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[PaddyOCanager]

I've passed 13 of them that I confirmed, much more that have passed without me knowing. The last one I had required surgery because it was too large to pass (8mm). Don't listen to anyone saying that there are ways to prevent them, because there isn't. There are specific types of stones that may be prevented, and you can be tested to see if you have other issues and in those cases you have bigger problems than the stones. I'm perfectly healthy, have been tested numerous times, drink at least the suggested amount of water every day, avoid sodas, took citrus supplements - all that bullshit.

I currently have 3 stones inside me, but they are small so I'll likely pass them no problem - all I can do is get scanned every few years to make sure they aren't getting larger or I'm producing any more. I have passed so many that I have a routine that I start immediately when the pain begins, and for the most part I can function normally so it doesn't interrupt my life that much. The pain is bad, but your first one is usually the worst since you are scared. Once you're a vet, it isn't really a big deal anymore - it's just annoying.

Welcome to the club.

 

[Mohonky]

My old man got one last year, never seen him actually go through so much pain. Had to run him down to emergency in case. Suspected it was a kidney stone but he wasn't so sure. Yeop, kidney stone. Never seen him actually say maybe should call an ambulance. The trip from kidney to bladder is what did him in, apparently he passed it after that no problems.

 

[Jsisto]

I've passed 13 of them that I confirmed, much more that have passed without me knowing. The last one I had required surgery because it was too large to pass (8mm). Don't listen to anyone saying that there are ways to prevent them, because there isn't. There are specific types of stones that may be prevented, and you can be tested to see if you have other issues and in those cases you have bigger problems than the stones. I'm perfectly healthy, have been tested numerous times, drink at least the suggested amount of water every day, avoid sodas, took citrus supplements - all that bullshit.

I currently have 3 stones inside me, but they are small so I'll likely pass them no problem - all I can do is get scanned every few years to make sure they aren't getting larger or I'm producing any more. I have passed so many that I have a routine that I start immediately when the pain begins, and for the most part I can function normally so it doesn't interrupt my life that much. The pain is bad, but your first one is usually the worst since you are scared. Once you're a vet, it isn't really a big deal anymore - it's just annoying.

Welcome to the club.

What kind of routine do you have, if you don't mind me asking?

 

[AV]

Kidney stones make me so glad I already drink a gallon of water a day and hate soda.

 

[DragoonKain]

A couple things. They gave me Flomax too, but since I passed the stone, not sure if I should still take it. The prescription says take for 7 days, but the side effects also say dizziness and nausea and I’m wondering if that is what made me super sick the other night in addition to the opiates.

Still have some residual soreness too. Not sure if that’s normal. Last night I was laying in bed and I leaned over and felt a little twinge in my side where the stone was.

 

[PaddyOCanager]

What kind of routine do you have, if you don't mind me asking?

Since I've passed so many I kind of know it's happening before the pain actually starts - there is a slight pressure in the small of my back that wraps around to the front of my abdomen. I immediately take about 600 mgs ibuprophen - monitoring to try not exceed 1200 mgs every 24 hours. If I take the ibuprophen immediately the whole experience goes a lot smoother from there. If I miss that window things usually get a lot worse.

From there I drink cranberry juice - not water. People make the mistake of chugging water during this process and that is a huge mistake. Cranberry juice is really just my personal preference, I've heard it's a natural diuretic and helps kill bacteria in the urinary tract but I'm not sure if that's actually true. Regardless, it's my drink of choice for getting through the first stages.

At a certain point, I can feel that "show time" is coming. I switch from cranberry juice to light beer; Michelob Ultra is my beer of choice for this, but any light beer will do. The beer helps me relax; it also helps me urinate which becomes difficult at this stage. Light beer when spaced out appropriately will not get you drunk, and you can still do necessary activities around the house if you live alone.

That's basically it - you can go to the doctor if you want but they are just going to give you Flomax and send you on your way. It's my opinion that there is no point in going to the doctor for kidney stones unless you are urinating a substantial amount of blood and you haven't passed the stone in 2 weeks. You will bleed, that is normal - if you call the doctor's office and say you are pissing blood they will make a big deal and say you have to come in.....and then they will give you Flomax and say go with God. They are useless - passing a kidney stone is up to you, no one else can help you. The only time doctors get involved if it exceeds a certain diameter, and surgery is needed.

