Q - about kidney stones

[funnybone]

Are they always painful? I may have some symptoms of kidney stones, but the pain is not great - just the "need to pee" type of pain. I really don't want to go to the Dr. if I don't have to. My mom has suffered from kidney stones on and off for years and her Dr. doesn't seem to do anything about them. Should I just increase my water intake (which I am really terrible at drinking it) and see if it goes away in a couple of days? I went to Web MD and Treatment Overview said:

Most small kidney stones [less than 5 mm(0.2 in.)] move out of the body without the need for any treatment other than drinking extra fluids and taking pain medication. About 80% of kidney stones pass out of the kidney through the urine within 48 hours after the stone first causes pain.

Now, I am not positive these are stones though. Could it be a bladder infection? Not sure. If the symptons continue for a couple of days, then I will most likely go to the Dr. Any input is appreciated, especially from those who have had them.

[mbrogier]

It could be a bladder infection. Don't wait too long to go to the doctor to get a urine culture. A bladder infection can spread to the kidneys. I've never had stones but drinking more water will help both stones and a bladder infection since diluted urine is less caustic. If you continue to have problems, go to a urologist that specializes in female urology and see what he thinks. I was treated for a year for chronic bladder infections and that's not what I had. I wish I had seen the right urologist sooner.

[gertdog]

Erika, do check with your doctor about having a urine culture done. I had a bladder infection about 8 years ago, the only symptom of which was need to pee frequently. By the time I went to the doctor, it had become a kidney infection which required an overnight stay at the hospital (after I collapsed from the sudden searing pain in my kidney- no prior warning). Even though it may be a remote possibility, get it checked out! If it really is only a bladder infection, a couple of days of antibiotics will clear it up before it becomes anything serious.

[funnybone]

You two are scaring me. I will see how it goes by noon, and if it continues, I will call. I just woke up with it, so I'm not sure if it is something that is temporary. I haven't had a bladder infection for about 15 years, so I don't remember what that even felt like.

Thanks for your input.

[gertdog]

Erika- I didn't mean to scare you- just meant that preventive caution is always better than finding out later that you could have avoided some worse ailment!

If it helps, I had the need-to-pee symptom for almost a week before I called the doctor. So if you've only had the symptoms for a day, it's unlikely that you would already have progressed from a bladder infection to a kidney infection.

[funnybone]

Originally posted by gertdog
Erika- I didn't mean to scare you- just meant that preventive caution is always better than finding out later that you could have avoided some worse ailment!

If it helps, I had the need-to-pee symptom for almost a week before I called the doctor. So if you've only had the symptoms for a day, it's unlikely that you would already have progressed from a bladder infection to a kidney infection.

Oh, I'm not really scared, you just made me realize it may require medical attention.

One thing comes to mind though - last spring when I was at the Dr. I was told I had some blood in my urine. But since it was so close since my period, that could have been it since I had no symptoms that it could be something else. I never did go and give a follow up urine sample. I actually gave it no thought - until now. Not sure if this could be related. 6 - 7 months between any symptoms seems like too long.

[KimK]

Yes, I agree, don't wait too long. If it's a kidney infection, you'll want treatment right away. Hopefully it's just a bladder infection.

As for kidney stones, they are NOT always painful if they're small enough, and they're usually only painful once they start moving or grow large enough. I'm sure everyone is different, but my experience with one (my first) this summer was "textbook" (according to my doctor and what I've read). The day I found out I had it, I had a nagging, low-grade lower back pain all day, and urination urgency, like a bladder infection. By about 4pm I was starting to have blood in my urine, and shortly after that a stabbing pain where my kidneys are if I sat back in my car seat. Because my dad has regular kidney stones, I suspected that's what it was. At that point, I went to the med center where they did a CT scan to confirm the stone. Because it was small enough, they decided to let it pass. I drank a TON of water so it floated out of me, I'm sure - I didn't have any pain from the passing, thank God, as that is what I was terrified of.

I hope that helps a bit in gauging your symptoms, but as I said, everyone is different, and you really should see your doctor to know for sure.

[wallycat]

I haven't had either, but blood in urine is usually bladder infection...
it can move to the kidneys if not treated.
SOme infections clear up on their own, but if you are having pain, I wonder if yours did not.
Did they give you antibiotics at the time??

I say better safe than sorry...if the stones are bigger than usual, you will need treatment to pass these/dissolve them.
I would not mess with the kidneys....
Get thee to a doc :)
(and yes, I know, I haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate going to a doctor more than I hate cleaning my house...or at least as much :rolleyes: )

[MinEaston]

It could be a simple UTI too, and your dr's office should be able to figure that out on the spot by taking a urine sample. I've had several over the years...

