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
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.
Prevention Of Future Stones
Once your health care provider finds out why you are forming stones, he or she will give you tips on how to prevent them. This may include changing your diet and taking certain medications. There is no “one-size-fits-all” diet for preventing kidney stones. Everyone is different. Your diet may not be causing your stones to form. But there are dietary changes that you can make to stop stones from continuing to form.
Diet Changes
Drink enough fluids each day.
If you are not producing enough urine, your health care provider will recommend you drink at least 3 liters of liquid each day. This equals about 3 quarts . This is a great way to lower your risk of forming new stones. Remember to drink more to replace fluids lost when you sweat from exercise or in hot weather. All fluids count toward your fluid intake. But it’s best to drink mostly no-calorie or low-calorie drinks. This may mean limiting sugar-sweetened or alcoholic drinks.
Knowing how much you drink during the day can help you understand how much you need to drink to produce 2.5 liters of urine. Use a household measuring cup to measure how much liquid you drink for a day or two. Drink from bottles or cans with the fluid ounces listed on the label. Keep a log, and add up the ounces at the end of the day or 24-hour period. Use this total to be sure you are reaching your daily target urine amount of at least 85 ounces of urine daily.
Reduce the amount of salt in your diet.
Eat the recommended amount of calcium.
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Treating And Preventing Kidney Stones
Most kidney stones are small enough to be passed in your pee, and it may be possible to treat the symptoms at home with medication.
Larger stones may need to be broken up or removed with surgery.
It’s estimated up to half of all people who have had kidney stones will experience them again within the following 5 years.
To avoid getting kidney stones, make sure you drink plenty of water every day so you do not become dehydrated.
It’s very important to keep your urine pale in colour to prevent waste products forming into kidney stones.
The kidneys are 2 bean-shaped organs that are roughly 10cm in length.
They’re located towards the back of the abdomen on either side of the spine.
The kidneys remove waste products from the blood. The clean blood is then transferred back into the body and the waste products are passed out of the body when you pee.
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.
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What Causes Kidney Stones
Waste products in the blood can occasionally form crystals that collect inside the kidneys.
Over time, the crystals may build up to form a hard stone-like lump.
This is more likely to happen if you:
- do not drink enough fluids
- are taking some types of medication
- have a medical condition that raises the levels of certain substances in your urine
After a kidney stone has formed, your body will try to pass it out when you pee.
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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What Causes Blood Clots In Urine
The presence of blood clots in urine, a condition known as hematuria, can indicate a variety of conditions, and patients are advised to see a medical professional to get an official diagnosis and treatment. Kidney stones can cause blood clots to appear in the urine, for example, though stones in the bladder can do the same. Urinary tract issues, such as a urinary tract infection, may also cause this symptom. In some cases, the cause is not a disease but inflammation resulting from an injury, such as falling or being hit in the kidney or bladder. One of the most serious causes of blood in the urine is a tumor in the kidney or bladder.
One of the most common causes of a blood clot passing in the urine is stones in the kidney or bladder. Kidney stones can be difficult to pass and may cause symptoms that include painful urination, pain in the groin, nausea, and vomiting. The resulting urine is often cloudy and orange, red, or pink, depending on the amount of blood in it. Stones can also occur in the bladder, with symptoms that include difficulty urinating despite the urge to do so frequently and abdominal pain. Medical professionals can usually diagnose kidney and bladder stones and may recommend treatment for particularly large stones.
The 4 Stages Of Passing A Kidney Stone
Your kidneys work hard to remove fluid and waste from the body. During this process, kidney stones can sometimes form. Kidney stones are hardened mineral deposits that can form in the urinary tract. They often pass unnoticed or can be extremely painful and require treatment.
This article provides a look at the four main stages of passing a kidney stone.
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Symptoms Of Kidney Stones
Small stones are unlikely to cause you much of a problem. Symptoms dont usually occur until the kidney stone has got to a size where it becomes stuck in either the kidney, ureters or urethra. A stone blocking the ureter can also cause a kidney infection to develop, which can cause a different set of symptoms.
If you have a large stone you may experience:
- Persistent ache in your lower back or groin
- Intense pain that comes in waves in your back, abdomen or groin that can last for several minutes or several hours
- Feeling generally uncomfortable or restless
- Nausea
Symptoms of a kidney infection include:
- A high temperature of 38C or higher
- Chills and shivering
- Cloudy and/ or foul smelling urine
Do Kidney Stones Feel Like You Have To Poop
Do You Poop out Kidney Stones? Is there any connection between urinary system and gastrointestinal system? It is known that the kidney stones are formed in the kidney and removed through the urinary tract either through dissolution or by splitting them in to small particles to ease them out of the body through urine.
I literally looked like a pregnant man I never knew what it was like until I went through it myself, Tovar said. Nevertheless, she lived another 14 years. And now.
Do You Get Gas Pains With Kidney Stones May 02, 2009 · Thank you. I do not understand malabsorbtion or exactly what is causing all of this gas and abdominal pain. I also do not understand why I
Feeling a need to.
bowel disease. Once youve had a kidney stone, theres about a 50% chance that youll have one again within 5 to 10 years if you dont do anything to try and prevent them.
The problem, other than the fact that you have to look into the toilet bowl, is that taking a glance at the color of your pee.
Zoe Whitefield, who comfort ate while caring for her son, lost 12 stone after a warning from her doctor that she was at risk.