 

[12Goblins]

^if you're not having any more symptoms (ie bladder spasms) you can stop taking the flomax. the problem is people think once they pass their stone they are good and fall back to old habits, but if you let one calcium deposit become big enough to cause an obstruction which takes a long time, there's probably other tiny deposits present that aren't giving you problems (yet). keep drinking water and flush your system every day , it's a maintenance thing (need to pee at least 2liters per day to prevent formation of stones)

it's not unusual to have pain for a few days while the ureters heal the damage that was caused by the stone. if the pain does not subside, you may have another stone. a CT scan would show if other stones are present

the treatment plan is always the same: drink more water, flush your genitourinary tract

 

[G-Bus]

 

[DragoonKain]

^if you're not having any more symptoms (ie bladder spasms) you can stop taking the flomax. the problem is people think once they pass their stone they are good and fall back to old habits, but if you let one calcium deposit become big enough to cause an obstruction which takes a long time, there's probably other tiny deposits present that aren't giving you problems (yet). keep drinking water and flush your system every day , it's a maintenance thing (need to pee at least 2liters per day to prevent formation of stones)

it's not unusual to have pain for a few days while the ureters heal the damage that was caused by the stone. if the pain does not subside, you may have another stone. a CT scan would show if other stones are present

the treatment plan is always the same: drink more water, flush your genitourinary tract

I was looking at my CT scan and it did say underneath where the stone was found, it said "additional nonobstructive renal calculi present"

 

[12Goblins]

^that is very common and usually harmless. if any rando with no history of kidney stones got a CT of their pelvis, chances are there would be stones present; they are just passed regularly and too small to notice . it takes bad habits and a chronically poor diet (namely high sodium, in conjunction of other things we mentioned) to accumulate unnaturally big deposits that become obstructive.

these minerals deposits in your GU tract are a normal body function, they are just meant to be flushed out regularly

for me, it helps to think about how there are always tiny stones in your kidneys and ureters waiting to build up and that I need to drink water 3-4 liters per day to keep all the ducts patent

 

[DragoonKain]

^that is very common and usually harmless. if any rando with no history of kidney stones got a CT of their pelvis, chances are there would be stones present; they are just passed regularly and too small to notice . it takes bad habits and a chronically poor diet (namely high sodium, in conjunction of other things we mentioned) to accumulate unnaturally big deposits that become obstructive.

these minerals deposits in your GU tract are a normal body function, they are just meant to be flushed out regularly

for me, it helps to think about how there are always tiny stones in your kidneys and ureters waiting to build up and that I need to drink water 3-4 liters per day to keep all the ducts patent

Good to know. I don’t know if I can drink as much water as that, because I have IBD and gastroparesis, and too much water intake can make me extremely bloated, but on a typical day I usually drink about 1.5 liters, I’ll see if I can up it to 2 and also drink lemon juice everyday to help mitigate maybe not quite enough water.

I’m also wondering if I didn’t pass the stone. I was sure I did, even though I didn’t see it or feel it because between a few times I urinated the pain that was super intense just stopped. I still assume it’s more likely that I passed it and this dull notch I randomly get in my side is just residual soreness, but I was googling and I wonder if the stone moved to a place that simply isn’t as painful. But again, I doubt it because they told me in the ER I was very close to passing it.

 

[ipukespiders]

For about two weeks prior to the pain of the stone moving from kidneys to bladder, I felt the need to constantly have to pee, with very little coming out each time.
This could be an indicator for some of you.

 

[Durask]

That sounds like the closest thing a man comes to giving birth

Supposedly it is worse.

 

[Jsisto]

I really have a hard time believing kidney stone pain is worse than pushing an entire human out of a vagina. I can definitely see it having the potential to last much longer, but there’s no fucking way lol.

 

[Cutty Flam]

I heard a story about this. Apparently the pain levels being high is true. Someone in the story needed to be carried off onto a stretcher and go to the hospital. Said it was the most painful experience of his life too

 

[Go_Ly_Dow]

What food and drinks cause them?

 

[12Goblins]

I heard a story about this. Apparently the pain levels being high is true. Someone in the story needed to be carried off onto a stretcher and go to the hospital. Said it was the most painful experience of his life too

for me, it felt like someone suddenly getting a tight grip of my testes and slowly increasing the pressure until your body tries anything to relieve the pressure, ie vomit, deficate itself, but the bad man never lets go of the squeeze and keeps on squeezing harder and harder until you are left crumpled on the ground completely helpless

 

[Jsisto]

I still remember my first one. On the hospital floor squirming around moaning. You try and contort your body into any position that might relieve the pain even a little bit but nothing does. I felt like they probably thought I was going through some kind of drug withdrawals. Never been so sure I was going to die.

