# Kidney Stones, any suggestions?



## Slick (5 Jun 2019)

Believe it or not, it took me a bit to actually work out what exactly was going on.

I've got the usual symptoms and whilst it's probably more information than most need, going to the loo is a bit 

I tried unsuccessfully to get an appointment with the doc today and I'll try again tomorrow but I had a wee (pardon the pun) Google around and it suggests nothing but drinking plenty water. It also suggested eating too many nuts as a possible contributing factor as to why I've got them. I focused on that as I don't really eat anything else it suggested but I do eat a lot of nuts as a snack after work. 

I just wondered if anyone else has had them and managed to clear them themselves without any medical intervention?


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## Pat "5mph" (5 Jun 2019)

A friend of mine had them - too much salt in your diet can cause kidney stones, apparently.
She managed to flush them out by drinking lots (I think about 3 liters a day) of water, but eventually one had to be removed surgically.
I have heard of a few folk flushing them out, it works if they are not too big.


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## roadrash (5 Jun 2019)

@Pat "5mph" it fekin hurts too...


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## tom73 (5 Jun 2019)

Mrs 73 has seen many a case in her time she told me you will need to see the GP and get a Kub X-ray done and maybe a scan. Until you know how big they are you can know for sure if they will pass. 
Drinking water and lots of it is all you can do at the moment. If you get to the point of total all out pain and can’t pee then your going to have get your self off to a and e. At it’s worse the pain is closest men get to childbirth Mrs 73 has seen real hard as nails men in total melt down with them.


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## Cycleops (5 Jun 2019)

Passing them is the worst.



I'm sure you'll be drinking plenty of water in the future.


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## Pat "5mph" (5 Jun 2019)

roadrash said:


> @Pat "5mph" it fekin hurts too...


Yes, I can imagine


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## Slick (5 Jun 2019)

I've already had a fair bit of pain. I had to visit the loo in a hurry this morning at 4am then spent most of the next 2 hours holding on to the sink. 

It was 10am at work before something shifted and I was finally able to pee properly. Feeling a bit better now but not looking forward to tomorrow. 

I'm due to fly for a work thing next week but can't imagine being too far from the loo any time soon. I'm also due to cycle the Glasgow nightrider in a couple of weeks. I really need to be fit for that.


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## Slick (5 Jun 2019)

tom73 said:


> Mrs 73 has seen many a case in her time she told me you will need to see the GP and get a Kub X-ray done and maybe a scan. Until you know how big they are you can know for sure if they will pass.
> Drinking water and lots of it is all you can do at the moment. If you get to the point of total all out pain and can’t pee then your going to have get your self off to a and e. At it’s worse the pain is closest men get to childbirth Mrs 73 has seen real hard as nails men in total melt down with them.


Thanks for the tip. First sign of any change and I'll visit A&E.


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## ColinJ (5 Jun 2019)

I passed one as a young man in the middle of the night. I had to bite down hard on a piece of wood to stop myself screaming and waking my parents up... Not very nice at all! 

I gave myself until when my parents got up for the pain to go away and if it didn't it was A&E time (or the casualty department as it was probably called then). It took hours for it to ease off and then I got to sleep.

40+ years later a CT scan that I had for a pulmonary embolism caught the top of my kidneys and showed some historical calcification (?), at least, that's what the doctors decided after a follow-up scan. My diet and lifestyle was a lot different when I was young, and nothing seemed to have developed since then so it has been left at that unless something happens in the future to warrant further attention.


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## Slick (5 Jun 2019)

ColinJ said:


> I passed one as a young man in the middle of the night. I had to bite down hard on a piece of wood to stop myself screaming and waking my parents up... Not very nice at all!
> 
> I gave myself until when my parents got up for the pain to go away and if it didn't it was A&E time (or the casualty department as it was probably called then). It took hours for it to ease off and then I got to sleep.
> 
> 40+ years later a CT scan that I had for a pulmonary embolism caught the top of my kidneys and showed some historical calcification (?), at least, that's what the doctors decided after a follow-up scan. My diet and lifestyle was a lot different when I was young, and nothing seemed to have developed since then so it has been left at that unless something happens in the future to warrant further attention.


Ooft, not looking forward to that. 

I was trying to find the words to describe how it felt but they weren't coming to me until I read your post.

It's like a pea in a whistle.


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## ColinJ (5 Jun 2019)

Slick said:


> Ooft, not looking forward to that.
> 
> I was trying to find the words to describe how it felt but they weren't coming to me until I read your post.
> 
> It's like a pea in a whistle.


The pain was bad enough, but then I peed blood! (Not much, but it was enough to scare me...) Fortunately, that must have been the stone coming out because the pain went away shortly afterwards.


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## Slick (5 Jun 2019)

ColinJ said:


> The pain was bad enough, but then I peed blood! (Not much, but it was enough to scare me...) Fortunately, that must have been the stone coming out because the pain went away shortly afterwards.


