Kidney stones in kids

[mellie4]

My kids have given me a run this week!!!!  Earlier in the week, my youngest son, 11 was up visiting my brother at his summer house, a little over an hour away.  He called me after 10 at night and was crying saying he wanted to come home that he wasn't feeling good.  I couldn't convince him to stay.  He gets anxious being away from me and tends to do this a lot with sleepovers.  He really wants to have sleepovers but he's just not able.  But when he came home, he wound up pretty sick ... two nights of VERY high fevers.  He seems better now but it was a rough couple of nights.

But yesterday morning I learned that kids can get kidney stones!!!  I'm still surprised on that.   My 13-yeaar old daughter, who is a trooper ... never complains and has a pretty high pain threshold ... She came in my room yesterday morning in real distress.  She was wincing and saying she had terrible pain in her back on the left side.  I knew she was in agony when she started vomiting with the pain.  I gave her an advil and an ice pack and called the pediatrician, who wasn't in yet.  I asked them to page the doc on call but started getting dressed because I could see she was beyond a pedi visit and needed the ER.  I left for the hospital before the pediatrician called back.

We had a doctor in the ER that I worked with years ago.  It helped since I knew he was a great doctor and I trusted him.  She also had an AWESOME nurse who as soon as we walked in and heard what was going on told me, "Kidney stone."  They took blood and urine and did an ultrasound.  Poor kid.  She was given IV fluids and Toradol (which took nearly an hour to kick in.)  She was vomiting in the ER as well.  Finally, the pain stopped and they let us go home.  They're not sure if she passed the stone yet.  They couldn't find it on the ultrasound but also didn't find it when they checked her urine.  They said it could still be stuck in the ureter.  They gave me a prescription for Percocet 7.5 (which I think is a huge dose for someone who never took a narcotic in their life but the doctor said if her pain comes back she'll need it.)

So the plan is to strain her urine for the next 48 hours.  If her pain comes back, I'm to give her an Advil, a Percocet and bring her back for IV fluids and pain management in the ER.  She's doing so much better and I hope this is over for her.

I never knew kids could get kidney stones!!!

Hoping for a nice, quiet weekend :)

[margypops]

I think this  was sent  over to pediatrics  well thank you it was very interesting to read and I am glad all is well ..Kidney stones can be painful

[mellie4]

Thanks; good idea on the Gatorade popsicles.  All my kids have always drank a lot of water.  I stopped giving my oldest juice boxes when she was around 3.  The others rarely had them.  They always had water, milk, and calcium enriched OJ.  I don't deny them soda and juice; I just don't buy it unless we're having a party or sometimes if we get pizza.  She's been okay so far.  She said she had a little back pain last night, about a 2 on a 1-10 scale.  I gave her an Advil and she hasn't complained since.  She was such a trooper!

My son I thought had strep.  He had complained also of a sore throat.   But the rapid strep test came back negative and he's fine now.  If he complains of it again, I'll bring him bak to the doctor.  Sometimes if you bring them up too early, they'll test negative.  We always have kids sleeping over here and he loves that.  He used to be fine sleeping at certain people's houses, including my brother's, who lives about 10 minutes from me.  But his summer house is a little further away.  He even agrees he doesn't want to go to sleepovers anymore.  I know he'll get there eventually.  He has always been very clingy with me.  He was a really sick baby that seriously was held by me 24/7 for nearly the whole first year.  I don't push him.  I just encourage him and let him know that it's fine to not want to stay at someone's house overnight.  He'll outgrow this soon enough.

I'm already starting to feel like they're all growing up.  There are times when all 4 are out somewhere.  I enjoy the quiet for an hour or two, and then I want someone to come home!!

Thanks for the good wishes.  They both seem to be on the mend.

[geminigirl1963]

Yes, unfortunately, kids CAN and DO get kidney stones just as adults.  The really difficult thing with kids if they get them is the simple fact that their "plumbing" is smaller, so it can be even more difficult and painful for them to be able to pass the stones without intervention.

I'm glad she's feeling better now - hope it will continue and you won't have to return to the ER.  Make sure she's drinking plenty of fluids - preferably water - stay away from sodas or lots of sugary juice drinks.  If she's still having some vomiting (or even nauseas), things like gatorade or pedialyte may help keep her hydrated, although they do have a lot of sugar in them, so try not to give TOO much of them.  You can even make like gatorade "popsicles" by freezing some and that might give her something different to get the fluids in rather than just drinking it.  Or just pour some into a plastic container and partially freeze it so it's more of a slushy than an actual completely frozen popsicle.

On another subject - do you know what your sons fever was from?  Is it back to "normal" now and is he feeling 100%?  I, also, at his age, used to have some anxiety on sleepovers and would sometimes want to go home in the middle of the night.  Maybe try having a sleepover or two at your house with his friends until he's a bit more comfortable with the whole concept of sleepovers and being away for the night (perhaps letting them sleep out in the back yard in a tent for the sleepover would be a "safe" alternative/test/first step).  Chances are he'll soon "outgrow" this uneasiness about being away overnight and you'll soon be wishing he'd spend more nights at home!!

I hope both of your children start feeling better REAL soon!