Second time I had one was shortly after my wife left me and I lived alone, halfway across the country from any family. Dragged my ass to the hospital and spent the night there in existential and physical dread. That’s is the day I truly became a man!

 

[Cutty Flam]

I hope IF all these years puts it in check. These horror stories are making me feel weak dude

What food and drinks cause them?

Kidney stones - Symptoms and causes

www.mayoclinic.org

Here's an overview. Never knew that high amounts of Vitamin D are thought to be a cause...I've been taking 20,000 IUs the past month or so

 

[TheInfamousKira]

This tweaks me out, because if you follow the amounts of everything you're supposed to have a day, you'll be drinking water from the time you wake up until the time you go to sleep, and it'll be from the sink, because you'll be on the toilet pissing the whole while.

 

[Kazekage1981]

DragoonKain how old are u? Did you pee blood when passing the stone? Did they do some sort of soundwave thing to make the kidney stone turn to dust? I drink soda a lot, i dont drink enough water, im 40 now, i have a feeling i might develop them soon. i do drink water here and there but i don't think i drink enough. Sometimes my pee is clear, but sometimes its cloudy. What can i do to prevent this besides 1.5Liters of water and adding fresh lemon/lime juice?

 

[DragoonKain]

DragoonKain how old are u? Did you pee blood when passing the stone? Did they do some sort of soundwave thing to make the kidney stone turn to dust? I drink soda a lot, i dont drink enough water, im 40 now, i have a feeling i might develop them soon. i do drink water here and there but i don't think i drink enough. Sometimes my pee is clear, but sometimes its cloudy. What can i do to prevent this besides 1.5Liters of water and adding fresh lemon/lime juice?

I’m in my late 30s. I didn’t pee blood when passing the stone, but some people do. Still not 100% sure I passed it though, I assume I did because the pain stopped, and I still think I did, but someone told me it’s not a foregone conclusion I did.

Some people do pee blood though it’s different for everyone.

I’m not sure there is anything you can 100% do to prevent it. Just make sure you drink enough water and don’t go overboard eating things that can cause it. You can google those, it’s several things.

 

[Dev1lXYZ]

I had one of these extracted a few years back. It got hung up and was too large for sonic bathtub to make a difference. It was pure hell. I couldn’t stop vomiting from the pain. Longest two weeks ever. Then a few days to recover. I wanted to keep a chunk as a trophy and they couldn’t due to the law. It looked like a rock crystal horror even broken into pieces. It was one of the largest the doctor had ever seen.

I pissed blood for a day afterward.
My stream was permanently ruined thanks to it as well.


I drink water all the time and have ever since keep the pipes flowing…..less buildup principle.

 

[Hardensoul]

I literally feel your pain OP and I sympathize to anyone that’s had it.

I’ve had 2, was very painful. Pain was sometimes sharp that ran from my side down to when I pee. The 2nd 2yrs apart was painful but was not as much as first.

Living in the south sweet tea was almost a daily drink. I didn’t drink much soda. Which made it easier to narrow the culprit. Sweet tea and too much sugar in coffee.

Been 10yrs since I cut down on sweet tea(twice a week and sometimes none) and sweet coffee down to 1 cup day from 3 cups. But I’ve finally quit coffee for almost 2yrs now!

No kidney stones since!

 

[Kazekage1981]

Damn I love sweet black tea, coffee, soda. Is it possible to detect a kidney stone before you have symptoms of the sharp pain?

 

[Hardensoul]

Damn I love sweet black tea, coffee, soda. Is it possible to detect a kidney stone before you have symptoms of the sharp pain?

I wish I can detect early. You can still drink them but drink it in moderation. It took time for me slowly cut down and eventually I stopped craving for sweet drinks.

Eventually my go to drink is just water and unsweetened green tea.

Edit: I still drink sweet tea and cherry coke is still my kryptonite - it’s just not often as in I can go weeks with drinking them!

 

[DragoonKain]

Damn I love sweet black tea, coffee, soda. Is it possible to detect a kidney stone before you have symptoms of the sharp pain?

Probably not unless you get regular imaging, which isn’t feasible. Even if you had some soreness that wasn’t bull blown agony, you couldn’t know for sure it was a kidney stone unless you had imaging done.

