Kidney Stone Questions Please Help!!!!

Hi layla,

when you say 3 cm, I think you mean 3mm, there is no way possible anyone living could pass a 3cm stone and if your stone is that big then your doctor lied to you.

Call your doctor and find out if it was cm or mm.

I had a 6mm stone that had to be blasted because it was too big to pass.

If you get the procedure done which is eswl, there is pain involved, but this is only a procedure, not surgery, so there is no healing time, I was up and at it the next day with a little pain in my kidney.

The tube they stick in your ureter is a stent, and I had one of them, and I told my urologist, no more, and she abided by my wishes. It is the stent that causes more pain and uncomfortableness than anything.

If you happen to find out what kind of stones you form, which you can only find out by passing them, you will have to follow a specific diet depending on which ones you form

when you get more information on this, please get back with me I have calcium oxalate stones which I have to stay away from foods that have oxalate in them, not so much the calcium, especially if you are a woman, we need our calcium

jc :wink:

Yeah im sorry I meant to put 3 mm. How long did you have yours before they decided to do the procedure. Because I have had mine for about 2 1/2 months now, and about once a week I end up having to go to the hospital because im in so much pain and every time they send me home with stronger pain medicine. Thanks for reply to my question I now have an idea what the procedure is like if I have to have it, because my docters told me nothing but they zap it with a laser. But anyways my bad on putting 3 cm lol.......That is huge

Layla with a 3mm stone you have about an 80% chance of passing it without any medical intervention. The tube you mentioned is called a stent and yes it is painful. But the only time they place it in your ureters (the narrow tubes connecting the kidneys and the bladder) is when your stone totally plugs the kidneys and they swell up.

In your case he just wants to make sure you dont have an infection. Remember, stones can grow fast so try to do 2 things: take a lot of citrate -like lemons, have natural sources of calcium and avoid oxalates. I doubt you have a uric acid stone as they are less that 15% of all stones.

Oxalate foods to avoid include spinach, rhubarb, beets, chocolate, any sodas, teas, etc. If you want you can drink coffee.

Lastly I would suggest you do a lot a jumping and jogging as a stone that size needs a little help squeezing through. Once it passes, you need to mainatin a calculi flushing diet for a few days so that none remain behind to form more stones.

I hope that helps....

I just wanted to say thanks for replying to me but unfortantualy I had surgery this morning to get it removed. It was odd that it didnt pass on its own even the docters were baffled by it but they took it out because it caused severe pain on a daily basis. Also the next part that sucks is they did put a stint in because they said even though they pulled the stone out the uretha or whatever swells and it is hard for urine to get through... So unfortuantly i'll have it in untill next wensday... But hopefully they dont tell me not to eat chocolate!!!!!!I'll die...Hahahaha! But anyways thanks for they reply it helped me now alot more about this just incase there is a next time.........
Layla21386

Layla.

I know exactly how you feel girl. I also have a kidney stone right now which is actually my 2nd one. My first one passed a couple of years ago but at the time I had 2 at the same time, when the one passed I was in screaming pain for 2 straight hours and was rushed to the hospital, they put me on meds and stuff...luckily, it passed within those 2 hours and I think it was about 2 or 3 mm

And then I started feeling the kidney stone pain again last Tuesday and hasn't stopped...Tuesday night around midnight my fiance had to take me to the E.R. because it was hurting REALLY bad they gave me a full bag of meds and took xrays, turns out I have a 3 mm stone they sent me home with meds and told me to drink lots of fluids. So I've been doing that but nothing has passed yet. I've been peeing like crazy this morning though.

This time around, the pain is painful but not as bad as the first time, now I am not sure if it's cause Im used to the pain from the first one or if it's because it hasn't been in my urinary tube yet lol...I can't wait till it passes though...I start my new job on Tuesday =[

But being it's been about a few days since I was in the hospital I might have to have surgery but idk. How long do you normally wait before they would have to do surgery?

sry to hear that you have had to deal with this to, I had to get emergency surgery due to a kidney stone that was 6 CM that was stuck in my ureter just on sunday it can happen and it can also be CM if you have any ques please feel free to contact me-Kelli

Xmas this year I was making my pies and as soon as they were done I took them out and at 2:30 AM than it hit me like a TON OF BRICKS..Pain so bad and nausea,I was fine up till than, so my husband took me to Hospital ER at 6:00 am and they took a CATSCAN and found my kidney stone, so they told me they can put a stent in and they say they need to do surgery on me. They made an appointment for 12/31 they say that they need to laser it because it is so big..My concern is is this type of surgery dangerous or not..PLEASE HELP

So sorryto hear you are having kidney stones, thay are nasty. I've had many and still get them.

