Kidney Stones

[jshape]

I've had some aching in my lower back for a couple of weeks. I thought it was a muscle strain from overdoing weight workouts. I iced the area regularly and finally went to a chiropractor to see if it was an alignment issue.

After being thrown around by the chiro, it felt about that same and later the next day I saw blood in my urine. Believe me, that really freaks you out!

Fortunately my doctor could see me the next morning, took an X-ray and saw two stones - both big ones. She then sent me to a urologist the following morning who read the x-rays and felt I needed a CT scan to confirm location and to determine treatment.

Turns out I have an 8 mm stone in the kidney and a 12-1/2 mm stone in the drainage system. My urologist says I'm lucky the big sucker is where it is and that it is as big as it - otherwise I'd be on the floor writhing in pain.

So Thursday morning, I'm having extracorporeal sock wave lithotripsy to smash up the stones. I've been warned that Friday I'll feel like I've been beaten with a baseball bat.

Any of you here had this? What were your results? Any suggestions or recommendations for a quicker recovery?

[Noah930]

ESWL isn't too bad. Maybe a little soreness the following day or two. I certainly didn't feel like I had been hit by baseball bats. Then you're peeing pink for a day. A nurse with whom I work says that she's thinks kindey stones are worse (painwise) than childbirth. When you're passing a stone, and it scrapes its way down the ureter it is writhing in agony-type pain. But again, the ESWL wasn't too bad when I had it. You can drink some lemon juice (squeeze a lemon in a glass of water) to reduce the chance of recurrence. Stay hydrated, particularly in hotter summer months. Best of luck.

[imcarthur]

Just think of it as getting kidney punched for 30 minutes. It will be sore for a day or two. Not to scare you but after my last litho, my kidney blocked with rubble & I lived on Demerol for 5 days until a stent was inserted - with a string hanging out for later removal.

Ian

[romad]

The procedure is nothing ......its pissing the the stones out for the next few days. If you have not had a full blown stone yet prepare yourself. The doctor will prescribe drugs but thats usually not enough. Don't plan on going to work unless you are absolute sure they cleared. The procedure breaks up the stones in place. A stone that size can leave some big passable stones. They will not pass out immediately, may even take days. When or if it hits take the drugs and get into a bath as hot as you can stand it, relieves pain immediately. I had stones for 15 years about 2 a year till one grew big. I had the wave treatment and have not had one in 5 years. Good luck

[jyl]

You'll get oxycodone or similar opiod for pain. Don't be proud. Take it.

[cashflyer]

Had stones in 2004.
I've had a lot of various pains in my life (broken bones, knife cuts, road rash, stitches, etc) but this one was different. External pain sources I can see, but the internal pain freaked me out enough that I went to the hospital.

The ESWL was no big deal. Some bruising in the area afterward.
Pain pills? Pishaa... I've had worse from dirt-bike smash ups.

Now when I get a pain that seems like a stone, I just drink a lot of booze for a few days and power through it. Sometimes profanities are involved.

[jyl]

You didn't get the constant vomiting? I did that, for two hours straight. It was possibly worse than the pain.

[sailchef]

Yes, on an airplane.

Kidney stones on a 5 hour flight

[jyl]

Oh, sorry about, jshape . . . it's nothing, really :-)

There are anti nausea meds that worked on me.

[Brian 162]

A good friend had them last year (runs in his family). According to him it was the worst pain he had in his life. He described it as being tapped on the shoulder and then receiving a sharp constant pain for 45 min. Poor guy was laying in the fetal position in his coffee shop. He was scared to move thinking the pain would get worse. It did. He's been fine since Jan.

[speeder]

I just had a kidney stone about 3 weeks ago, wrote about it on this board. I got no pain meds because I passed it while moaning and whining in the waiting room of the ER for 2 hours and for 2 hours before I left home. I took a plastic bag to puke in for the ride to ER in my friend's BMW, didn't puke but that pain is no joke.

It's the second one I've had in this life. They are scary, you don't know if your appendix burst or WTF is going on.

[kavvmxuh]

It will be sore for a day or two. Not to scare you but after my last litho

[cashflyer]

Originally Posted by jyl

You didn't get the constant vomiting?

If you're asking me, no.
Shortness of breath from the pain, but no vomiting.

[jyl]

There was a time when I was getting repeated gout flares, repeated gallbladder attacks, and one kidney stone. And I was traveling a lot. I was afraid about being stuck in a plane or hotel with an attack or stone. So I put together a little emergency pill box. Vicodin, oxycodone, colchicine, Tylenol Extra Strength. I've never needed it, naturally. Sometimes I wonder if I can get in trouble carrying it around. Not a large quantity - like 4 tablets of each.

[WolfeMacleod]

About two years ago, my assembly guy pissed out a jagged, nasty looking stone that was larger than his pinky fingernail.....
I saw it. It was huge.

[jyl]

Jeez that's as big as my . . . pocketknife.

[pwd72s]

for those interested...
Kidney stones in adults

[imcarthur]

Originally Posted by jyl

a little emergency pill box.

I carry a similar mix everywhere I travel. I keep the scripts up to date & visible on the label.

Ian

[jshape]

Thanks to all - I go in tomorrow. Wsih me luck!

[Aragorn]

Originally Posted by cashflyer

Now when I get a pain that seems like a stone, I just drink a lot of booze for a few days and power through it. Sometimes profanities are involved.

Reading this just makes me say wow...