 

[godhandiscen]

I really have a hard time believing kidney stone pain is worse than pushing an entire human out of a vagina. I can definitely see it having the potential to last much longer, but there’s no fucking way lol.

Some studies claim they are:

Kidney stones are more painful than being in labour

Study author Saiful Miah, clinical lecturer in urology at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, said: ‘The majority thought their kidney stone pain was a lot worse than childbirth.'

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Xyrmellon]

Worst pain imaginable.

 

[12Goblins]

Damn I love sweet black tea, coffee, soda. Is it possible to detect a kidney stone before you have symptoms of the sharp pain?

if you take in a lot of oxalates like I do, just make sure to regularly add citric acid to your diet ie, lemons. citric acid binds to calcium which prevents oxalates binding to calcium, which are what most common stones are made of; oxalate-calcium stones

 

[Jsisto]

Some studies claim they are:

Kidney stones are more painful than being in labour

Study author Saiful Miah, clinical lecturer in urology at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, said: ‘The majority thought their kidney stone pain was a lot worse than childbirth.'

www.dailymail.co.uk

I guess it would make sense when you think about it. The female body is built specifically to be effective at giving birth, whereas kidney stone obstructions are not something that is supposed to happen.

 

[DragoonKain]

I saw the doc today followed up and they told me I have another stone in there the same size as the one I passed. Told me it's way up in the kidney though, so it's not a concern yet, but it could stay, drop, or get bigger, and the plan going forward is to prevent that from happening.

 

[Kazekage1981]

I saw the doc today followed up and they told me I have another stone in there the same size as the one I passed. Told me it's way up in the kidney though, so it's not a concern yet, but it could stay, drop, or get bigger, and the plan going forward is to prevent that from happening.

isn't there a way to turn that stone into dust by some sort of machine that emits sonic wave or pulses? so you would be peeing sand-which i am thinking is not as painful as passing stone

 

[DragoonKain]

isn't there a way to turn that stone into dust by some sort of machine that emits sonic wave or pulses? so you would be peeing sand-which i am thinking is not as painful as passing stone

Doctor told me only if it gets to a certain size when they're sure it'll get stuck.

 

[DragoonKain]

12Goblins do you know if lemon juice can actually break up stones you already have and make them smaller or is that only to prevent stone formation?

 

[12Goblins]

12Goblins do you know if lemon juice can actually break up stones you already have and make them smaller or is that only to prevent stone formation?

I believe it only prevents formation, but by virtue of not growing it will naturally erode via irrigation over time and pass itself

do you know what size the stone is?

 

[DragoonKain]

I believe it only prevents formation, but by virtue of not growing it will naturally erode via irrigation over time and pass itself

do you know what size the stone is?

I forget if it was 2 or 3mm. Doc said that and additional super tiny one far less than that are still in there way up in the kidney.

I just don't wanna go through that again, so I'm trying to take steps now to prevent it since I know it's in there. She said it won't necessarily drop down like the other one did, although it could.

 

[IDKFA]

I woke up the other day with this notch in my side. I thought I just strained something while sleeping. So I tried stretching it out. Next thing I know my entire back/side is in a tremendous amount of pain. It felt like a heavyweight boxer was punching my kidney super hard over and over again and wouldn’t stop. When you are in that intense pain your body goes into fight or flight mode and you obsess over just doing anything to dull the pain, but everything I did made it worse. There was no comfortable position, nothing helped, it just got more intense. Like I was being punched or stabbed harder and harder over and over and it wouldn’t stop. I didn’t know what was happening so I called 911 and they took me to the hospital and eventually they diagnosed me with a kidney stone. It hurt so bad even morphine they gave me barely helped(but it did make me violently ill after). I eventually passed the stone and didn’t even feel it as I passed it,but man that was brutal. Just hours and hours of non-stop the most intense pain you’ll ever feel that doesn’t let up, like ever. Not for one second.

I’ve heard stories about people just laying down in their beds and moaning for hours, and that’s basically what I was doing in my hospital bed.

Has anyone here had them? I don’t know if mine was super sharp or whatever, but I never wanna go through that again. I’ve always feared getting them so I already didn’t eat a lot of stuff that is said to cause kidney stones, like teas and nuts and too much calcium, but I guess it didn’t matter.

If you’re someone who had one before, how bad was it for you and what do you eat now to prevent it?

Yes. Suffered with them on and off for years.

The worst and last time was in 2019.

