If You Think You Have A Kidney Stone
If you have been diagnosed with a kidney stone, please call 362-8200 to schedule an appointment for evaluation and treatment we will do our best to make sure you are seen promptly. You may be directed to the emergency department if you are experiencing intractable nausea, vomiting, pain or fever so that urgent treatment can be given.
We have a very limited number of same-day appointments therefore, it is likely that you will be directed to the emergency department for rapid evaluation. There, they will obtain scans and labs that will help confirm the diagnosis of kidney stones. From that information, we can make an informed decision about your treatment.
If you have recently passed a stone, you should have close follow-up with a urologist. Our team of stone experts can accommodate you at any of our clinic locations.
Function Of The Adrenals
A part of the endocrine system, the adrenals are located on top of the kidneys. One major task of these organs is secreting hormones that serve several purposes in the body.
One of the major hormones secreted by the adrenals is cortisol . This is the hormone your body needs when under stress. Anytime stress comes into your life, your body responds the same way regardless of the origin of the stress.
The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is activated, setting in motion a cascade of hormonal and chemical changes. At the end of this cascade, the adrenals secrete cortisol to fight the effects of stress.
Ordinarily, once the stress is over, the adrenals return to a state of homeostasis. When stress continues, the burden of producing more and more cortisol can lead to adrenal fatigue, where the adrenals can no longer produce sufficient cortisol and the effects of stress grow.
Initially, adrenal fatigue presents vague symptoms. As the condition worsens, so do the symptoms, until finally, they may become so severe as to render the person bedridden and/or unable to function.
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Prognosis For Urinary Obstruction
Blockage can usually be relieved, but if relief takes too long, the kidney can be damaged permanently. However, because one normally functioning kidney is enough to sustain the body, permanent kidney failure is unlikely to develop unless both kidneys have been blocked for some time, usually at least a few weeks. The prognosis also depends on the cause of obstruction. For example, an untreated infection is more likely to cause kidney damage than a kidney stone Stones in the Urinary Tract .
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How Long Do Kidney Stone Symptoms Last
As mentioned, the time frame for these symptoms can be as short as a week or up to a month and beyond. So, even if it feels like your kidney stone pain has subsided, itâs important to reach out to your doctor since sporadic pain is common with this condition.
âWhile some kidney stones pass on their own, others require treatment such as medications or procedures to help break up the stone or even surgical removal. Your doctor can perform the tests needed to determine whether the stone is likely to pass on its own or if you might need treatment. In addition, your doctor can help you manage the pain associated with passing the stone,â adds Dr. Kannady.
Can Kidney Stones Be Prevented Or Avoided
Most people who have kidney stones have a 50% chance of developing another kidney stone within 10 years. But there are things you can do to lower your risk:
- Drink at least 2 liters of fluids per day. Your doctor may have you measure your urine output to be sure youre drinking the right amount of fluids.
- Dont eat more than 1,500 mg of salt per day . This includes salt in pre-packaged food. Check nutrition labels to see how much salt is in your food.
- Try not to eat more than 2 servings of meat per day. Each serving should be no more than 6 to 8 ounces.
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How Long Does It Take A Kidney Stone To Form
You can have kidney stones for years without knowing theyre there. As long as these stones stay in place within your kidney, you wont feel anything. Pain from a kidney stone typically starts when it moves out of your kidney. Sometimes, a stone can form more quickly within a few months.
Talk with your healthcare provider about your risk factors. They might do a 24-hour urine test to check how quickly you develop stones.
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Common Symptoms Of Kidney Stones
If the kidney stones are small, minimal symptoms may be experienced, but the larger the stones the more predominant and noticeable symptoms can be. Kidney stone symptoms can result from a stone being stuck in the kidney, a stone travelling through the urethra, and a stone causing an infection.
Common symptoms of kidney stones include pain in the lower back, groin or abdomen, periods of intense pain, restlessness or inability to lay still, nausea, frequent urination, pain when urinating, and blood in urine.
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Both Ct And Ultrasound Find Most Kidney Stones
Whether you have an ultrasound or a CT scan first:
- Does not affect the amount of pain you have or how quickly your pain will go away.
- Does not change the risk of having serious side effects or complications from kidney stones.
- Does not change the risk of having to go back to the emergency department or stay in the hospital.
