Use with vitamin, mineral, and herb supplementation. Drink at least 2.5 litres of water a day. Also see Kidney Calculi, Gravel in Urine, and Gravel Deposits.KidneyEncyclopedia Entry for Kidney Stones :Kidney stones - self-care. You visited your provider or the hospital because you have a kidney stone. You will need to take self-care steps. Which steps you take depend on the type of stone you have, but they may include: Drinking extra water and other liquids Eating more of some foods and cutting back on other foods Taking medicines to help prevent stones Taking medicines to help you pass a stone (anti-inflammatory drugs, alpha-blockers) You may be asked to try to catch your kidney stone. You can do this by collecting all of your urine and straining it. Your provider will tell you how to do this.A kidney stone is a solid piece of material that forms in a kidney. A stone can get stuck as it leaves the kidney. It can lodge in one of your two ureters (the tubes that carry urine from your kidneys to your bladder), the bladder, or the urethra (the tube that carries urine from your bladder to outside your body). Kidney stones may be the size of sand or gravel, as large as a pearl, or even larger. A stone can block the flow of your urine and cause great pain. A stone may also break loose and travel through your urinary tract all the way out of your body without causing too much pain. There are four major types of kidney stones. Calcium is the most common type of stone. Calcium can combine with other substances, such as oxalate (the most common substance), to form the stone. A uric acid stone may form when your urine contains too much acid. A struvite stone may form after an infection in your urinary system. Cystine stones are rare. The disease that causes cystine stones runs in families.Drinking a lot of fluid is important for treating and preventing all types of kidney stones. Staying hydrated (having enough fluid in your body) will keep your urine diluted. This makes it harder for stones to form. Water is best. You can also drink ginger ale, lemon-lime sodas, and fruit juices. Drink enough liquids throughout the day to make at least 2 quarts (2 liters) of urine every 24 hours. Drink enough to have light-colored urine. Dark yellow urine is a sign you are not drinking enough. Limit your coffee, tea, and cola to 1 or 2 cups (250 or 500 milliliters) a day. Caffeine may cause you to lose fluid too quickly, which can make you dehydrated.Follow these guidelines if you have calcium kidney stones: Drink plenty of fluids, particularly water. Eat less salt. Chinese and Mexican food, tomato juice, regular canned foods, and processed foods are often high in salt. Look for low-salt or unsalted products. Have only 2 or 3 servings a day of foods with a lot of calcium, such as milk, cheese, yogurt, oysters, and tofu. Eat lemons or oranges, or drink fresh lemonade. Citrate in these foods prevents stones from forming. Limit how much protein you eat. Choose lean meats. Eat a low-fat diet. DO NOT take extra calcium or vitamin D, unless the provider who is treating your kidney stones recommends it. Watch out for antacids that contain extra calcium. Ask your provider which antacids are safe for you to take. Your body still needs the normal amount of calcium you get from your daily diet. Limiting calcium may actually increase the chance that stones will form. Ask your provider before taking vitamin C or fish oil. They may be harmful to you. If your provider says you have calcium oxalate stones, you may also need to limit foods that are high in oxalate. These foods include: Fruits: rhubarb, currants, canned fruit salad, strawberries, and Concord grapes Vegetables: beets, leeks, summer squash, sweet potatoes, spinach, and tomato soup Drinks: tea and instant coffee Other foods: grits, tofu, nuts, and chocolate.Avoid these foods if you have uric acid stones: Alcohol Anchovies Asparagus Baking or brewer's yeast Cauliflower Consomm Gravy Herring Legumes (dried beans and peas) Mushrooms Oils Organ meats (liver, kidney, and sweetbreads) Sardines Spinach Other suggestions for your diet include: DO NOT eat more than 3 ounces (85 grams) of meat at each meal. Avoid fatty foods such as salad dressings, ice cream, and fried foods. Eat enough carbohydrates. Eat more lemons and oranges, and drink lemonade because the citrate in these foods stops stones from forming. Drink plenty of fluids, particularly water. If you are losing weight, lose it slowly. Quick weight loss may cause uric acid stones to form.Call your provider if you have: Very bad pain in your back or side that will not go away Blood in your urine Fever and chills Vomiting Urine that smells bad or looks cloudy A burning feeling when you urinate.Renal calculi and self-care; Nephrolithiasis and self-care; Stones and kidney - self-care; Calcium stones and self-care; Oxalate stones and self-care; Uric acid stones and self-care.Kidney pain Kidney pain.Bushinsky DA. Nephrolithiasis.Encyclopedia Entry for Kidney Stones :Kidney stones - what to ask your doctor. If I had a kidney stone removed, can I get another one? How much water and liquids should I drink every day? How do I know if I'm drinking enough? Is it OK to drink coffee, tea, or soft drinks? What foods