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  1. #1
    s7714 is offline Ruby level (4000+ posts)
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    Default Kidney stones anyone? (maybe a little TMI)

    So I woke up at some point last night with sudden pain on my right side--the "did my appendix just burst or something" type thing. After about 30 seconds the pain went away and I drifted back to sleep assuming it was just intense gas pains or something.

    This morning I woke up to a strong ache in the same spot and was surprised to see my urine was dark brown. Went into urgent care and was told I probably have a kidney stone since I have blood in my urine, but will have to wait a couple days while they send the urine sample off for a culture.

    Reading online (I know, not always the best thing to do) I'm seeing people talk about all sorts of other tests to determine the size of the stones, straining to catch stones, etc. The urgent care Dr. just said to follow up with my PCP in about 5 days unless the strong pain comes back and mentioned nothing about trying to catch the stone--should I be doing the wait and see thing, or should I call my regular Dr. on Monday regardless? Does the pain go away as soon as the stone is passed, or can the pain continue even after you pass the stone(s)? TIA!
    Jen

  2. #2
    bubbaray's Avatar
    bubbaray is offline Blue Diamond level (20,000+ posts)
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    DH gets them.

    HE says its like giving birth. I dunno, I think men say that b/c they haven't actually experienced birth, but whatever. The last time he had one, I actually had to call 911 -- he was writhing in pain, delirious. I had no idea what was going on, but the ambulance attendants did. He couldn't walk or anything, they stretchered him from our upstairs bedroom. He has had them prior to us meeting at least twice. His dad has had them a bunch of times and they were both told they are genetic to some extent.

    DH says he was told to drink more water and to put lemon juice in his water. He had to pee in a filter, like a small coffee filter. Last time they gave him morphine. He thinks he had a CT scan last time, but he's not sure (could have been an u/s).

    His dad has had the ultrasound "blasting" done b/c he couldn't pee out his last stone(s).

    I seem to recall that at one point he or his dad was told to avoid dairy, but DH d/n remember that.

    Hope you feel better soon. Whether or not they are like childbirth, they are definitely NOT pleasant. IIRC, Fairy has had them, you might PM her.

    HTH
    Melissa

    DD#1: April 2004
    DD#2: January 2007

    "My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world." Jack Layton 1950 - 2011

  3. #3
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    I have had kidney stones, and I really feel for you! They are sooo painful. I would wait and see. The only real reason, in my knowledge, to catch the stone is if you want to know what caused it. In order to catch it, you have to pee in a strainer every single time you urinate for however long it take to pass it. I never did that, the doctor gave me a strainer, but said most people aren't able to catch them unless they are larger ones and most cases if it's too large it would have to be surgically removed(IIRC?). Passing can be painful, but I didn't always feel it. Some, the pain went away after few days and I never felt it pass. Mine were presumed to be caused by an excess build-up of calcium. They happened several months after giving birth to both DS's, so likely caused by the extra calicum in the prenatal vitamins I was taking. If the stone is no longer present, I don't believe you would feel any pain - there would have to be another stone. HTH
    DS1 5.10.05

    DS2 12.10.08

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by bubbaray View Post
    DH gets them.

    HE says its like giving birth. I dunno, I think men say that b/c they haven't actually experienced birth, but whatever.
    Don't tell your DH this(), but seriously- IME, it is as bad as childbirth. Nothing alleviates the pain, and it is so, so sharp. Ugh.
    DS1 5.10.05

    DS2 12.10.08

  5. #5
    Sillygirl's Avatar
    Sillygirl is offline Sapphire level (2000+ posts)
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    In general, stone analysis (which requires straining the urine) isn't done on the first stone, only on recurrent ones.

    The pain happens when the stone is in the ureter, which carries the urine from the kidney to the bladder. The muscles of the ureter spasm, causing the pain. If the stone pops back up into the kidney (the central urine space, called the pelvis) the pain stops, but the stone is still there and can try to travel down the ureter again. If the stone is passed into the bladder, the pain also stops - the bladder is large enough that there's no obstruction.

    A CT will show the stones, and no contrast is given (because contrast shows up white like the stones) but one CT scan is equivalent to 50 X-rays in terms of radiation, roughly.

    People used to be advised to follow a low calcium diet if they had kidney stones, but the evidence now shows that advice was misguided and more harmful than helpful. The diet varies depending on the type of stone, but for the most part, staying hydrated and eating a low-salt diet are key.
    Katie, Mom to two boys
    Retraining my dopamine circuits thanks to David Kessler, MD.
    Jonathan: Halloween 2004
    Alex: A smidge past Groundhog Day 2007

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by bubbaray View Post

    HE says its like giving birth. I dunno, I think men say that b/c they haven't actually experienced birth, but whatever.

    HTH
    If they are bad, large, obstructing the ureter, they are WORSE than childbirth, by a long shot. Everyone who has had both seems to agree. I spent weeks, off and on, of this last pregnancy on the antepartum unit for complications related to having a kidney stone lodged in my ureter that couldn't be removed while pregnant and was too large to pass. I had never had a stone before, pregnancy is actually a risk factor/cause. When the attack happened, out of nowhere, I thought I was in pre-term labor or actually going to die. I was home alone, projectile vomiting, had to crawl on my hands and knees to the phone, and was about to call 911. I was 24 weeks pregnant. It was unlike any contractions or anything else I can describe. The truly severe pain wasn't the actual stone but the back-up in my kidneys because the ureter was obstructed and urine couldn't drain. I had a hole drilled in my kidney to work around the stone for the last months of pregnancy. It was barbaric and horrible - I had actually posted a request for positive thoughts from my hospital room, go figure. I had laser surgery and lithotripsy (shock waves) under general two weeks and six weeks post-delivery. FWIW, percoset isn't strong enough to help - they give you stronger meds to make life tolerable - even while pregnant!

    I would call my PCP to get info before another emergency attack. The best thing you can do is drink tons and tons of water - literally 12+ glasses a day. Drink and drink and drink water. If it is small enough to pass, drinking water will help it happen. If it is too big, you will need to find a great urologist who can do lithotripsy in most cases. Good luck, I hope it passes and resolves. If you are forming stones, there is a good chance you will get them again. (i'm hoping no more since they think mine were pregnancy related.) The best prevention, no matter what type of stone it is (most are calcium) is drinking lots of water. There are foods to avoid too.

    I am sooo sorry, take care and hope you are okay.

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