Having an ultrasound first may help you avoid being exposed to radiation from a CT scan.
- If you have an ultrasound first, you may need a second imaging test, which may be a CT scan. But, most people who have an ultrasound first do not need a CT scan.
Note: If you and the emergency doctor decide on a CT scan, ask if it is possible to get a low-dose CT scan. Low-dose CT works as well as normal-dose CT to check for kidney stones and exposes you to less radiation.
There Are Multiple Ways To Help Pass Kidney Stones
While there isnt a medication that can magically make the kidney stone come out of your body, your doctor may prescribe an alpha blocker to help with the pain. Alpha blockers help relax your urinary tract muscles and allow you to pass the stone without too much pain.
However, there are other natural remedies you can try while attempting to pass a kidney stone. Try to:
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What Happens During A Ureteroscopy
Once the anesthesia takes effect and youâre asleep, your urologist will insert the tip of the ureteroscope into your urethra .
Once the ureteroscope is in the bladder, your urologist releases a sterile solution through the tip of the scope. This fills the bladder so its walls can be seen more clearly. They then gently guide the scope into a ureter. If there is a concern about a kidney, the scope can be moved all the way up into that organ.
It may take up to 30 minutes for them to observe your urinary tract. If a procedure is done to remove or break up a stone, or to take a tissue sample for a biopsy, the ureteroscopy may take longer.
A ureteroscopy that uses a laser to break up small kidney stones may take about 90 minutes. The type of laser used with the ureteroscope is called a âHolmium laser.â A similar procedure uses a tiny basket at the end of the scope to grab and remove a stone.
Treatment Of Kidney And Ureteral Stones
You have been diagnosed with a kidney or ureteral stone. This section describes the different treatment options which you can discuss with your doctor. Together you can decide which approach is right for you.
Factors that influence the decision include:
- Your symptoms
- Stone characteristics like its location, size, hardness and composition
- Your medical history
- The kind of treatment available at your hospital and the expertise of your doctor
- Your personal preferences and value
Not all stones require treatment. You need treatment if your stone causes discomfort, an infection or if you are a risk of renal colic. Your doctor may also advise treatment if you have pre-existing medical conditions. There are different treatment methods for emergency and non-emergency situations.
If you have a kidney stone which does not cause discomfort, you will generally not receive treatment. Your doctor will give you a time schedule for regular control visits to make sure your condition does not get worse.
If you have a ureteral stone which is likely to pass with urine, your doctor can prescribe drugs to ease this process. This is called conservative treatment.
If your stone continues to grow or causes frequent and severe pain, you will get active treatment.
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How Can Your Ureteral Stones Detected
Your ureteral stones can be diagnosed by a physician using some medical tests. In which, he may
Ultrasound is the most effective test used to look for blockage. Apart from, a computed tomography Scan will tell your doctor about size, location and hardness of the stones.
Kidney Stone Feels Stuck In Penis
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Removing Stones In Bladder
Early detection helps in preventing its further occurrences unfortunately not all stones formed show signs and symptoms, thus go unnoticed and are often detected only while undergoing tests to determine other disease conditions. The best way to prevent its formation in the first place is to keep the body well hydrated & follow a good diet . Drink plenty of water at regular intervals to keep the urine in an increasingly alkaline form which will prevent urine mineral crystal formation. In case tiny crystals still form in spite of regular water consumption, alkaline urine will at least discourage clustering of these formed crystals to develop into bigger stones that can complicate matters even further.
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How Kidney Stones Are Diagnosed And Treated
Kidney stones can be diagnosed through X-ray, ultrasound, or CAT scan and are typically found after a person visits the emergency room or makes an appointment with their primary care physician because of the pain theyve been experiencing.
Dr. Propp says most patients pass their kidney stones, leading to significant relief of their symptoms. But some kidney stones require surgery to remove them. Doctors sometimes prescribe medication to either manage the pain associated with kidney stones or to help the stone pass. The smaller the stone is the more likely it is to pass on its own, not requiring surgery, says Dr. Coogan.
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Can Kidney Stones Be Prevented
While not all kidney stones can be prevented, there are ways to lower your risk of developing one or developing another one. The first and foremost way would be to drink enough fluids to ensure your urinary system gets flushed out well.
