kidney stones

[Papertiger81]

Hi,

I just had my first kidney stone and unfortunately I think I still have it.  I went to the emergency room with indescribable pain and bloody urine about a week ago; and of course they diagnosed me with kidney stones(one) and ordered me to see a urologist in a couple of days.  My delemna is that I'm uninsured and I'm wondering, since I've had no pain even during urination and no discoloration, whether I can skip going to the urologist and save the money?  Thanks.

[wrinkledradical2]

I passed 2 kidney stones yesterday.  One in the am, one about 6 hours later.  I have had 2 previous episodes.  The first I went to the ER & they hooked me up to an IV drip & a catheter & I immediately passed the stone! They said it was the size of a grain of sand!  I nearly passed out driving myself the one mile to the hospital.  Then 1 1/2 years later I had another one.  I lay on the living room floor in shock & sure I was going to die & then it too passed.  That got me to thinking.  Both times I was in shock & all the vessels in my body were limp essentially.  And in the ER they 'forced fluids' into me.  I decided 2 things.  One- I had to find something to treat myself with to avoid another episode as I was sure I wouldn't make it thru a 3rd stone & I have had no insurance since I left being a science teacher 15 years ago.  (Answer: Kombucha tea.  I made it nearly 4 years before stones 3 & 4 on the same day & I had been drinking 1/2 the tea I had been for 3 years due to changes in living conditions.)  Two- I would take a Valium (diazepam) & constantly sip water (force fluids on myself) if it happened again.  It did, I did & 2 hours later I passed stone 3, 1 1/2 hours after stone 4 started it too was over!! I can handle that much pain knowing it would end in less than 2 hours!  I recommend trying that next attack & hope it works as well for you.  I don't fear another attack now which is a big plus also.  Good Luck Everyone!

[MSKshelly]

Sadly, I am a experienced kidney stoner... my kidneys are full of them.  I had my first
one detected at 19!... Kidney stones can cause kidney damage silently.  As my URO had reminded me... when I want to ignore the on off stone pain, stones cause pain when  they begin to obstruct the urine from flowing freely to the bladder. (They can cause pain in the kidney etc. but that is a whole different discussion.) So if the stone turns it  can relieve the pressure temporarily but then turn again at any time, leaving you double over with obstruction pain.  The other serious concern is the size of the stone.  A large stone can completely obstruct the kidney, at first you will have severe pain but then if you kidney actually shuts down there is no more pain.  Sadly, this is where you can get into trouble, assuming it is gone only to find yourself with kidney damage later.

I also have no insurance.  You can search for free or sliding scale clinics that might be able to help you.  Also many hospitals have programs as well.  Ask questions too and call around, tell your doctor you do not have insurance and if possible want to pass it on your own.  If the doc agrees say to do a KUB instead of an IVP, then clean out some first even though they don't tell you too so they can clearly see better if the stone is there or not.  Also be good about straining, I am not but like I said for me passing stones is a profession almost.  But if you catch the stone you know it is actually gone and not just silently damaging your kidney!

Good luck and hope you have a stone birth quickly!

Shelly

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
Presence of blood in urine is called hematuria. Causes include lesions of the urinary tract, disease of the prostate, trauma, tumors, malaria or stones in the urinary tract. In your case as kidney stones are present, so these definitely need evaluation as nephrolithiasis or kidney stones are known to cause hematuria. Moreover it can cause further complications. My sincere advice would be to consult a urologist.

I hope that helps. Please do keep me posted. Kind regards.