[funnybone]

Originally posted by wallycat
Did they give you antibiotics at the time??


Well, we thought it was blood from my period because it was a few days after it ended, and they said that happens. Since I had no pain, nothing was thought of it at the time.

I'm not longer having that urge to pee, so I'm not sure if it's gone or what. I've been drinking water and cranberry juice, so maybe that might help. Thanks for the input, but I'll hold off calling the Dr. for today. If I wake up with the same symptoms tomorrow, I will call for sure.

[Grace]

I say don't get scared at all, but do go get it checked out. I get Urinary Tract Infections (UTI's) fairly often - the urge to pee and some blood in the urine are the symptoms. It might not even have travelled all the way up to the bladder yet. And with all the UTI/bladder infections I've had, it's only ever gone up to my kidney once, and believe me, you'll know when you have a kidney infection. It's incredibly painful.

But it's important to get a urine culture done again after you finish all of your antibiotics because that's how the infection travels up to the kidney - if it's not completely killed with the antibiotics, it will come back with a vengeance and spread. So make sure you finish all your antibiotics and then go back for a follow up urine culture.

You'll be JUST fine - a UTI for the most part is no big deal and the antibiotics they have for it will work just fine. Also, because there are different strains of bacteria that cause UTI's, it's important to get the culture (as opposed to just getting something prescribed over the phone) because the different antibiotics have different efficacies on the different strains, so they need to know what strain they're trying to kill when prescribing the antibiotic.

Hope you're feeling better soon!

[funnybone]

Thanks for your input Grace. The "urge to pee" comes and goes right now, so I am hoping it will stay away. I'll see what happens in the morning. Thanks again everyone.

[gabbyh]

I was thinking UTI also...drink lots of fluids, especially cranberry juice...

I've only has 1 UTI in my life...came on suddenly, and by the time I drove home from work I was urinating blood...scared the "you know what" out of me...usually comes with burning also, which is why the water helps to dilute the urine...if you should have to go on an antibiotic (usually Bactrim DS)...don't forget to take a probiotic:D

Hope you feel better soon.

~Gail

[DocAgocs]

Cranberry is the best thing for avoiding/prevention of kidney stones and UTI's, and it can work in higher amounts when it comes to an acute infection, too, but a proper dx will help.

A word about cranberry juice: don't go for the Ocean Spray, et al. It's loaded with sugar, so it will just feed any bacteria in your system causing a UTI. if that's what you have, or a kidney infection, for that matter. YOu need to use real, concentrated cranberry juice which is HIGHLY astringent, and make it drinkable using some sort of non-nutritive sweetener.

This stuff is pretty expensive, so the patient's I've used cranberry with choose a cranberry extract tablet that I have, which is easy and works well.

[Grace]

They also sell Ocean Spray cranberry juice that's made with Splenda instead of sugar, so you can go that route too.

[DocAgocs]

They also sell Ocean Spray cranberry juice that's made with Splenda instead of sugar, so you can go that route too.

That takes care of the sugar, but I'm not sure how Ocean Spray handles their processing, so I would have to assume that since it's a huge company, chances are the good stuff that makes cranberries effective for this purpose is probably not present.

A "good quality" cranberry product assumes that the berries have been picked at the right time, mashed for juice properly, and that the juice is concentrated and handled at temperatures that doesn't damage the fragile phytochemicals in the cranberries.

Your best bet for the best quality cranberry juice, if that's the route you would want to take, would be something from Decas, which is certified organic (50 gallon drums of concentrate, wow!) www.decascranberry.com or the more commercially available Knudsen products (a subsidiary of Kraft, it seems, but still might be okay). www.knudsenjuices.com. Check the local health food store.

[gabbyh]

I use a cranberry extract by Tree of Life...a lot cheaper than the organic juice from Whole Foods:D

~Gail

[DocAgocs]

For that matter I always recommend MediHerb's Cranberry Complex, which contains Crataeva, Uva Ursi, Cranberry and Buchu leaf. It's not cheap, but it's convenient and, more importantly, it does what it's supposed to do. In some cases where an acute flare-up is occurring we'll add to it a liquid formula made by MediHerb called UriCo Phytosynergist, which contains Couch Grass, Echinacea, Licorice root, and Buchu Leaf. It's great.

According to Kerry Bone, for patients who are prones to kidney and UT infections, if they take 2 Echinacea Premium per day and 3-4 Cranberry Complex everyday, they'll probably never have to worry about another one of either, especially if they control early signs of flare-ups with UriCo. But, most people would rather risk it to save the $$. :(

[wallycat]

Gail,
how are you doing??