How to Pass a Kidney Stone Fast
Drink lots of water., Use pain relievers., Take prescribed medications., See a urologist for treatment of large stones., Learn the cause of your kidney stone.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Drink lots of water.
One thing you can do to help with your kidney stones is drink large amounts of water.
This treatment method has not been proven effective, but increasing your fluid intake has other positive benefits as well.Try to drink way more water than you usually do a day, even if you drink the recommended amount.
The recommended amount while you have kidney stones is two to three quarts (1.9 to
2.8 liters) a water a day.
Have water on you at all times and continuously drink it.
The more water you drink, the more diluted your urine will become.
This may help dissolve the salts in the kidney stone, which may help you pass the stone.
This may also help prevent a urinary tract infection, which is common with kidney stones.
Don't make yourself sick by drinking too much water at one time. -
Step 2: Use pain relievers.
The most common symptom of kidney stones is pain.
To help with this, you can take over the counter pain relievers, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or acetaminophen (Tylenol), in small doses.
NSAIDs include naproxen (Aleve), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), and aspirin.
NSAIDs seem to cause fewer adverse reactions than opioid pain relievers, so you might consider trying these before asking your doctor for a prescription pain reliever.Always follow the dosing and instructions on the label.
The standard dosage for ibuprofen is 400 to 800 mg every six hours.
Standard dosage for acetaminophen is 1000 mg every six hours.
Standard dosage for Aleve is 220 to 440 mg every 12 hours.
Use one of these medications as needed for moderate to severe pain.
Be aware that two NSAIDS should never be taken together because this can reduce your kidney function.
Your doctor may also prescribe you strong pain medication, such as opioids,or prescription antispasmodic medications, such as tamsulosin (Flomax), alfuzosin, nifedipine, doxazosin, and terazosin. , In some cases, your doctor may prescribe you a water pill (diuretic).
These will help break down deposits in your urine, which will help you pass your kidney stone even faster.
This is most common when the composition of your kidney stones is calcium based.
In this case, thiazide can help to reduce calcium levels in your urine.
Increasing your body’s magnesium levels may also be helpful as a long term therapy to decrease oxalate kidney stone formation.Your doctor may also give you potassium citrate.These pills bind to calcium to prevent it from being excreted in your urine.
This helps to prevent excess calcium from accumulating in your kidneys, thus avoiding formation of calcium kidney stones.
Your doctor may also give you an alpha blocker to help relax the muscles in your urinary tract, which will make it easier and less painful to pass them.If your kidney stone is caused by infection, it may be necessary for you to take antibiotics as well., In some cases, the kidney stone may be too large to break up on its own, or it may be blocking your urinary tract.Your doctor will refer you to a urologist, who may use one of the following methods to break up the stone:
Shock wave lithotripsy:
The doctor will use a special machine that delivers shockwaves to the stone, causing it to break up and allowing you to pass it through your urine.
This is a non-surgical procedure, and the most common treatment.Percutaneous nephrolithotomy:
The urologist will make an incision in your back and use a fiberoptic camera to locate the stone and remove it.This surgery is performed under general anesthesia and you may need to stay in the hospital for a few days.
Ureteroscopy:
The urologist will use a miniature camera, this time inserted through your urethra.
Once the stone is located, the urologist will use a laser to break it up.Ureteral stents:
A stent is a hollow tube that may be used to allow drainage around a large stone or support healing after surgery.
It is temporarily inserted in the ureter — if left in too long, stones can form on the stent itself., Once the stone is broken up, your doctor may ask you to urinate through a sieve so the kidney stone can be filtered out of your urine.
You will collect the bits of stone and give them to your doctor so she can determine the cause of your kidney stone.Your doctor may want to measure your urine output for 24 hours after you pass the stone.
This way she can see how much urine you produce in a day — you may be more likely to develop stones if you don't produce enough urine.If your doctor determines you have calcium oxalate stones, she will suggest dietary changes to prevent future stones.
You will need to reduce your sodium intake, as well as animal protein, and make sure you are getting adequate calcium.
In addition you will have to be conscious of not eating foods high in oxalate.
These foods include spinach, rhubarb, nuts, and wheat bran.If your stones are calcium phosphate stones, you will need to reduce sodium and animal protein.
You will need to focus on calcium-rich foods.To prevent uric acid stones, you will simply need to cut back on animal proteins.Struvite stones can form when you have an infection, such as a urinary tract infection.Cystine stones are caused by a hereditary disorder called cystinuria.
This disorder causes kidneys to release too much cystinuria, an amino acid.If you have cystinuria, you will need to increase your fluid intake to prevent future stones from forming. -
Step 3: Take prescribed medications.
