Preventing kidney stones....?

Question

I've had an awful experience with kidney stones before...it included intense pain, getting very ill, 3 trips to the ER and eventually, having them surgically removed.

I noticed the other week that my back was hurting a bit. I just thought it was stress or it was feeling tired. But now I'm starting to feel a sharp pain/pressure in my groin area on the left side. This is reeeally similar to how I felt a few months before I developed a kidney stone previously.

What can I do to prevent them from developing again??? I know to drink lots of water, but is there anything else that helps?

Answer 1

First off, let me tell you, I FEEL YOUR PAIN! I'm 22, and have had problems with stones(in the double digits!) since I was 20 and they are hell! I too at first thought the pain was simply stress and run-of-the-mill back pain. It took me getting a kidney infection(most likely because of the stones) and getting hospitalized for them to determine that the pain was because of stones. I've had so many complications: infections, a massive blood clot that blocked the flow of urine, acute renal failure, and permanant damage to the kidneys which makes me spill protein. Ugh, a big mess.

Here's what you can do to prevent them:
1.) Get a nephrologist if you don't already have one. I had a urologist first, and they tend to treat the symptoms rather than determine the cause.
2.) Have them do a 24-hour urine collection. This involves peeing all day in a big orange jug, it's better to do it on a weekend so you don't have to haul it around. If you can do a collection around the time when you think you have a stone, that can be helpful. The test will measure different levels of substances in your urine including uric acid, calcium, oxalates, phosphorous and others. They will also look for substances like blood which can indicate a stone, white blood cells that indicate an infection and high levels of protein which indicate kidney damage.
3.) Once you've done a 24-hour collection or two, your doctors may be able to determine what stone-causing substances are high in your urine and pursue an appropriate course of action. If you can collect a stone and have it's composition analyzed, this can also be helpful in determining what kind of stones you have. Based on your results, doctors can reccomend a diet and depending on the type, even prescribe a medication to help prevent stone formation.
4.) General tips. Drink LOTS of water. They have no idea what causes my stones, so that's one of the best things I can do. I try to drink between 1-2 gallons a day. Avoiding high-sodium foods is reccomended, no matter what the type of stone. I
5.) Little things I've learned: I've found that when I'm really stressed out, I tend to be more prone to getting stones. So I try to do stress-management techniques and avoid high-stress situations if they can be avoided. Also, something I've found is I'm more prone to get them when I'm under a certain weight. It's like my body fights me and doesn't want me to be that small. Since I've stayed above that weight, I've been stone-free. (8 months and counting!) I'm not saying that any of these things would be true for you, but analyze yourself--what were common elements at the times when you develop stones? Were you dehydrated? Stressed out? Otherwise in bad health? Have a poor diet? These can all be helpful in determining the cause of your stones. Some people even "grow out" of them in time.

Don't lose heart, these things are rough and they wear you thin. They damage your kidneys, bring on a slew of medical procedures and the accompanying bills and not to mention they are THE MOST UNBEARABLE PAIN IMAGINABLE! Good luck, I hope you are able to get rid of your stones like I have for now :)

Answer 2

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Answer 3

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Answer 4

Do you know if the stones you had before were uric acid stones (ie did they do a stone analysis)? If so, being on allopurinol can help.

Other than that, drink plenty of water and stockpile pain relief medications :-)

NonSteroidal Anti-Inflammatories are good, if you are allowed to have them.

Oooh - wiki has a bit more:
* Drinking enough water to make 2 to 2.5 liters of urine per day.
* A diet low in protein, nitrogen and sodium intake.
* Restriction of oxalate-rich foods and maintainance of an adequate intake of dietary calcium. There is equivocal evidence that calcium supplements increase the risk of stone formation, though calcium citrate appears to carry the lowest, if any, risk.
* Taking drugs such as thiazides, potassium citrate, magnesium citrate and allopurinol, depending on the cause of stone formation.
* Depending on the stone formation disease, vitamin B-6 and orthophosphate supplements may be helpful, although these treatments are generally reserved for those with Hyperoxaluria. Cellulose supplements have also shown potential for reducing kidney stones caused by hypercalciuria (excessive urinary calcium) although today other means are generally used as cellulose therapy is associated with significant side effects.

Answer 5

my sympathies to you. My husband has had 2 attacks of kidney stones, one yielding 5 stones & one yielding 8 ! So I know you aren't exaggerating. In my husband's case, they managed to catch one at the hospital & analyse it; it had a core of...ummm...something...calcium I think ? Anyway, from their lab analysis they concluded that he shouldn't eat seeds or nuts, & very few legumes; his body tends to turn them into kidney stones.
.......the second time he had an attack, I had him drink LOTS of cranberry juice. I'd heard it helps. It did; the dr had him collect anything he passed, & when it was analysed, the last stone -- which came out after he'd started on the cranberry juice -- was round, not poky-scratchy like the first 7. So it came out a lot easier.
what has worked for my usband is: drink lots of water; avoid nuts, seeds & legumes; drink cranberry juice by the gallon as soon as any of that tell-tale discomfort shows up; drink "only" 1 pot of coffee a day. He also gets gout when he's stressed and tired; and he has high blood pressure. So his circulatory system is poor anyway. You might need to look into blood pressure meds or something to reduce chronic inflammation...ibuprofen, aspirin, or MSM (methyl sulfanymethane). All these are over-the-counter & inexpensive.
I understand cherry juice helps with gout, but I don't know how. And it's hard to find pure cherry juice around here; mostly it's mixed with other juices. So I have him drink cranberry till he sloshes. Good luck !

Answer 6

1) Eat less meat. Due to increased intake of animal proteins, the incidence of kidney stones is 10 times more prevalent now than it was at the turn of the century
2) Drink plenty of fluids - one study has shown that people who drink more than 2 1/2 liters of water every day have almost a 40 percent decrease in the risk of developing a stone than those who drank less water.
3) Limit consumption of grapefruit juice and cola drinks. Studies have shown that these may actually increase the risk of developing stones.
4) Adopt a diet high in potassium and magnesium - these minerals decrease the likelihood of kidney stones.
5) Talk to your doctor about taking supplements such as pyridoxine and magnesium. Taken together, these reduce oxalate, a mineral salt found in kidney stones.
6) Limit your calcium and salt intake.

But before you adopt any of these suggestions, I would consult with your physician.

Answer 7

DO: Eat acid things- pickled things; things with vinegar; things that are naturally acidic.

DON'T: Eat/drink things that have calcium artificially added to them. Don't drink store-bought milk (The pasturization kills the enzymes that your body needs to absorb the calcium- so not only does the calcium do you no good, but it goes right through you and ends up in your kidneys and other parts of the digestive system, causing stones). If you have access to a cow, raw milk is perfectly fine, and will do you much good.

Avoid all commerical dairy products- cheeses, ice-cream, yogurt, etc. (What they call yogurt today is not real yogurt, it is sugary fat-laden candy)

Eat natural whole foods- avoid processed, chemical-laden garbage. This will not only keep the stones away, it will improve your health in every area.

Answer 8

How to prevent kidney stones?

Drink Water, eat melons, cleanse your kidneys, avoid dehydration, avoid coffee, avoid chocolate, avoid industrial products, improve your diet, improve your lifestyle ...

(I love Dr Hulda - check out the site. I've done the liver cleanse before!)

Answer 9

New Holistic Kidney Treatments Uncovered - http://HealKidney.neatprim.com

Answer 10

Have a talk with your urologist. Depending on the type of stones, dietary changes or meds may help. For example, I've had luck preventing oxylate stones with water and Uro-Cit.