Help! I think I have kidney stones

Do you have a stabbing pain in your side or back? Pain or burning when urinating? Sorry, friend, you might have joined the kidney stone club. We have plenty of members; the National Institutes of Health says about 11 percent of all men and 6 percent of women have kidney stones at least once. 

The signature symptoms, apart from the pains listed above, are mostly even more pain-related ones: pain that comes in waves or radiates to the lower abdomen and groin (especially for men). You could also notice pinkish, red or brown urine, and the feeling like you need to go a lot, and sometimes you can only go in small amounts. You could also experience nausea and vomiting, and even fever and chills if you also have an infection. 

Infections, unfortunately, are a common side effect of kidney stones: highly unpleasant little crystals that form in your kidneys and then try to work their way out, causing a lot of distress on their way for some. Believe it or not, some people pass them without really feeling it. That’s because they can range in size from tiny to you don’t want to know. OK, we’ll tell you: larger ones are pea-sized. But some have even been golf-ball sized. Obviously, the really large ones require surgery. 

A kidney stone that gets stuck while it passes through your urinary tract can block your urine flow and cause severe pain or bleeding (hence the pink urine). If you have those symptoms, seek care right away. You can do permanent damage to your kidneys if you let it go untreated.  

A urologist will help and can tell you if the stone is something that requires surgical treatment or a smaller one that should be able to pass on its own. If it’s the latter, you may need pain medication and other medications that help widen your ureter to help the stone pass more easily. 

Once it does pass, your urologist will probably want to have the stone analyzed to determine its composition. Most are calcium, but there are some other types that might require different treatments. 

Some people are more prone to having kidney stones. If that’s you, there are a few ways to help prevent a recurrence; unfortunately, having one stone greatly increases your odds of having another. Your doctor will give you more specific advice depending on your type of kidney stone and your own health and medications. A few time-tested ideas that can help: Drinking plenty of water, avoiding too much salt or vitamin C supplements, and believe it or not, drinking lemonade or water with lemon added.  

Hang in there. Kidney stones are painful, but temporary. Remember, if you haven’t seen a doctor, do it as soon as you think you might have a kidney stone (find a TidalHealth primary care provider if you don't already have one) and if it’s really severe, do seek emergency care.