feeling the pain of a kidney stone, it can take anywhere between one to four weeks for the stone to actually pass. In the meantime, the pain can seem sporadic. Here’s why:
“During a bout of kidney stones, the initial pain is typically caused by the stone making its way through your very narrow ureter tube. There can also be pain if the stone lodges itself there and blocks urine flow out of the kidney, which results in pressure buildup and painful swelling,” explains Dr. Kannady.
As your body tries to move the kidney stone through your ureter, some of your pain may also be from the waves of contractions used to force the kidney stone out. The pain may also move as the kidney stone moves along your urinary tract.
“Once the stone makes it to your bladder, the pain might subside to some degree and you may notice urinary symptoms in its place. The final push from your bladder to outside of your body can reignite sharp feelings of pain, as the stone is now passing through another narrow tube called your urethra,” says Dr. Kannady.
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Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy Or Percutaneous Nephrolithotripsy
If your stone is large or lithotripsy doesnt break it up enough, this surgery is an option. PCNL uses a small tube to reach the stone and break it up with high-frequency sound waves.
You will be given something so that you wonât be awake during this surgery. Your surgeon will make a small cut in your back or side and place a thin scope into the hole.
The surgery can be done in one of two ways:
Nephrolithotomy: Your surgeon removes the stone through a tube
Nephrolithotripsy: Your surgeon uses sound waves or a laser to break up the stone and then vacuums up the pieces with a suction machine.
The surgery takes 20 to 45 minutes. Youll typically have to stay in the hospital for a day or two afterward. Usually, a stent will have to stay in your kidney for a few days to help urine drain.
Your doctor might do an X-ray or ultrasound a few weeks later to see whether any parts of the stone are left. They might also send the stone fragments to a lab to find out what theyre made of.
Risks from this surgery include:
- Damage to the bladder, bowel, ureter, kidney, or liver
Nutritional Value Of Beets
Chock-full of vitamins, iron, and calcium, beets are a non-fat, high-fiber food that delivers around 74 calories, 16 grams of carbs, and 2 grams of protein per one-cup serving. Every part of the beet plant, including stem, leaves, bulb, and skin, are edible.
Beet juice, bulbs, and greens deliver a load of nutrients, including:
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Treatment Options For Kidney Stones
Small kidney stones often pass out of the body on their own. As long as they donât cause severe pain or complications, treatment isnt necessary. Larger kidney stones usually need to be treated. Depending on how large the kidney stones are and where theyâre located, they can be destroyed or removed using an .
Most kidney stones with a diameter of less than 5 millimeters, and about half of all stones between 5 and 10 millimeters, pass out of the body on their own. These smaller kidney stones are often flushed out in the urine after one or two weeks.
If its thought that a stone will probably be flushed out without any treatment, doctors generally recommend waiting. If the kidney stone causes pain as it travels through the ureter , painkillers like ibuprofen or diclofenac can provide relief.
Larger stones that cause problems will usually have to be broken up or surgically removed. That needs to be done if
- the stone isnât passed within four weeks,
- there are complications,
- it causes severe colic , or
- the stone is larger than 10 millimeters in diameter.
Uric acid stones can sometimes be dissolved using medication.
Effective Treatment At St Pete Urology
At St Pete Urology, we provide a multidisciplinary approach to treating and managing kidney stones of all sizes. We have assembled a highly integrated team of nephrologists, urologists, radiologists and dietary and metabolic specialists to ensure comprehensive diagnosis, treatment and proper assessment of the risks leading to the formation of kidney stones. By applying the latest technology in treating kidney stones and a broad range of noninvasive and minimally-invasive procedures for removing small and large stones, we guarantee only the highest quality and successful treatment to all our patients. For more information, visit the St Pete Urology site.
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Symptoms Of Kidney Stones
Small kidney stones may go undetected and be passed out painlessly in the urine. But it’s fairly common for a stone to block part of the urinary system, such as the:
- ureter the tube connecting the kidney to the bladder
- urethra the tube urine passes through on its way out of the body
A blockage can cause severe pain in the abdomen or groin and sometimes causes a urinary tract infection .
