Had stones. Are they back already?

[juanvaldez]

Hi,
I'm writing on behalf of my husband because he doesn't speak/write much english. He had 'surgery' (the impulse thing to break up the stones) about 5 months ago. Can't remember exactly. He has since stopped drinking brown colored sodas (coke, pepsi), and drinks more water, and Kool-aid. Anyways, he came to me midday today and said he has a sharp, throbbing pain in his lower back on right side. I think he threw up already, but that might've been from the codeine I gave him. Could there be more stones again already? What should we do, wait it out and see if that's what it is and if it passes? Our main problem is we don't have health insurance for ourselves and haven't even paid for the last operation he had done. We're in dire straights as it is and it makes me break down and cry thinking that he might have to go to the emergency room again. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[juanvaldez]

Thank you for the suggestions. I did have him take a warm bath and that helped soothe a little, but then the pain got so bad eventually I had to take him to an Urgent Care facility. They gave him an IV with an injection of Toradol, which helped the pain subside considerably. The doctor there took a few xrays and says it looks like the stone is 4mm, but he couldn't be sure, would be better to get a cat-scan at an ER to be sure. Well, he prescribed him Toradol and told us if the pain gets too much that this medication doesn't work then he needs to seek help elsewhere. I'm hoping this stone will pass. We are just kind of watching now to see what happens. He is drinking water now and nothing else and will take his med regularly. I will keep you updated on his progress.

[Dr Smitha Mathews]

Hi,

I'm sorry to say that it is possible that he may have stones again.

There are a few measures you can follow to flush out this stone without visiting the ER. You can try the following.

Encourage intake of plenty of fluids.
He can take tylenol every 4-6 hours for the pain.
Increase intake of natural sources of calcium, such as milk, yoghurt, or sea food.
Tell him never to resist the urge to pass urine or to hold his urine.
A heating pad over the area with pain can help reduce pain.
Avoid caffeine and alcohol.

Do not continue the tylenol for more than 3 days without consulting your doctor.

Do keep us posted on your doubts and progress.
regards