If you suffer from frequent urination, blood in your urine, and repeated urinary tract infections, you may have a kidney stone. While there are multiple forms of kidney stones, they are all caused by a large number of different chemicals in the kidney, such as calcium, oxalate, and uric acid. In addition, you may also be missing chemicals in your urine that prevent crystal formation.

Symptoms

If you find that you urinate frequently with a foul odor and possibly a pink, red, or brown coloration due to the presence of blood in the urine along with nausea and vomiting, you may have a kidney stone. In addition, you may also experience frequent urinary tract infections and severe pain in your side and back below your ribs that radiates from your lower abdomen to your groin and comes in “waves” but with varying intensities.

deals

There are both invasive and non-invasive treatment options. For smaller stones, you may simply need to increase your water intake each day. This would mean drinking enough water every day so that your urine is clear or just slightly cloudy. For associated pain, you can take over-the-counter pain relievers such as Tylenol or Ibuprofen. Your doctor may also prescribe alpha blockers, which make the stones pass more quickly.

If the patient experiences larger stones that they cannot pass on their own, there are other options. These may include extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL), which is the use of shock waves to break up stones and facilitate their passage. This is often done as day surgery, but requires anesthesia for patient comfort.

Also available is a procedure called percutaneous nephrolithotomy that requires a small incision in the patient’s back that allows the surgeon to “tunnel” into the kidney, where a nephroscope is used to locate the stones. From here, an ultrasonic or electro-hydraulic probe is used to break the stone into smaller pieces, allowing them to pass through naturally. During the procedure, the doctor may have been able to remove the larger pieces of stone, allowing the smaller pieces to pass through.

The next available procedure is called ureteroscopy. This procedure uses a scope that is passed through the urethra and bladder into the ureter. This then uses a “cage”-like probe to either remove the stone in its entirety or to break it up allowing pieces to pass through. This often requires a short hospital stay to ensure there are no infections after the procedure.

Prevention

If the patient has a family history of kidney stones, or even a personal history, they are more likely to have ongoing complications with stone development. To adequately treat and prevent recurrent stones in these patients, regular blood and urine tests are required. This ensures that the doctor can control the chemical levels present in the samples so that preventive treatment can be carried out. This can be a simple change in medication or increased fluid intake.

If the stones persist, it may be necessary to add an alpha blocker for regular use. There is also the possibility that patients will require additional stone removal in the future. This would be necessary if the doctor determined that the patient is suffering from repeated urinary tract infections as a result of the stones.

People with kidney stones should know that there are options to help prevent kidney stone formation. Drinking plenty of water regularly keeps the kidneys and bladder working frequently, which helps prevent urine from sitting in the bladder or kidneys for long periods of time and increases the chance of stone formation. Avoiding foods high in oxalates such as spinach, beets, and chips and French fries may also be beneficial for patients. Also, eating foods low in salt and animal protein can help in prevention.

In closing, it may be possible to not only slow the formation of more kidney stones, but also reduce the number of stones simply by watching your diet and drinking plenty of water. If at any time symptoms are suspected, medical attention should be sought. If caught early enough, it can prevent more invasive procedures and speed recovery time.