The type of surgery I believe you are talking about is lithrotripsy. They crush the stones with this type of procedure. Afterwords you will be passing pieces of the stones that were crushed and will need to drink plenty of fluids to keep passing them.
Good luck and Best wishes

Hi. I too have a kidney stone. Mine is 3mm. I passed it out of my left kidney on Dec 1st. Today is Jan 16th and I still have the darn stone. It is lodged in my left ureter. GRRR..I have postpone surgery twice now. I am afraid of the surgery and the stent!!! I started taking Uriflow a week ago. I am hopeful that it will do what it promises and I will pass this darn stone. I go for a 2nd opinion on the 28th.

Anyone else tried Uriflow?

Any suggestions on how to get this darn thing out of me?

Thanks!

Hi mom2a

I am very sorry you have a stone. I've never tried Uriflow.

Did your urologist mention if your kidney is developing hydronephrosis from the stone being lodged? If this is happening it is important to get that stone out.

Drink plenty of fluids to help flush the stone out, be careful because if your kidney is obstructed drinking more fluids will make the kidney pain worse. It's a catch 22!!

Please let me know how you are doing.

Take Care

Hi. Thanks! My urologist hasn't said much other than 'have surgery'. I am not real happy with him, thus the delay in surgery and 2nd opinion. I am feeling better the past couple of days. At first when I would drink a lot my back would hurt, but now it does not. I don't know if I feel better because of the uriflow. ?? So far, no passage of the stove or gravel.



I'll keep ya posted! I am praying that I can either pass the stone or some gravel or at least feel comfortable with surgery after my next appt with the new urologist on the 28th.

Tress

Hi Tress

Glad you are feeling better. Are you using a strainer when you urinate to catch the stone? If you don't have one you can get one at any home improvement store. I use a paint strainer. I get way to many of those buggers.

Have you ever had stones before? Make sure the doctor gets it so he can check it to see what type of stones you are making.

Best of Luck


BTW I can understand about the doctor, I've switched doctors also. You need to be comfortable with your doctor but please don't suffer in pain.
I had to bite the bullet a few times and return to my old urologist until my new doctor was able to see me.

Hiya. Yup, been using a strainer since I saw my regular doctor on Dec 3rd after the ER visit on the 1st. My doctor was shocked that I wasn't sent home with one from the ER!

I've had this darn thing since Dec 1st. I am soo tired of seeing nothing but clear in the strainer. Seems like I will NEVER pass anything. Saturday will be 7 weeks!

Thanks!

Tress

I really can sympathize with you.

Hang in there.

This has been a most helpful forum! I passed a stone about 5 years ago...worst pain I've ever experienced in my life (worse than apendicitis and even worse than the gallstones I had). The recent drama started with the flank pain that ended up being diagnosed as gallstones. I had the gall bladder removed (cholecystectomy)but was still getting pain that radiated front to back. Another CT showed I had 2 stones in each kidney. I was sent to a urologist who did a contrast CT and told me that the stones are only about 2mm each. He claims that they cannot be causing the constant flank/kidney pain I am enduring. I finally passed on of them from my left side about 5 weeks ago...it was twice the size of the one I passed 5 years ago but looked the same....like a piece of cracked peppercorn. Since I finally passed it, I was able to get it to the urologist for analysis. I also had to do the 24 hour urine collection. I was supposed to see him again this past Thursday, but it was postponed until next Thursday, so I am still not sure what type of stone I have. I've been surfing to find pics and found a site that shows a HUGE variety of stone types with the picture (link: http://www.herringl ab.com/photos/index.html) So much for there only being 5 types of stones!

My health insurance company is like most...a pain in the ... to deal with so I have not found another doctor I can see. Since I have been joining forums and seeing that most everyone has the pain, I am really P-O'd at my urologist for his comment that my stones cannot be causing the pain until they pass. BTW: the one I did just pass finally...the pain from that made the one five years ago feel like a mosquito bite in comparison!!! And I still have three more to go? The doc also seems to think there is nothing he can do for me because my stones are so small. I've been flooding my body with liquids...granted i still drink soda, but try to stay away from dark ones (cola, root beer, etc) and I normally drink 7-Up because its "all natural" ingredients. But since my Gall Bladder sureger, I cannot be sure whether all the pain is the stones, or if some of it is intestinal. I also had Hepatitis-C recently. After a TWO YEAR (as opposed to 6 - 12 months) regimen of massive doses of interferon, I was finally "cured" (according to the liver disease specialist) I passed my 6-month's after treatment with no sign of disease, but I am beginning to think the treatment for that caused the gall stones, and god only knows what it did to my kidneys. From all of my research regarding diet, with both the missing gallbladder and now the kidney stones, I fear I am going to be stuck on a white rice and water diet the rest of my life! I haven't had a solid BM since the gall bladder removal...I find out that is due to my liver not being able to pass bile to a non-existent gall bladder so it goes directly into the intestinal tract now.

