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Kidney Stones and Diarrhea?
For the past four years, I keep having these bouts where my lower abdomen hurts terribly bad, feeding pain back up into my kidneys. Usually, it comes on suddenly, and I can't move because it's so bad. A few hours later, I end up with diarrhea. The most recent two times, I have eventually passed a kidney stone after these episodes, and then they get sooo much better until the next time. Can kidney stones really cause diarrhea or is there something else going on that I should be worried about? My GI tract has been thoroughly investigated, but nobody can find anything. Help?
My fiance just found this thread after running a search on my symptoms and sent it to me so I didn't feel so alone. I, too have been having these horrible episodes for the past few months.
I am usually woken up in the middle of the night because I feel very hot (not sweaty...it feels more internal...like the blood in my veins is hot) and a little sick to my stomach.. Then the cramping starts and I get diarrhea for hours. Sometimes it is accompanied by nausea and sometimes not. I notice I usually have a lot of allergy drainage/phlegm and sometimes my throat looks like it's closing up on one side and triggers my gag reflex (draining into my already irritated stomach certainly doesn't help either) Usually I'll have dry heaves but a couple of times, I have thrown up. Each episode typically lasts anywhere between 4-12 hrs and I end up curled up in a ball on the bathroom rug half the night.
I am 34 and had issues with IBS in my early twenties, so at first I thought it had returned. I tried exercising more and eating smaller, extremely healthy meals. I cut down on caffeine, alcohol, fast food, etc. Nothing seemed to help. I made an appointment with a GI doctor and he thought it sounded more gall bladder related than IBS so he ran an abdominal ultrasound. It was negative for gall stones BUT it showed that I had a kidney stone. I have never had these before but during the IBS in my twenties, I also had recurring bladder infections, one of which turned into a bad kidney infection...and the stone is in that same kidney. The weird thing is, I didn't really start having much pain in the kidney area until a few days ago, and this has been going on for several months now.
My GI doctor put me on Bentyl and it has seemed to help a bit until I had another episode this morning. I took the Bentyl for the first time during an episode and I was feeling somewhat better after about three hours but I don't know if that had anything to do with it. This episode only lasted 4 hrs though, which is much better than many of the others.
I have an appointment with a urologist today to decide if they should break my kidney stone up or not. Have any of you found any sort of relief for these episodes? When do they end?! Uggggh.
I'm comforted to know that there are others out there but I sure wish we could be free of this!
I am usually woken up in the middle of the night because I feel very hot (not sweaty...it feels more internal...like the blood in my veins is hot) and a little sick to my stomach.. Then the cramping starts and I get diarrhea for hours. Sometimes it is accompanied by nausea and sometimes not. I notice I usually have a lot of allergy drainage/phlegm and sometimes my throat looks like it's closing up on one side and triggers my gag reflex (draining into my already irritated stomach certainly doesn't help either) Usually I'll have dry heaves but a couple of times, I have thrown up. Each episode typically lasts anywhere between 4-12 hrs and I end up curled up in a ball on the bathroom rug half the night.
I am 34 and had issues with IBS in my early twenties, so at first I thought it had returned. I tried exercising more and eating smaller, extremely healthy meals. I cut down on caffeine, alcohol, fast food, etc. Nothing seemed to help. I made an appointment with a GI doctor and he thought it sounded more gall bladder related than IBS so he ran an abdominal ultrasound. It was negative for gall stones BUT it showed that I had a kidney stone. I have never had these before but during the IBS in my twenties, I also had recurring bladder infections, one of which turned into a bad kidney infection...and the stone is in that same kidney. The weird thing is, I didn't really start having much pain in the kidney area until a few days ago, and this has been going on for several months now.
My GI doctor put me on Bentyl and it has seemed to help a bit until I had another episode this morning. I took the Bentyl for the first time during an episode and I was feeling somewhat better after about three hours but I don't know if that had anything to do with it. This episode only lasted 4 hrs though, which is much better than many of the others.
I have an appointment with a urologist today to decide if they should break my kidney stone up or not. Have any of you found any sort of relief for these episodes? When do they end?! Uggggh.
I'm comforted to know that there are others out there but I sure wish we could be free of this!
Absolutely.. I have been dealing with at least one kidney stone a month for several years, and most of the time it is accompanied by painful cramping and diarrhea. Embriologically, the urinary system is related to your digestive tract, so you often get gastrointestinal symptoms with kidney stones, even though they seem to be very different. You may also get very nauseous and have severe vomiting. Seems strange, but this is normal!
I have been dealing with Kidney Stones for the past seven years. I have had lithotripsy 4 times to break up the stones. I have also passed several on my own. My first symptons that something is going on is that I have slight chills and severe diarrhea. It starts slow and within 2 hours it is pouring out of me like water. I then get abdominal pain and nausous. If I take a Vicotin soon enough after these symptoms start I can usually ward off throwing up. If I start throwing up It usually lasts all night and then I worry about dehydration because I am loosing so much fluid with the diarrhea and vomiting. If the Vicotin works and releaves my pain, then the diarrhea stops within an hour or two.
My primary doctor is confused by this. He says he has never seen anyone who has Diarrhea with Kidney Stones. He has tested me for all kinds of things. My Urologist says that it is each individuals body has a way of dealing with the pain and that is not common but it is not uncommon either. Good luck with it all .
My primary doctor is confused by this. He says he has never seen anyone who has Diarrhea with Kidney Stones. He has tested me for all kinds of things. My Urologist says that it is each individuals body has a way of dealing with the pain and that is not common but it is not uncommon either. Good luck with it all .
2 Comments
Yes, I have passed 3 stones and have had diarrhea each time. IThere is a connection with stones and diarrhea.
I have a lot of kidney stones that are calcifying and when my kidneys start to hurt I get uncontrollable bowel movements. You can say it *****. Take nausea meds and try meds for diarrhea. Eat light next few days that might help you out. Stay away from salt, caffeine and ketchup!
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