Coffee, curry, and salmon can do this too. Asparagus is well known to have a distinctive smell in the urine it contains asparagusic acid, which smells a bit like sulphur. But food isnt the.
Numerous studies have shown.
It is used to treat kidney and bladder stones. It is used to prevent clogs in bladder catheters and tubes. What do.
I dont feel bad or have.
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Why Do I Still Have Pain After Passing A Kidney Stone
Pain after you’ve passed a kidney stone could be due to narrowing of the ureter. This could be related to a buildup of scar tissue or inflammation caused by the kidney stone as it passed through. There could also be a second stone blocking the ureter. Either way, it means you’ll have trouble urinating.
Kidney Stones Can Be Many Different Sizes
You may have heard that passing a kidney stone is just as painful as childbirth and while that may be true in some instances, the pain level depends on the shape and size of the stone.
Kidney stones can be the size of a pea or although rare can grow to the size of a golf ball. The largest kidney stone ever recorded, according to Guinness World Records, was just over 5 inches at its widest point. Although very small stones can pass without you even noticing, the larger they are, the more they usually hurt.
Its estimated that 12% of Americans will develop a kidney stone in their lifetime and the incidence is rising.
Jamal Nabhani, MD
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Who Suffers Major Risk Of This Problem
Kidney stones are also quite common in people who have diabetes or obesity. This disease can also be caused by a genetic condition called cystinuria. Small kidney stones generally do not cause any symptoms, but when it reaches the persons ureter ,it can cause pain and other symptoms. If the kidney stone is small, it will continue from the bladder to the urethra and exit the body through your urine. In most cases, kidney stones pass naturally within 31 to 45 days. If a stone hasnt passed during this duration, its essential to get medical attention.
Causes And Risk Factors
Kidney stones form when certain substances in the urine turn into crystals. These substances are often salts, but uric acid or other minerals sometimes form stones too:
- 80% of people with kidney stones have stones,
- 5 to 10% have uric acid stones, and
- 10% have stones made up of the mineral struvite.
Stones of any other substances are rare.
Usually, these substances are dissolved in the urine. But some medical conditions cause their concentration in the urine to rise, resulting in crystals. For instance, if the parathyroid glands are overactive, the level of in the urine will rise. Gout increases the level of uric acid. Sometimes, but rarely, the excess levels are genetic. This is the case if the stones are made of the amino acid cystine, for example.
Nutrition is a factor too: Some foods, such as rhubarb, contain high levels of oxalic acid. Offal may increase uric acid levels. These higher levels can result in kidney stones. The concentration of substances that can potentially form stones also increases if we don’t drink enough fluids.
One other cause might be a lack of substances that usually prevent the formation of stones in the urine, the main one being citrate. A citrate deficiency may result from chronic diarrhea, for example.
Certain medications can create favorable conditions for kidney stones, too either because they form crystals in the urine themselves or because they change the composition of the urine.
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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?
Do Some Medicines Make Kidney Stones More Likely
Taking certain medicines can make you more prone to making kidney stones. Examples include:
- Some chemotherapy medicines for cancer.
- Some medicines used to treat HIV.
However, many people safely take these medicines without developing kidney stones. If you think that a medicine you are taking is the cause of your kidney stone, you should not stop taking the medicine but discuss it with your doctor.
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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.
More Than One Type Of Stone Exists
There are four major types of kidney stones: calcium, struvite, uric acid and cystine. At around 80% of stones, the calcium type is the most common.
Struvite stones sometimes occur after repeated urinary tract infections. Uric acid stones form when urine is too acidic. Cystine stones, which are the rarest, form due to a genetic disorder.
Calcium and cystine stones are hard, says Jamal Nabhani, MD, a urologist at Keck Medicine of USC and assistant professor of clinical urology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. Struvite stones tend to be softer and larger, sometimes taking up the entire area where urine collects in the kidney. Theyre called staghorn stones, because they can look like bull horns.
Uric acid stones, in particular, can be tricky to diagnose without the right tools. Although uric acid and calcium stones are often similar in appearance, you cant see uric acid stones on an X-ray, Nabhani says. A CT scan is often used for diagnosis.
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Do Kidney Stones Cause Pain While In The Kidney
A kidney stone usually will not cause symptoms until it moves around within your kidney or passes into your ureters the tubes connecting the kidneys and the bladder. If it becomes lodged in the ureters, it may block the flow of urine and cause the kidney to swell and the ureter to spasm, which can be very painful.
Who Is At Risk For Kidney Stones
Anyone may develop a kidney stone, but people with certain diseases and conditions or those who are taking certain medications are more susceptible to their development. Urinary tract stones are more common in men than in women. Most urinary stones develop in people 20 to 49 years of age, and those who are prone to multiple attacks of kidney stones usually develop their first stones during the second or third decade of life. People who have already had more than one kidney stone are prone to developing further stones.
In residents of industrialized countries, kidney stones are more common than stones in the bladder. The opposite is true for residents of developing areas of the world, where bladder stones are the most common. This difference is believed to be related to dietary factors. People who live in the southern or southwestern regions of the U.S. have a higher rate of kidney stone formation, possibly due to inadequate water intake leading to dehydration than those living in other areas. Over the last few decades, the percentage of people with kidney stones in the U.S. has been increasing, most likely related to the obesity epidemic.
A family history of kidney stones is also a risk factor for developing kidney stones. Kidney stones are more common in Asians and Caucasians than in Native Americans, Africans, or African Americans.
Uric acid kidney stones are more common in people with chronically elevated uric acid levels in their blood .
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