Kidney stones

Jimmy Snyder

Who here suffers from kidney stones? I have been passing them from time to time since I was 30. I started out slowly, but in the past few years it's been two a year. I had a couple removed surgically including one that was an inch in diameter. I mention it because I just passed one earlier today that was half a centimeter. It was the sixth one since October.

Moonbear

A half centimeter?! OW!

Have you made any alterations to your diet to try to prevent them? Avoiding certain types of foods can help avoid some types of stones. If this isn't something you've done or considered, talk to your doctor about that possibility. I don't know if it will work for the type you have (there are different types of stones, as you probably know well if you've been dealing with this for a while and so frequently).

Evo

The can disintegrate those with lasers now. I know they're extremely painful to pass.

turbo

1/2 cm? OUCH! I suffered from them briefly about 15 years ago when I was traveling in my work, eating in restaurants, and just generally not getting proper nutrition. I started avoiding milk, ate more salads and fresh vegetables and fruits and juices and haven't had a problem since. The worst was when I was on a road trip with co-workers from Atlanta to the Gulf Coast of FL and I was crippled with pain. I was the featured presenter at a proposal meeting the next morning and when we got to our hotel, I told my manager that if he wanted any kind of presentation, he'd better go out and buy me a few 6-packs of beer. He did it, and I drank beer until I had to urinate so badly, I was in almost as bad pain from the stretched bladder as from the stone. The pain was pretty intense (though localized, and believe me, I knew where that stone was every mm of the way) and I heaved a big sigh of relief when I heard it "ting" against the toilet. I do not recommend this method of self-treatment for others, but if you are in intense pain and you've got a contract worth maybe $1/4M hanging on a meeting, you might want to consider giving it a try.

JasonRox

I would recommend looking into your diet too. Also increasing water intake is known to help too.

Jimmy Snyder

The first stone I had was made of uric acid. As a result I was told to reduce my protein intake, take alipurinol and drink lots of water. The second stone was made of calcium and I was told to reduce my calcium intake and drink lots of water. My current urologist thought he would get at the root of the problem and had me take a 24 hour urine test. He sent that along with a stone to the FBI somewhere in Washington, but the result was that he doesn't know why I make stones, but I should drink lots of water.

I've had surgery in combination with laser treatment, and a couple of ultrasound treatments. But most of the time they pass without medical attention. I just need pain killer for the ride down. The pain can be quite eye-opening. I use oxycodone, but the medicine makes me foggy, constipated, and nauseous. It beats me how people can take it for recreation.

turbo

Yep! I have had codeine-based cold medications, oxycodone, etc for broken bones, post-surgery pain, and I can not figure out why people think that stuff is fun or pleasurable in the least. I'm always puking my guts out or wishing I could, and just for the record, I'd rather have a broken leg than a session with the dry heaves.

Mallignamius

Okay, I'm feeling very light-headed reading this stuff. I stopped drinking soda years ago and have a vegetarian diet. I drink lots of water.

How long after it passes before the pain goes away?

turbo

Pain is relative. When a stone is gone, you can have a migraine, a broken rib, and lower-back pain, and never notice them.

Mallignamius

So if someone beats the crap out of me, all I have to do is pass a stone and I'll feel better?

turbo

You may not feel better, but your pain will be in a new perspective.

Moonbear

You could stop eating anything and just drink plenty of water and you'll stop getting kidney stones.

I don't understand why people abuse the drugs they do for recreational use either. I've used ketamine to immobilize animals, and as you sit there watching them paralyzed and drooling with their tongue hanging out, you just have to wonder who saw this and thought they'd want to try injecting themself with it.

FredGarvin

I can't imagine what those must feel like. My brother in law is going through one right now which they have measured at just under a millimeter. He has doubled over in pain because of it.

A build up of uric acid is also a sign of the onset of gout. Watch yourself there as well. Stay away from things like red wine if you are still having that problem. I know. That is not fun either.

Jimmy Snyder

Size isn't everything. Stones tend to be crystaline with very jagged edges. The path they must travel is just about 1mm in diameter. So even a stone this small can be pure torture. There are two different pains associated. One is the scraping and scratching on the inside of the path from kidney to bladder (the ureter), and the other is the pressure of blocked waste. Years ago I had a very bad stone that dilated most of my right ureter permanently. As a result, I sometimes pass stones on that side without pain.

If your brother in law's stone doesn't pass on it's own, his doctor may recommend that it be removed. If it has passed a certain distance, it can be yanked out (sorry if that's too much information). If not, ultrasound would probably work.

waht

I'm sorry, I've never had kidney stones, but I know people who had even my dad.

But there is an old school remedy passed by grandma that even many doctors never heard about. You have to drink alot for boiled potato skin every day. No kidding. It not only alleviates the pain, but actually dissolves the kidney stones.
This little therapy helped by dad, and other people. Thought something you might try.

Jimmy Snyder

I just passed my 7th stone since Nov. last year. At 3 mm, the stone was smallish for me, yet the pain was considerable. Fortunately, I had my trusty oxycodones. The manufacturer of these pills was ordered to pay a $634 million fine just last Friday for failing to tell people the risk of addiction. As I said before, this drug makes me nauseous, constipated and dull. Apparently, you can heighten these effects by crushing the pills before you take them. Instead of a timed release, you get all the effect at once. I intend to forego this pleasure.

Jimmy Snyder

I just passed my 8th stone this year. This one was about 1 mm and comparatively smooth. There was no pain, and in fact, I wasn't even aware of its existence until it was already mostly passed. My urologist said 8 in one year was the record for his patients. I have until October to beat it.