Your doctor could recommend that you avoid certain types of foods, but that is an individual call. For certain types of stones, sometimes medications are prescribed to help reduce the risk as well.
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Take Steps To Bypass Kidney Stones
Even though kidney stones can be common and recur once youve had them, there are simple ways to help prevent them. Here are some strategies that can help:
1. Drink enough water. A 2015 meta-analysis from the National Kidney Foundation found that people who produced 2 to 2.5 liters of urine daily were 50% less likely to develop kidney stones than those who produced less. It takes about 8 to 10 8-ounce glasses of water daily to produce that amount.
2. Skip high-oxalate foods. Such foods, which include spinach, beets, and almonds, obviously raise oxalate levels in the body. However, moderate amounts of low-oxalate foods, such as chocolate and berries, are okay.
3. Enjoy some lemons. Citrate, a salt in citric acid, binds to calcium and helps block stone formation. Studies have shown that drinking ½ cup of lemon juice concentrate diluted in water each day, or the juice of two lemons, can increase urine citrate and likely reduce kidney stone risk, says Dr. Eisner.
4. Watch the sodium. A high-sodium diet can trigger kidney stones because it increases the amount of calcium in your urine. Federal guidelines suggest limiting total daily sodium intake to 2,300 milligrams . If sodium has contributed to kidney stones in the past, try to reduce your daily sodium to 1,500 mg.
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Symptom Of Kidney Stone: Nausea Or Vomiting
If pain is present, you may feel sick as a result. Theres nothing specific about the kidney stones themselves causing it, but when your body is experiencing pain, your nervous system kicks into overdrive.
This can mess with your digestion, leading to symptoms like nausea or vomiting.
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Risks Of The Procedure
You may want to ask your doctor about the amount of radiation used during the procedure and the risks related to your particular situation. It is a good idea to keep a record of your past history of radiation exposure, such as previous scans and other types of X-rays, so that you can inform your doctor. Risks associated with radiation exposure may be related to the cumulative number of X-ray examinations and/or treatments over a long period of time.
Complications of lithotripsy may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Bleeding around the kidney
- Obstruction of the urinary tract by stone fragments
- Stone fragments left that may require more lithotripsies
Contraindications for lithotripsy include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Pregnant patients
- Patients on “blood thinners” or patients with bleeding disorders. Aspirin or other blood thinners must be discontinued for at least 1 week prior to lithotripsy.
- Patients with chronic kidney infection, as some fragments may not pass, so the bacteria will not be completely eliminated from the kidney.
- Patients with obstruction or scar tissue in the ureter, which may prevent stone fragments from passing.
- Patients who require immediate and/or complete clearance of stone material.
- Patients with stones composed of cystine and certain types of calcium, as these stones do not fragment well with lithotripsy
Obesity and intestinal gas may interfere with a lithotripsy procedure.
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How Are Children Treated For Kidney Stones
Most childrens kidney stones can be treated with the shock wave lithotripsy , a completely non-invasive procedure. Your child is placed under anesthesia and sound waves of specific frequencies are focused on the stones to shatter them into fragments small enough to be easily passed during urination.
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Can Kidney Stones Come Back
After the kidney stone has passed or after it is removed, another stone may form. People who have had a kidney stone in the past are more likely to get another stone in the future.
If you have had a kidney stone, talk with your health care professional about your risk of getting another one. Ask your health care professional what steps you can take to lower your risk of getting another kidney stone.
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How To Get Rid Of Kidney Stones
This article was co-authored by Chris M. Matsko, MD. Dr. Chris M. Matsko is a retired physician based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. With over 25 years of medical research experience, Dr. Matsko was awarded the Pittsburgh Cornell University Leadership Award for Excellence. He holds a BS in Nutritional Science from Cornell University and an MD from the Temple University School of Medicine in 2007. Dr. Matsko earned a Research Writing Certification from the American Medical Writers Association in 2016 and a Medical Writing & Editing Certification from the University of Chicago in 2017.There are 27 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article has 18 testimonials from our readers, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 1,709,439 times.
Kidney stones, also known as renal lithiasis or calculi, occur when small mineral crystals form in the kidney. Kidney stones are painful, but you may be able to treat them yourself. However if the pain persists, make sure to see your doctor