Aa
is a 8mm stone in the kidney ever NOT a cause for concern?
Let me start off by saying that im a 32 yi female with a history of stones and kidney infections since the age of 18. I am also uninsured. Ive had one lithotripsy 4 years ago. Ok back in november i was diagnosed with a stone too large to pass, my ob said it was 2/3's of an inch. I was 14 weeks pregnant so lithotripsy was not an option. I managed to pass bits and pieces and a follow up u/s showed the stone wad 1/3 in and passable. Had my baby in mid may, went to the er laze june bc of pain. No insurance and no money so an office visit was not an option. I was told i had a uti only and no stones bc i didnt have blood in my urine. I explained that you dobt have to have blood in your urine and was most definately having a kidney stone attack and insisted on a CT. I have multiple stones in my left kidney the largest being 8mm (im assuming same from nov) a 3mm in the ureter and a teeny 1mm in the right kidney. The NP told me the 8mm was too large to pass so it was of no concern and didnt require treatment. She was very nice but honestly i no reql faith in her kidney stone expertise since i had to practically beg for the CT even after explaining my history. Is it possible the stone isnt a problem and can "hang out" w/o ill effects on my health? Or do i need to come up w/some $ to see a urologist? Sorry this waa so long and thank you in advance
When the stone is nonobstructive a urologist will not do anything about it. There is no way to predict if and when the stone could become a problem.
Kidney stones also have to be in a certain part of the kidney before they can be removed... right flank etc. those are anatomical descriptive words about locations in the kidneys.
But when you have hydronephrosis that can't be ignored. Did doctor explain what that is? It does sound like you need ESWL or somehow the stone needs to be broken up.
I agree with others medical professionals who don't know anything about kidney stones will sometimes say it is impossible to have pain or refuse to write prescriptions... this is probably due to past experience with people trying to get pain meds who are addicts and don't really have pain, just withdrawal symptoms. When you have no insurance and have to go to doctors and/or hospitals that treat the indigent it is more difficult to get the care you need and you need to wait longer for treatment.
There is also a USA wide shortage of urologists and it is worse in some places than others. In my experience hospitals that treat the indigent do not have enough of almost everything they need: enough OR rooms, enough urologists with the right experience, enough of the medical instruments they need etc.
Most urologists can remove some kidney stones, but not all of them are highly skilled at it. Most have had fellowships in other subspecialities in urology ... and a state univ. hospital can give them some training and require them to remove kidney stones. But that is not what these doctors really want to do and what most of their training is in. All you can do is: go to another hospital system and/or ask for the doctor who is the most experienced at the univ hospital system. The univ hospitals and urologists themselves will not tell you what I just said either.. most of the time.
That is partly why procedures keep getting repeated not just because kidney stones move around when blasted with a laser and this is extremely difficult to do, because the urologists do not have enough experience and or training with kidney stones. No hospital wants to volunteer this information....most of the time, sometimes a patient is referred to a doctor who does have more training and experience, if there is one in a metro area or hospital system who will help.
mctripat
Hi! I'm kind of stuck in kidney stone limbo. My urologist actually isn't concerned about the 8mm stone at this time because it's non obstructive. He did however tell me that I would probably need lithotripsy for the 3 mm stone since it still had not passed by the time I went in to see him. I wanted to give it a little more time and asked for flomax and pain beds which he prescribed and told me two more weeks was the longest I should let this go since I already had moderate hydronephrosis when I went to the .er on the 28th. Well is been a3 weeks and the thing still hasn't passed. So much like the stone I am essentially stuck lol. I don't have any more money for a lithotripsy and since I still haven't paid off the last one he cannot perform another unless I pay upfront. I'm thinking ogre asking about a stent if I can come up with the money for an office visit. Of course assuming a stent would be affordable and effective. Neither of which I know yet. Ugh. I hate kidney stones. Sorry for the novel, just a little frustrated I guess. Thanks for asking :). It's nice to commiserate with others who understand.
The nurse is probably skeptical because of all the scam attempts by addicts that doctors are experiencing. Be easy on the nurse. She's just doing her job abd doesn't know you. Good luck on Monday and I wish you the best.
Ive applied for medicaid bc asof right now i have no income other than child support since i just had my baby and had to recover from a c-section. From what i understand though there is a huge backlog. Also im unsure if i'll be approved bc im in alabama and i believe alabama is one of the states that hasnt expanded their medicaid program. Luckily though i spoke to my parents this afternoon and they're willing to loan me the money i need to see my old urologist and i have an appt in monday. So hopefully in the meantime he can help with pain management for the stone im currently passing. Although the nurse i spoke to when i thought i wouldnt be able to get in until august took a nasty tone when i asked if the dr could prescribe something for pain now if i gave him the radiology report. I knew it was a longshot but she made me feel like i was doing something wrong for even asking. So i dont know, i shouldve asked her if she's ever had stones herself. Im betting the answer would be no.
That nurse practitioner may be nonchalant because she/he has never had a kidney stone and doesn't know the pain we endure with one or honestly, she/he may just not be very good at what they do. They definitely are out there. Either way, it's obvious that she/he is no help to you. I don't believe that ERs can, or will, do anything except relieve the immediate pain and verify a stone is present unless it is a life threatening situation where the stone shuts down your kidney or something like that. Maybe your OBGYN can help you find someone or a gov't program that can help you. What about ObamaCare? I know nothing about it as I'm a VA patient, but can't you get that and then get treatment? Just curious.
Thank you so much for responding! I am definitely concerned about it but the nurse practitioner was so nonchalant about it that i began to wonder. Ive been calling around to various dr.'s offices but have hit a lot of deadends and am honestly getting discouraged. I cant find any resources for help with this issue so at this point im just trying to find a dr i can afford out of pocket who can fit me in before mid august as im a lot of pain obviously. Its exhausting! Im glad to know im not crazy for being concerned. Thanks again!
I'm no doctor and please know that upfront, but with all the kidney stone history I've had over the years, I've never heard of a stone that big being "no problem". It may not be an immediate problem, but it would certainly seem that it could become a major problem at sometime in the future for you. Let's face it, 8mm is a big stone! If it were me, I'd be saving some money and contacting whoever now to get some advice on how I could get medical assistance and have those stones removed as soon as possible.With your apparent kidney/kidney stone history, I would think that this needs to be addressed sooner, rather than later.
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Kidney Stones Community
Discharge often isn't normal, and could mean an infection or an STD.
Dr. Jose Gonzalez-Garcia provides insight to the most commonly asked question about the transfer of HIV between partners.
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
