Newbie

[celticldy]

Please excuse the length of this post. I was in the er for something other than kidney stones, they did a ct scan and told me I had an ulcer and gastritis.  and by the way, it was detected that there is stone in the kidney... no other information, gave me prescriptions and told me to follow up with my dr.  Only problem is, high deductible, so all of the er visit will be out of pocket, insurance wont pay but for one office visit per year.  I really don't want to spend $288. additional for dr visit if all they are going to say is - this too shall pass -  Is it safe just to wait to find out if the stone will pass on its own??  I have had one episode of passing a stone and it must have been very small as I didn't experience anything other than mild discomfort.

[Unclebuck257]

As kittens822 has said already, I too am sorry to hear about this situation. Usually a 7mm stone could have difficulty passing on its own, although they sure have been known to. The general guideline for passing on its own is usually 5mm and below, although I have personally passed a stone that size without doctor intervention to remove it and just with a pain shot of Demoral at the ER as it was trying to pass. You will definitely feel that one as it is passing and will need assistance with helping to ease the pain at the time. Most likely it will require an ER visit at the time for the pain, unless your family physician can help you in some way with that. Good Luck and if by chance you use your deductible on some other medical problem, you then should consider getting it removed before it starts moving on its own.  

[kittens822]

Yeah that it a pretty good sized stone, if and when it tries to pass it you will notice. I hate it when that happens because you just never know. Ive been told that when its in the lower pole of the kidney it can stay put indefinitely, sometimes it might get bigger, sometimes it doesn't change at all. Im glad its not causing any problems for you, i hope it stays that way. Good luck to you, i hope you feel better soon :)

[celticldy]

Hi Kitten,  As it turns out it is a 7mm stone in the lower pole, non obstructing. My family dr is going the route of watchful waiting, she said wait until I experience pain.  Although I don't really mind waiting, but on the other hand, not knowing when or if it will decide to try and pass is going to be the hard part (I know I am not a very patient person). Also wonder if it matters if the stone is not causing any symptoms, why not just let it rest. Time will tell I guess.

[kittens822]

Ouch I'm sorry it sounds like you've had a rough go of it. If i were you the very first thing i would do is obtain a copy of your radiology report. Ive had tons of ct's and I've made it my own personal practice. It should state the location of the stone in the kidney as well as the size. If its in the lower pole of the kidney its less likely to try to pass anytime soon but you never know. As long as its 5mm or smaller it is usually passable, although the smaller it is the better the odds. Im guessing it wasn't terribly large or the dr probably would've mentioned it but again you never know thats why i always ask for a copy myself. You get that report and it should give you the answers you need. Good luck!