Kidney stone blasting

[Patrick]

Anyone ever had kidney stones blasted and how did things go ?  Good or not ?

[czuch]

OWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had one that nearly killed me. It was 8mm and stuck.
The doctor said I had about 20 hours on the clock when I came in. UT and blood infections.
Medeivel, (key part of the word, EVIL), worth it, and I'd do it again if I had to.
Mine had to be surgically lasered and I had to have a stent between kidney and bladder.
Gettin that out was a whole 'nother story.
If youre only at the blast stage, have a blast. Dear Lord, I'll pray for you.
I have a friend who has em all the time.
Get the funnell with a screen and you'll be shocked at the pain to results ratio.
Turn it into jewelry. "Honey I made this for you".

[hubcapsc]

I got diagnosed with a stone before Christmas, it came on real quick, I
didn't know what it was, I figured I was dying...

It hurt again, several weeks later, nothing in between. After the opium based
pain pill kicked in, it wasn't so bad 

Then, finally, a few weeks ago, it hurt again, another pill.

Every couple of weeks I went to the Dr., he made sure I didn't have
any complications, infections or anything. Until the last time, he could
always see blood in the "sample", though you couldn't see it by just looking at it.

Last week he declared me "asymptomatic"... from everything I've heard,
I sure would have thought I'd be very aware of when that thing came out.

-Mike "either I'm lucky, or it is hiding in there somewhere..."

[HayHauler]

Strange that this topic should come up....   I just passed one a couple of days ago.  I kept it, but it wasn't too big, maybe 2 CM.  It still hurt, but nothing like you guys are talking about. 
Over the winter months, I tend to stop drinking my water everyday......  Well, guess what, back to drinking my water.  I drink about 80 ounces a day and more during the summer months.
Hope everything comes out good for ya.


Hay 
Jimmyt

[John Schmidt]

Yes, three times. Don't know about your dr. but mine put me to sleep and used a fluoroscope to guide him. I was laid on a table with what appeared to be a clear plastic section in the middle for the "radar" to look through...then it was lala land. I was kept in recovery until all vitals returned to normal. One time I had a fair amount of pain following due to some larger pieces coming through, but the IV drugs took care of that. In most cases I felt a lot better, feeling a bit tired and beat up....but better. Had a stone five years ago from this past Thanksgiving, it didn't pass and was finally admitted. I ended up with a stent from the kidney to the bladder that was left in for two months to let the kidney heal. Removal was painless, a little uncomfortable since I was still healing from all his proding around two months earlier. After that episode and a couple more that were blasted, he finally put me on Allopurinol....100mg. twice daily. It's normally used to treat/prevent gout, many kidney stones are of the same composition as the stuff causing gout. I've not had a stone since.

[Patrick]

These were found after a standard urine sample test. I insisted they switched the samples as I have no problems. Was talked into a CAT scan and the very large stones were found. Too large to fit into those little 'passages', so, I've thought about just leaving them. But, I'm being talked into having them blasted [ they only do one kidney at a time]. We're already late for heading to Florida again this year.
They claim beer drinking is one of the best preventive things, so, they shouldn't be there at all !

[BradValk48237]

Hay Hauler


"2CM" !?!??!?!?!? OUCH!!!!!!   

I hope you meant "MM"... LOL

Talk about a golfball thru a garden hose......

B

[G-Man]

These were found after a standard urine sample test. I insisted they switched the samples as I have no problems. Was talked into a CAT scan and the very large stones were found. Too large to fit into those little 'passages', so, I've thought about just leaving them. But, I'm being talked into having them blasted [ they only do one kidney at a time]. We're already late for heading to Florida again this year.
They claim beer drinking is one of the best preventive things, so, they shouldn't be there at all !

If you leave them, they will just get bigger until you may need to have them surgically removed.  If the Doc thinks he can blast them (while still in the kidney) into passable sizes, I'd go for it.

