# Kidney Stones.... Kill Me Now....



## samthedog (Jan 29, 2016)

Good Lord. I thought I knew what pain was but after just passing a stone, I realized I was part of the uninformed masses.

I was drugged with enough morphine to stun a buffalo and it still felt like I was on the wrong end of a serious kicking. I am recovering today but am still sore and exhausted.

So what are your stories. I can't be the only one that has encountered this evil.

Paul.


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## nobog (Jan 29, 2016)

Wife had one - did not look fun, it was originally diagnosed as an upset stomach!  Told to take Tums. Got worse. Dr # 2 figured it out in 20 seconds.  Still took a week to get it scheduled.  Hope I never have one. 

Jim


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## David S (Jan 29, 2016)

Well Paul,  I am not sure if you only want to know about "passing stones" or other types of pains.  If this doesn't work  please pass.

Forty years ago I was diagnosed with Ankylosing spondylitis.  Mostly lower back pain.  And always a nagging pain, always there.  Some times the only relief was to immerse my self in my bath tub to relieve the pressure on joints..

Fast forward a lot of years.  Terrible lower back pain, chronic, always there, unless in bed.  Hip joints giving out.

Had the first right total hip joint replacement ..90% of back pain gone.  Double whammy, can now walk pretty much pain free and that pesky back pain almost gone.

Left hip finally gives out.  Had that replaced.  100% of back pain gone and can walk and do stuff with no more pain.

Lived with pain for 40 years and now almost all gone.

David


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## roadie33 (Jan 29, 2016)

Start drinking Lemon juice to help keep it from occurring again.
A friend has had it happen twice now, and after the procedure to break it down the second time enough for him to pass it, the Doc told him to start drinking Lemon Juice. One cup a day.


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## juiceclone (Jan 29, 2016)

lost count of the times.....learned the word "lithotripsy" .....

seems to happen most  to people who drank a bit too much for a long time. 
and yes...u think you're dying the first time......
urologist should send stone for analysis, and come up with things to avoid eating/drinking to try and prevent more of them


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## samthedog (Jan 29, 2016)

juiceclone said:


> lost count of the times.....learned the word "lithotripsy" .....
> 
> seems to happen most  to people who drank a bit too much for a long time.
> and yes...u think you're dying the first time......
> urologist should send stone for analysis, and come up with things to avoid eating/drinking to try and prevent more of them



No analysis was done on my stones and my kidney still hurts, although less than it did. I will start drinking lemon juice and any other remedy to avoid the hell that was feeling my kidney drop kick that stone through my renal pelvis and have it scrape it's way down my ureter.

I have spent the day on morphine tablets since even a small cough feels like my kidney wants to explode. This was a valuable lesson in how much pain a human can surive and the wonderful advancements in pharmaceutical pain management.

Paul.


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## middle.road (Jan 29, 2016)

Kidney stones from what I've seen second-hand, (thankfully) are not a trip that I would sign up for.
And now we know why it is the female of our species that gives birth...
Gallbladder that went bad was the closest that I've ever come. <knocking-on-wood>
Six weeks before the FDA cleared the laparoscopic method of removal. (2) days after giving two weeks
notice to start a new job. While moving a bedroom dresser into a new residence, collapsed in the living room.
Lousy timing all the way around. . .


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## Bill Gruby (Jan 29, 2016)

In my almost 70 years on this big blue marble I have been knifed once, crashed in 4 helicopters, almost electrocuted, shot 3 times and lived thru it all, but I have to say you have my condolences on passing the stone. One time at that was enough for me. Yup, the pain is excruciating.

 "Billy G"


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## cvairwerks (Jan 29, 2016)

Done the stones before. There are two basic types...uric acid and calcite based stones. For uric acid type, you need to drink more water and cut back on tea, if you are a big tea drinker. Watch out for getting dehydrated, by looking at your urine color. The darker it is, the more concentrated the acid and you are getting dehydrated. For calcite based stones, you need to find out why your body is not processing calcium as well as it should, or you need to look at how much calcium you are consuming. My dad had calcite stones, and the doctor told him to cut back from drinking 3 gallons of milk a week, to no more than 8-16 ounces a day. Once he did that no more calcite stones, but  he did pop a couple of uric acid stones over the years since.

