Friggin' Kidney Stones

[Jack Hammer]

Anyone ever have these? I can tell you they are highly unpleasant! I had a kidney stone two and a half months ago. I was in so much pain, I hardly slept for 5 days. That took 3 weeks to pass, worst three weeks of my life.

Last week I'm riding my bicycle and pow, I start getting a nasty pain in my kidney area again. I went to the ER and they told my I have a 4.5mm stone on the right and four smaller ones on the left. Only good news is they gave me better pain killers, though I still feel it.

I don't get it, I exercise regularly, eat fairly healthy, and drink lots of water each day, so what the f***! I'm drinking lots of cranberry juice and so much water it almost hurts to drink. Going to the bathroom is no pleasure either, I gotta pee into a strainer (yeah, it's messy ) to catch the stones when they finally come out. Can't wait for that to happen. Anyway, the good news is it's given me lots of time to listen to music and watch movies.

 

[billy p]

I'm glad I don't

share your pain!! Ooooooooouch. Anything urology makes me wince .

GL, Billy p

 

[Sheep]

OH man! That stone is huge! Kinda makes you wish you had female genitalia.

Get well, and get yourself check'd out more often. Find out the source, and stop it.

SheepStar

 

[jeffsg4mac]

Hmm, I seem to remember reading something about minerals and kidney stones. Too much of one can cause them. I don't remember which one. My Father had them once, I remember the pain he suffered. Not a good thing. Hope you get better soon.

 

[zildjian]

Hey Jack,
Last time you had stones, did they send the stones to path to see what they were made of? Most kidney stones are calcium stones, but they can be struvite, uric acid, or cystine (very rare), just depends on the stone. Have you had your kidney function tested since you started getting stones? They would draw your blood for that test. Wouldn't be a bad idea if this is a recurring problem. Sorry to hear about the stones, but I like the positive you see in it, at least you're getting some extra time to listen to music & watch movies! Hope the pain med's at least take the edge off.
Brad

 

[Matt34]

My dad get's kidney stones quite often, I hope I never have to go through that experience. He's overweight, diebetic and doesn't eat very healthy, I'm trying not do any of those.


Hope you get well soon.

 

[Dan]

As an MD I can tell you few things hurt as much as a kidney stone. I image them every day. That 4.5mm one may be a bear to pass, I hope you don't need litho or an extraction (not really as bad as it sounds). When you get sick of cranberry juice, you can always mix it up with beer which provides an excellent flushing. You can always say you were following doctors orders!

 

[Kai]

My dad too had and passed them a few years ago. He said it was the most painful experience of his life.
Sorry to hear of your pain.
Hope like hell I never have them.

 

[Jack Hammer]

Thanks guys. I really have no idea why I'm getting them. When I got my first one a few months back, I went to Cook County hospital. Not exactly a great hospital, but free for people with no insurance - me. They did a few blood tests, gave me CT scan and sent me on my way. I had to come back 14 hours later to get a two day supply of tylenol #3's. When those ran out I spent 13 hours waiting to see someone to get a refill, then they told me it would be another 8-10 hours more. I went home and dealt with the pain. They don't do follow ups.

When this one hit I went to a real hospital. I'll worry about the bill later. They did lots of tests and scheduled a follow up for me in 4 weeks. Plus they gave me a weeks supply of better meds, hydrocodone. They think it's either a calcium buildup or some sort of infection. Trouble is I don't drink milk or take supplements. And the preliminary tests showed no signs of infection. Generally I eat fairly healthy and drink way too much water, and don't have any real bad habits (don't smoke, drink excessively or do drugs). I didn't worry too much after the first one, but now I'm getting kind of paranoid.

Anyway, my new dvd player should arrive Friday, so I should have plenty of time to play with it. Luckily I ordered it before I had to commit my extra funds to this. I was going to get a new badder @$$ sub around thanksgiving, but that'll have to wait now. Inall honesty, I really didn't need a new sub, mine is more than adequate, but I just want something that'll really shake the neighborhood.

Again, Thanks for the support.