Drinking ANYTHING in quantity is what prevents stones.  When fluid intake is low, urine is condensed, more yellow/amber, with a stronger odor.  Stone producers are asked to drink enough so that the urine is clear with relatively little odor.  A good rule of thumb for coffee, tea, and dark soda drinkers.........for every cup you drink of these, you must double it with water intake.  The rest of the day should be water or juices to equal 3 liters.  Doesn't sound like a lot, but if you have to do it daily, it can be a chore. 

Stones are usually of two types....... Uric Acid or Calcium Oxylate.  If UA (a metabolite of protein), stones can be disloved and treated with meds so they don't form.  Calcium Oxylate stone producers are another story.  They're usually formed due a period of dehydration or low hydration.

[Patrick]

Thanks for all the info guys.

The boss is pretty much telling me that I'm having this done. What else can the response be except Yes Dear. So, I guess I'll be having the first one done soon and we'll see how it goes.

I've gone through the gall stone thing, eventually having the bladder removed which was easy.

I've seen some stones that others have passed saying its the most painful thing they have been through, and, you almost need a magnifying glass to see them.

So when this is all done and over I'll have a legitimate reason for continuously having 'just one more'.   

[Hooter]

Patrick,

   IF you can have it blasted, do it, thats all I have to say. Unload all available guns and give em to a friend to hold on to.

[saddlesore]

  I could have things mixed up but I thought unless things were really bad, "blasting" meant sitting in a tub of water and using sound waves to break up the stones.  It was noisy with a constant banging and may have to be done more than once.
  Was that a choice given to you or am I "misinformed" again? 

[Jess from VA]

I have been taking 200-250mg of magnesium daily since mine, and never another in many years.  It is supposed to help process calcium which is the most common kidney stone culprit.  It does other good things for you as well, and unlike other supplements, it has no negative or side affects of any kind, at least for me.  I have always drunk lots of water and juice, and I continue.

Please dear lord, let that be the last one.

My mom was cut in half on an operating table in the 50-60s before ultrasound to remove a boulder.  She then had several more reasonable ones.  She has been on the daily magnesium since, and never had another.

Maybe getting up to pee 2-3 times a night is a good thing..... you wouldn't think so.

http://www.easy-immune-health.com/preventing-kidney-stones.html

http://www.mgwater.com/rod16.shtml

http://www.drwhitaker.com/magnesium-for-kidney-stones

[Patrick]

Patrick,

   IF you can have it blasted, do it, thats all I have to say. Unload all available guns and give em to a friend to hold on to.

LOL !  Maybe/hopefully I'll get some really really good drugs. 

[hubcapsc]

Patrick,

   IF you can have it blasted, do it, thats all I have to say. Unload all available guns and give em to a friend to hold on to.

LOL !  Maybe/hopefully I'll get some really really good drugs. 

Make sure you follow the label directions, my rilly rilly good drugs were packed with acetaminophen to
prevent people from misusing them...

-Mike "D'OH, my liver fell out!"

[HayHauler]

Hay Hauler


"2CM" !?!??!?!?!? OUCH!!!!!!   

I hope you meant "MM"... LOL

Talk about a golfball thru a garden hose......

B

Yea, MM....   at work and in a hurry to post... 

Thanks Brad.

Hay 
Jimmyt

[Patrick]

Patrick,

   IF you can have it blasted, do it, thats all I have to say. Unload all available guns and give em to a friend to hold on to.

LOL !  Maybe/hopefully I'll get some really really good drugs. 

Make sure you follow the label directions, my rilly rilly good drugs were packed with acetaminophen to
prevent people from misusing them...

-Mike "D'OH, my liver fell out!"

I try not to use them. I had a problem getting off government injected morphine after an incident in a far off land.
Years later after gall bladder and hernia operations I was able to not use any. I guess I'll just have to wait and see. Everyone has a breaking point.

