Tag: Kidney Stone

Understanding Kidney Stones

Kidney stones can happen to anyone regardless of gender or age. But studies have shown that this is more common during middle age and three times more in men. So what the symptoms of kidney stones?

The most common symptoms of kidney stones include bloating, blood in the urine, cloudy or foul-smelling urine, an increase in the frequency of urination, nausea and vomiting, pain during urination and tenderness in the abdomen and kidney region.

You may also experience pain that goes on and off. This may last for minutes to several hours which you may feel in the kidney, lower abdomen or groin. You may also have chills, fevers and a loss of appetite which happen to be the same symptoms associated with urinary tract infection or UTI.

What happens then? To find out what is really going on, you have to see your doctor. Once there, you will answer a few questions and then undergo several tests to see if you have kidney stones or not. The results of the test will determine what type of treatment will be done.

If the kidney stone measures 4 mm in diameter or less, there is a strong chance that you dont need surgery and your body can expel it. If it is 8 mm and above, this is the only time that medical intervention is needed.

Medical intervention is another way of saying surgery. There are 4 types of surgery that can help treat kidney stones and these are namely ESWL or extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy, PNL or percutaneous nephrolithotomy, ureteroscopic stone removal and open surgery.

Before you agree to any procedure, you have to know what type of stone is in your kidney. There are 4 types namely calcium, uric acid, struvite and cystine and knowing what it is can already tell you what caused it. It can also help you understand the type of treatment the doctor is recommending.

From there, you can ask how effective is the treatment that they are recommending and what are the risks.

Another good question you can ask is if the kidney stone has caused any permanent damage.

Kidney stones can also be treated by alternative medicine.

You can drink various herbs such as bearberry, cleavers, corn silk, crampbark, gravel root, kava kava, khella, seven barks and stone root. Homeopathic remedies include berberis vulgaris, cantharis, ocimum canum and pennyroyal. Hot packs may also work.

Keep in mind that alternative treatments for kidney stones can only be used if the stones can be expelled by the person. If not, this must be discontinued and a health professional should be the one who will monitor the situation.

Kidney stones should be taken seriously because things could get worse unless it is attended to immediately. You should know that even if the treatment is successful, kidney stones do recur and your best defense against that is prevention.

You will need to make some lifestyle changes and follow the doctors directions because there are a few other things you need to know based on your chemical risk factors. In the end, the power is in your hands because this may put you at risk later on of kidney failure. While getting a transplant is possible, just remember that you have to wait because there are other people who also need it.

Treating Kidney Stones

Treating kidney stones may or may not involve surgery. Ninety-percent of the time, you dont even have to go under the knife because your body will be able to expel it. But what happens to the remaining ten percent?

That remaining ten percent requires surgery because the stones which have clogged up your system are too large to pass through your bladder and is still growing bigger. It could also block urine flow, give you constant pain, damage your kidney tissue or cause you to have UTI or urinary tract infection.

There are currently 4 methods to deal with kidney stones.

The first is ESWL or extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy. Here non-electrical shock waves created outside your body will travel to the skin until it reaches the dense stones. Within minutes, the stones will form into san. For this to work, you will be placed in a tub or warm, purified water or onto a machine that acts as a medium for the non-electrical shockwaves to pass through.

Second, you have PNL or percutaneous nephrolithotomy. This is used when the kidney stone is quite big and ESWL does not work. Here, the doctor will make a small cut on your back to create a tunnel into the kidney. The stone will then be removed using an instrument known as a nephroscope. If the stone is too large, an energy probe will be used. There are two types namely ultrasonic and electrohydraulic.

Third, there is what is known as ureteroscopic stone removal. Here, a small fiberoptic instrument goes through the urethra and bladder to reach the ureter. Once inside, the stone is located and removed with a special instrument that emits a shockwave. After surgery, a tube will be left inside the uterer for a few days to help the lining of the ureter heal.

The fourth option is open surgery. Basically, the doctor will open the affected area and then remove the kidney stone. It is also possible to inject a solution consisting of calcium chloride, cyroprecipitate, thrombin and indigo carmine into the kidney first to trap the stones in a jelly like clot so it will be easy to remove using forceps.

Kidney stone can come back even after you have had surgery. Should it happen again, it only means one thing and that is you did not take preventive measures.

These precautions include drinking 6 to 8 glasses of water a day which is about 3 liters as this will make your urine look clear instead of yellow. You should make changes in your diet because too much calcium is bad for your health. Some of the things you should reduce include apples, black pepper, chocolate, coffee, cheese, grapes, ice cream, oranges, tomatoes and yogurt.

Reductions should also be made in fish, meat or poultry products because this increases your uric acid. If you drink alcohol often, cut it down since there is no harm if this is taken in moderation.

Now we all know that it is impossible to eat the same things everyday to maintain a balanced diet. What you can do however is take supplements.

The best way to treat kidney stones is prevention. It will also save money since you have to pay for the doctor, the medication and the fees that are done to make the correct diagnosis.