Jack

 

[Dan]

With most people it's just bad genes. We have a fancy name for such people: stone formers. You will always be subject to getting them unfortunately. Be sure to always stay WELL hydrated. If you get a fever along with the pain run don't walk to a hospital straight off. Best of luck.

 

[majorloser]

Been there, done that.....

The best way to describe it to somebody who hasn't passed one: "It's like a chunk of coral yanked through your insides from your back through the pecker using a coat hanger."

I'm lucky so far. I've only had to pass a couple. My poor sister goes through it about every six months and she has a hard time passing them.

Unfortunately I have a very strong tolerance for pain relievers (analgesics). Only thing that would work for me was Fentanyl and Mepergan combined. And I still was in some mild pain.

Make sure you send the stones in for analysis. They can determine the causes by type of material the stone is made up of.

 

[Sheep]

The best way to describe it to somebody who hasn't passed one: "It's like a chunk of coral yanked through your insides from your back through the pecker using a coat hanger."

I'm lucky so far. I've only had to pass a couple. My poor sister goes through it about every six months and she has a hard time passing them.

Unfortunately I have a very strong tolerance for pain relievers (analgesics). Only thing that would work for me was Fentanyl and Mepergan combined. And I still was in some mild pain.

Make sure you send the stones in for analysis. They can determine the causes by type of material the stone is made up of.

I guess loserwife likes to see you in pain

SheepStar

 

[hemiram]

Back in march, I was in Sam's Club, and had a vauge backache, nothing too bad, but different than I ever had felt before. I had to go, so I go into the mens room, and start. About a second after I start to go, I got this horrible pain that went from halfways up my back, and it shot down to my groin area. I went "UHHH!", and the pain stopped. Just then, I see a grain of rice sized stone come out in the stream, hit the back of the urinal, and go down the drain. I was drenched in sweat instantly.

Then on the weekend of the 4th of July, in Sam's Club again, I got a repeat performance of it. This time, the pain lasted longer, and I had time enough to go, "Uhhhh, Ohhhhh!!!" and then it stopped, and another grain of rice sized stone comes out and goes down the drain. The sweats were even worse than the first time.

I guess I was really lucky, but I know it's not gonna last forever. I can hardly wait..

 

[majorloser]

Back in march, I was in Sam's Club, and had a vauge backache, nothing too bad, but different than I ever had felt before. I had to go, so I go into the mens room, and start. About a second after I start to go, I got this horrible pain that went from halfways up my back, and it shot down to my groin area. I went "UHHH!", and the pain stopped. Just then, I see a grain of rice sized stone come out in the stream, hit the back of the urinal, and go down the drain. I was drenched in sweat instantly.

Then on the weekend of the 4th of July, in Sam's Club again, I got a repeat performance of it. This time, the pain lasted longer, and I had time enough to go, "Uhhhh, Ohhhhh!!!" and then it stopped, and another grain of rice sized stone comes out and goes down the drain. The sweats were even worse than the first time.

I guess I was really lucky, but I know it's not gonna last forever. I can hardly wait..

NOTE TO SELF: Stay out of Sam's

 

[shokhead]

All info needed here. I've had them starting at 18 when one got stuck and my last one was at 45.

 

[ChrisJam]

All info needed here. I've had them starting at 18 when one got stuck and my last one was at 45.

I'm about your age, and just went through my second kidney stone episode. My first was in my mid-20s.

My big advice is to see a urologist if you can't pass the stone or stones within a week or two. In my last episode, my doctor ordered a CT scan, which showed a small-to-medium-sized stone stuck in my left ureter. The stone completely blocked the ureter, and, as a result, my left kidney was blocked, too. In other words, it couldn't drain and it was swelling. My urologist recommended a trans-urethral, outpatient procedure to go up and getting it in a week. Otherwise, permanent kidney damage might result. I passed the stone a day later.

I caught the stone in a strainer, and my doctor sent it for analysis. I'm waiting for the results. Oh--my kidney was almost back to normal size a month after the stone passed. My urologist did an untrasound exam of my kidney, and said it was almost back to normal. While it was still fairly swollen, I kept having transient deep flank pain, but nothing like the stone itself.