Yeah, same here. Still got a bit of pain and now restricted more than blocked but we'll see what the morning brings.


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## ColinJ (5 Jun 2019)

Slick said:


> Yeah, same here. Still got a bit of pain and now restricted more than blocked but we'll see what the morning brings.


Good luck!


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## MichaelW2 (6 Jun 2019)

I've had them a couple of times. Drink and pee a lot. If your kidneys start to ache drink more.
If you feel a stone shifting, get to a place of safety within 5 mins. Within 30 mins you probably wont be able to move. Keep drinking.


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## The Jogger (6 Jun 2019)

I've had a fair few and only passed one. When I have them I carry tramadol around with me, I rarely take them but if you do have an attack it's the only thing that touches it. I now drink three liters of water a day and touch wood it's been over three years, there is a NHS kidney stone diet which my consultant printed for me but I stick with the 3 liters of water more than anything. You have my deepest sympathy but I would get to the docs and get a prescription to have as a stand by, my tramadol go out of date as I rarely need to take them but when I do, I'm thankful.


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## Slick (6 Jun 2019)

MichaelW2 said:


> I've had them a couple of times. Drink and pee a lot. If your kidneys start to ache drink more.
> If you feel a stone shifting, get to a place of safety within 5 mins. Within 30 mins you probably wont be able to move. Keep drinking.


Thing is, I literally couldn't pee, nothing worth speaking about anyway. I'm still not right but I think I passed it anyway but I will drink more to flush whatever is remaining.


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## Slick (6 Jun 2019)

The Jogger said:


> I've had a fair few and only passed one. When I have them I carry tramadol around with me, I rarely take them but if you do have an attack it's the only thing that touches it. I now drink three liters of water a day and touch wood it's been over three years, there is a NHS kidney stone diet which my consultant printed for me but I stick with the 3 liters of water more than anything. You have my deepest sympathy but I would get to the docs and get a prescription to have as a stand by, my tramadol go out of date as I rarely need to take them but when I do, I'm thankful.


I never went near the docs in the end. Couldn't get an appointment when it was agony and it started to subside on it's own. It was maybe a mild case as I could handle the pain just not the discomfort. My kidneys weren't particularly sore but I certainly had a temperature as the bed was soaking with sweat.

And before anyone asks, it was sweat.


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## roadrash (6 Jun 2019)

In hospital I was told to pee through a sieve, when I passed it I couldn't believe how small it was ,it felt like a melon but it looked like a tiny chip of slate.


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## oldwheels (6 Jun 2019)

Best see a doc. When I was in the old Glasgow Western ( level 7, the death ward) getting a kidney out there was a guy in the same ward getting kidney stones surgically removed for the third time. I concur with the pain tho’. Unimaginable


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## Bazzer (6 Jun 2019)

I have never managed to pass one, although I was in hospital one time, next to a man who, when he entered hospital, had one stuck. He described himself as looking pregnant and barely able to walk.
The first time one went walkabout, I ended up on the GP's waiting room surgery floor desperately trying to get in position which gave me relief. Other patients gave me a very wide berth. 
I'd speak with your GP about getting a renal appointment. The specialist can then discuss their findings with you and how, if necessary, they can be treated and what changes may be made to your diet.


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## Slick (6 Jun 2019)

I was never one for the doc if I could avoid it. I am on the mend but obviously still not right as there is still a bit of pain but localised. 

I'm actually seeing a urologist for a totally unrelated matter and have an appointment next month. As long as it doesn't get any worse, I will wait until then before bothering NHS.


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## The Jogger (6 Jun 2019)

Slick said:


> I was never one for the doc if I could avoid it. I am on the mend but obviously still not right as there is still a bit of pain but localised.
> 
> I'm actually seeing a urologist for a totally unrelated matter and have an appointment next month. As long as it doesn't get any worse, I will wait until then before bothering NHS.


The pain can sometimes be mediocre and on the other hand it can be crippling. My advice would be, be prepared. If you're seeing a urologist and are prepared to wait until then, bring it up with the urologist as it's a urologist that deals with mine.. S/He will probably get you to have a CT or Xray or ultrasound. I prefer the ultrasound.


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## durianrider (7 Jun 2019)

Excess dietary protein is a factor in kidney stone development. I had one 18 years ago and since following a low protein diet since Ive never had any issues. My weight went down and my watts per kg went up!


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## MichaelW2 (7 Jun 2019)

The food you need to avoid depends on the chemical composition of the stone which is why docs like to to capture it in a sieve.
I was given some really powerful painkillers by the doc, much stronger than paracetamol.


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## Slick (7 Jun 2019)

MichaelW2 said:


> The food you need to avoid depends on the chemical composition of the stone which is why docs like to to capture it in a sieve.
> I was given some really powerful painkillers by the doc, much stronger than paracetamol.


Ah, didn't know that. Probably too late now but I'll be asking for a test anyway.


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