-
Step 4: See a urologist for treatment of large stones.
-
Step 5: Learn the cause of your kidney stone.
Detailed Guide
One thing you can do to help with your kidney stones is drink large amounts of water.
This treatment method has not been proven effective, but increasing your fluid intake has other positive benefits as well.Try to drink way more water than you usually do a day, even if you drink the recommended amount.
The recommended amount while you have kidney stones is two to three quarts (1.9 to
2.8 liters) a water a day.
Have water on you at all times and continuously drink it.
The more water you drink, the more diluted your urine will become.
This may help dissolve the salts in the kidney stone, which may help you pass the stone.
This may also help prevent a urinary tract infection, which is common with kidney stones.
Don't make yourself sick by drinking too much water at one time.
The most common symptom of kidney stones is pain.
To help with this, you can take over the counter pain relievers, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or acetaminophen (Tylenol), in small doses.
NSAIDs include naproxen (Aleve), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), and aspirin.
NSAIDs seem to cause fewer adverse reactions than opioid pain relievers, so you might consider trying these before asking your doctor for a prescription pain reliever.Always follow the dosing and instructions on the label.
The standard dosage for ibuprofen is 400 to 800 mg every six hours.
Standard dosage for acetaminophen is 1000 mg every six hours.
Standard dosage for Aleve is 220 to 440 mg every 12 hours.
Use one of these medications as needed for moderate to severe pain.
Be aware that two NSAIDS should never be taken together because this can reduce your kidney function.
Your doctor may also prescribe you strong pain medication, such as opioids,or prescription antispasmodic medications, such as tamsulosin (Flomax), alfuzosin, nifedipine, doxazosin, and terazosin. , In some cases, your doctor may prescribe you a water pill (diuretic).
These will help break down deposits in your urine, which will help you pass your kidney stone even faster.
This is most common when the composition of your kidney stones is calcium based.
In this case, thiazide can help to reduce calcium levels in your urine.
Increasing your body’s magnesium levels may also be helpful as a long term therapy to decrease oxalate kidney stone formation.Your doctor may also give you potassium citrate.These pills bind to calcium to prevent it from being excreted in your urine.
This helps to prevent excess calcium from accumulating in your kidneys, thus avoiding formation of calcium kidney stones.
Your doctor may also give you an alpha blocker to help relax the muscles in your urinary tract, which will make it easier and less painful to pass them.If your kidney stone is caused by infection, it may be necessary for you to take antibiotics as well., In some cases, the kidney stone may be too large to break up on its own, or it may be blocking your urinary tract.Your doctor will refer you to a urologist, who may use one of the following methods to break up the stone:
Shock wave lithotripsy:
The doctor will use a special machine that delivers shockwaves to the stone, causing it to break up and allowing you to pass it through your urine.
This is a non-surgical procedure, and the most common treatment.Percutaneous nephrolithotomy:
The urologist will make an incision in your back and use a fiberoptic camera to locate the stone and remove it.This surgery is performed under general anesthesia and you may need to stay in the hospital for a few days.
Ureteroscopy:
The urologist will use a miniature camera, this time inserted through your urethra.
Once the stone is located, the urologist will use a laser to break it up.Ureteral stents:
A stent is a hollow tube that may be used to allow drainage around a large stone or support healing after surgery.
It is temporarily inserted in the ureter — if left in too long, stones can form on the stent itself., Once the stone is broken up, your doctor may ask you to urinate through a sieve so the kidney stone can be filtered out of your urine.
You will collect the bits of stone and give them to your doctor so she can determine the cause of your kidney stone.Your doctor may want to measure your urine output for 24 hours after you pass the stone.
This way she can see how much urine you produce in a day — you may be more likely to develop stones if you don't produce enough urine.If your doctor determines you have calcium oxalate stones, she will suggest dietary changes to prevent future stones.
You will need to reduce your sodium intake, as well as animal protein, and make sure you are getting adequate calcium.
In addition you will have to be conscious of not eating foods high in oxalate.
These foods include spinach, rhubarb, nuts, and wheat bran.If your stones are calcium phosphate stones, you will need to reduce sodium and animal protein.
You will need to focus on calcium-rich foods.To prevent uric acid stones, you will simply need to cut back on animal proteins.Struvite stones can form when you have an infection, such as a urinary tract infection.Cystine stones are caused by a hereditary disorder called cystinuria.
This disorder causes kidneys to release too much cystinuria, an amino acid.If you have cystinuria, you will need to increase your fluid intake to prevent future stones from forming.
About the Author
Frank Hill
Specializes in breaking down complex creative arts topics into simple steps.
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