Kidney Problems And Stones
Pain indicating kidney problems is usually felt in the lower back to the right and left portion of your spine. You may also feel pain above your hips. Many patients describe the pain as severe and occurring in waves. Delayed pain follows exercises such as side bends and front bends. When you feel this kind of pain, it’s a sign you may have a kidney infection or another kidney-related condition, including kidney stones.
Although kidney stones often pass through the body on their own, large stones can require medical intervention. Other symptoms of kidney stones include nausea and vomiting, difficulty urinating, urine discoloration pink, red or brown and a persistent urge to urinate.
Read more:Kidney Symptoms: Flank and Back Pain
What Causes Kidney Malfunction
A major culprit of kidney problems is an acidic diet . A brand-new study sheds light on the renal problems that can be caused by a high-acid, meat-rich diet.
The study followed 1,500 people with kidney disease for a period of 14 years. Participants who ate a diet high in meat came very close to experiencing complete kidney failure, while those who ate more fruits and vegetables did not even come close to kidney failure. Researchers estimate that an acidic diet can make it three times more likely for your kidneys to fail.1
Says lead study author Dr. Tanushree Banejee,
Patients with chronic kidney disease may want to pay more attention to diet consumption of acid rich foods to reduce progression to kidney failuredialysis treatmentsmay be avoided by adopting a more healthy diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables.1
Swelling In Hands Or Feet
Why this happens:
Failing kidneys don’t remove extra fluid, which builds up in your body causing swelling in the legs, ankles, feet, and/or hands.
What patients said:
I remember a lot of swelling in my ankles. My ankles were so big I couldn’t get my shoes on.
Going to work one morning, my left ankle was swollen, real swollen, and I was very exhausted just walking to the bus stop. And I knew then that I had to see a doctor.
You May Like: What Laxatives Are Safe For Kidney Disease
Healing Diets For Detoxing
For a few years, I put all of my efforts into trying to heal my body through a so-called perfect diet. Ive done AIP, Whole 30/Paleo, and GAPS. I was egg-free for 9 months , and Im already gluten-free due to Celiac.
Did they help? Short answer: not really.
None of those types of diets are inherently bad . They are full of nutrient-dense, healing, wonderful foods while restricting certain others believed to be more difficult to digest, causing inflammation, and thus ill health.
However, after years of personal experience with various dietary restrictions, I can safely say I strongly believe that some people really dont necessarily need to cut that many foods out of their diet to see their health improve, despite the advocates of these diets presenting them as a non-negotiable for true healing. Can they be helpful for some people? Absolutely, yes. Would I still consider using them for certain situations? Depending on the issue probably. But they arent the entire story.
Lets remember the goal here: holistic health.
Holistic health means taking the whole person into account, and matching that with a multi-faceted approach to wellbeing.
Lets be honest here if focusing on pharmaceuticals and bandaid solutions is antithetical to holistic health, then so is focusing solely on diet.
Also restrictive eating can be super stressful, and while yes, absolutely certain foods can be triggers for eczema, guess what else is a trigger too: stress!
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
Read Also: Carbonated Water Kidney Stones
What Is Kidney Pain
Kidney pain is discomfort that comes from the area where your kidneys are. It’s often described as a dull ache, you feel in your sides, back, or belly. But pain in these areas isn’t always a sign of a kidney issue. It’s easy to mistake kidney pain for ordinary back pain. But there are some differences in how kidney pain feels and where it’s located compared to back pain.
Kidney pain has many possible causes, and some could be serious. It’s important to let your doctor know if you notice pain that you think may be coming from one or both of these organs.
Where are your kidneys?
Your kidneys are two small organs shaped like beans. You have one on each side of your body. They’re each about the size of your fist. They’re below your rib cage on both sides of your spinal cord.
Your kidneys have important jobs. They clean out water, acids, and waste from your blood. They make urine so your body flushes out the waste. If they’re diseased or damaged in some way, they can’t do their work to maintain a healthy balance of salts, minerals like calcium, and water in your blood.
Your kidneys also make hormones that help you manage your blood pressure, keep your bones strong, and make red blood cells.
So it’s important to watch for any signs of kidney disease or damage, like pain.
Rule Out Nerve Conditions
Back pain in the area of your kidneys can be felt when nerves in the area are pinched or compressed. When nerves are damaged or injured, you will feel pain, discomfort, numbness and tingling sensations. You may also experience limited range of motion or your lower back may be sore for several days.
