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Anyone ever have them?
Any tips? Prevention? Treatment?
Please don’t just copy and paste from the medical forums. Looking for real life experiences with this.
Thanks.
i had a pt w/ gallstones… not gonna be much of a help though. sorry.
off hand i remember from class drink lots of fluids, hope it passes on its own.
Yup – been there done that. First time was probably about 12 or 13 yrs. ago. Did not have the typical pain just some discomfort and other symptoms so it took them 8 months to figure it out. The stones were too big to pass so I had a lithotripsy (not sure of spelling) done. That’s were they sedate you and lower you into a pool of water. They then shoot laser beams at the site where the stones are. This crushes them up to make it easier to pass. It was after I got home that i experienced the PAIN. But I’m here to tell the story- B”H. I then had the same thing a year and half later. Same treatment also.
Prevention depends on what kind of stones they are. Though drinking a lot – especially water – is good, i believe, in preventing most stones.
Since you asked, i’m assuming you have them? if you do, refuah shelayma.
I had one once. The most excruciating pain I’d ever had, and that includes having a heart attack several years previously. I went to the ER, the doc gave me some great drugs, and I basically fell asleep for 8 hours. I woke up, and eventually left. Never did feel the stone passing out; the doctor said that perhaps it broke up on its own.
As far as prevention, they told me to drink – a lot.
B”H I’ve not had a recurrence.
Honestly, there is nothing that will ease the pain besides for pain-killers. Even the pills the doctors prescribe only take the edge off – the pain is still excruciating. I just went to the emergency room, where they doped me up. Eventually it will pass, but it’s extremely rough until it does.
Hi! I had my first kidney stone about 20 years ago. Two years later I had 8 in my kidney. I had them smashed using shockwave lithotripsy. I then gave a lot of thought as to why I was getting them. I was drinking plenty. My opinion (just mine, not from any doctor) was this. I was drinking Evian water as I didn’t like the taste of out local tap water. If you look at the labels on bottled water, a lot of them are high in minerals and vitamins (added in on purpose). I found the calcium level in Evian was high. I stopped drinking bottled water….had a Culligan water, reverse osmosis system installed….and BA’H have not had a single stone in 18 years. I do not have any medical proof on this, but it worked for me. As far as I know there are not any guidelines for prevention. My own urologist did not believe in cutting calcium out of my diet (dairy foods etc), so I still eat whatever I want.
Hope this helps and good luck – kidney stones are NOT FUN!
I’ve had 3 of them over the course of many years. The fact that I’ve had 3 doesn’t make me good at preventing them. I will tell you that I didn’t drink a lot of water and that my diet was not the best. If these things happen to me every 10 – 15 years, I can’t really tell you that I’ve prevented them by increasing my water intake and modifying my diet, until many years pass. In my experience, I was in excruciating pain for about 4 hours each time, and B”H was able to pass them after that. Best thing to do is to go to the emergency room and they will give you morphine (which will eliminate/greatly reduce the pain) until it passes, and give you intravenous liquids that speed the passing.
There is nothing in the world more painful for a man than a kidney stone, well maybe gout is as bad. I’ve had three stones over the years, and the only thing that works is morphine. Sometimes diet can control the creation of stones. Speak with your doctor.
I am a male. The emergency room is not a fun place and you would rather be in your own bed when the stone is passing. Everyone has different thresholds of pain, but be prepared. Have your doctor prescribe powerful pain medication (i.e.;vicodine)for the eventual and painful stone passing event. During the “passing”, take the medication as prescribed, get into bed, and keep drinking lots of water. You will be ok. The actual last moments of the passing out of the stone is not painful, just its trip from the kidney.
Drink, drink, drink. I passed several once after surgery. With the worst one it was like passing knives. Then I went to the ER and found out I had a UTI. Ugh…
Prevention depends what they’re made of (ask your doctor for a little funnel to catch them in so that you can bring it to the lab and have it tested), but generally involves avoiding excess calcium. Sprite is great at helping break up most stones. Ask your doctor for heavy painkillers (Vicodin) and some drug like Flomax (which widens the urethra) to help the stone pass through.
I’ve had 3 different incidents over the past 20 years.
B”H each time the stone passed on it’s own.
One tip that I haven’t seen mentioned here is drinking cranberry juice. It is supposed to be beneficial in preventing the kidney stones.
