kidney stones.. - Kidney Disorders Message Board

dputwinsfan · 08-22-2008, 12:14 AM

No one in my family has ever had kidney stones and I'm not really sure what to expect. My mom did all of this reading online (she seems to get one piece of advice in one place and another piece of advice somewhere else). It's been about five days since I went to the ER and had a CT scan in which I quote: "You have a kidney stone in your left kidney just floating around, while there is another in your ureter." They never told me the size or exactly where it was, and looking back on it I wish I had asked to see the x-rays or at least asked the size. The pain isn't getting any worse, but it sure isn't getting better. It was at first only on the right flank (is that the right word?) of my back, but now it's moved into my side and down into my abdomen. They prescribed me a five day scrip for Flomax which doesn't seem to be helping except making me go to the bathroom every five minutes, I'm supposed to take Advil for the pain, and drink plenty of water.

I feel like nothing seems to be working, and I may seem like an inpatient 21 year old, but I'm not a fan of waiting on something that seems as simple as this. Is there a set time that it takes for someone to pass one of these things? The ER doctor seemed to think I'd pass is within two days, but then again I really didn't ask a lot of questions (and now I know I should have) Classes are starting up next week and I really don't want to be in this much pain or have to miss classes.

I'm just looking for a little insight and advice; and believe me anything will probably help calm my nervousness and fears.

Niclolu · 08-22-2008, 01:04 AM

There is no way to tell how long it will take for a kidney stone to move from the kidney, down your uterer and into your bladder. My body seems to make kidney stones every 5 years. The stone before last took 7 months to move from my kidney to my bladder and I was able to pass it without any pain. It was a small stone that the doctor saw in my kidney when they had me go in for a sonogram to check on my pregnancy.

My last stone (June 2008) hit me out of the blue. I ended up in the ER and the CAT scan showed it had moved down the uterer and was at the entry point to the bladder. Once it stopped moving, so did my pain. The pain you feel isthe stone moving down the uterer. I was told to get a follow up x-ray and strain my urine to make sure it had passed. It was a 5mm stone, by the way.

I went and had an x-ray taken and the doctor never called me about it. I got busy and forgot to call. A month later, I doubled up with pain and went to the ER again. The CAT scan showed that I still had the same stone in the same place but it had grown to 7mm. There was no way that stone was going to get out without surgery.

The surgery was a breeze and the doctor did not have to make an incision. I went to sleep, woke up, had no pain and went home the same day. It is a very simple procedure. They checked my kidney to make sure it is ok. If you have a blockage like that for too long, your kidney shuts down. BUt I had no pain at all afterwards. It does not sound like they think you will need surgery or they would have told you by now.

I am sharing that with you to let you know kidney stones can be serious if we let it go too long. Keep checking up with your doctor and provide progress reports. Do not let it go too long.

If the stone is small enough, doctors can prescribe medication to break it down. Are you straining your urine? You could have passed the stone and not feel it. Hard to say when you do not know the size of the stone(s). That is the only way other than an x-ray to know for sure.

dputwinsfan · 08-22-2008, 01:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Niclolu

If the stone is small enough, doctors can prescribe medication to break it down. Are you straining your urine? You could have passed the stone and not feel it. Hard to say when you do not know the size of the stone(s). That is the only way other than an x-ray to know for sure.

Thank you for responding! They didn't tell me about straining my urine although I'm not sure I have the resources to do that.. From other sites I have read that if I am still feeling this immense amount of pain that I haven't passed it yet. The pain is less subtle now and comes and goes as it pleases (at least it has for the past two days) and I find usually taking the prescribed Advil has been helping the pain front more often than not. They said the stone was relatively small, but I didn't think to even ask how big it was until I got back home and did some research. Thank you again for responding so quickly-- I will plan to go an get another X-ray done just to make sure when this is all, hopefully, done with. It is my medical records so I'm also going to ask my dad (who was with me at the ER) about calling into the clinic and seeing if they can tell me the size of my stones. Maybe that will help ease my mind as well knowing it isn't something too big.

Niclolu · 08-22-2008, 01:28 AM

You are very welcome. With kidney stones, they always measure the stone so it will be in your records. If you are still having pain, you still have the stone and it is the one in your uterer. You would not feel the one in your kidney.

The doctor explained to me the uterer is a very small tube and it spasm to move the stone along. That is where the pain comes from. If the stone was already in your bladder, you will be able to pass the stone because that opening is bigger than the uterer. You will not be feeling pain either. So it sounds like you still have the stone. If the doctor told you to take Advil instead of prescribing something stronger like Vicodin, it probably is a small stone.

But kudos to you for following up on it. Let us know how it goes. I hope you will be able to get this resolved soon. Darn those stones!

p.s. If you are able to retrieve the stone, get it to your doctor. They can test it to see what is causing the stones to form. Usually, once you make stones, you continue to make stones. They have methods to prevent future stones once they know how and why your body makes them.

If you ever wonder what labor pains feel like, that is pretty close.

Ha, ha!

twanger · 08-22-2008, 03:31 PM

Your story sounds very similar to mine. I went to the ER, had a CT scan and it showed a 4.5 mm stone in the ureter.

I was sent home and still had much pain for about 1 week. In fact, one week to the day, I started seeing pieces of the stone come out.

After that, the pain was gone. Hang in there for some more days and see if you can pass it yourself. Also, drink lots of water.