In my case, they were always acid stones and since I cut back to only a couple of quarts of tea a month from several quarts a day, and watch the urine color, I've had no more problems. The last big one I had put me in the ER at 7 am, finally got a load of morphine at 9 am and was released at 11 am and drove home. The ER doc was astounded that I was showing no signs of being loaded with the morphine and let me drive home. Took 1 Toradol the next day and passed the stone. I get about a half a day warning on having a problem and can generally head it off before things get too bad.


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## TOOLMASTER (Jan 29, 2016)

when i had a heart attack yeeeears ago...they did a angiogram..they asked me if i wanted catheder...never having one before, i said sure....my AZZ could not back up though the bed hard enough...it freeking hurt the whole time and again when they pulled it out.....after i thought to myself,,,why do i care if i p their bed. never again


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## dirty tools (Jan 29, 2016)

About 4 years ago I had stones (calcite) so the VA doctor said. The VA doctors would not give me any pain killers, ended up going to the local hospital for treatment (VA paid the bills).
it was the worst pain I have ever had. It took 2 weeks for the stones to pass.


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## wrmiller (Jan 29, 2016)

I have had a similar past to Bill G's (not the helicopter) part, but have been spared this experience. From all stories, I'll gladly pass (no pun intended) on this one guys.


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## derf (Jan 29, 2016)

I had a guy that worked for me a few years back that I swear was a professional kidney stone producer. He would pass one almost every month. It was one of those unique situations where not much could be done for him, so he toughed it out. He claimed to have passed  enough stones to line an aquarium. Every once in a while I would find him in the back of the shop holding an orbital sander to his back, to get some relief.


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## wawoodman (Jan 29, 2016)

I'm well up in double digits. I keep percocet on hand, but if that doesn't cut it, it's off to the ER for IV dilaudid.

Litho twice (IIRC) and one surgery with the catheter. All the rest, the hard way. My Indian name is "man who pees in three directions."

As far as what to/what not to eat, my urologist says "drink enough water and it doesn't matter what you eat; don't drink enough water and it doesn't matter what you eat."


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## dave2176 (Jan 30, 2016)

My dad began passing a kidney stone on my wedding day. Had never seen my dad in pain before. We were planning to have his band play at the reception dance that evening but had to prepare for recorded music using his sound system. He was still in the hospital for the ceremony but by time the reception started he had enough morphine in him and insisted on playing. Took another week or so after they blasted the stones with ultrasound to break them up the following Monday before he stopped peeing gravel.


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## cvairwerks (Jan 30, 2016)

If you are not trying to catch the gravel, it will kinda rattle you the first time, when it goes "klink" when you go...


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## samthedog (Jan 30, 2016)

I'm still suffering with the aches and pains today like I've been punched in the kidney. I thought it would be over by now but I am also getting an unusual pain in the pee pipe so I think I may have a stone lodged in there. I am popping some pretty interesting pain killers but it just takes the edge off rather than curing things completely. I don't have the time to be laid up wth this but providing it does not get any worse, I can function more or less.

On Thursday while I was writhing on the floor trying not to throw up on myself, was the first time I saw my wife genuinely scared. She had never seen me in pain like that before and to her credit, she refused to leave the hospital until I had been sufficiently doped and had a prescription filled out for some horse tranqs. If it wasn't for her digging her heels in, they would have sent me home with paracetamol. Norwegian health care.....

Paul.


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## Bill Gruby (Jan 30, 2016)

If the strange pain is  a burning sensation go see someone about it.

 "Billy G"


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## kvt (Jan 30, 2016)

sometimes you get a infection from them,   and it can be compounded because things are raw.   You may need to go back to the doc.  Also some times there are more than one to pass at a time.


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## pdentrem (Jan 30, 2016)

Not very big is it? I actually felt it as it cleared the small tube from the kidney to the bladder, and the relief was sooo good. Had to pee right away as the kidney deflated. The kidney was so inflated that I was constipated during that time as well.

When I had mine, it was not fun. Almost 5 days of pain. When someone asks how much pain, I say, if you are a man, let me kick you in the balls and I will say that does not hurt compared to a kidney stone!
Pierre


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## samthedog (Jan 30, 2016)

pdentrem said:


> View attachment 120734
> 
> Not very big is it? I actually felt it as it cleared the small tube from the kidney to the bladder, and the relief was sooo good. Had to pee right away as the kidney deflated. The kidney was so inflated that I was constipated during that time as well.
> 
> ...



I was constipated too but the doc didn't say anything about it at all. I couldn't even pass the meekest of farts for about 2 1/2 days. I wonder if that's why my kidney was so sore. They did say it was extremely inflamed so that is likely the reason why. 

