STONE DISEASE PROTOCOL
This following information is intended to aid you in managing your kidney stone.
IF YOU STILL HAVE YOUR STONE!
Passing a kidney stone is a painful experience. Stones often present suddenly and unexpectantly with flank or lower abdominal pain. Fortunately about 70-80% of smaller stones will pass spontaneously within a few days. The first presenting symptom of the stone, pain, brings many an unwary individual into the local emergency room for pain management. Once treated with pain medications your discomfort should improve and become more tolerable. Once you are comfortable, if not too nauseated, most individuals can be treated as an outpatient. Most smaller stones will pass within a few days without the need for surgery. The likelihood of passing the stone spontaneously is dependent on several factors including location, size, shape and consistency of the stone. Your urologist can predict the chances of passing the stone and help decide if intervention will be necessary.
- TO AID YOU IN PASSING THE STONE YOU SHOULD TRY THE FOLLOWING…
1. FLUSH FLUIDS by drinking plenty of water, at least 8 -10 cups per day.
2. REMAIN ACTIVE! Activity such as brisk walking, jogging, or other mild exercising will promote stone passage.
3. STRAIN YOUR URINE and watch for the stone. When you pass the stone save it for a chemical analysis. This will assist your doctor in advising you on future prevention of stones. Stones may look like a small pepper corn or tomato seed.
4. STAY ON YOUR PAIN PILLS. Generally this will be a medication like Ibuprofen or naprosyn which will help control unexpected bouts of pain.
5. IF YOU HAVE SEVERE PAIN, fever or chills notify your doctor, this might be an indication you will need hospitalization for an intravenous pain medication or antibiotics.
6. FOLLOW-UP WITH YOUR DOCTOR is critical; if you do not pass the stone, silent kidney obstruction can occur resulting in permanent kidney damage.
POST STONE TREATMENT
IF NEED TO HAVE YOUR STONE SURGICALLY TREATED!
If your stone requires treatment by ureterscopy or Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWL) you will experience some degree of discomfort from the treatment. The primary symptoms you may note are:
- Hematuria (blood in the urine) for several days after the procedure.
- Burning and urgency of urination.
- Often a small tube will be left in the ureter to aid in fragment passage or relieve obstruction. This tube or stent can cause soreness or tenderness in your back or bladder area and may result in some bloody urine or burning. A blue string often will be attached to the catheter, which you will see extending from the urethra. This string is attached to the stent and will allow easy removal of the tube in a few days.
- You may experience pain similar to that which you experienced prior to the procedure. This discomfort is due to swelling of the ureter resulting in ureteral spasm. Normally this discomfort can be managed with pain pills.
Notify your doctor if you develop fever, chills, severe pain not controlled with you pain pills, or nausea and vomiting which doesn’t allow you to eat or drink.
Lakes Area Urology
Updated November 2001