[johnhunter44]

Wow, I cant believe this topic has come up.  I have had 7 kidney stones in my lifetime, and all of them are bad, but the one I had in December was by far the worst ever.  It was a 5mm stone.  My Urologist said the Ureter, (tube from kidney to bladder) is about 5mm, so it was maxed out.  3 days of hell.  I finally passed it, as I have been able to pass all of them so far.  Also, I have a larger one in the same kidney, so I am going to be in same boat.  Dr. recommends Lithotripsy.  Guess we will see.  Bummer.....

[art]

Good luck Pat , I feel for you .I had a 4mm stone last year and it put me down for 5 weeks. I finally went in the hosp. for laser blasting and woke up later and the Dr said he couldn't find it an that I must have passed it. He did leave a stent in there to assist the tube from the kidney to repair itself. I think he was an idiot since the next day I was still having pain in the kidney. He said that it will get better ( yah right) I was in the emergency room the next day  and after another c/t scan they found the stone again. Another laser blast and two days I passed a small stone. Whew! A week later removing the stent . O CRAP that was all I could say. I knew I was in trouble when he had me put my feet into those stirrups on the bed. I think he used those long lost screw pickup tools from harbor freight with the little wire prongs  on the end to remove the stent. It hurt like hell. I'm laid up right now from an acc. with my Valk. I went down last week and injured my rib cage and broke my collar bone and this is nowhere as bad as that stone experiance. Good luck

[John Schmidt]

Patrick, I agree...don't wait. There's no reason to wait and see if it passes, the pain isn't worth it. My blasting procedure was a heck of lot less trouble than trying to pass a stone, and infinitely less painful. My blasting experience wasn't painful at all in the kidney area after it was done, one time some pieces took longer to move and the dr. considered taking me back in. They passed eventually but the next time we talked about it and he was more aggressive. Result....no pain following my wake up. Whatever you do, don't let them do it while you're awake, you won't be able to handle it.

[Patrick]

OK, but as I mentioned, the stones are big enough to not be able to pass. I'll make sure to have a long chat with the good doctor before he starts blasting. Thanks again.

[OnaWingandaPrayer]

 I had a Lithotripsy maybe 20 years ago for some large blockage . Actually it was performed twice . I also had the stent installed . I wont bother to go into details on that procedure . The Lithotripsy was sucessful the second time . I was put under for the procedure . You are put in a tub of water and a sound wave is focused on the stones to crush them . Since then I have had other stones which passed . None have ever been painless. I wish you the best . Drink lots of fluids .  I tried to get a perscription for beer . LOL  The Dr said I could drink it but he would NOT prescribe it to me . I wish you the best outcome .

[Challenger]

Wow, I cant believe this topic has come up.  I have had 7 kidney stones in my lifetime,

Holy cow! and I thought I was starting my own rock garden with only five! Passed all five of mine with the help of some I/V fluid and Vicodin. I handed in my man-card on the first one. as someone stated earlier, "I thought I was dying"  I think I would opt for the sonic blasting If it was me. They only get bigger with time. 

[dragon_slayer_129]

Well if they can blast it with the lithotripsy treatment I'd say go for it.  I had a stone the size of a quarter according to the x-ray.......yes the doc was impressed

I had 3 rounds of litho over the time frame of may through sept.  They thought they had it all after the second round but in sept I was still in some pain and went back for another x-ray and they found a sliver/flake left in the kidney that needed blasted.  One more round of litho and it was finally taken care of.

As mentioned before the stent that gets put in between the kidney and bladder is not a lot of fun (feel like you gotta pee all the time).  I had the stent in for 6 weeks between round 1 and round 2 of litho....yeah the removal is nothing like the installation   You are knocked out for the install and they take an x-ray to make sure it's in correctly before the blasting begins.  Once they are satisfied that all the stone and particles are flushed out they will remove the stent......just a little numbing cream and that's it. 

Comes out looking like a piece of blue spaghetti with curls on each end like this one.




