Kidney Stones..enough to make a grown man cry!

[dobienut]

Who's had them? I'm on my second round since September. This latest one I had to have surgery to get the sucker out. Sitting here still feeling like my back has been run over

[flagmanruss]

Had numerous rounds over 30 years. There are things which you can take which prevent them... (potassium citrate) if you can tolerate the stuff. I couldn't get away from the bathroom when I took it & it does no good sitting on your dresser. There's also an herbal but I don't know if it works. My first one tried to pass on it's own but got stuck... that's where the pain comes in as the pressure builds behind it. With a few doses of Morphine I was able to pass it. I expressed concern over the Morphine & the MD explained "This is why God invented the stuff" I did not take much convincing & went to sleep... it still hurt when I woke up so I got another shot of M which did the trick. The point is that it allows internal relaxation so to hopefully allow the stone to become unstuck. Since then, I've had the ESWL http://www.webmd.com/kidney-stones/extracorporeal-shock-wave-lithotripsy-eswl-for-kidney-stones several times. Intended to break up the stone & allow the chips to pass. The sharp edges are irritating as they go. The last one was only partially successful, broke it but not small enough. We are watching & waiting until it gets big enough to qualify for treating again. The alternative is to have the Urologist go in with a scope & instrument... he zaps it with a laser to break it up & tries to vacuum out all he can. I think my weight makes the ESWL more difficult (& we've established that it has failed on me) so I'm thinking of the scope next time. Meanwhile I'm trying to keep my citreous up... drinking lots of lemonade. Yes, it damn well does hurt. People who have had both say it hurts worse than childbirth. You have my sympathy. Recommend a heating pad.

[Wild and Free]

One word...................Beer lol, I have never been through this personally but Beer is supposed to be one of the best preventions for these and I am a beer junky lol..

Too much soda is a major cause for them from what I have read several times which I do not touch anyhow, I am not a sweets kind of guy.

A coworker once told me he has "Peed out several clinkers"

[dobienut]

LOL..two of the nurses at the admitting department said I have to start drinking beer also. One of them was about 70 years old and said she loves her beer, and has never had a stone. My father in law drinks it almost daily, he says the same thing. I had one blasted after it lodged itself back in September, got to experience the rath of pain out of that one for sure! This latest one I felt coming on last Sunday and new enough to get to a hospital but wasn't quick enough to get treated before the attack hit. Another one lodged and the pain began. After 2 days of extreme pain waiting to see if it would pass through the doctor said he wanted to insert a camera and grabbing scope into the bladder to get it. I'm in recovery now with a stent still inme which I dread hauling out when it comes time, but I'll deal with it. I remember a friend at work saying he was in South Carolina working for work and he had a stone attack, went to the hospital and just Ct scans and testing with no procedure to remove it cost him $16k. I couldn't believe it! This is my second time, and add a surgery to it and I walked out of the hospital with no bill. I don't always like paying high taxes, but at least I'm getting reimbursed for some of it I've been paying for the last 30 years

[Wild and Free]

Hang in there, I hate seeing folks in pain.

[anoldbiker]

My son in law has this problem and my daughter had him take bitter mellow. This seems to help him pass the stone without issue. He like a beer once in a while, but because he's a trucker, he can't use this much. Thought I'd through this in and if it helps, like it does him, all the better. And yes, this is the closest a man can experience to what a woman goes through in giving birth. My wife swears that if man felt this at every birth, mankind would have died out at the beginning of time.

[flagmanruss]

I am prone to them despite my constant fluid flushing... being dehydrated lets the sediment stick instead of being flushed out. My medications leave me parched no matter how much fluid I take in.

[dripley]

My brother has had a couple in his life and says they were no fun, they both passed on their own. Happy to hear beer has a good side effect going for it. I should be free of them for life. Sorry to hear of your problem though and hope it all gets work out.

[dorkweed]

My BIL has had them in the past……………………….he described it as giving birth to a golf ball out your "Johnson"!!!!

[dobienut]

Haha. I've heard the woman giving birth comparison and all I have to say to that is why the h**l would any woman do that to themselves on purpose?:lmao2:I've been reading the beer theory and actually studies do show it helps, but studies show that it can also contribute to stones in some people.So many things they say can/can't contribute to them it's scary. Thanks for the well wishes and info tho . I'm sure after I pull the fishing line with the slinky out of me Sunday i'll feel much more comftorable.

[flagmanruss]

After the Morphine Treatment... my stone moved & was no longer blocking. It didn't pass immediately. More than a week later, it did. In the middle of peeing. Suddenly, pee stopped, pressure built... & the strangest sensation of firing a rock out! Hopefully a once in a lifetime experience. Mine seem to be perfectly happy to stay in the kidney these days.I don't know if there's something IN beer or just the sheer volume keeping things flushed out.

[hex0rz]

My brother in law got kidney stones from drinking too much milk. Hes handicapped, has FAS, etc. His pain tolerance is extremely high. Looked pale one evening went to the bathroom and puked. Thought maybe he was sick? He had been passing stones for DAYS! The guy can take alot! My mother had kidney stones as well about a year or so ago. She said to drink apple cider vinegar! Supposed to break the stones up and make them passable. As well, maybe give this a read: http://www.home-remedies-for-you.com/remedy/Kidney-Stones.html

[Gamble]

I too have had kidney stones and they are most definitely not pleasant. I had always heard they were considered the male equivalent of giving birth. Funny part bout that is I had a female doctor and when I asked her about the pain comparison she said "would you ever volunteer to have kidney stones?" Of course I politely said no way, to which she replied, " women volunteer to have a second child all the time" Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[hex0rz]

I looked it up to see if it was about kidney stones, but it was not. Still, substitute it instead and you will get a good idea!

Also, IIRC, cranberry juice helps, too!

[dorkweed]

[dobienut]

They actually told me that Cranberry Juice is in fact good for bladder infections, but do contribute to the formation of Stones in some people

[anoldbiker]

It's been many years since I seen a documentary of a specific treatment for stones. They discusses the old operation style of removal, when needed. But they covered a, at that time, new method. They x-rayed to see exactly where the stone was, placed the guy in a tub of warm water and used sonic vibrations from a new design machine that vibrated and broke the stone down to very tiny particles. Prior to the treatment, the guy was given fluids to start flushing his system. When checked out as stone free ??? The guy stated he felt a tickling feeling inside, and nothing when the stone material passed.Seems it would be a standard if it was that good.Where the heck did this treatment go ?

[flagmanruss]

Jim, the Shock Wave treatment is the ESWL I posted about earlier. They've found the no longer need a water tub... they just use a gel. I've had it 3 or 4 times.

[anoldbiker]

Jim, the Shock Wave treatment is the ESWL I posted about earlier. They've found the no longer need a water tub... they just use a gel. I've had it 3 or 4 times.

Ooooops ! Re-read the entire thread and now noticed their was link in your first thread I must of missed. Sorry. Need more coffee or need to turn the computer on when fully awake.

[ADawg]

if the stone is big enough like a stag horn they can do a procedure called a neprostolithotomy where them put a 10 mm hole in your back and into your kidney and cutt the stones up and pull them out! I seen a doc one time do a similar type procedure where he had to cut some fibrous tissue and cut the artery of the kidney I have never seen so much blood come out of 10mm hole. The patient even was HIV positive needless to say he went into the O.R. for removal of that kidney.