INTRODUCTION

There are various lifestyle diseases that plague our lives due to our dietary changes that
include fast foods, highly acidic and gastric-inducing drinks, and more. We rarely have
enough time to take care of ourselves as well to hydrate ourselves and ensure that we are in
good health through stress relief practices, exercise, therapy, and other relaxation methods.
One such lifestyle issue is developing a kidney stone. It can be very painful and be a part of
the types of lifestyle diseases that can alter a part of your life significantly. It can be very
painful in extreme cases, however, it is nothing to take lightly even if the size of your kidney
stone is not large enough to go through surgery or tolerate the pain of.
If you are in doubt that you or a loved one may be suffering from a kidney stone, this article
is for you. Keep reading to understand what a kidney stone is, how it is formed, the various
symptoms to look out for, precautions, and various treatment methods!

WHAT IS A KIDNEY STONE?
The function of your kidneys is to remove the waste that your body cannot absorb for the
benefit of its functioning. Such fluids are then removed from your blood to make urine that
exits the body. However, sometimes, if these wastes are not accompanied by enough fluids,
they can stick in your kidneys and slowly build up to solidify and form kidney stones.
Kidney stones can be scientifically known as renal calculi. These are solidified substances
that are made of crystals. While it is called a ‘kidney stone’ it can be identified to exist
beyond the kidney and into the process of urination as well as the organs that help that
process.

SYMPTOMS OF KIDNEY STONES
The size of your kidney stones can differ based on your unique circumstances. Small kidney
stones can be quite unidentifiable unless you have regular check-ups. Large kidney stones
will, however, provide symptoms that can make daily functioning pretty painful. These are
some of the kidney stone symptoms you should look out for.
1. You may experience pain of varying levels while you are urinating. The level of pain
can signify the size of the kidney stone. Such symptoms of kidney stones can
increase in pain if ignored. Contact your doctor immediately at the first feeling of
unusual uneasiness.
2. You may also experience blood dripping into your urine and staining your toilet if
gone unnoticed. This can be due to the kidney stones irritating your organs and the
rush of the urine hurting the solidified mass attached to the layer of your organs.

3. You may experience a sharp kidney stone pain in the lower abdomen region of your
body. This can be due to the unusual activity of your body trying to fight the kidney
stone.
4. Nausea and vomiting are some other symptoms that you may face where your
urinary process is affected and hence plays a domino effect in affecting the rest of
your organs’ processes. Of course, this sole symptom does not necessarily point
towards the development of a kidney stone so you should not worry about such a
drastic health condition being present, but you should find the cause of it such as
stomach flu, etc.

TYPES OF KIDNEY STONES
The kidney stones material that they are made up of differ from person to person. They
largely depend on the type of food you consume and their nutritional and compositional
characteristics and value. Here are some types of kidney stones you may be diagnosed with.

● Calcium Kidney Stone
Such kidney stones are the most common amongst kidney stone patients. They consist of
oxalates calcium, however, they can also be made up of calcium phosphate, maleate, etc.
You are at a greater risk of developing a kidney stone if you consume high amounts of
chocolate, potato chips, beets, and more. Try and consume less of oxalate-rich products to
reduce the chances of developing this type of kidney stone.

● Struvite Kidney Stone
Women with urinary tract infections are most prone to developing such a type of kidney
stone. Urinary tract infections can become drastic and create larger stones than usual. This
can lead to the obstruction of the pathway of urination and cause a kidney infection.
This infection can be easily recognised and treated. In the treatment process you should
ensure that the existence of any struvite kidney stones are looked out for.

● Cystine Kidney Stone
There are various types of acids present in our body that aid various essential processes.
One such acid is known as cysteine which is naturally occurring. However, it does not belong
in the kidneys. When it leaks into the urine, it can put you at risk of developing cystine
kidney stones.

The cystine kidney stone type is extremely rare. If you are an individual who is suffering
from a genetic disorder called cystinuria, you are likely to experience this kind of kidney
stone development.