Also, regarding the kidney situation, besides the pain, I have also had frothy/foamy urine for months now. I've been reading that is caused by too high of protein levels. My liver doc told me I have elevated red-blood cell count which also can be caused by too high of protein levels. My urologist told me i have no kidney infections and no UTI's, so i just don't know what to think! I've been reading forums where people have been dealing with the kidney pain for over 10 years with no passing of stones and no relief! I've already gone over 3 months since the 4 stones were detected and have only passed one of them. I can't even imagine going through that pain again! Is there anything that I can take that might help dissove them a bit before they pass?? does anyone else have any other suggestions?

I would strongly suggest getting another urologist, I know insurance companies are a pain in the butt. Many problems can arise from kidney stones if left untreated and not passed.
Sometimes they can lodge in the kidneys, ureters and/or bladder.
I have been dealing with stones for over 25 years now. Mine started in my early teens. The doctors didn't believe I had stones then well I did.
I can say they are worse than childbirth.

If you get a lot of pain the other option go to the ER and they can refer you to another urologist.
Don't let the insurance company jerk you around, kidney stones are serious, I've heard of people losing a kidney from stones.

Keep us posted..

I just wanted to post something as I have had kidney stones for 15 years now and have passed many. But the thing that I still don't understand that everytime I get one I go to my Uro doctor and he tells me that it is only 2mm and still in my kidney. So I can't be having pain. But I have had Lithropy done and then the pain would go away. Now I have 2 stones in one kidney and one in the other and they won't do anything for me. I would like to scream. As the pain in really bad and I wish I could just take a knife and cut it out myself. I wouldn't but just want to let you know how much it hurts. So does anyone else have pain from a small stone and it is still in their kidney?

Everything you are both are going through is "normal" for kidney stone pain.
I don't know if the doctors ever explained to you what a stone looks like under a microscope.
Imagine a tip of a pencil the lead part now added pieces of glass to that.
That is what stone looks like, so you can imagine as we all have what they feel like.

When they are moving around these stones even 2mm ones are cutting/scraping the insides of the kidney from bouncing around in there like a game of ping pong.
When it's passing through the ureter imagine a thin straw and this same piece of stone I described to you. When that passes the ureter its is cutting up the ureter because the ureters are not made for sharp objects (stones) to pass, they can pass and many do pass on their own BUT they are VERY painful.
Then it will finally make it's way into the bladder were it will move around until works it's way out the urethra, and then it's a big sigh of relief..that one is gone.

There is also a condition known as renal colic in which people with stone get and people without stones get...it's when the kidney spasms like a bad muscle spasms but much worse.
Stones form crystals on them which are the jagged pieces similar to glass.

I have switched urologist due to many problems, not from stones but the main one he did an operation me and it failed, causing me a lot more problems.

Do your homework with any doctors, hospitals, etc...It's our health and we only have one life.

I know that pain Hearly of wanting to take a knife and cut it out, I've said I want to do the same so many times.

Unfortunately,I have learned all this first hand along with so many other health problems.
Also, as you know when you get a stones the chances of getting more are very high, they are also hereditary. We unfortunate;y passed them to our child.
He was 12 and had 3 at once, which the ER and doctors were blown away with.

As I mentioned in my previous post this can be serious if left untreated.
The stones can continue to form crystals on them which would make them get bigger.
Keep drinking fluids, but if the pain gets too unbearable from pushing the fluids get to the ER, ASAP...this can indicate the stone is obstructing the kidney/ bladder from emptying and you will then need it removed thru litho or other means.

There are many things we eat that can cause kidney stones, but there are the few of us who just make them, it's crazy.
I passed over 5 stones over New Year's Eve week...what a way to bring in the New Year..LOL

If I can be of any help please ask.

wow, thanks, why do the doctors alsways tell you that if there is't any blood in the urine then it can't be a stone. I also have kindey failure. I have 27% kidney function and they can't tell me why. Does your side ever feel swollen?