Kidney Stones

[tinkerbell615]

My DD is set to have ESWL (shockwave treatment) to remove two kidney stones in two weeks. At 19 this is the second time in less than six months that she has had kidney stones. She was able to pass the stone the first time, but this time, the stones are too large. She was in the hospital two weeks ago, because she was so sick that she was severly dehydrated. Although the pain has pretty much passed for right now and she is feeling a whole lot better, she needs the stones removed.

Just curious if anyone here has had this treatment to remove stones and what we might expect. From what I understand, there should not be too much pain afterwards, and not too much recovery time.

After the stones are removed, they are going to do some tests to see if they can determine the cause. There is really no history of them in our family, so we know that is not the reason. She does love to drink tea. We have been told that can cause stones. She is also a big water drinker, so that should be good. I just hate to see her go through all of this.

 

[monkeyboy]

They went in to get mine

It was diet based and high calcium


2 years clean

 

[Fire14]

My now Dh has gone thru this but I'm sure technolgy has changed for better. He was given IV sedation prior to going into "operating" room. He was than taken back after bit and they shocked him, he went to recovery and after while walked out on his own accord. He was awake/coherant enough to tell me how to get back to his house and than he slept off sedation. basically they are breaking up stone but u still get pleasure of passing pieces.

 

[Kim&Chris]

I've had it done twice so far. I currently have two stones, so there's probably an excellent chance I'll need it again, soon.

Each time I've had it done (so far), I've felt different afterwards:

First time, I felt almost no discomfort afterwards. No nausea, no pain. In fact, I felt "back to normal" a day later.

Second time, I was sick as a dog afterwards (but it was caused by the anesthesia, not by the procedure). Lots of nausea, but not too much pain.

If you have any specific questions, you can send me a pm and I'll be happy to answer!

 

[ols386]

I don't think tea causes stones, but if you drink a lot of tea, you probably are not going to stay hydrated as much as you need to, especially if you are prone to stones.

DD has had a few bouts with stones, couple of hospital visits with them. I've never had them, but from everything I hear about them, they must be extremely painful.

Good luck to your daughter, op.

 

[twinboysmom]

I don't think tea causes stones, but if you drink a lot of tea, you probably are not going to stay hydrated as much as you need to, especially if you are prone to stones.

DD has had a few bouts with stones, couple of hospital visits with them. I've never had them, but from everything I hear about them, they must be extremely painful.

Good luck to your daughter, op.

Tea is high in oxalates. Oxalates cause stones in some people. Until it is found what an individuals stones are caused from, many doctors will advise avoiding tea. It's a real problem down here in the south. Sweet tea is one of our main food groups!

 

[tinkerbell615]

Tea is high in oxalates. Oxalates cause stones in some people. Until it is found what an individuals stones are caused from, many doctors will advise avoiding tea. It's a real problem down here in the south. Sweet tea is one of our main food groups!

I couldn't remember what the word was that the doctor used. Thanks!

Although we are not in the south, we sure do love our sweet tea here. It has been hard to keep her from drinking it.

I sure am hoping they can determine the cause. I would love for her to be able to keep from getting them.

Thank you so much to everyone for your comments.

 

[thedisneymom]

I had this procedure done last year. I came out fine but in the middle of the night I had to go to the emergency room. I stress if your child develops severe pain do not hesitate go to the emergency room. My stone granuals came down the pipe so to speak all at the same time. Once there, they did a scan to make sure there wasn't a blockage or stint needed. Then they put me on antinausea and pain meds and I was fine. Also, gave me pain meds for the next few days and everything was great. Oxylates can cause stones mostly black tea though. My doctor said don't worry about diet just flood yourself with water particularly in the summer months. Good luck-everything will be fine.

 

[Acklander]

I've had the procedure done several times, and except for one time when I had complications, it went smoothly, so she should be fine.

I was also told that tea is the absolute worst thing you can drink. Also on my "bad" list was diet coke (I swapped to club soda instead) and the dark vegetables (i.e. spinach, beets, dark lettuce, but iceburg is ok)
Some people are prone to kidney stones ( I had my first in my early 20's). Sounds like your daughter is one of them. Best thing is to drink water, water and more water.

 

[ilovefh]

I've had the procedure done twice now. It's not too bad. I went in like I was having surgery. The first time I remember not being totally out and I could hear the snapping of the machine. The second time I don't remember anything until I woke up in the recovery room.

The first time my stone passed right there in the hospital before I even left.

It wasn't too bad after, just a a bit sore, almost like a bruise. I went home and rested, but was good to go the next day.

They determined mine were due to oxlyates as well.

 

[beavismom]

It is good they are testing the makeup of the stones. Depending on what is found, you may need to see an endocrinologist. It turns out my DH's recurring stones were due to a tumor on his parathyroid gland. Tumor was removed and he hasn't had one since.

It is also sometimes recommended to drink lemonade since there is something in lemon juice that helps prevent stones forming in some cases.

As for the ESWL, she may have some tenderness for a few days, but it is a far better option than them having to go in for them the other way.

 

[TheBigBadWolf]

My DH has had kidney stones on two occasions. The first time, eight years ago, he had surgery to have them removed (to the tune of over $10,000). The second time they occurred was this past Christmas. DH went to the emergency room, was given a shot for pain, and sent home to try to pass the stones.

I got on the internet and started looking for holistic kidney stone remedies. I kept seeing references to the Coke & Asparagus Remedy. Several websites charge $50-$60 for this recipe, but there are plenty of websites to get it free. We figured what the heck, DH didn't have anything to lose but some kidney stones.

