To remove a smaller stone in your ureter or kidney, your doctor may pass a thin lighted tube (ureteroscope) equipped with a camera through your urethra and bladder to your ureter. Once the stone is located, special tools can snare the stone or break it into pieces that will pass in your urine. Symptoms: Pain When Do I Need Surgery for a Kidney Stone? Kidney… Read More »
Kidney stone prevention Kidney stones are hard mineral deposits that form inside your kidneys. They cause excruciating pain when they pass through your urinary tract. Up to 12 percent of Americans are affected by kidney stones. And once you’ve had one kidney stone, you’re 50 percent more likely to get another within the next 10 years. There’s no one… Read More »
You may be able to pass a small stone by: Drinking water. Drinking as much as 2 to 3 quarts (1.9 to 2.8 liters) a day may help flush out your urinary system. … Pain relievers. Passing a small stone can cause some discomfort. … Medical therapy. Your doctor may give you a medication to help pass your kidney stone. Treatment Treatment for kidney stones varies,… Read More »
What are kidney stones? Kidney stones are hard collections of salt and minerals often made up of calcium or uric acid. They form inside the kidney and can travel to other parts of the urinary tract. Stones vary in size. Some are as small as the period at the end of this sentence — a fraction of… Read More »
What causes kidney stones? Kidney stones form when there is a decrease in urine volume and/or an excess of stone-forming substances in the urine. The most common type of kidney stone contains calcium in combination with either oxalate or phosphate. A majority of kidney stones are calcium stones. Other chemical compounds that can form stones… Read More »
A kidney stone may not cause symptoms until it moves around within your kidney or passes into your ureter — the tube connecting the kidney and bladder. At that point, you may experience these signs and symptoms: Severe pain in the side and back, below the ribs. Pain that radiates to the lower abdomen and groin. Kidney stone facts A kidney stone is a hard, crystalline mineral… Read More »
Diagnosis If your doctor suspects you have a kidney stone, you may have diagnostic tests and procedures, such as: Blood testing. Blood tests may reveal too much calcium or uric acid in your blood. Blood test results help monitor the health of your kidneys and may lead your doctor to check for other medical conditions. Urine… Read More »
Diagnosis If your doctor suspects you have a kidney stone, you may have diagnostic tests and procedures, such as: Blood testing. Blood tests may reveal too much calcium or uric acid in your blood. Blood test results help monitor the health of your kidneys and may lead your doctor to check for other medical conditions. Urine… Read More »
Infection can spread up the urinary tract to the kidneys, or uncommonly the kidneys may become infected through bacteria in the bloodstream. Chills, fever, back pain, nausea, and vomiting can occur. Urine and sometimes blood and imaging tests are done if doctors suspect pyelonephritis. Pyelonephritis is a bacterial infection of one or both kidneys. Infection can spread up the urinary tract to the kidneys, or… Read More »
Kidney pain is usually a constant dull ache deep in your right or left flank, or both flanks, that often gets worse when someone gently hits the area. Only one kidney is usually affected in most conditions, so you typically feel pain on only one side of your back. Kidney pain is usually a constant dull ache deep in your right or left flank, or both flanks, that often… Read More »