All in all it's not that bad and they do give you some pretty good pain meds 

Dragon Slayer 129

[Hooter]

OK, but as I mentioned, the stones are big enough to not be able to pass. I'll make sure to have a long chat with the good doctor before he starts blasting. Thanks again.

  Good idea so you understand. Blasting----It beats the hell out of a fetch and grab!  That sucker is for outgoing not incomming!!  Don't forget to give the guns up until you have it done.  

[BonS]

This is a decent site for information about kidney stones with lots of pictures, information about composition and FAQ's. They analyze stones so your physician can recommend the proper actions to prevent recurrence. It's not expensive at all. http://www.herringlab.com/

[Kep]

Patrick , I am not a doctor (but I did play the part of a "Witch Doctor" in a Jr. High school play) haha..I have had 2 episodes of "bad" kidney stones. Being a troubleshooter by trade , I wanted to learn more about what caused them and how to prevent them and heres what I found that worked 100% for me and several people that I have passed this along to. I have not had them since. I will spare all of the research and such and skip to the cure ...Black Cherry concentrate. I buy mine at GNC , comes in an ugly looking brown bottle (most health food store will have it) When you feel that discomfort in your back , groin and kidneys that signals a possible kidney stone , take a couple tablespoons of the concentrate in a glass of water 3 times a day for several days and in my case and others , it prevents them.Heck , some take it once a day just for preventative measures.The research I did, found that the acid in a black cherry is the only acid that will get through into the kidneys to dissolve the stones. Cranberry juice and others only help you to pee more. And black cherry "juice" will not work either , it has to be "concentrate" (the thick stuff).Like all the posts,opinions and advice on here , take it for what you want , but I speak from experience and success. 

[musclehead]

52 years young never had a stone, hopefully never will.
I don't know what it is about me but I'm thirsty a LOT, I drink over a gallon of water a day. more when it's hot. 

I hardly ever drink sodas, soft drinks or my fav mountain dew.

[Hooter]

 PATRICK,

     Get this:  Yesterday when I gave you my worldly advise it was the result of something that happened to me 40+ years ago. Now enter 3:00 am today. I woke up out of a dead sleep to a sickening pain in my right lower back. I just got home from the hospital after partially  passing a kidney stone.
  Now how does that happen? I forgot just how wonderful it was. A post about it and wham,  go figure.    Vooooooooo-Doooooooooooo.

[Patrick]

 PATRICK,

     Get this:  Yesterday when I gave you my worldly advise it was the result of something that happened to me 40+ years ago. Now enter 3:00 am today. I woke up out of a dead sleep to a sickening pain in my right lower back. I just got home from the hospital after partially  passing a kidney stone.
  Now how does that happen? I forgot just how wonderful it was. A post about it and wham,  go figure.    Vooooooooo-Doooooooooooo.

Ouch, sorry. Didn't want this to cause anyone else any problems !

[Patrick]

52 years young never had a stone, hopefully never will.
I don't know what it is about me but I'm thirsty a LOT, I drink over a gallon of water a day. more when it's hot. 

I hardly ever drink sodas, soft drinks or my fav mountain dew.

You're still a youngster !  'They' claim the key is a lot of fluids. Thats probably my problem, I'm never thirsty and don't drink very much at all. I don't think I had any symptoms, I wasn't aware of any.  But, my broken back and hips pretty well hurt all the time, so..

[Jess from VA]

 PATRICK,

     Get this:  Yesterday when I gave you my worldly advise it was the result of something that happened to me 40+ years ago. Now enter 3:00 am today. I woke up out of a dead sleep to a sickening pain in my right lower back. I just got home from the hospital after partially  passing a kidney stone.
  Now how does that happen? I forgot just how wonderful it was. A post about it and wham,  go figure.    Vooooooooo-Doooooooooooo.

Egads man, whatever you do... do not make any posts about a bevy of bouncing beautiful bikini babes showing up at your house to wash your cars, bike and you with hot soapy water.  You cannot take any chances with this karma stuff..

