What Does A Kidney Stone Feel Like For A Man

What Questions Should I Ask My Healthcare Provider

• Do I have a kidney stone or is there another reason for my symptoms?
• What type of kidney stone do I have?
• What size is my kidney stone?
• Where is my kidney stone located?
• How many kidney stones do I have?
• Do I need treatment or will I be able to pass the kidney stone?
• Should I be tested for kidney disease?
• What changes should I make to my diet?
• What type of procedure should I have to get rid of the stones?

A note from Cleveland Clinic

Kidney stones can be frustrating at best and agonizingly painful at the worst. To stop your situation from getting worse, you should be evaluated by a healthcare provider as soon as possible. The pain can get severe, and surgery might be necessary. Remember: dont skip your prescriptions, drink lots of water and follow any dietary guidelines. Also, remember that kidney stones are a temporary condition. They wont bother you forever.

Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 05/03/2021.

References

Male Signs Of Kidney Stones

• Symptoms and signs of kidney stones in men

Kidney stones are considered as hard collections of minerals and salt that are made up of uric acid and calcium. They are developed inside kidney and are also able to travel up to the other parts of the urinary tract. These stones use to vary in size they can be as small as of one-inch dimension whereas others can grow up to a few inches. The sad truth is that some of these can grow as high as to cover the entire kidney.

Experts reveal that kidney stones are developed when few body minerals get accumulated in urine. It happens when your body gets too dehydrated, and concentration of minerals reaches a higher level in urine. More minerals have the ability to form a stone in the kidney. As per some recent stats, at least one out of 11 people is suffering from kidney stones in the United States and this disease is common in men, especially those who are suffering from diabetes or are obese.

Medical health experts reveal that presence of smaller kidney stones in kidney does not cause any major symptom. A person starts noticing some trouble only when the stones move to the ureter, a tube that helps urine to travel from kidney to bladder in your body. Kidney stones are very painful generally, most of these stones come out of the body without any special treatment, but the larger ones are required to be broken up and removed with medicinal procedures.

Is It Time To See A Doctor

You should see your doctor for kidney stones if you experience any of the following symptoms:

• Persistent pain that doesnt go away with the use of over-the-counter pain medications

• Pain that leads to nausea or vomiting

• Fever and chills

• Blood in the urine

• Difficulty urinating and/or pain while urinating

Your doctor will ask about your symptoms and may run diagnostic tests, such as a CT scan, to diagnose kidney stones and determine the size and location of the stones.

Your doctor also may prescribe medications to help the stone pass or ease the pain and other symptoms while you wait for it to pass naturally. In some cases, your doctor may recommend surgery to remove the stone, particularly if it is too large to pass naturally, or if its blocking the urine flow.

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Causes Of Kidney Stone Symptoms

Kidney stones themselves do not cause symptoms. What does onset the kidney stone symptomatology is their size or any complication they cause. For example, symptoms of kidney stones become present if an infection occurs, if the stones are travelling through the urinary tract system, or if they are blocking an area of the urinary system.

The location of the stone within the urinary system can play a role in symptoms, which explains the wide areas where pain can be experienced.

Sometimes, pain can last for hours and other attacks may only last for minutes. This variation in intensity is also related to where the stones are located.

Diagnosis Of Kidney Stones

When you have kidney stone symptoms, as described above, see your health care provider. Shell check your medical history, give you a physical examination, and order imaging tests, as needed.

Your doctor may ask you to drink extra fluid to help flush out the stone. By straining your urine, you may be able to save a piece of the stone. This will enable your doctor to determine the type of stone, what may be causing the condition, and how to reduce your risk of recurring stones.

If your stone doesnt flush out, your doctor may order a high-resolution CT scan from the kidneys to the bladder or a KUB X-ray to determine the size and location of the stone.

Another test used for some patients is the intravenous pyelogram , an X-ray of the urinary tract taken after injecting dye.