Read more about the symptoms of kidney stones.
How Doctors Test For Excessive Urinary Oxalate
If you’ve had a kidney stone or your doctor suspects you have high levels of oxalic acid, they may order a 24-hour urine test.
Simple and painless, the test involves collecting your urine output all day and night. Even though your collection will be refrigerated, you may be required to add a preservative to the container. Similar to standard urinalysis, the 24-hour oxalate test also monitors urine for citrate, calcium, urea nitrogen, and sodium.
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How Long Can A Nephrostomy Tube Remain In The Kidney
A nephrostomy tube can remain in the kidney as long as the obstruction in your urinary tract does not get relieved. It may need to stay in for a short time such as till a stone passes naturally. It may be needed for only two to three days, or it may need to stay in for a much longer period to allow a more permanent solution for the blockage to be organized. It creates a passage for the urine to bypass the bladder and pass outside the body into a bag . Based on the underlying cause of the obstruction and your situation, the doctor can tell you how long the tube needs to stay in its place. If the causative problem is treated, your doctor will remove the tube. If the problem persists, the opening of the nephrostomy will remain permanent, and the tube will need to be changed periodically.
When Surgery Is Necessary
If you think you might have a kidney stone, you should see your doctor as soon as possible. If youre found to have one, your doctor can help you determine whether to try to pass the stone naturally, take medication, or get the stone surgically removed.
In some circumstances, your doctor might recommend immediate surgical removal without a waiting period. This will usually be because the stone is too big to pass naturally or is blocking urine flow. If the stone is blocking the flow of urine, it can lead to an infection or renal damage.
In other circumstances, your doctor might recommend waiting to see if you can pass the stone on your own. You should check in with your doctor often during this time to see if anything is changing, especially if you have new symptoms.
During the waiting period, your doctor might recommend surgery if the stone continues to grow, youre having unmanageable pain, or you develop signs of infection, such as a fever. Infection, fever, kidney damage, intractable pain, or intractable vomiting are all indications for immediate surgery.
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What Do Kidney Stone Symptoms Feel Like
You’re probably already aware that passing a kidney stone can be incredibly painful. Perhaps you’ve heard someone compare the pain to childbirth. Or maybe someone mentioned their experience with kidney stones completely recalibrated how they rate pain. Ouch.
But while the most-discussed kidney stone symptom is often the pain where it’s felt and how bad it can get it’s not the only symptom to be aware of.
“Kidney stones are fairly common and often painful, but they’re also treatable and even preventable,” says Dr. Chris Kannady, urologist at Houston Methodist. “If you think you might have a kidney stone, it’s important to see your doctor as soon as possible since delaying care for a kidney stone can lead to serious complications.”
But, when all you’ve heard about kidney stones is how much they hurt, how can you tell if your pain might be kidney stone pain?
A Reasonable Amount Of Oxalate Is Not Bad For The Kidneys
The American Urological Association does not recommend completely cutting beets and other high-oxalate foods from one’s diet. However, they suggest limiting oxalate intake to no more than 75 to 100g per day.
Although kidney stones contain a fair amount of calcium, it is still a crucial dietary element. When eaten with foods rich in oxalic acid, calcium actually binds with the oxalate in the digestive system. This makes it easier for the body to eliminate excess oxalate instead of turning it into kidney stones.
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Why You Get Stones
Part of preventing stones is finding out why you get them. Your health care provider will perform tests to find out what is causing this. After finding out why you get stones, your health care provider will give you tips to help stop them from coming back.
Some of the tests he or she may do are listed below.
Medical and Dietary History
Your health care provider will ask questions about your personal and family medical history. He or she may ask if:
- Have you had more than one stone before?
- Has anyone in your family had stones?
- Do you have a medical condition that may increase your chance of having stones, like frequent diarrhea, gout or diabetes?
