OUCH!

[Conner6136]

I was in the ER the other morning with a severe pain in my lower back.  Turns out after a CT scan I was passing a 3mm kidney stone (almost to my bladder by this point) and I have a 2mm stone in my right kidney yet.  Here is my questions: 1 - How long after a stone enters the bladder does it take to exit the system?  I have been straining my urine since I left the hospital with no results.  The pain in my back has been gone for 20 hours now so I am assuming that it is in my bladder. 2 - Should I become a recluse waiting for the other stone to start the "journey" from my other kidney to my bladder?  The first time it almost dropped my to my knees within 30 seconds!  I scheduled an appointment with a urologist but have to wait over 2 weeks to get in.  Any information here would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!!

[ChitChatNine]

Usually my stone's journey takes from 1-3 weeks.  Longest was 6 and shortest probably around 3 days that I can recall.  Hope this helps. Everyone is different.

C~

[ChitChatNine]

My experience has been (but every person is different) that once it drops into the bladder it takes between 1-3 days to expel.  I usually feel a vibration/butterfly flutter feeling when in the bladder.  As far as putting your life on hold -- I never do that.  I have had multiple 4.0mm stones in both kidneys, and I decided to continue healthy drinking habits (increased water) and keep to my low oxalate diet but not let the stones win.  Won't let them give me the fear and take over.

However, since my experiences have been varied (some serious and some just passed incidentally) I usually always carry my meds in their original bottle with me if I go anyplace overnight / travel.  

I try not to think about a stone that I may know I have.

It's much harder than said, but if you put your mind to it, I think you'll be able to resume your life and one day maybe it'll just pass w/o much notice or presence.

Each stone is so different.

C~

[Dr Santos]

Hi,
How are you? I understand your concern regarding this. Travel time of stone actually varies and depends on factors such as  intake of fluids and  presence of other medical conditions. Smaller stones, usually 5 mm or less are passed out with urine and it is the larger stones that warrant further management. Take care and do keep us posted.