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Kidney Stone Symptoms And Early Warning Signs In Men Women And Children

Written byDr. Victor MarchionePublished onMarch 24, 2016

Kidney stones are stone-like formations within one or both kidneys and kidney stone symptoms are important to recognize in order to get treatment right away. Kidney stone symptoms have been described as being one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. Kidney stones dont only affect the kidneys in fact, they can affect the entire urinary system.

If small enough, kidney stones can easily pass through the urinary tract seemingly painless. But if too large, surgery may be required to help break them down. In many cases, a kidney stone can block a part of the urinary tract, causing pain and even urinary tract infections .

Checking For Kidney Stones In The Emergency Department

First, the emergency doctor will give you medicine to help stop your pain. The medicine may be given by mouth. Or, it may be given through an intravenous needle placed in a vein in your arm. You may also be given medicine to help stop your nausea and vomiting. If you are dehydrated from vomiting, you may be given liquids through an IV tube.

Next, the emergency doctor will talk with you about your symptoms and medical history. If the emergency doctor thinks you might have a kidney stone, several tests may be done.

These may include:

• Urine Tests: To check for blood or mineral crystals in your urine or for signs of infection.
• Blood Tests: To check the health of your kidneys and for signs of a kidney or blood infection.
• Imaging Tests: To check for kidney stones in your urinary tract . Imaging tests may include a CT scan or an ultrasound.

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What Are The Most Common Types Of Kidney Stones

The most common type of kidney stone is a calcium oxalate stone. This type happens when calcium and oxalate combine in your urine. It can happen when you have high quantities of oxalate, low amounts of calcium and arent drinking enough fluids.

Stones caused by uric acid are also fairly common. These come from a natural substance called purine, which is a byproduct of animal proteins .

Are There Any Foods Or Drinks That Help Treat Kidney Stones Are There Any Home Remedies

There are three liquids rumored to help with kidney stones:

• Cranberry juice. Although cranberry juice can help prevent urinary tract infections , it doesnt help with kidney stones.
• Apple cider vinegar. Vinegar is acidic and it can sometimes create changes to your urine, which helps with kidney stones. But, this doesnt always help. Talk to your healthcare provider about the use of vinegar.
• Lemon juice. Lemon juice is rich in citrate, which can help prevent kidney stones from forming. Citrates are found in several citrus fruits including lemons, limes, oranges and melons.
• Coffee. Studies show that coffee may decrease your risk of developing kidney stones.

Avoid soda and other drinks with added sugar or fructose corn syrup. They increase your risk.

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Finding Relief From Kidney Stone Pain

Not all kidney stones require medical intervention. The smallest stones may pass without you even knowing, but medium-sized stones may cause pain thats often easy to manage with pain medication and drinking plenty of water.

Stones that are about 4mm or larger may need professional care, so they dont get lodged in your urinary tract and cause health complications. Our team offers a number of treatment options for larger stones, including extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy and surgery.

Talk to our doctors to learn more about kidney stones and the treatment thats right for you. Call the office nearest you, book online, or send our team a message today.

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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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Fever And Chills Along With Your Back Pain

This could also mean that you have a urinary tract infection.

If you have any of these symptoms, along with your back pain, you should call your doctor right away.

If your pain is unbearable, is associated with fevers or chills, or you have nausea and vomiting that is preventing you from keeping down fluids or medications, you should seek immediate medical attention, Nguyen says.

Are you concerned about kidney stones? The experts at Keck Medicine can help guide you. If you are in the Los Angeles area, schedule an appointment with a urology specialist or call .

How Are Back Pain And Nausea Treated

Treatments for back pain and nausea will address the underlying condition. Anti-nausea medications can help the immediate symptoms subside. Examples include dolasetron and granisetron . You can take either of these medications while youre pregnant. If your back pain doesnt subside with rest and medical treatments, your doctor may evaluate you for a more serious injury.

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Its Easy To Get The Care You Need

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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.

Causes Of Kidney Stones

The most common cause of kidney stones isdehydration. Youre not drinking enough water to dilute the concentration of minerals in your urine . Recommended water consumption is about two liters or half a gallon of water a day.