The compression in the spine can impinge on the nerves, thereby triggering pain and discomfort. If left untreated, nerve compression that is severe or lasts for a long period of time can lead to permanent numbness and muscle weakness. Avoid any exercise that makes the back pain worse.
Read Also: Is Wine Bad For Kidney Stones
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, it’s alarming to me. It just fears me. I think maybe I might fall or something so I usually go sit down for awhile.
I couldn’t sleep at night. I couldn’t catch my breath, like I was drowning or something. And, the bloating, can’t breathe, can’t walk anywhere. It was bad.
What Health Problems Can People With Kidney Disease Develop
Kidney disease can lead to other health problems. Your health care team will work with you to help you avoid or manage:
High blood pressure. High blood pressure can be both a cause and a result of kidney disease. High blood pressure damages your kidneys, and damaged kidneys dont work as well to help control your blood pressure. With kidney failure, your kidneys cant get rid of extra water. Taking in too much water can cause swelling, raise your blood pressure, and make your heart work harder.
Blood pressure-lowering medicines, limiting sodium and fluids in your diet, staying physically active, managing stress, and quitting smoking can help you control your blood pressure.
Heart disease. Kidney disease and heart disease share two of the same main causes: diabetes and high blood pressure. People with kidney disease are at high risk for heart disease, and people with heart disease are at high risk for kidney disease.
The steps that you take to manage your kidney disease, blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood glucose will also help you prevent heart attacks or strokes.
Anemia. When kidneys are damaged, they dont make enough erythropoietin , a hormone that helps make red blood cells. Red blood cells carry oxygen from your lungs to other parts of your body. When you have anemia, some organssuch as your brain and heartmay get less oxygen than they need and may not function as well as they should. Anemia can make you feel weak and lack energy.
Also Check: Are Almonds Bad For Kidneys
Renal Tumors Or Cysts
Renal tumors or cysts do not typically cause pain unless the growth is advanced or the disbursement is extensive. The three most common growth abnormalities include:
- Renal adenoma: A type of benign tumor that can grow to a substantial size
- Renal cell carcinoma : A type of cancer that usually begins in the tubules of the kidneys
- Polycystic kidney disease : An inherited disorder in which benign, fluid-filled cysts proliferate throughout the kidneys
The pain would most often be unilateral and accompanied by hematuria, either visible or invisible .
If cancer is involved, persistent malaise and unexplained weight loss are telltale signs suggestive of an advanced malignancy.
PKD may also be symptom-free until such time as the formation of cysts causes structural damage to the kidney. In addition to flank pain, usually bilateral, PKD may cause progressively worsening symptoms, including headaches, high blood pressure, hematuria, abdominal pain and swelling, recurrent kidney stones, recurrent UTIs, and renal failure.
As opposed to many of the other renal conditions, PKD is associated with excessive urination rather than impaired urination. The most common form of PKD, known as autosomal dominant PKD, manifests with symptoms when patients are in their 30s and 40s. Around 10% will advance to renal failure.
Common Causes Of Kidney Pain
There are a few well-known factors that can lead to discomfort in the kidneys, and especially after eating. Preventing these conditions completely is not possible, but you can take certain measures in order to reduce their intensity and frequency. Once the pain starts appearing regularly, you must take some curative action in order to ease your suffering. Failure to do so could even lead to kidney failure.
- Kidney stones are the most common cause of pain in the mornings, and this implies a condition where a small particle of concentrated minerals gets stuck in the tube that connects the kidney to the bladder. This results in the blockage of urine which swells up the kidney, and thus causes tremendous pain, especially while passing urine.
- Kidney infection is also something that plagues many people around the world, and this causes the inflammation of the tissues inside the kidney. The resulting pain is quite severe and intense.
- Bleeding in the kidney can also cause severe pain from time to time.
- Kidney cancer, polycystic kidney disease, arteriosclerosis, blocked urine flow, and bladder or ureteral spasms can also cause a great degree of pain in the kidneys of individuals.
Don’t Miss: Wine For Kidney Stones
Avoid Stomach Pain When Drinking Water
When you experience stomach spasms after drinking water, there are a few things you can do. It is important to consider the possibility of an underlying health condition.
If there is a medical condition causing stomach pain, then you should visit a doctor. This allows the healthcare provider to perform a few tests. When the doctor diagnoses you with a condition, then they can provide appropriate treatments.
