Im 30 and female and last year, I experienced my first kidney stone, passed one in November and again in December. I had surgery to remove one in January. Anyways, I went through 3 months of kidney stone drama, from October to January 7th, 2004. Well, now I’m starting to show signs of another stone, this time, its on my left side. The other stones were from my right side.

My urine is orangey-red in color, which, because of my job as a CSR, I can’t just go to the bathroom, so therefore, I only drink about 16ozs of water for 9 hours. The rest of the water I drink from 3pm to 8pm. Which, again, I realize, maybe I drink 50ozs at home. I know, this is not good, nor is it healthy, but today, I got a lecture from my boss because I did use the bathroom so much last week. My job is to go to the bathroom on my breaks and that’s it. Ok, I progress.

Today, I felt the worst pain on my left side, a little above my pants line, I guess that’s the waist. It wasn’t really my back, it was the side that was killing me. I took 2 400mg of Ibuprofen and that helped for about 2 hours and then, the rest of the day, the pain was there. I’m now home and there is not as much side pain. I was also dealing with stressful things at work and my boyfriend said it’s possible that my side was hurting due to the stress. I took a hot bath as soon as I came home, so that might have helped.

Anyways, I took a home UTI test and it doesn’t show I have any nitrites, so there shouldn’t be a UTI, but my urine did show there is a ton of white blood cells in my urine. I can’t see my doctor for 2 weeks, due to her hours and due to my hours at work. I can’t just go to the doctor, otherwise, I get wrote up and right now, I do need this job.

If the side pain is a stone, how long from the time I feel this pain to the time I pass it, should it take? Reason I’m asking, I felt back pain the last time for about a week and then it took 3 months to get the stones out.

Is the side pain the stone up in that area, working it’s way out? If I drink a ton of water, will the water move it out of the side area and down to my bladder? I weigh 300lbs, how much water should I drink in order to pass this? I’m tired of this. I can’t believe that I went 29 years of life without anything and then, in just 11 months, all this is happening. It was almost the same time of year last year too. I realize I am from PA and now in Arizona and I guess in the last 7 years, I haven’t been drinking as much as I should.

Right now, I need any help. Anything at all. Even just a word of encouragement. Anything.

Oh yeah, will drinking cranberry juice help to pass this any faster?? My boss told me to drink a lot of cranberry juice, but I thought it did nothing for stones?

Thank you,
Char

The cranberry juice is good to drink if you have a bladder, or UTI, infection. Will not cure it, but can help prevent later ones, so they say.
As far as kidney stones, they can pass on their own, but only if they are real small, if it gets stuck in the urethra, that is when you have trouble. I had kidney stones 25 years ago and then in April,on the day my sister-in-law dies, I ended up in the hospital with a 8mm stone in my urethra. Not fun, they put in a stent and that, I think, was worse then the stone. A few weeks later I had my first lipotripsy and the stone passes. Had my second lipotripsy in August and have had no trouble since. If the pain continues, you really do need to get to the dr. Good luck.
PS. Is your boss a guy? Not very simpathetic.

My Dr. told me to drink lots of fluids, especially those with citrate in them, like lemonade. Also can take calcium with citrate. There are sites that tell you about low oxalate diets. Good luck and feel better