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How Are Kidney Stones Diagnosed

Do you have kidney stones? You will never know until you are examined by a doctor because the symptoms associated with this problem are very similar to UTI or urinary tract infection.

So, you have to set an appointment with the doctor. While there, he or she will review your medical history and conduct a physical examination before running some tests.

If you are a regular patient of the doctor, it will be easy to pull your file out. However, if this is your first time, you will have to fill up the form and get your medical files.

Your medical history does not say much about kidney stones especially if you have never had this before which is why the next step is to conduct a physical examination. Here, the doctor will look at you physically and touch certain areas. This is hard for the doctor to do if the patient is in extreme pain.

So the best way to confirm initial findings is through laboratory tests. The doctor will either extract blood or ask a urine sample from you.

You may also have to be scanned and there are a variety of machines for that. These include a computed tomography (CT) scan, intravenous pyelogram (IVP), retrograde pyelogram, and the regular X-ray.

The CT scan is used for various examinations. A scanner and a computer are used to create images of the urinary system. The only problem is that it has difficulty detecting small stones if they are located near the bladder. If a stone is found, an x-ray follows to determine the orientation, shape and size of the kidney stone.

Intravenous Pyelogram or IVP is done after a contrasting agent is injected into the vein. Within minutes, the test will show if there is a kidney stone blocking the ureter. This is perhaps the best method to check if you have kidney stones even if there is a slight risk for an allergic reaction to the fluid that was injected into the vein.

If you think that the ultrasound is only used to see the baby growing inside the womb, think again because it can also be used to detect a dilated upper urinary tract and kidney if the stone is lodged in the ureter. Its limitation is that it cannot detect kidney stones that are no longer in the kidney area.

Another term for retrograde pyelogram is a cytoscopy. The test begins by inserting a telescopic instrument into the bladder. Then, similar to the IVP, a contrast agent is injected into this opening and an x-ray is done to find the kidney stone.

Some doctors say this is better than IVP because there is no way to get an allergic reaction from the contrasting agent. This is because you will first be injected with anesthesia so in essence, you dont feel anything.

Among the different tests done to detect kidney stones, this is only used when other tests have proven to be inadequate or unsuccessful.

It is only after careful diagnosis that doctors will be able to tell if you have kidney stones or not. From there, they can treat you by giving some medication or advising you to drink lots of water because you may be able to expel the stones on your own. But if this does not work, then surgery is the next option.

How to cure kidney stones

As in any sickness, the key to the formation of kidney stones is in prevention especially since a person who had more than one kidney stone in her life will most likely develop kidney stones in the future. Regular check-up to the doctor is one way to ensure that all kinds of sickness are prevention. Paying extra for a regular set of tests like sugar, urine and blood tests will even better your chances of preventing certain conditions from developing. Think how less expensive that would be than when you actually become sick and you have to buy expensive medicines and pay a lot more for certain procedures.

Most kidney stones pass through the urinary system easily so drink lots and lots of water and do not mind going to the bathroom to urinate every now and then. Often times, people with kidney stones are only told to take lots of fluids and maybe some medication. Although the actual kidney stones are important in assessing the actual status so the patient may also be tasked to preserve their kidney stones and submit it for testing. Depending on the diagnosis, patients urine may also have to be analyzed for a whole day. Another day after initial medication or treatments are taken and done will also be set aside for another 24 hour urine analysis.

A change in lifestyle is also a very effective treatment. If you are not the type who drinks lots of fluids then it is high time that you learn to drink enough liquids in a day so that you will be able to produce at least 2 quarts of urine. While certain food are believed to contribute tot eh formation of kidney stones, moderation is really the key.

In the past, food high in calcium are shunned but recent studies have proven that calcium high foods including dairy products like milk can actually prevent formation of calcium stones. What should be watched out is the intake of calcium pills, food added with vitamin D and certain types of antacids that have a calcium base. A person who has a relatively high presence of acid in his urine is also advised to eat less meat, fish and poultry because eating these will further increase acid in urine.

There are medicines that maybe prescribed by doctors to somehow control the production of acid and alkali in urine. This is vital because acid or alkali are key factors in the forming of crystals. Allopurinol can be useful for cases of hyperuricosuria.

Hydrochlorothiazide favors calcium retention hence reducing the amount of calcium released by the kidneys which is in turn results to low or no formation of calcium tones. Sodium cellulose phosphate, on the other hand, secretes calcium in the intestines to prevent it from leaking to the urine.

As for surgical procedures in taking out kidney stones, the very popular procedure is Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy or ESWL. This most frequently used procedure works when shock waves that are created outside the body travel into the skin and body tissues until they reach the denser stones. The shock causes the tones to break down in smaller particles so that they can easily pass through the urinary tract.

This sounds simple but potential risks and complications that may arise should always be discussed with the doctor before agreeing to go through the procedure.

