Kidney Stones Support Group
Kidney Stones are solid crystals of dissolved minerals in urine found inside the kidneys or ureters. They vary in size from as small as a grain of sand to as large as a golf ball. Kidney stones typically leave the body in the urine stream; if they grow relatively large before passing, obstruction of a ureter and distention with urine can cause severe pain most commonly...
Last year, I entered the hospital emergency room with extreme groin pain. I was in a hospital bed about 3 hours later and the pain was only lessened after receiving a narcotic. About 6 hours after that, I have a uteroscopy to have a 7 mm obstructive stone removed. I'm a 56 years old and this was my first stone. I'm not sure why, but the stone or part of the stone wasn't removed at the time for analysis. A few weeks later, I caught some gravel in a strainer. After analysis, it was determined that the stones were made up of 100% uric acid. I had a 24 hour urine test and was told my urine volume was low, about 1.2 liters, and my PH, also low at around 5.4. The doctor told me to drink more water. About a month ago, I have a kidney ultrasound and they find 5 non obstructive stones, an 8 mm stone and 4 around 2 mm. I was prescribed potassium citrate, which unfortunately, I can't tolerate, even at the smallest dose. When I take it, I get heart arrhythmias. I'm worried and not sure what to do. From what I've been reading, I assuming I will probably have to have surgery to remove the 8 mm stone and if I can't find some treatment to prevent other stones from forming, I may need even more surgeries in the future. Ugh.. Any thoughts on what I should do or try at this point? I've read about the kidney stone diet and am willing try it if others tell me they've tried it and it works. Thanks..
Good luck.
I still have intense pain in and around my right kidney, swelling there and 3 x3mm non obstructing stones. Docs are puzzled why im so sick. I have been drinking 3l of water a day. Also been staying away from berries, spinach, sweet potatoes, all nuts, leeks, and some other foods. A nutritionist in the UK has posted very interesting videos on this look up Elliot Overton.
How the hec do we get surgery to remove stones and immediately have more??? Its beyond me.
I feel your pain. Literally! I was diagnosed with a rare bowel disease called Whipples. As a result I have had most of my small bowel removed. Only about 20cm remains. Currently waiting for a bowel transplant. As a result of this I have a complaint called short gut syndrome. Unfortunately for me one of the complications that arises from that is kidney stones. I mean lots of kidney stones. I had a CT scan done about 2 weeks ago and the count unbelievably was at 48. There are 28 in the left and 20 in the right. A normal week for me is anywhere from 5-7 stones. The other issue for me is the fact that I also suffer from epilepsy. I only developed this back in 2010 when I was 30. The medications I take for this condition is unfortunately the worst thing I could possibly take for the production and reproduction of kidney stones. I would much rather deal with the consequences of the stones than a full clonic tonic seizure. So I look at it as a necessary evil. I adhere to a full low oxalate diet. No caffeine, cola drinks or alcohol. Because I have so many surgery is out of the question because the risk factors of my getting an infection is to great. The negatives far outweigh the positives so it is just something I have to deal with for however long I have left. What I can pass along to you is that you may want to consider asking your doctor for a script of Tamsulosin. This helps the muscles contract along the ureter and help speed up the process of passing a stone. I find they work quite well if the stone is under 3mm. I have tried all various forms and strengths of opioids but I find the best by far is Tapentadol (Palexia). For starters it isn’t an opioid but has better onset time and analgesic effect than stronger more potent opioids. It is excreted from the body very quickly so you don’t suffer from anywhere near as bad withdrawals as you would with opioids. It doesn’t cause constipation either. Another slight benefit. The only other thing I can add is that when you get an attack see the warning signs early and either get to an ER ASAP or make yourself as comfortable as possible and listen to some music or whatever relaxes you, keep up with your pain relief medication so you’re not starting from scratch trying to catch up on the pain and get yourself self as comfortable as you can at home. This is all I ever do now. I find that visits to hospital only prolong the attacks because of the wait, constant interference from doctors and being moved around. Better off dealing with it from the comfort of home if you possibly can. After having had literally thousands of stones over the past 10 years or so that is the best pieces of wisdom and knowledge I can pass on. If you’ve bothered to read to the bottom I sincerely hope this helps if only a tiny bit. All the best for the future.
Nick