It may be as small as a grain of sand. Or possibly pearl size with a jagged edge. But, by the time a kidney stone passes, it can bring a grown man to his knees.
Water can be a major player in treating and avoiding kidney stones by producing enough urine to carry them out of the body. “Hydration is the key,” Dr. Stephen Hensley said. “I never pass a water fountain without stopping to get a drink,” said the survivor of several painful kidney stones.
Are there other ways to avoid kidney stones?
Nausea, vomiting, blood in your urine and pain so severe that doctors sometimes prescribe narcotics can be caused by the stones, which are tiny deposits, usually calcium crystals, that stayed behind in the body when the kidneys were flushing out unneeded waste.
Hensley said kidney stones run in his family. He had his first one while he was in high school. “I thought I was going to die. You don’t want to move. You try arching your back. You just never can get comfortable.”
“The pain is so severe. I’ve talked to women who have had babies and kidney stones. They ‘ve said kidney stones are worse,” Hensley said. “I have to be careful here; I’ve never had a kid,” jokes the gynecologist.
Pain usually comes on very suddenly ““ in the back or lower belly. It can come in waves and make the simple act of peeing extraordinarily difficult. Women can mistake the symptoms as a urinary tract infection.
When that happens, the Mayo Clinic advises, it’s time to call the doctor. Do we have to attribute that to Mayo? Wouldn’t anyone say that?
Be ready for that appointment with the details to help with your treatment. Bring written lists of:
- Symptoms;
- Medications, including vitamins and supplements; and
- Questions for the doctor.
Tests can determine the size and location of the stone, and there are treatments, including using lasers to break it up a stone so the pieces can move though the body.
The doctor may ask you to try to capture the stone when it finally passes so it can be tested to find and eliminate the cause.
Kidney stones are more likely to happen to men over 40 with a family history of kidney stones. They’ve been linked to dehydration, diets rich in animal proteins and salt, as well as certain medications, metabolic disorders or urinary tract infections.
“Don’t put it off too long. Don’t deal with it for a week and then come in. Doctors don’t want you to suffer,” Hensley said.
