Kidney Stones - Some of the Common Symptoms

By Cheryl Ricklefs

Since there are several types of kidney stones and they can be of any size, symptoms vary quite a bit from one person to the next. If the stones are small enough, they can pass through your body naturally, while bigger ones often need medical intervention of some kind. In order to help you recognize the symptoms of kidney stones, we'll be looking at some of the major ones in this article.

The unfortunate primary symptom is sometimes unbearable pain, but that can also be caused by other conditions. The pain is more like acute pain because the level of it is high, and it can come on very fast. The pain might be in the abdomen, lower back or groin. A lot of sufferers claim the pain that can occur out of the blue is the worst pain they have endured. Kidney stones are not something to fool around with, and you should call your physician's office for further instructions. You definitely want to curtail this condition very quickly, and then take measures to prevent them from getting worse or reoccurring.

Blood in the urine is a symptom that sometimes occurs with kidney stones. In other cases, the urine's color may be altered in some way. Urine that's consistently yellow or has an orange tint suggests dehydration, which often accompanies kidney stones and is always a sign you need more fluids. Whether it indicates kidney stones or another problem, blood in the urine should always has to be taken seriously and diagnosed professionally. Aside from an alteration of the urine's color, kidney stones serious enough to cause bleeding will probably also be painful. In extreme cases, a person having a painful episode of kidney stones may require emergency medical treatment.

In some cases, kidney stones may be experienced as a dull pain in the lower back. As many people suffer from back problems for a variety of reasons, this type of symptom may go unnoticed for a while. The type of back pain associated with kidney stones is, however, a little different from other kinds. This type of back pain is usually long lasting but unconnected to exercising or moving in a certain way. While you can treat the pain with medication, you want to make sure you know what's causing it as well. When you have kidney stones, it's likely you'll also have other symptoms as well.

If you're not sure whether or not you have kidney stones, you should make sure you get it checked out, as prostate conditions, appendicitis and other problems can produce similar symptoms. Kidney stones in women are sometimes mistaken for menstrual pain or pain associated with being pregnant. It's very important to have any such problem diagnosed accurately, as the above are all serious but very different conditions. Because of the different forms they take, kidney stones can be a little tricky to diagnose without medical tests, so if you're not sure you have them, you shouldn't automatically assume this is your problem. On the other hand, you shouldn't rule it out either.

There are quite a few possible symptoms of kidney stones, though the above are some of the major ones. Some kidney stones are so small as to produce no symptoms at all, or only barely noticeable ones. Kidney stones that are large, however, can be a real problem and sometimes require medical procedures. It's often possible to prevent kidney stones from returning by making long term changes in how you eat, how much water you drink and the amount of exercise you get.

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A kidney stone diet is worth considering if you are looking for a natural way to remove your kidney stones instead of taking medications.

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A Look At Symptoms Of Kidney Stones

Kidney stones are one of the more painful kidney diseases known. If you've ever had a symptom of kidney stones, you'll never forget what it feels like. Both men and women can get kidney stones but it appears there is a slight predominance of men. In fact, the typical individual with a kidney stone is a white male between the ages of twenty to sixty with a positive family or personal history of stones before.

About 60% of all of those with stones that have calcium in them will get a second stone within 10 years. Before an individual even develops a symptom of kidney stones, the kidneys are busy forming those stones. The conditions that favor the development of kidney stones are low blood volume, low fluid intake and an excess of a molecule that precipitates out in the urine.

The substances that make up kidney stones are primarily calcium oxalate, calcium phosphate or uric acid stones. They pass through the kidney and end up in the urinary side of the kidney, in an area called the renal pelvis. It is there that the stones precipitate out into hard stone-like globules.

 One doesn't get a symptom of kidney stones very often if the stone is big enough to remain inside the renal pelvis. It can get caught on parts of the kidney and can just get bigger. In fact, one of the few symptoms of kidney stones that remain in the pelvis of the kidney is the presence of recurrent kidney or bladder infections.

This is because bacteria are incorporated within the stone and the stone acts as a reservoir for bacteria. The primary symptom of kidney stones is extreme pain in the side or flank. The pain often radiates to the groin area and is so painful, it is likened to the pain of childbirth. When someone has such a symptom, it is important to consider doing a plain X-Ray of the kidney and ureter area to see if any kind of calcified nodule can be seen. This represents the stone itself and it is usually found stuck in the ureter.

