If you’ve had a kidney stone, you’ve likely been told at some point to “drink more water.” And while many of us write this off, there is some truth to this recommendation. However, the “why” is often not fully explained, leading us to disregard the information.
Today’s blog aims to shed some light on the situation to help you better understand the vital role of proper hydration while passing a kidney stone.
Hydronephrosis strikes fear into most kidney stone formers because they’ve been led to believe that even mild grades will lead to kidney damage. This is just not the case! In this blog we will explore the underlying mechanisms of Hydronephrosis to uncover what specific instances are causing damage so that you can eliminate the fear of kidney damage.
Hydronephrosis is a term that gets thrown around a lot when it comes to kidney stones. However, it is not well understood from the patient perspective and leads to tremendous fear of kidney damage. Many people leave the ER or Urologist’s office with a grade of hydronephrosis. But, nothing is done to explain the implication of the “grade” that they are dealing with (i.e. what impact will this have on my kidney). The goal of today’s blog is to clear-up any confusion and provide a better understanding of what each grade of Hydronephrosis means for you, your body, and your kidney stone.
The American Urological Association's handbook is the tool used by Urologists around the world to determine the appropriate treatment options for kidney stones. The AUA guidelines are compiled based on observational studies from around the globe to provide Urologists and patients with the best care possible. Let's dive in and take a look underneath the hood of the process your Urologist goes through when making a recommendation for treatment of your kidney stones.
Understanding the composition and density of kidney stones plays a key role in determining the most appropriate treatment. CT scans are currently the gold standard of care when it comes to kidney stone imagining because in addition to providing the size and location of the kidney stone, CT scans can also assess the density of kidney stones in Hounsfield Units (HU). The Hounsfield Unit is a radiodensity scale that can identify density of various body parts and kidney stones.
Whether you’re new to passing kidney stones or have passed them for years, kidney stones can be tricky. And, when it comes to knowing if you have truly, finally passed that agonizing kidney stone, sometimes you just don’t know. Well today, it’s out goal to try and clear up as much of the uncertainty as we can by introducing you to the three ways that a kidney stone can pass.
Kidney stones can be incredibly stubborn and have a knack for getting stuck while passing. Sometimes kidney stones get stuck due to their characteristics such as shape, size, or jagged nature. Other times, kidney stones get stuck due to natural narrowing in our urinary tract. The focus of today’s discussion will be identifying the three location that kidney stones have the highest likelihood of getting stuck and what we can do to minimize the chances of this or address the blockage if it occurs (jump and stomp method).
NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin, Ibuprofen, Advil, Motrin, and Aleve) are widely prescribed and in use by people suffering from kidney stones. While NSAIDs are perceived to be safe and offer easy access, low cost, and moderate pain relief, there are downsides to use of this drug that need to be taken into consideration.
Check out this video to understand what NSAIDs are, how they work, what problems they can cause, and what alternatives exist to address kidney stone pain.
Renal colic is the technical term for that immense, out of this world, pain that you experience with kidney stones. Many people think that it's the stone itself that causes the terrible pain. However, as we will find out in this video, there is so much more happening behind the scenes in our body that contribute to this intense level of pain. We will also discuss what treatment options exist to manage or eliminate the pain.
Kidney Stones are tough enough as it is. But, when they get stuck at the Ureterovesical Junction (UVJ) or in the Bladder, the increased pain and irritation can lead to costly additional trips to the Emergency Room. The goal of today’s blog is to guide you through the process of flushing out a kidney stone naturally.
What size kidney stone will pass?!? It's a question that we get asked all the time. In general, stones that are less than 9mm in mean diameter have a chance to pass unassisted. However, as you will learn in this blog, there is a very wide degree of variance in the information you will get from your Healthcare Provider.
The goal of this blog is to provide insight into the process of passing a kidney stone. In particular, we will address what you should expect at each of the four stages along the way. For the newbies, kidney Stones can be one of the most frightening experiences of a person’s life. The pain starts almost immediately out of nowhere and typically generates significant panic for the person experiencing the pain. The pain is so great that it commonly elicits a ride in an ambulance or a middle of the night emergency trip to the ER. Either way, not a ton of fun.
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