How To Know If You Have A Kidney Stone

Each year, hundreds of thousands of Americans are diagnosed with Kidney Stones. Generally, these patients are seen in their local emergency room due to the extreme lower left abdominal pain in men and women caused by these calcifications, sometimes even by ambulance due to the debilitating nature of the pain. For the most part, people experiencing symptoms of kidney stones are generally sent home to wait for the stone to pass naturally, but occasionally they may require medical intervention, especially if the stone is too large to pass or if there is a substantial level of infection or other medical issues.

For many people, the thought of sitting in an ER waiting room, waiting to be seen by a doctor while in pain, is unthinkable, especially with the extreme level of sharp lower abdominal pain that kidney stones can cause. Are you asking yourself, "How do I know if I have a Kidney Stone?" Are you or a family member at risk of having kidney stones? Do you know all the signs and symptoms of kidney stones?

Kidney stones can cause from a couple days of pain to a life-long health issue. Kidneys damaged from stones may heal quite quickly if the stones are small or pass easily or they may be damaged forever and possibly need to be replaced via transplant. Read further to learn more about kidney stones so that you will know if you have one and how to deal with it.

What Are The Symptoms Of Kidney Stones?

Kidney stone pain generally begins with a dull pain in the mid to lower back. The pain from the lower back will generally begin radiating to the affected flank/side. When the pain begins to move, the stone has entered the ureter that carries urine from the kidney to the bladder. This is the sight of some of the worst pain associated with the kidney stone.

The reason for the pain in the ureter is that the kidney stone basically looks like a really small sand spur, and it digs into the wall of the ureter as it moves the urine downward to the bladder. Once the stone has damaged the ureter, the walls begin to spasm, causing much worse damage. Once the stone has reached this point, blood can sometimes be seen in the patients urine.

When the stone finally reaches the bladder, pain generally ceases for the female, with some exception to soreness associated with damage caused by the stone. For the male, however, pain will soon begin again when the stone enters the urethra that travels from the bladder down through the penis. This is generally not as painful for the female because her urethra is very short. During this part of the passage, urination can be painful, and spasming of the urethra can occur due to similar damage as in the ureter.

Although fever, nausea, and vomiting can accompany the pain from kidney stone, the pain is predominantly the main symptom. Other symptoms can include chills, burning sensation at urination, or urine that is cloudy or has a strong odor.

What Risks Do Kidney Stones Pose?

There are many different risks that kidney stones pose to an individual that reach far beyond the excruciating pain that accompanies them traveling out of the body. The most worrisome issue related to multiple kidney stones is that of kidney damage. If a person has untreated stones that are too large to leave the kidney, or multiple cases of kidney stones, they can do irreparable damage to the kidney itself. This can lead to the loss of kidney function of the particular kidney. If a person only has one kidney or has damage to both kidneys, they could have to go on dialysis and/or be placed on a waiting list for a kidney transplant.

Another issue that correlates to the loss of kidney function is that of electrolyte imbalance. The function of a persons kidneys helps regulate the level of certain electrolytes in the body, such as sodium and potassium. These substances have a large impact on the heart, brain, and other areas of the body, and imbalances can lead to various health issues such as heart arrhythmias, memory problems and more.

How To Care For Kidney Stones

The best initial care for a kidney stone is to seek a confirmed diagnosis at an ER or doctor's office. Depending on your health care plan, you may be able to go to a urologist without a referral. However, if you have never had a confirmed kidney stone, you will probably be sent to an emergency room to have a CT and x-rays to confirm that there are kidney stones, how many, and how big. They will also most likely check a urine sample for cloudiness, blood, and sign of infection.

After the kidney stone has been confirmed, you will either be sent home to pass the stone naturally, or, depending on size and quantity, you might be referred to a urologist. If referred to a urologist, you can expect any where from passing the stone naturally to certain non-surgical procedures to break up stones so that they are passable. That care can also include placement of a stint in the affected ureter or urethra or both to help dilate or hold it open to help passage and minimize damage.

If released to pass the stone without visiting a urologist, you will be encouraged to drink plenty of water to keep everything opened up and give plenty of "flow" to help push the stone out. You may also be given prescriptions such as Flowmax to help dilate or other prescriptions for pain management.

There are many home remedies on the Internet that claim to help break down the stone or push it out. Be sure to consult a physician before attempting to use any of these remedies. Your physician may not agree with you using them, but he can definitely tell you if any of them are dangerous or counterproductive.