This is especially important if you experience stomach pain and diarrhea after drinking water. The same applies to cases where you have a burning sensation that accompanies the pain.
In addition to getting a condition diagnosed, there are a few simple remedies you can try at home. Here are a few of the remedies that you can try:
- Take a closer look at your diet. If you enjoy eating a lot of spicy food, then this can irritate the lining of your stomach.
- Reduce the consumption of heavily processed foods. This limits irritation in your digestive tract.
- Consider drinking warm water. The water should not be boiling hot. Lukewarm water is best. This does not only reduce the risk of stomach pain after drinking water, but also allows your body to absorb the liquids faster.
- It is also important to consider the source of the water you drink. Contamination is commonly reported in tap water. Test your water frequently to check for the presence of contaminants. It is a good idea to get a water filter.
So Now Is The Time To Pamper Your Kidneys
If youre experiencing any of the symptoms mentioned above, you should see your health practitioner and have a check-up, including tests to assess your kidney function.
And you should also make sure youre helping your kidneys stay in top shape by doing a thorough cleanse.
Even if you dont have any of these signs, a systemic cleanse is like a spa day for your kidneys. It helps them get in top shape and avoid damage and disease. This is why OsteoCleanse, The 7 Day Bone Building Accelerator was developed in conjunction with the Osteoporosis Reversal Program.
OsteoCleanse is not just about alkalizing your body, feeling younger and more energized, and removing osteoporosis drugs from your system. It does all of these things in just seven days, but at the heart of OsteoCleanses effectiveness are its kidney-boosting, liver-cleansing effects so youll strengthen and build your bones faster.
Its always a good idea to heed early warning signs and treat your kidneys to a cleanse before damage occurs, and its particularly important to offset the effects of aging on your renal system.
Also Check: Is Oatmeal Good For Renal Diet
Feeling Faint Dizzy Or Weak
Why this happens:
Anemia related to kidney failure means that your brain is not getting enough oxygen. This can lead to feeling faint, dizzy, or weak.
What patients said:
I was always tired and dizzy.
It got to the point, like, I used to be at work, and all of the sudden I’d start getting dizzy. So I was thinking maybe it was my blood pressure or else diabetes was going bad. That’s what was on my mind.
Not Drinking Enough Water
Staying well hydrated helps your kidneys clear sodium and toxins from the body. Drinking plenty of water is also one of the best ways to avoid painful kidney stones. Those with kidney problems or kidney failure may need to restrict their fluid intake, but for most people, drinking 1.5 to 2 liters of water per day is a healthy target.
Dont Miss: Can Grape Juice Change Urine Color
Read Also: Carbonation And Kidney Stones
Food Tastes Like Metal
Why this happens:
A build-up of wastes in the blood can make food taste different and cause bad breath. You may also notice that you stop liking to eat meat, or that you are losing weight because you just don’t feel like eating.
What patients said:
Foul taste in your mouth. Almost like you’re drinking iron.
I don’t have the appetite I had before I started dialysis, I must have lost about 10 pounds.
When To See A Healthcare Provider
People will often assume that sudden flank pain is caused by a pulled muscle or overexertion, and, in many cases, it will be.
If the pain persists, worsens, or is accompanied by urinary symptoms or signs of infections, you should see your healthcare provider as soon as possible. This is especially true if you are experiencing high fever, chills, vomiting, or the inability to urinate.
Even if a kidney infection is mild, it can sometimes progress and lead to bacteremia if left untreated. This is a condition in which a local bacterial infection âspills overâ over into the bloodstream, causing systemic and potentially life-threatening symptoms, including irregular body temperatures, disruptions in breathing, a severe drop in blood pressure, and shock.
Given that acute pyelonephritis can strike in as little as two days, a rapid response is essential.
The same applies if you experience a dull but persistent pain alongside uncommon symptoms such as painful urination, chronic fatigue, or unexplained weight loss. None of these should be considered normal, and you shouldnât wait until there is visible blood in urine to seek care.
If you are pregnant, don’t assume that persistent back pain is pregnancy-related. Be cognizant if there is a dull ache across your lower back or along the sides of your back between the ribs and hips. If accompanied by symptoms of infection or changes in urination, call your healthcare provider immediately.
Recommended Reading: Can Kidney Stones Cause Constipation And Bloating