So besides the pain, there's potential for kidney damage, so please see a doctor if the symptoms persist for more than a week or two.

Other than that, as others have said, stones can be caused by a variety of reasons. Only by examining you and analyzing one of your stones can your doctor determine why you have them.

If you need more info and if you think I can help, feel free to PM me.

G'luck,
Chris

 

[ChrisJam]

snip

I don't get it, I exercise regularly, eat fairly healthy, and drink lots of water each day, so what the f***! I'm drinking lots of cranberry juice and so much water it almost hurts to drink.

There are different causes of kidney stones, as many people here have said. I have no way of knowing what caused yours.

But I just went through my second major episode (see above for my response to shokhead). My first stones in my 20s were calcium oxalate, the most common kind. My doctor and I decided I was drinking too much tea. I was playing a lot of sports at the time, and drinking sugar-free iced tea everyday. Tea can cause calcium oxalate stones in some people. So I switched to diet soda. I was fine for a long time...until recently.

I'm still awaiting the results of my new stone's analysis. But from my recent episode I learned that cranberry juice can precipitate stones in some people. Cranberry juice is great for bladder irritation, but you might want to check with your doctor before you drink more of it, in case it's part of your stone problem.

Chris

 

[ChrisJam]

Good Rx

...beer which provides an excellent flushing. You can always say you were following doctors orders!

After a couple weeks of having my recent stone stuck in a ureter (see my two posts above), I decided that desperate measures were needed to pass my stone. I didn't want the outpatient surgery! I had a 4.5 x 3 x 1.5 mm stone.

"What's the best urine-inducer I know?" I thought to myself. (I'd already been drinking lots of water.)

"Beer," I answered.

So I started a regime of having 3-4 beers a night for 4-5 days (no driving afterward, of course!). Since I was feeling pretty bad in general, I decided to get good European beer. OK, that part wasn't therapeutic, but it sure tasted good!

My girlfriend thought all the beer drinking was funny--though she could see the logic--but it worked.

My urologist didn't think I'd pass the stone after it had been stuck for so long, but there was a slim chance he said. That's why he scheduled the surgery a week ahead, instead of doing it right away. I'm glad he did.

I can't say for sure that the beer was responsible for passing the stone, but it didn't hurt!

So here's one patient who seconds your order.

Chris

 

[ChrisJam]

The pain: kidney stones and childbirth

When I had my kidney stone episode in my 20s, it landed me in the hospital for quite a while. I came close to having major surgery (lithotripsy wasn't an option). This episode was much more serious than the one I just went through, and much more painful. In the hospital, I needed serious pain killers to deaden the pain.

I barely avoided surgery, passing four stones one morning. Sudden relief!

My urologist at the time told me that with that episode, I came as close as any man can to experiencing the pain a woman goes through in natural childbirth. And I was getting a shot of 100 mg of Demerol every four hours!

This reminds me of a "Northern Exposure" episode, where Dr. Fleischman flies to a remote area of Alaska to give birthing lessons to couples expecting babies. His first piece of advice was for the woman in labor to get to a hospital and say, "I want my epidural!"

Chris

 

[Jack Hammer]

...My doctor and I decided I was drinking too much tea. I was playing a lot of sports at the time, and drinking sugar-free iced tea everyday. Tea can cause calcium oxalate stones in some people. So I switched to diet soda. I was fine for a long time...until recently.

I'm still awaiting the results of my new stone's analysis. But from my recent episode I learned that cranberry juice can precipitate stones in some people. Cranberry juice is great for bladder irritation, but you might want to check with your doctor before you drink more of it, in case it's part of your stone problem.

Chris

The ER doctor suggested I drink lots of cranberry juice, it has helped quite a bit so far. I'll have to ask the urologist about it when I get in to see him. Intreresting comment about the tea. I'm not sure if it is the same, but I've been drinking green tea (brewed) almost daily for quite some time, especially in the wintertime when it is cold out. I had never heard of it having any side effects, but I'll ask the doctor about that too, just in case.

Best wishes on your baby (stone )

Jack