● Uric Acid Kidney Stone
When you are consuming meals that consist of purines rich in their levels, it can make your
urine prone to high acidic levels. Purine rich foods are often animal proteins like fish and
other types of meat. If your urine becomes too acidic, a uric acid kidney stone is likely to
develop.
A uric acid kidney stone is more likely to develop inside a male body than female. If you are
going through chemotherapy, you might develop a uric acid kidney stone.
WHAT ARE SOME PRECAUTIONS YOU CAN TAKE?
There are various causes for kidney stones to develop in your body. In order to ensure its
prevention from day 1, you can follow the following actions to reduce your chances of
developing a kidney stone before it is too late.

1. Stay hydrated as much as you can. Kidney stones develop when there is not enough
liquids accompanying the waste products that need to be removed from your
system. Drink at least two litres of water everyday, or increase it based on your food
consumption.
2. If you have a diet that has unnecessarily high levels of salt, glucose, or protein, you
are at the risk of developing kidney stones.
3. You may develop calcium kidney stones if you suffer from inflammatory bowel
diseases. An inflammatory bowel disease can increase the calcium absorption by
your kidneys.
4. If you are taking medications such as anti seizure drugs, calcium antacids, or
diuretics, you are at the risk of developing kidney stones.

WHAT CAN BE THE POSSIBLE CAUSE FOR KIDNEY STONES?
● Medical History
If you have had kidney stones before, you may be predisposed to developing another one. It
is very common for previous kidney stone patients to develop them after recovery. In such
cases, stricter treatment measures may be taken.

● Genetics

If somebody in your family has faced kidney stones, the make-up of your body may cause
you to be more likely to develop kidney stones as well. Of course, it also goes the same way
where you may pass down genes to your children who may be able to develop kidney
stones as well.

● Obesity
If you are obese, your body has more materials to deal with than the average person. This
can affect your urinary tracts with too much glucose to deal with. It can lead to the
development of calcium kidney stones. In order to rid yourself of obesity, you must develop
a healthier lifestyle filled with stress relief activities, exercising, eating healthy, etc. A
personal trainer paired with a doctor can help you overcome your obesity and prevent any
possibility of developing kidney stones.

● Polycystic kidney disease
If your kidney has already been weakened by pre-existing conditions like a cyst development
or so, you may develop kidney stones easily. This can only be prevented by making the
dietary adjustments and medication you need to treat the polycystic syndrome, specifically
if it has affected your kidneys in the past.

TREATMENT OPTIONS AVAILABLE
Kidney stone treatment can ease you of your pain immensely. While there are complicated
procedures that may be difficult to explain in layman language, they are often prescribed
when large kidney stones must be removed. Kidney stones can be the size of a small
homeopathic pill or as big as a pearl. Smaller kidney stones can be worked upon on a daily
basis with medication and hydration. Here are some of the kidney stone treatments.

● Various medical tests
It is important for you to get some tests done before starting your treatment plan. These
include a urine test, blood test, CT scan, and more if advised by your doctor. These will help
understand the unique conditions of your kidney stone to understand the nature of the root
of your cause of kidney stone development to treat it best.

● Medication

Oftentimes if your kidney stone is small, fluids are recommended to be able to wash the
stones out. However, in case of large kidney stone types, you will be provided pain
medication to deal with the abdominal pain. Medications like allopurinol also known as
zyloprim can be provided in case of uric acid kidney stones.
Alpha blockers can also be provided to relax the muscles in your urinary tracts and help pass
the kidney stone easily. There is thiazide diuretics that can help in the prevention of calcium
kidney stones forming if it is a possibility that is highly likely for you. Sodium bicarbonate can
also be given in cases of uric acid kidney stones to reduce the acidity of your urine.
Phosphorus solutions can help prevent the possibility of a calcium kidney stone developing
in your body.
You may also be prescribed other pain relief medications like ibuprofen, acetaminophen,
and naproxen sodium.

