What no one tells you about kidney stones
Photo by Sora Shimazaki | Pexels.com
Let me tell you, friends, there’s nothing like a kidney stone to make you rethink every life choice you’ve ever made. We need to talk about the pain, the symptoms, when to run to the ER and how to avoid hosting another internal rock concert.
Mine started out of nowhere. I was just grabbing a package from the porch when a stabbing pain shot through my left side under the ribs. Within minutes it wrapped around to my back.
That’s called flank pain, and it can stop you in your tracks. The pain was so intense I started to feel cold and clammy, and I couldn’t catch a deep breath.
At 60, I wasn’t taking chances, so my husband drove me to the ER. They gave me an IV with Toradol, a pain reliever, and within 10 minutes I could breathe again. The physician assistant said I’d passed a 4.3-millimeter stone exceptionally fast and sent me home with a few pain pills. Spoiler alert: He was wrong.
Two days later, another wave of severe pain hit. Kidney stone pain is sneaky that way. You can feel perfectly fine between attacks, when the stone isn’t moving. But the second it starts traveling down the ureter, you’ll know.
The symptoms aren’t always the same for everyone. Sometimes it’s sudden, sharp pain in the side or back that can radiate to the groin or belly. For me, it was only flank pain, but it got my attention fast.
Some people have nausea or vomiting, blood in the urine that might be visible or might only show on a urinalysis, an urgency to urinate with little or nothing coming out, burning when it’s in the bladder area, or just that deep sensation like an invisible ice pick jabbing into your side.
Risk factors
The most common type is a “calcium oxalate” stone. Risk factors include dehydration, too much sodium, high-oxalate foods like spinach, almonds and beets, and certain medications such as topiramate or high-dose vitamin D.
Your lifestyle may predispose you to kidney stones: your diet, genetics, how well you stay hydrated, your sodium intake and medications.
Even the climate you live in matters. The Southeastern United States is nicknamed the Stone Belt for a reason. When I lived in Florida, a doctor friend once joked that it’s not “if” you get a stone in Florida, it’s “when,” thanks to the limestone in the water.
When to call a doctor
If you have sudden severe pain, a fever with chills, nausea or vomiting that prevents you from holding fluids, visible blood in your urine or you cannot urinate at all, get to a doctor or ER immediately. Kidney stones can cause infections and even damage your kidneys if they block urine flow.
If you can, try to catch your stone in a urine strainer so your doctor can analyze it and help you prevent a repeat performance.
How to prevent kidney stones
Hydration is everything. Stones hate flowing water. Think of it as a river sweeping them downstream (your ureter, in this case). Don’t get dry. If your lips are dry, or you regularly use lip balm, that’s a signal you’re not drinking enough.
Drink plain water — 2.5 to 3 liters a day. Also try citrate-rich fluids like lemon water: Citrate binds calcium and reduces stone formation (but don’t drink lemon if you have reflux). Another great beverage is herbal tea: Chamomile, nettle and dandelion can be gentle kidney supports
Avoid sodas — especially dark sodas with phosphoric acid, which may promote stones. Try not to eat too much spinach, beets or rhubarb, as they are high in oxalates. You should also limit energy drinks and high-dose caffeine drinks, as they’re diuretics and dehydrating.
Lastly, don’t take too many vitamin C supplements. If you do, your body can convert high doses of vitamin C into oxalate, which contributes to kidney stone formation (especially the calcium oxalate kind).
Many supplements on the market go overboard with 1,000 mg or more, and while “more” might sound better, in this case, it can actually do more harm than good. I stick to natural vitamin C in my own supplement — just 250 mg.
If you want to read the full, unedited version of this story with all six types of kidney stones, prevention strategies and my personal hyperparathyroidism journey, visit suzycohen.com and sign up for my free weekly newsletter.
This information is opinion only. It is not intended to treat, cure or diagnose your condition. Consult with your doctor before using any new drug or supplement.
Suzy Cohen is a registered pharmacist and author of The 24-Hour Pharmacist and Real Solutions from Head to Toe.