Do You Know What a Kidney Stone Is

Do you know what a kidney stone is? These are minerals are salts that are found in your urine and when it hardens, it becomes a stone. Most of the time, these are very small that it does not cause any harm but if they get bigger or it builds up, then there is a problem.

Kidney stones do not just stay in the kidney. It can move to other parts of the body. When that happens, you will feel certain symptoms. You could feel pain coming from your back or pelvis, experience spasms, notice bloody, cloudy or smelly urine, feel sick, urinate frequently and have fevers and chills.

It is hard to tell if you have kidney stones because these symptoms also happen when you have UTI or urinary tract infection. Your doctor can only tell which is which after conducting some tests.

The different tests available include blood test, urine analysis, x-rays, ultrasound and non-contrast helical computerized tomography. If initial reports and the results confirm that you have kidney stones, then the proper treatment is administered.

Doctors dont know yet what causes kidney stones. Some believe it is caused by our lifestyle, due to certain medication, post surgery or therapy and in rare cases, a genetic disorder. This happens more often to men that women between the 20 to 40 age group.

If you are diagnosed with a kidney stone, you should know that treatment varies from one patient to the next because this depends on the kind of stone found in your kidney.

There are 4 types of kidney stones namely calcium uric acid, strutvite and cystine. The first 2 are the most common and if the size is less than 4 mm in diameter, you can expel it out of your system by drinking water and some medication.

Should the kidney stone be larger than 8 mm in diameter, this is the only time that surgery may be required.

The doctor may perform one of these procedures which include extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy, ureteroscopic stone removal and percutaneous nephrolithotomy. Each procedure is designed to shrink the kidney stone and if one treatment does not work, only then will they try something else. Surgery which has been practiced for so many years is now the last option.

Now that you know what kidney stones, is there a way to stop this from happening? Yes there is and the most effective way is through prevention. You do this by drinking 3 liters of water or 6 to 8 glasses a day, make some changes in your diet like eat and drink products that contain calcium and exercise regularly.

Kidney stones can happen to anyone regardless of age or gender but guys, you should be more careful because you are at greater risk of getting it. If you feel some pain, go and pay your doctor a visit. Dont wait until it gets worse.

If it is a false alarm, then that is good. But if you do have kidney stones, cooperate with the doctor and follow his or her directions. You should also ask if the kidney stones have caused any permanent damage and what are the risks of the procedure if it requires medical intervention. Kidney stones do happen but dont worry because it is after all, treatable.

Do You have Kidney Stones

Is there blood when you urinate or do you feel pain coming from your back or pelvis? If your answer to these two questions is yes, then you may have kidney stones in your body and the only way to be sure is to have yourself examined by a doctor.

The two symptoms mentioned are just some of the symptoms that tell you if you have kidney stones. Other symptoms include fevers or chills, feeling or being sick, frequency urinating and feeling a burning sensation when you urinate.

It is hard to tell just by how you feel if you do have kidney stones because these symptoms are also felt by those who have UTI or urinary tract infection.

When you go to your doctor, he or she will have to do a system of checks. This will include reviewing your medical history, conducting a physical examination and doing some tests.

The best way to rule out UTI is to extract a sample of urine or blood and scanned using one or two machines that may be a computed tomography (CT) scan, intravenous pyelogram (IVP), retrograde pyelogram or X-ray.

To give you a better understanding of what these machines are;

The CT scan is used not only to tell if you have a kidney stone because it can be used for other purposes. In the case of kidney stones, the doctor will tell the technician to focus on your urinary system.

The only problem with the CT scan is that it cannot detect small stones when these are located near the bladder. TO be sure, an x-ray will be done to tell the doctor its orientation, shape and size.

The Intravenous Pyelogram or IVP is another option and this can only work after you have been injected with a contrasting agent. Once this is flowing through your kidney, it will be easy for the machine to see if you have a kidney stone blocking the ureter.

There are risks for conducting this test especially if you have a slight allergic reaction to the fluid that was used.

The ultrasound has other uses and letting you know the size of your baby is just one of them. The doctor may also use this device to check if you have kidney stones located in your upper urinary tract or in your ureter. Unfortunately, it cannot be used to check for kidney stones in other parts of the body.

Another test is called the retrograde pyelogram is a cytoscopy. This test is similar to the IVP because it also uses a contrasting agent. The only difference is that once you are injected, a slam telescopic instrument is sent it to check the bladder.

In most cases, patients who may have kidney stones do not need to undergo these tests because the others mentioned have already confirmed that.

When doctors are sure that you have kidney stones and determined the type this is in your body, only then will they be able to treat it. The doctor may or may not have to give you medication. In extreme cases, surgery may be the only option.

Kidney stones happen more often to men than women. If you feel something wrong down there, dont wait until things get worse to see your doctor.