Sorry about the stone.  

Again, with a family history of stones, no one in my family that takes 250 of Magnesium daily has ever had another.  Links to studies above in earlier post.

[Hooter]

Still hasn't passed as of right now. Hung up in my lower back. Supposed to be 3 cm? Out on a fire for that past couple of hours and man. Had to come back to the station.

If I could get ya the dancin girls Jess I would!  Musta caught mine from Patrick. Like I said, I forgot what this was all about but I remember now. I will wish em on ya, the dancin girls that is.

[Patrick]

Geez, sorry, should have never brought this up. Didn't know they were contagious ! Not being able to pass a stone for 3 days ! O Man, that stinks.

[John Schmidt]

52 years young never had a stone, hopefully never will.
I don't know what it is about me but I'm thirsty a LOT, I drink over a gallon of water a day. more when it's hot. 

I hardly ever drink sodas, soft drinks or my fav mountain dew.

Tom, being thirsty a lot can also be an indication of diabetes, might get that checked out. For a normal healthy person, that "old wive's tale" of needing a minimum of eight 8oz. glasses a day is just that; an "old wives tale" that's been proven wrong numerous times.  

[Hooter]

  The reason I'm up right now,,,,,still trying to pass this damn thing. Been since Friday at 3:00 am and it sucks. I walked down to my garage yesterday to look at my bikes and wham the pain began, all over again. Must be it was restin? I wouldn't wish this only on a couple people I know. RJ, you might know some of these same kinda people??
  I'm was not a real water drinker, but I am now. Could be the whole problem to begin with I guess. 4 days and can't do crap without a reminder. For those of you that have never had the experience, I hope you never do. I was one of those people that said: "aw come on, can't be that bad" till my first one. I had forgotten because it was uh, 475 years ago that I had the first experience. I have a very high pain tolerance, but this will stop you dead in your tracks.  

[Jess from VA]

I did not know what was happening to me, but I was not going to the ER.  I was in my medical books, thought it might be appendicitis, but it was on the  wrong side.  Steadily increasing and more constant pain made me bail on that decision as I thought maybe I was dying.  After a miserable freezing night in the ER, with IV fluids, pylograms, way insufficient pain relief, (and a great big bill for everyone) they came in early morning and told me the stone had passed, and I could go home.  They finally gave me a BIG pain pill, I staggered home, and slept until late afternoon, awoke starving, ate, and the pain immediately started all over again.  Started pounding water out of a gallon jug, and pissed a bloody rock later that night. 

I'm with you Hooter, keep pumping the fluids. 

[Patrick]

Phew, now you guys are starting to scare me. I haven't had any problems yet, but, I might as well go shoot myself and get it over with before it starts.
Anyway, thanks for the advice.

[Hooter]

Phew, now you guys are starting to scare me. I haven't had any problems yet, but, I might as well go shoot myself and get it over with before it starts.
Anyway, thanks for the advice.

  Told ya to get rid of the guns.    I went into the doctor this morning for followup and guess what, my friend is still with me. I feel like crap to put it plainly and still pissin blood. The pain has subsided a bunch so I'm in a holding pattern I guess. He gave me until next Monday to shed this thing or its either an ultra sound, fetch and grab, or something else, can't remember what he called it. He said the ER doc misinformed me. The stone is 2.5 mm not cm. Thats a lot better! And the band plays on.

[czuch]

Good Lord guys,this is killin me!
It looked like I was whizzin good strong foul iced tea when I first got an inkling some thing was wrong.
A friend of mine's Dr said a 12 pack of beer and a pot of coffie.You'll pee like crazy and the beer will ease the pain. The "ease the pain" bit was to allay any fears. He said it didnt work. It still hurt.

[Patrick]

Unbelievably pain full !
Had the right side blasted yesterday and everything seemed to 'going' fine until about 2AM. This is by far the most pain full thing I've been through and the drugs didn't help much.
You fellas were right !