I highly suggest you have your DD try this remedy before having the shockwave treatment. If her stones are made of calcium oxalate, which 80% of all kidney stone are, it is very likely this remedy will help her pass her stones. We knew DH's stones were made of calcium oxalate since his doctor tested them after his surgery. DH drank the cokes as instructed, then gagged down the pureed asparagus, and that was the end of his pain. He never knew when he passed the stones but he has had no more episodes of kidney pain in the past four months. Another thing I read on one website was to mix lemon juice with the cokes, and with the asparagus, as lemon juice helps the stones to dissolve somewhat before they are passed, which makes them less painful to pass.

Here are a couple of links I found useful.
http://www.heatherhodges.com/2008/03/10/gross-alert-kidney-stone-home-remedy/

http://www.ehow.com/how_5812865_dissolve-kidney-stones-coke.html

I hope this will help your DD. I am somewhat reluctant to post this as it sounds so crazy, but it worked for DH.

 

[mamamary]

I've had this procedure too many times to count. My body loves making stones. Be prepared though that you may not find out what causes them. They've tested mine and I've also had two other tests done and there is not a cause of why I produce them (dad and brother have had them too but not nearly as often as I have).

Never had a problem getting them zapped out (except for one time a really bad headache but it was anesthesia related). I was myself really by the time I got home.

Also, not to be negative but sometimes it takes many trips to have the stone zapped. They can only work on it (I think its 30 minutes but don't hold me to that). My current stone residing in my kidney has been zapped on two occasions but is being stubborn. Since it isn't very large (and of course not bothering me) I am keeping him for a while

As the pp above me mentioned, my doctor said to drink lots of lemonade.

 

[golfgal]

This is one thing I hope to NEVER have-hearing stories from other people about their experiences with this.

It isn't uncommon to have several stones "sitting" in your kidneys and then when they start to move is when you have the pain. I think it was someone here that said when they did their scan they found multiple stones-50 or some outrageous number. .

I know people that have said cutting out dairy has helped them.

 

[Sorsha]

As many PPs have said, getting the stones tested is very important. Once the compostiton of the stones is determined, your DD can get help determining the cause of the kidney stones and how to avoid them in the future.

I had an awful bout with them in 1993 - was beyond miserable. It was determined that mine were calcium based, and after some investigation the culprit was determined to be good old diet type canned shakes - Slim Fast, etc. I was dieting in preparation for my wedding, and drinking 2-3 of them a day, months on end. According to my doctor, this often leads to issues with stones in people who are predisposed to them. I haven't touched one of the nasty things since.

I hope your DD feels better soon - having experienced both natural childbirth and kidney stones, give me childbirth any day.

 

[Frantasmic]

The procedure itself isn't much fun, but afterwards, it's not too bad.

Usually.

It really depends on two things: how the patient responds to pain meds and how big the stones were to begin with. I've had two lithotripsy treatments. Each time, I was conscious during the whole thing because apparently morphine doesn't impact me much. The first time, I saw a guy who was ahead of me in line passed out asleep in recovery after his procedure. I had the max amount of morphine and couldn't have any more and it was a bit uncomfortable.

The procedure itself is like getting snapped with a rubber band in the same area for 45 minutes, except the rubber band gets bigger and bigger, if that makes sense (at least it feels like that). Afterward, they make sure you wear off the pain meds and you have to void (pee). The first time or two, you will pass some blood.

If the stones are small, the ESWL should ground the stones so all you have to pass is sand. If the stones are larger, you still have to pass the remnants. Even after ESWL, remnants may be uncomfortable to pass. I had ESWL once on a Monday, thought I was okay. Went on a company trip on Thursday and coming home, was passing a stone. It was small enough, but an airplane seat, even with meds, just isn't a great place to be passing a stone.

If she does have calcium oxylate stones, she needs to reduce calcium and oxylate. Others have indicated high oxylate foods (tea, chocolate, greens, etc.) If you do drink tea, my doc said to have 8 oz of water after every cup of tea to reduce the oxylates. Reduce salt.

The best means to keep the stones from forming that I have heard is to incorporate 1/3 cup of pure lemon juice in your diet each day, preferably with about 64 oz of water.

 

[MomRN]

Last July, 20mm stone. I went under general anesthesia.

I had a stent placed afterward. The stent was horrific horrible pain. I would have gladly taken the stone back over the stent. Now, most people don't have this kind of reaction, but it was awful. I called and had it taken it out early and passing the fragments was heaven compared to the stent.

Had another stone last November. Small one, passable.

 

[mamamary]

Last July, 20mm stone. I went under general anesthesia.

I had a stent placed afterward. The stent was horrific horrible pain. I would have gladly taken the stone back over the stent. Now, most people don't have this kind of reaction, but it was awful. I called and had it taken it out early and passing the fragments was heaven compared to the stent.

Had another stone last November. Small one, passable.

The last time they gave me a stent for stones was when I was 9 mos. pregnant with my dd. After that I insisted no more stents and honestly they didn't want to use them. I'm thinking maybe it's not necessary anymore????

 

[MichelleinMaine]

The last time they gave me a stent for stones was when I was 9 mos. pregnant with my dd. After that I insisted no more stents and honestly they didn't want to use them. I'm thinking maybe it's not necessary anymore????

I had a stent a year and a half ago following kidney stone removal (surgically). Count me in the minority who react poorly to them. NEVER again.

 

[Micca]

I could just about pass out reading about how painful this must be
Good luck to everyone suffering with this.