You guys are good. I get more medical info from HM than I do from the doctor.

Paul.


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## Bill Gruby (Jan 30, 2016)

Tell that to your Doctor, maybe he will join.

 "Billy G"


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## ogberi (Jan 30, 2016)

I know your pain.  For me it seems every couple of months I'll get that dull ache in the back that says a small one is on the way.  About once a year I get one of those 'Taking three days off boss, and the weekend.' stones.  Worst I ever had was a 6mm stone.  That thing hung up on the way down from the kidney for a day.  The doctor was really nice, but informed me that sadly, not many painkillers even touch kidney stone pain.  They felt it would pass on it's own, but set up the whole 'tube up the junk with a harbor freight remote claw picker-upper' two days from then.  I got no shame, i spent plenty of time curled up in a ball on the couch, crying and puking (it hurt that bad, the percocet did *nothing*, and the upchucking didn't help either.  Best part was when I got up two days later, dreading the appointment, thankful that my back was down to a low roar.  peed through the filter and felt/saw/heard that thing plonk into the filter. 

Ask for a prescription of Uribel if you don't have it already.  it's a urinary anaglestic, and while it doesn't do much for the stone pain, it'll ease the urinary tract discomfort.  Just be prepared.  You *WILL* pee blue.  Literally.  My doctor neglected to tell me that, and I had one heck of a shock the next morning.


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## samthedog (Jan 30, 2016)

ogberi said:


> I know your pain.  For me it seems every couple of months I'll get that dull ache in the back that says a small one is on the way.  About once a year I get one of those 'Taking three days off boss, and the weekend.' stones.  Worst I ever had was a 6mm stone.  That thing hung up on the way down from the kidney for a day.  The doctor was really nice, but informed me that sadly, not many painkillers even touch kidney stone pain.



Luckily I have decent pain killers but they leave my head feeling like it's full of porridge. My boss wasn't happy about me taking Thursday in the emergency ward and Friday trying to recover. If I am not at work on Monday he'll be well and truly outraged with me. I'm hoping it settles down tomorrow as it feels like I have something scraping down the ureter or bladder and I still can't shake that dull ache. I spent the day on painkillers but am pretty much useless while on them.

Paul.


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## ogberi (Jan 30, 2016)

Uribel.  Awesome stuff.  Really helps with that 'scraped raw' feeling.  AZO Standard also works, but not nearly as well.  But be careful with AZO, and clean up any 'spatter' immediately.  If left for very long, it will leave an orangeish-yellow stain on porcelain that is crazy difficult to remove.  SWMBO was *not* pleased.  

And you're right about the pain meds. Amazing that after my knee surgery, a percocet and a muscle relaxer and I was pain-free.  And pretty much a couch-bound zombie, but a pain free zombie.  It's crazy that the same combination barely makes a dent on the pain of stones.  Want to make a fortune?  Figure out an effective pain medication for kidney stone pain.


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## wawoodman (Jan 30, 2016)

The trick (at least for me) is to take the painkillers BEFORE it really hurts. Stay ahead of it.

On one of my early stones, they told me to take this, then take that, then take sonething else. Finally, I went into the ER and the loaded me up with so much more that they kept me overnight, to make sure I kept breathing.


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## pdentrem (Jan 30, 2016)

On the visit to the hospital they gave me .1 of morphine and about 30 minutes a further .25. After that they sent me home with some perkies to use as needed.


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## eugene13 (Feb 2, 2016)

Nothing like Gods Green Medicine, that's what i used for both of my bionic knees, i can't use opoids, makes me itch all over


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## wawoodman (Mar 18, 2016)

Grumble, grumble. 

I _know_ I shoulda kept my mouth shut. Just got home from the ER. Multiple stones in both kidneys. Off to see the urologist later this afternoon.

No wonder I've felt kind of punk the last few weeks...


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## Reeltor (Mar 20, 2016)

wawoodman said:


> Grumble, grumble.
> 
> I _know_ I shoulda kept my mouth shut. Just got home from the ER. Multiple stones in both kidneys. Off to see the urologist later this afternoon.
> 
> No wonder I've felt kind of punk the last few weeks...




THAT'S why I am not going to comment about passing stones.  Been there, done that, don't want a repeat performance.


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## wawoodman (Mar 20, 2016)

And the aggravating thing is, she says that she doesn't think the stones are the problem. She thinks the pain is muscular.


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