How can you tell when you have to pass a kidney stone? I've had them before but I believe mine are gone based on the last ct scan I've had.

Enigmatic...

Depending on what kinds of meds your on, they can start 1 of 2 ways. When mine first started 7 years ago, I wasn't taking as strong of daily narcotics as I am now, so the pain started pretty fast and pretty hard. Its alot like labor pains, crampy pain that starts in the back where your kidney's are and as it moves around front to your bladder it becomes more and more painful. As the Stone (s) travel through the Ureter tube, the pain becomes unbearable because your kidneys continually spasm and you've got a stone, a hard object traveling down that tube that isn't supposed to be there! When it gets to your bladder the pain eases up and you pass it. Unlike men, for women the passing it part isn't that big a deal, it just comes out when you pee.

If your on high dose narcotics each day, as I am now, the pain comes on slowly and doesn't build up until its pretty close to coming out, because the narcotics are masking it. I felt this Stone on Wednesday night, but it didn't get bad enough for me to have to go to the ER until Thursday evening I was there most of the night, came home took all my meds and slept for about 12 hours and passed one Stone late last night around 2 a.m. I don't know if there's another 1 or not, just have to wait and see, but I feel pretty good now, just a bit beat up and tired.

I have Chronic Kidney Stones, so my Kidneys have stones in them all the time, it's kind of a 'wait and see' game as to when 1 will decide to come out.

Take care,

I'm glad you finally passed your kidney stone OCP. Lord knows you have enough chronic issues to deal with without more of them cropping up on you. I hope you are feeling better. Hugs!

I hope you have found some relief since the stone has passed. I had stones in 2011 and ended up in the hospital for 3 days bc I had a kidney infection and the stone was stuck so the first surgery was unsuccessful. Since my bladder was so small I had to have a double J stint for 36 days and had the darn stone blasted. It was truly painful and wouldn't wish it on anyone. Feel better soon and take care!!

@Jer: Thanks bud, I am very glad it passed. Still didn't make it up to do much today. I swear Kidney Stones are the closest thing to having a baby as you can get...I'm flat worn out!!

@JNH77:

This one passed pretty quick, a little under 48 hours, so that was good. I've had to have them surgically removed in the past and have had stints placed in several times....I hate stints, they hurt like hell!

Today I just hung out watched TV and laid low, waiting for my energy to come back.

Good to hear it passed. And I agree stints are painful. Hopefully you're on the road to recovery. Get some rest, say hydrated and feel better soon!!

wow you must have a very bad case of them. I have had them at 3 different times in my life along with pain so severe, I wanted to be put out of my misery, begging nurses to give me a lethal dose of whatever they were putting in my veins with the iv.

Mine were made of calcium so I was told not to eat any dairy products outside of a little cream in my coffee. I have read that there is a chemical in tea that causes the kidneys to make stones and I realized I was drinking tea during all 3 times I had the attacks! I immediately stopped drinking tea after my last attack which was about 20 years ago and I haven't had an attack since. I also drink alot of fluids to keep my kidneys washed out so as to not allow the buildup of calcium.

There are different kinds of stones so you may not have the same kind I had especially where yours are chronic, but I can identify with your pain from passing them. It's horrible!

I hope you can find some relief and I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

God Bless

I see, I'm really not looking forward to having to pass any kidney stones, I've heard that they are quite painful for men and I already have quite enough pain to deal with besides that.

When I pass blood or blood clots, that usually lets me know that a stone is either mixed in with it or following closely behind. My urologist gave me a special screen to catch the stone and that way I had it analyzed to see what it is made from. `Then my urologist told me how to avoid getting them in the future.

God Bless

I have a question, will kidney stones show up on a CT scan just like the gallstones I have showed up on the CT scans? If they say normal looking Kidneys on CT scan, am I all clear from stones. All I drink all day is tea and very little water. lol. I hope stones never come after me! Hugs!

Jer, yes they do show up in a CT. When I have to go with mine to the ER I always request a CT vs. the normal Ultrasound. All the Ultrasound shows is if it's in a position that's blocking the bodies ability to pass urine.

The CT shows the size of the Stone, where it's at, i.e. your Ureter Tube, bladder, etc. Whether it's stuck or moving. The CT gives way more information for someone like me who has Chronic Stone. The Ultrasound is a waste of time, I get one of those every 3 months anyway, I need to know if this is a Stone that I'll be able to pass, or do I just need to be admitted for them to remove it.

@Enigmatic:

I have Calcium Oxalate Stones, usually they can be controlled by diet pretty well, if you just don't eat foods that are high in Oxalates.

My left Kidney is pretty much shot, it always has stones in it and there's no way to control when it will toss one out. I try not to think about them to much until I have to deal with them. I also have Liver Disease, so once every 3 months I have an Ultrasound to check on the swelling of my liver and to see how many stones are in my Kidneys.

As for the pain, up until the Stone gets to the Bladder the pain is pretty much the same for both males and females, it literally feels like you are having contractions and about to have a baby. Its from your Ureter Tube and Bladder spasming, but it's the closest most realistic pain a man will ever have to "having a baby". Once the Stones enter the Bladder for women the pain usually slacks off and we pee them out with very little pain or notice. The outer Urinary part are sore for a few days, but that's to be expected, you just pee'd a dang rock! lol

As for men, y'alls pain stays until the stone is out for good. It's got quite a bit further or delicate real estate to travel through. But once its done, it's done.

Thanks for the info OCP. They only did a CT scan of my lungs and Thorax, but it did note normal looking kidneys. I just figured since I have gallstones, I might also have kidney stones. I love my iced tea with Splenda. I need it to stay alert and strong coffee upsets my stomach, so I don't want to have to give up my tea.

Kidney stones are usually way smaller then gall stones, at least the ones I have seen were and I can't imagine passing something as large as a gall stone through my you know what....it would tear up my insides.

My stones were found with an ultra sound. Where my stones were made of calcium, I was told to cut way back on dairy products like cheese, icecream milk, etc. and drink alot more water. Doc said if I did all those things, I could decrease my chances of getting them again by 33% and so far so good.

I told him, however that it would be hard to give up icecream and he told me to just think about the pain I went through, if I get a craving for it and it works most of the time because I never ever want to have that kind of pain again....it was horrible and I thought I was dying.

God Bless.