The other test that is sometimes done is a dye study using X-Rays. This test checks for the presence of a blockage in the ureters or decreased flow past the ureters. Another symptom of kidney stones can be nausea, vomiting and sometimes a fever. If the stone causes an infection in the kidneys, the urinalysis can show infection cells in the urine.

Even in the absence of infection, red blood cells will often show up in the urine sample. When someone has a symptom of kidney stones and evidence of stones on X-Ray or urinalysis, the treatment is generally supportive. The individual is given pain medication, antibiotics and is sometimes told to strain their urine for the presence of the stone.

The person also needs to drink a lot of fluids to help push the stone past the point of the ureters and into the bladder. In some cases, the symptom of kidney stones is so severe that hospitalization is necessary. The person may need to have the stone broken up by means of shock waves used by ultrasonic machines. In rare cases, the individual has a huge kidney stone that can only be managed by surgical removal. After treatment, the person will need to keep their fluid intake up and may need to take medications to reduce the further incidence of stones.

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Kidney Stones Symptoms, Treatment, Recurrence And Precautions

Kidney stones often do not cause any symptoms. However, if they become lodged in the ureter (the thin tube between the bladder and the kidney) symptoms can be very severe. Usually, the first symptom of a kidney stone is extreme pain, which occurs when a stone acutely blocks the flow of urine.

The pain often begins suddenly when a stone moves in the urinary tract, causing irritation or blockage. Typically, a person feels a sharp, cramping pain in the back and side in the area of the kidney or in the lower abdomen.

Sometimes nausea and vomiting occur. Later, pain may spread to the groin. If the stone is too large to pass easily, pain continues as the muscles in the wall of the tiny ureter try to squeeze the stone along into the bladder. As a stone grows or moves, blood may appear in the urine. As the stone moves down the ureter closer to the bladder, you may feel the need to urinate more often or feel a burning sensation during urination.

If fever and chills accompany any of these symptoms, an infection may be present. In this case, you should contact a doctor immediately or if you need expert advices go to www.kidneystoneforum.com , this is dedicated to kidneystones and it will be helpful if you are uncertain about any development. Kidneystone forum discusses the signs and symptoms at length. 

The treatment of kidney stones may vary depending on the size of the stones and condition of the patient. The treatment generally aims at relieving the patient of pain, passing kidney stones through urine or removing them surgically. Some of the professional treatments discussed in www.kidneystoneforum.com include: Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL): It uses shock waves to break the stones into tiny pieces that are then passed in your urine.

 Percutaneous nephrolithotomy: When ESWL isn't effective, or the stone is very large, your surgeon may remove your kidney stone through a small incision in your back using an instrument called a nephroscope. Ureteroscopic stone removal: The stone is snared with a small instrument (ureteroscope) that's passed into the ureter through your bladder. Ultrasound or laser energy can also be directed through the scope to shatter the stone. These methods work especially well on stones in the lower part of the ureter.

 Parathyroid surgery: Some calcium stones are caused by overactive parathyroid glands, which are located on the four corners of your thyroid gland, just below your Adam's apple. When these glands produce too much parathyroid hormone, your body's level of calcium can become too high, resulting in excessive excretion of calcium in your urine. Most often, this is the result of a small benign tumor in one of your four parathyroid glands. A doctor can surgically remove the tumor. Login to kidneystone forum where more alternative treatments and remedies have been discussed.

 In order to avoid recurrence of kidneystones you need to bring down the level of calcium in your blood, keep your urine as dilute as possible. Kidney stones (calcium oxalate stones) form when the concentration of calcium in the kidney tubules gets to a critical concentration.

There is no exact measure for "critical concentration." One way of minimizing the concentration is to always be sure that you have plenty of water to excrete. That means drinking at least 8 glasses of water each day (8 oz per glass).in additionally be physically fit.

Again go to www.kidneystoneforum.com where you can get more professional help on this topic. As a preventive measure, one should avoid diets rich in proteins, sodium and nitrogen, and drink lot of water. But even after all the precautions; they have a tendency to reappear in a patient's body.

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