Tag: Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy

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.

What You Need to Know About Kidney Stones

Kidney stones can happen to anyone but this happens more often to men than women. So for you guys out there, you should be careful.

You may also already have kidney stones if you have one of these symptoms which 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.

Some people also complain off pain coming from the back or the pelvis that goes on and off. It may last for several minutes to a few hours. You might also experience chills, fevers and a loss of appetite which happen are same symptoms associated with urinary tract infection or UTI.

There is no doubt that something is wrong. What now? Well, you have to see the doctor to find out what is really going on. Once you arrive at the clinic, fill up the questionnaire, wait for your name to be called so the doctor can do a physical exam.

To be sure, the doctor will probably get a sample and run some more tests and if you do have kidney stones, its size will determine if this can be expelled by your body or with a little help.

Doctors determine what course of action to take based on the size of the kidney stone. If they have found the kidney stone to be 4mm in diameter or less, then surgery is not required. But if it is larger than 8mm. doctors have no choice but to perform surgery because the stone cannot exit the bladder on its own.

There are 4 procedures currently being used to treat kidney stones. You have ESWL or extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy, PNL or percutaneous nephrolithotomy, ureteroscopic stone removal and open surgery.

What will be used does not only depend on the size of the kidney stone but also the type that is inside your kidney. Doctors know that you have one of four types and this could be calcium, uric acid, struvite and cystine.

It is important to know what type of kidney stone is inside so during post treatment, your doctor can tell you what steps you can take so this will not happen again.

When the doctor tells you that there are kidney stones in your body, dont panic and learn more about the problem. Yes you know what it is and what caused it but you should ask also how serious this is.

Are there risks to the procedures? Has the kidney stones caused any permanent damage in the body? If surgery was successful, what steps should you take so this will not happen again.

Your doctor should be able to answer all your questions. If you have doubts, seek a second opinion. If you do have kidney stones, do whatever it takes to get rid of it.

You may not need surgery after all to get rid of kidney stones since most of the time, the body will be able to do it. But if surgery is required, dont panic. Find out everything there is to know about it so you are well briefed on what will happen. Yes there are risks but things could get worse if you do not do anything about it.

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.