● Lithotripsy
Shock wave lithotripsy is a treatment method that utilises shock waves to break through the
kidney stones and make them smaller pieces. This will help the body pass these stones
through your urinary tracts and exit your body as urine. It is often done with anaesthesia so
you will not feel the pain that may come with such medical shock waves.

● Ureteroscopy
General anaesthesia accompanies this treatment option as well. A long medical tool is used
to find the kidney stone. It then proceeds to remove it with its tube-shape. However, if it is
too big to fit through the tube, it will be broken into smaller pieces with the use of a laser.
This way, the urinary tract can be big enough for the pieces to pass through with your urine.

● Percutaneous nephrolithotomy
This is a surgery that only takes place in extremely rare cases. A tube is inserted into your
kidney directly. It is complex to explain unlike a ureteroscopy, however, they’re quite similar
in procedure. It is more complicated and requires two to three days of recovery under
medical supervision to ensure full recovery.
EXPERIENCES OF PEOPLE WITH KIDNEY STONE YOU MAY IDENTIFY WITH
It is always good to have a support system to help you through rough times of turbulent
health. This can include your family, close friends, and loved ones. However, it is not the
same as knowing people who have gone through the same pain as you, or worse, and have

survived through it. It helps you mentally heal and feel better as you start your recovery
journey to understand while the pain is immense, it is temporary.
Here are some experiences of real people who have been interviewed by health
organisations about their experiences with kidney stones. They are meant to help you
through these rough times to understand you are not alone in this pain- and recovery is in
sight for sure.
“It was what I can imagine a knife stuck in my back being twisted all around would feel like.”
Anonymous, intermountain health org.
“My pain started out as a minor discomfort in my right abdomen. As it got worse I would get
really sweaty, cold, and nauseous. I was unable to sit or lie comfortably, even walking was
painful. I went to the emergency room (ER) and it turns out I have a 7 mm x 5 mm kidney
stone.” Anonymous male, medicine.
“A female nurse told me it's the worst pain a man can ever feel, because a man can't go
through labor. I had mine when I was 25; it looked like a coffee grain. Before it passed, I
literally thought I was going to die. They gave me a morphine shot right in the vein, and it
didn't do a thing. They followed that with Vicodin and I passed out. I woke up a few hours
later feeling just ok.” Anonymous, intermountain health org.
“There's a hidden benefit to experiencing kidney stones– all other resulting pain you'll ever
experience will now have a new benchmark, and will seem the lesser upon comparison.
Honestly, after breaking my wrist in seven places, my first reaction was, "Well, at least this
doesn't hurt as much as a kidney stone!” Anonymous, intermountain health org.
“They ran urine testing in labs for several years, my body had stones like a gravel pit. They
could not figure out anything other than genetic reasons. Well, it turns out it was my
cholesterol medication; now no more kidney stones for 8 years and I am healthy. Medicines
have side effects.” Gravel pit male, emedicine health.
CONCLUSION
A kidney stone can vary in sizes. They can be larger than your urinary tracts, or small
enough to pass through those tracts while urinating. Symptoms can range from blood in
your urine to vomiting and nausea. They are signs to look out for diligently and not pass
them out as insignificant rare occurrences. Prevention methods like ensuring hydration,
reducing the acidity in your food, understanding side effects of medications you are already
on, etc. are important. There are various treatment methods you can opt for that include
effective pain medications and medications that will help the specific type of kidney stone
that is present in your body. Options like surgery and shock waves may also be
recommended in severe cases, but worry not, as they take place with anaesthesia in your
body. In this article, you have also been able to read about the various experiences of

people who have gone through similar or worse experiences with kidney stones. We hope
that those quotations helped you feel less alone in your experiences or feel better that you
still have time before your kidney stone causes you to develop worse symptoms and pain
accompanied with it. We hope you have a well-guided treatment path prepared specifically
for your unique conditions by a professional who can ensure your recovery!