That and drinking water.
I am not a huge drinker in general so am surprised that I’ve only had these 3 incidents.
As for the pain – they say it is comparable to child birth.
Having experienced both – I would say that they are about equal – but at least after child birth you end up with a baby so its easier to endure.
My sister’s stones were calcium but my dad’s were oxylate (sp?) He had to avoid anything with that in it. The stones had to be checked to find out which mineral is being stored up and forming a stone instead of being filtered, then you have to avoid that mineral. Everything I would have said about the pain, drinking water, and lithotripsy has been said, but I will second it all. The pain had us in the er more than once for pain management. Sometimes the pain goes away before they ever confirm the stones.
Oxalate or Calcium are the likely compositions of the stones. If Oxalate – some Dr’s will tell you to go on a low oxalate diet. Others will tell you that your oxalate intake won’t make a difference.
Kidney Stones Anyone?
no thank you, mr doe
sometimes pain can be significanly lessened by knowing what is causing it, and what to expect.
there is no pain from the stone leaving the body.
the pain referred to as “passing the stone” is a misnomer.
the pain is not caused by the movement of the stone. it is caused by pressure in the urinary tube behind the stone as the stone blocks the flow of urine from this tube into the bladder.
It depends on what is causing the stones. Excessive calcium or Vitamin C (either in pill or overeating or drinking of citrus) are typical culprits, but you have to know which is the source. My husband had gravel, not even a full stone, and watching him suffering was like him watching me in labor. You feel helpless, not being able to alleviate the pain.
gefen -“The stones were too big to pass so I had a lithotripsy (not sure of spelling) done. That’s were they sedate you and lower you into a pool of water. They then shoot laser beams at the site where the stones are.”
It’s actually sound waves (ultrasound), not laser beams!
yenta -“i had a pt w/ gallstones…”
Ooh, Ooh -I did also. Not a story for here, but maybe a good story while I’m on a date.
rr6527 -“I do not have any medical proof on this, but it worked for me. As far as I know there are not any guidelines for prevention. My own urologist did not believe in cutting calcium out of my diet (dairy foods etc), so I still eat whatever I want.”
There are a few different type of stones, but a workup on them is only recommended for recurrent stones. One of them is a condition called hypercalcemia (too much calcium). The reason your doc didn’t say cut calcium out of the diet because e/o has to have calcium. In your case the extra Ca was caused by the water, so eliminating the water solved the problem. Most cases of hypercalcemia have nothing to do with how much calcium you are injesting.
cherrybim – “The emergency room is not a fun place”
I disagree -I think the ED/ER is a great, fun place. I wouldn’t mind working there. 🙂
I’ve had 5 kidney stones to date. 4 of them I passed, this last one I couldn’t (9mm). I was not a candidate for lithotripsy, and had to have it surgically removed. A stent was left in place for a week.
How big is your stone? Was/is this your first one?
Syag Lchochma – “My sister’s stones were calcium but my dad’s were oxylate (sp?) He had to avoid anything with that in it.”
BB152 -“Oxalate or Calcium are the likely compositions of the stones.”
Oxalate is a type of Calcium stone. (There are others.) Like Calcium oxalate.
So it’s not Oxalate or Calcium -just Calcium.
There are 4 major types of stones. Listed in order of prevalence:
Calcium stones
Struvite (magnesium ammonium phosphate) stones
Uric acid stones
Cystine stones
Calcium stones have many causes. Two of these were mentioned above.
Struvite stones usually from an UTI or other infection.
Uric acid stones usually from Gout.
Cystine stones -very uncommon.
compromise: not fun for the pt but for the staff, 🙂
would love to try a shift in the er next semester….
yenta -It’s actually pretty hard work, but very enjoyable because it’s challenging!
Health: thanks for the clarification/correction. i wondered if i was saying the right thing.
Sheva brachos: even though i had lithotripsy twice, not surgery, i still had to have a stent put it. the procedure breaks up the stone then the stent allows the pieces to pass. i also had it in for about a week. COULDN’T WAIT TO GET IT TAKEN OUT! SO UNCOMFORTABLE!