Knowing your eating habits is also helpful. You may be eating foods that are known to raise the risk of stones. You may also be eating too few foods that protect against stones or not drinking enough fluids.
Understanding your medical, family and dietary history helps your health care provider find out how likely you are to form more stones.
Blood and Urine Tests
Imaging Tests
When a health care provider sees you for the first time and you have had stones before, he or she may want to see recent X-rays or order a new X-ray. They will do this to see if there are any stones in your urinary tract. Imaging tests may be repeated over time to check for stone growth. You may also need this test if you are having pain, hematuria or recurrent infections.
Stone Analysis
Rapid Access Kidney Stone Clinic
The Rapid Access Kidney Stone Clinic at the Livonia Center for Specialty Care offers kidney stone patients access to x-rays, CT scans and the option for same-day diagnosis and treatment, all under one roof. All of this is complemented by the improved access to doctors and convenient parking available at the Livonia Center for Specialty Care.
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How Else Can I Prevent Uric Acid Stones
You can take other steps to prevent uric acid stones:
- Drink at least 12 cups of fluids every day, preferably water.
- Maintain a healthy weight.
- Follow the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet, which can reduce both high blood pressure and the risk of kidney stones.
- Take any medications your provider prescribed to prevent uric acid stones from forming.
How Are Uric Acid Stones Treated
Small stones may pass on their own. It can take up to three weeks to pass. Even if the stones pass on their own, its still important to talk to your provider so you can prevent stones from forming again.
The most important step in uric acid stone treatment is drinking plenty of water to:
- Reduce the concentration of minerals in urine. Fluids dissolve the minerals, allowing them to leave your body through urine.
- Encourage you to pee often, which flushes away materials that may form stones.
Providers recommend that you drink enough to produce about 2.5 liters of urine. To produce that much urine, you need to drink a little more than 2.5 liters of fluid. Thats because you lose fluid through sweating or exercise. Aim for drinking about 3 liters of fluids per day.
Although drinking any fluid counts, its best to drink water. Your provider may prescribe medications as well to make the urine less acidic.
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Shortness Of Breath After Very Little Effort
Why this happens:
Being short of breath can be related to the kidneys in two ways. First, extra fluid in the body can build up in the lungs. And second, anemia can leave your body oxygen-starved and short of breath.
What patients said:
At the times when I get the shortness of breath, itâs alarming to me. It just fears me. I think maybe I might fall or something so I usually go sit down for awhile.
I couldnât sleep at night. I couldnât catch my breath, like I was drowning or something. And, the bloating, canât breathe, canât walk anywhere. It was bad.
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Banana Stem Juice For Kidney Stones
Is Banana Stem Juice Effective For Kidney Stones? Yes, It is a perfect home remedy to remove kidney stone for the people who want to avoid chemical medicines.
The raw banana stem is full of potassium and vitamin b6. When it gets combined with lemon juice, a chemical compound, called potassium citrate is formed, which is helpful to dissolve kidney stones and prevent calcium stone formation.
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What Else Should I Ask My Healthcare Provider
If you have a uric acid stone, ask your provider:
- What treatment will work best?
- Will I need surgery?
- How can I prevent a stone from forming again?
- What diet is right for me?
- Should I avoid any foods or beverages?
- Do I need to take any supplements?
A note from Cleveland Clinic
Uric acid stones are a type of kidney stone. When you have a high level of uric acid in your blood and urine, small stones can form. These stones can block the passage of urine out of your body, causing pain and other symptoms. Many uric acid stones pass on their own. Your provider may prescribe medication to help the stone pass. For larger stones, your provider may recommend noninvasive or minimally invasive procedures. These treatments include shockwave lithotripsy, ureteroscopy and PCNL. Treatments are successful, but uric acid stones may come back. Avoid or limit foods high in purines to reduce your risk. If you have pain in your side, burning when you pee or see blood in your urine, talk to your healthcare provider. The right diagnosis and treatment can help you feel your best.
Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 08/19/2021.
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