The Importance of Early Diagnosis in Kidney Stones

Those people who are prone to kidney stones must familiarize themselves with the different types as early as possible so they would know what to adjust. Aside from setting lifestyles changes, knowing what type of kidney stones develop in the body is also important because it will help you do the things that will prevent their existence in your body system.

Many people are not aware of it but there are actually different types of kidney stones that some individuals suffer from. Among those types, the most common that most people develop is called “calcium oxalate stone.” While others are called “struvite stones,” “uric acid stones,” and “cystine stones.” These types vary depending on what cause them and their characteristics.

Medical alerts for kidney stones

To be able to address the condition properly, it a must for people who are prone to having kidney stones to familiarize themselves with the condition. In order to determine if one is suffering from kidney stones, here are some medical alerts or symptoms to be noted:

– pain in varying levels. As vague as it is, pain in varying levels is one of the major medical alerts of kidney stones. Considered as a common symptom for kidney stones, pain may vary depending on the size of the kidney stone and the length of time that it remains undiagnosed. Experts say that painwhich can be mild or extremeis normal for people who suffer from kidney stones. This is because as the stone increases in size and weight, the more discomfort it brings especially during urination. Another form of pain that can be experienced due to kidney stones is from renal colic, which brings waves of severe pain that lasts for more than 10 minutes and can even last for an hour depending on the location of the kidney stone.

– presence of blood in the urine or the condition called “hematuria.” The presence of blood in the urine is quite disturbing but this is one of the most common medical alerts of kidney stones.

Immediate diagnosis is a must

Most people dont know it but almost 50 percent of the people who suffer from kidney stones would likely have them again in the next 10 years or so? This is because many of the sufferers do not continue medication and they cease from maintaining healthy diet and lifestyle.

People who are likely to suffer from kidney stones can go to any hospital’s Emergency Room or “ER”. Here, you can ask the attending physician or the hospital clerk on duty to undergo testing. It is advantageous for you to go straight in the ER because hospital people will attend to you directly. In most cases, it would take a long time before one can actually set at check up with a specialist. So it would be best if you go directly to the ER and get the prompt attention that you need.

Diagnosis can be done through an assessment of the person’s clinical history, a physical examination, laboratory evaluation, and x-ray for follow up. Having early diagnosis can definitely help you determine which type of kidney stone is present and would lead to faster and reliable treatments.

Once you feel pain in different extent along with nausea or vomiting, pain with urination, and at times, the urgent need to urinate which are usually characterized among children and adults, then you should have yourself checked by the doctor because you might be suffering from kidney stones.

Kidney Stones Basics

Many people don’t realize it but when the kidney suffers from complications such as kidney stones, it can disrupt its filtering function and may even cause more complicated diseases in people. Experts say that not all kidney stones are harmful as long as they are not located in the utererthe tube that is connected with the bladder and where urine passes.

For people who are prone to kidney stones, it is a must to know the basic things that they must to ensure that they are knowledgeable enough in case they might be suffering from the condition.

The first thing that a person who is prone to kidney stones must know is what is it. As defined, kidney stone is a result of substances and other minerals crystallized in the urine. Kidney stones are hard pieces of materials that can block the passage of urine and may cause pain and infection to the person suffering from it. These stone may grow in size and in number when remained undiagnosed or untreated. Experts categorize kidney stone types into four: the “calcium oxalate”, the “struvite stone,” the “uric acid stone,” and the “cystine stones.”

Next is what are the possible causes of the condition. Experts say that there are many factors that may lead to the possible causes of kidney stones. These factors may include “heredity,” referring to the kidney related diseases that runs in many generations of the family; the “geographical location” which says that the places where the disease is common caused by other related factors such as climate and way of living; “diet” which greatly trigger the cause of the stone especially if they have high contents of calcium, sodium, and “oxalates,” which refer to products that may contribute to the increase in the levels of kidney stone-forming chemicals and substances in the body.

Knowing the signs and symptoms of kidney stones should follow this. You might be suffering from kidney stones if you feel insistent pain in varying levels in your back or side, tinge of blood present in your urine, slight chills or fever which indicates infections, often vomiting, foul smelling urine, cloudy or yellowish urine, urge to urinate often and painful urination.

You should also know are prone to kidney stones. Many studies show that middle-aged men are more prone to developing kidney stones compared to other age brackets. This is because this is when people are reckless and careless about their lifestyles. However, women and kids may also suffer from kidney stones depending on their risk factors such as heredity, lifestyle, and medical condition.

People must also be very aware how kidney stones are diagnosed. Physicians are the best ones who can give accurate diagnosis on kidney stones. When you visit a doctor, he may perform medical history check, lifestyle check, and laboratory tests and examinations so he would determine which treatment options are appropriate for you.

Lastly, what are the treatment options available for this condition. For mild kidney stones, medications to relieve pain are given. For those who are having more complicated stones, medical procedures are available such as shock waves, lithotripsy, tunnel surgery and ureteroscope.

Today, it seems that people who are already suffering from kidney stones are usually the last ones to realize the importance of taking care of the kidney. Knowing the basics will help one to realize the importance of the organ in the functions of the body and for the overall health as well.