Aposhitermaidel: so true about the diff between childbirth and kidney stones. with the first you come home with an adorable lovable baby. with the second you come home with an unadorable unlovable kidney stone. 🙂 (though i never actually went through the childbirth process totally as i had 3 c-sections – i did have the labor pains – ouch- but TOTALLY WORTH IT)
When we were living in ???????, Dayan Fisher zt”l had special herbs to cook and take it. I’ve been told that his son still has these herbs and is available to anyone who needs. My wife had stones and was in terrible agony for a few days. After taking the herbs, (cooking for seven minutes, deviding into three parts,… ) the stones were gone for good after two days.
If you can get these herbs, they are a miricle!!
Gefen- not to boast, but I had 4 c-sections and the discomfort from the stent outweighed the sections.
The surgery itself is not painful as it is done under general anesthesia. the recovery was hard due to the stent. Once it was out, it was immediate.
i’d rather have to work on rollerblades rather than have alot of down time. its def a place i’m thinking of going
I’ve experienced twice this year and was ready to have surgery when a friend told me to try “Stone Free” from the health food store. Each time I my doctor scared me that I must do surgery because its much too big to pass and nothing could work. But it did. I came back to the doc, took sono, and it was all gone. The doctor was totally shocked the first time around. The second time he said that now it definitely won’t work- But It Did!
And remember “Drink Lots of WATER”
Yes, I had them a few years ago. BEWARE: lithotripsy increases the likelihood of getting Type II Diabetes and hypertension by FOUR TIMES.
To yehudatzvi:
Do you have credible source for this?
I tried google and got thousands of references to you tube videos,
which I hadnt wanted or asked for.
medlineplus dosn’t mention diabetes in the article on lithotripsy.
YehudahTzvi – I had never heard of this, but went to research it after reading your message. I had lithotripsy about 17 years ago, and was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes last year. I read that the shock waves can ‘attack’ the pancreas while smashing the stones, and damage it. I never new this risk even existed – I am devastated to have Diabetes. It’s possible that 17 years ago the doctors didn’t know the long-term effects of lithotripsy.
YehudahTzvi: yes please give us a source for this! If it’s really true, i’m sure a lot of us here would like to know about it.
Sheva B: True – the surgery (c-section) itself was not painful. I had local anesthesia for all of them and was aware of what was going on – just a bit sedated but not much. The pain and discomfort after my first one was kind of hard – but the next two – not so bad. I agree that the discomfort of the stent after the lithotripsies definitely outweighed that of the c-sections and subsequent weeks.
btw – you are not boasting. sounds like we’ve kind of had similar experiences; kidney stones (though treated differently) and c-sections. and we both agree on which was worse.
nitpicker, rr6527, gefen –
Read this article from Pubmed/NIH:
“The Acute and Long-Term Adverse Effects of Shock Wave Lithotripsy
James A. McAteer, Ph.D. and Andrew P. Evan, Ph.D.”
The whole article is online. It talks about HTN & Diabetes amongst other issues.
Posted links and info. Mods took it down. So much for free speech.
(WebMD) Pulverizing kidney stones with shock waves raises a person’s risk of diabetes and high blood pressure, a new study shows.
In the early 1980s, getting a kidney stone removed often meant painful open surgery. Then came shock wave lithotripsy. This revolutionary technology uses sonic waves to blast kidney stones into tiny grains of sand. No surgery is needed.
It has always seemed to be safe. But now there’s disturbing new data from a Mayo Clinic study. The study appears in the May issue of the Journal of Urology.
Shock Wave Damage
The study compared kidney stone patients treated in 1985 with shock wave lithotripsy to patients given other nonsurgical kidney stone treatments that same year. Nineteen years later, the shock wave patients were nearly four times more likely to get diabetes. And, if both kidneys were treated, the patients were 47 percent more likely to have high blood pressure.
It’s not yet clear how shock wave treatment might cause these problems, says researcher Amy E. Krambeck, M.D. What seems to be happening is collateral damage from the shock waves.
“The theory is that the shear forces related to shock wave lithotripsy can cause tissue damage,” Krambeck tells WebMD. “Damage to the pancreas could put patients at risk for diabetes.”
I had kidney stones for 2 years in a row, each time it lasted about 5 days. the pain sometimes was unbearable.
I spoke to a nutritionist and he said that it could come from lack of magnesium in the body. i started taking 250mg of magnesium almost every day and so far it’s been eight years with no stones.
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