I had the agonising pain in my left flank and knew right away it was kidney stones, but this one was easily the most painful of all. Anyway, got to the hospital where they shot my up with morphine and after a scan, they told me I needed an operation to remove the stone because it was far too large to pass through. Basically, the stone was jammed in my ureter tube.

I was told the operation was low risk. They would shove a small, telescopic tube with a laser and camera attached up my dick, then zap the stone into small fragments and then remove the fragments. So I had the operation and it was a success, but the downfall of it was they needed to keep my ureter with a stent, which is a piece of plastic about 12 inches long........which I would need to remove from my kidney myself at home! They tied a bit of string to the end of the stent, then the other end of the string came out of my dick and was taped on the base of my dick.

Few days later I had to pull a 12inch long piece of plastic from my cock. Because you get the urge to pee as your doing this, I had to do it in the shower and as soon as I pulled it out (slowly, while screaming like a bitch), I peed a shit ton of blood out with it. Was like a horror film.

It then got worse with a further botched operation, almost dying from sepsis due to my kidney leaking blood and fluid, having a third stent and then lying naked on a hospital bed while three nurses, a urologist and his understudy rammed a claw up my cock to remove the third stent............ while I was awake.

Fuck kidney stones.

 

[12Goblins]

isn't there a way to turn that stone into dust by some sort of machine that emits sonic wave or pulses? so you would be peeing sand-which i am thinking is not as painful as passing stone

ngl I used the hydrocodone they gave me and used one of those powerful massage guns on the highest setting on my pelvis and my back as hard as I could (very painful) in an attempt to dislodge or chip away at the stone. Not sure if it did anything but I was eventually able to pass the stone they said was too big to pass. would not recommend ಠ_ಠ

 

[DGrayson]

 

[mekes]

Everyone always says the same thing about the pain. I'm fortunate I've never had one. Nobody in my entire family has that I know of.

My neighbour had one ten or so years back. Pretty big guy. I could hear him crying through the walls, it was bizarre. My dad took him to the hospital and said he cried all day.

I'm glad you are feeling better DragoonKain

The thing that sticks with me from your story is that you woke up, felt something and then boom. Serious pain. That is pretty unsettling

 

[DragoonKain]

Has anyone here tried Moonstone? My urologist recommended it as something to try. Didn't say it's a cure-all or anything, but it's supposed to help prevent stones and aid overall kidney health.

 

[jshackles]

Had my first one recently. Passed it at work. Kept working and left at 5.

Hurt like hell though

 

[StateofMajora]

I’ve been scared of getting a kidney stone ever since I listened to karl pilkington lol. Maybe I should drink more water.

 

[VN1X]

I drink two cups of coffee every morning but plenty of water throughout the day. Will I be OK?

 

[AlteredForms]

DragoonKain I couldn't resist.

 

[Jsisto]

Has anyone here tried Moonstone? My urologist recommended it as something to try. Didn't say it's a cure-all or anything, but it's supposed to help prevent stones and aid overall kidney health.

Never heard of it. Is it a supplement of some kind? I feel like the best action is to just be aware of it and try to make small, meaningful adjustments to your diet and not obsess over it too much. At your age if it was going to be a chronic thing I'm sure you would have had one before now. You got this!

 

[Jsisto]

I drink two cups of coffee every morning but plenty of water throughout the day. Will I be OK?

There's really no fool proof way to prevent this. The fact is everyone is different. Some people can eat and drink like shit and never get them, some are just more susceptible. Even my urologist told me there's really no concensus on everything that causes them or how to prevent them, just drink a lot of water and maybe watch your calcium and oxalate intake, but don't overcorrect, your body still needs these things.

 

[DragoonKain]

Never heard of it. Is it a supplement of some kind? I feel like the best action is to just be aware of it and try to make small, meaningful adjustments to your diet and not obsess over it too much. At your age if it was going to be a chronic thing I'm sure you would have had one before now. You got this!

Well I have another one in there my urologist told me, just hoping it doesn't make it all the way down and/or do what the last one did. And I hope that's the end of it lol.

Apparently it's developed by kidney experts. It comes in drink mix or pill form.

Moonstone Kidney Stone Supplements - Best Nutrition Drink & Citrate for Kidney Stones

Moonstone Nutrition Kidney Stone Supplements are built to eliminate kidney stones. Drink our delicious Alkaline Citrate beverage mixes & capsules to reduce kidney stones risk, which helps to keep your kidney healthy and improve kidney health.

moonstonenutrition.com

 

[I collect VHS tapes]

This is literally my worst nightmare