Water is the best fluid to drink in order to prevent kidney stones, Dr. Abromowitz explains. But water from a well is very high in solutes, which increases your chance of kidney stones. So i f you’re drinking well water, you ought to have a purification system on it. Every year I see patients who develop a kidney stone for this reason.

Other kidney stone risk factors include:

• Too little or too much exercise
• Being overweight
• Eating food with excess salt, sugar, and animal protein
• Weight loss surgery
• Kidney infections. Infections increase the risk of kidney stones by slowing urine flow or changing the acid balance of urine.
• Family history of kidney stones
• Some drugs used to treat AIDS, seizures, and migraines can cause kidney stones.

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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.

Symptoms And Signs Of Kidney Stones In Men

Pain in the belly, back, and side:

Patients report too much discomfort due to a kidney stone. The pain caused by this medical health condition is named as renal colic, and it is listed as one of the most unbearable pains for humans. You can compare this pain almost equal to the pain that a mother faces at the time of childbirth or when a person is stabbed with a knife. Around 1 million patients are moved to an emergency ward in the hospital every year due to this intense pain.

This pain usually starts when stone starts moving into narrow ureter it leads to some blockage and generates unwanted pressure in the kidney area. This pressure activates various nerve fibers that are responsible for transmitting pain signals to the brain. Kidney stone pain can rise at any time, and it keeps on shifting its location as well as intensity as per movement of stone inside the body. Some patients also report a wavy pattern of this pain as sometimes it lasts for few minutes, disappears and then returns. This pain can be felt at the back, side, and right below the rib area. When the stones start moving in the urinary tract, the pain may also radiate in the groin and belly area. The severity of this pain depends upon the size of the stone, and the treatment must be applied accordingly.

Burning sensation or pain during urination:

Need to go bathroom frequently:

Noticing blood in urine:

Cloudy or smelly urine:

Disturbed flow of urine:

Nausea and Vomiting:

Inability to sit normally:

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Is Milk Good For Kidney Stones

Yes. Calcium-rich foods such as milk, yogurt, and some cheese and oxalate-rich foods are beneficial for preventing kidney stones. This is because oxalate and calcium from the foods are more likely to bind to one another in the stomach and intestines before entering the kidneys, make it less likely that kidney stones will form.

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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Urge To Urinate Or Frequent Urination

Sometimes people with kidney stones feel like they need to peea lot. This symptom depends on where the stone is located. Stones that are close to the bladder will have a lot of bladder symptoms: frequency, urgency, needing to get to the bathroom quickly, and going small amounts, Dr. Pearle notes.

The reason? Stones irritate the walls of the bladder and that manifests as the bladder contracting, she says, which makes you feel like youve gotta go.

If not a lot of pee comes out, you might think youre having trouble passing urine. But those bladder contractions can occur even if your bladder is empty, Dr. Peale explains. Unless the stone is actually in the urethra, there shouldnt really be trouble urinating, she says. You should always be making urine.

What Causes Kidney Stones

Kidney helps to regulate different fluids, salts, minerals and many other substances in different parts of the body. When these compounds suffer imbalance, they form kidney stones. Studies reveal that men can suffer from four different types of kidney stones and each one of them is made up of a different substance. Cystine and urine acid and the two common compounds that are responsible for the formation of kidney stones. Few major factors leading to the development of kidney stones include family history, dehydration, genetics and impact of the certain medical condition. If anyone in your family has already suffered because of kidney stones, the risk of disease increases on other members as well.

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Hydration Is Keyboth For Passing And Prevention

Staying hydrated while passing kidney stones is crucial. Kidney stones need to be flushed out of the body, and drinking lots of fluids will help move them along. Water is best , and there are a few liquids that should be avoided while passing a kidney stone.

You should do your best to eliminate alcohol, coffee, tea and soda during this time. Do your best to drink as much water as possible. Dehydrating fluids like alcohol and coffee will not help you pass your kidney stones and may make the pain worse.

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