can I eat? What foods should I avoid? What types of protein can I eat? Can I have salt and other spices? Are fried foods or fatty foods OK? What vegetables and fruits should I eat? How much milk, eggs, cheese, and other dairy foods can I have? Is it OK to take extra vitamins or minerals? How about herbal remedies? What are the signs that I may have an infection? Could I have a kidney stone and not have any symptoms? Can I take medicines to keep kidney stones from coming back? What surgeries can be done to treat my kidney stones? What tests can be done to find out why I get kidney stones? When should I call the provider?.Nephrolithiasis - what to ask your doctor; Renal calculi - what to ask your doctor; What to ask your doctor about kidney stones.Bushinsky DA. Nephrolithiasis.Encyclopedia Entry for Kidney Stones :Kidney stones and lithotripsy - discharge. You had lithotripsy, a medical procedure that uses high frequency sound (shock) waves to break up stones in your kidney, bladder, or ureter (the tube that carries urine from your kidneys to your bladder). The waves break the stones into tiny pieces.It is normal to have a small amount of blood in your urine for a few days to a few weeks after this procedure. You may have pain and nausea when the stone pieces pass. This can happen soon after treatment and may last for 4 to 8 weeks. You may have some bruising on your back or side where the stone was treated. You may also have some pain over the treatment area.Have someone drive you home from the hospital. Rest when you get home. Most people can go back to their regular daily activities 1 or 2 days after this procedure. Drink a lot of water in the weeks after treatment. This helps pass any pieces of stone that still remain. Your health care provider may give you a medicine called an alpha blocker to make it easier to pass the pieces of stone. Learn how to prevent your kidney stones from coming back. Take the pain medicine your provider has told you to take and drink a lot of water if you have pain. You may need to take antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medicines for a few days. You will probably be asked to strain your urine at home to look for stones. Your provider will tell you how to do this. Any stones you find can be sent to a medical lab to be examined. You will need to see your provider for a follow-up appointment in the weeks after your lithotripsy. You may have a nephrostomy drainage tube or an indwelling stent. You will be taught how to take care of it.Call your provider if you have: Very bad pain in your back or side that will not go away Heavy bleeding or blood clots in your urine (a small to moderate amount of blood is normal) Lightheadedness Fast heartbeat Fever and chills Vomiting Urine that smells bad A burning feeling when you urinate Very little urine production.Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy - discharge; Shock wave lithotripsy - discharge; Laser lithotripsy - discharge; Percutaneous lithotripsy - discharge; Endoscopic lithotripsy - discharge; ESWL - discharge; Renal calculi - lithotripsy; Nephrolithiasis - lithotripsy; Renal colic - lithotripsy.Lithotripsy procedure Lithotripsy procedure.Bushinsky DA. Nephrolithiasis.Encyclopedia Entry for Kidney Stones :Kidney stones. Kidney stones Watch this video about: Kidney stones Kidney stones are common. Some types run in families. They often occur in premature infants. There are different types of kidney stones. The cause of the problem depends on the type of stone. Stones can form when urine contains too much of certain substances that form crystals. These crystals can develop into stones over weeks or months. Calcium stones are most common. They are most likely to occur in men between ages 20 to 30. Calcium can combine with other substances to form the stone. Oxalate is the most common of these. Oxalate is present in certain foods such as spinach. It is also found in vitamin C supplements. Diseases of the small intestine increase your risk of these stones. Calcium stones can also form from combining with phosphate or carbonate. Other types of stones include: Cystine stones can form in people who have cystinuria. This disorder runs in families. It affects both men and women. Struvite stones are mostly found in women who have a urinary tract infection. These stones can grow very large and can block the kidney, ureter, or bladder. Uric acid stones are more common in men than in women. They can occur with gout or chemotherapy. Other substances such as certain medicines also can form stones. Nephrolithiasis The biggest risk factor for kidney stones is not drinking enough fluids. Kidney stones are more likely to occur if you make less than 1 liter (32 ounces) of urine a day.You may not have symptoms until the stones move down the tubes (ureters) through which urine empties into your bladder. When this happens, the stones can block the flow of urine out of the kidneys. The main symptom is severe pain that starts and stops suddenly: Pain may be felt in the belly area or side of the back. Pain may move to the groin area ( groin pain ), testicles ( testicle pain ) in men, and labia (vaginal pain) in women. Other symptoms can include: Abnormal urine color Blood in the urine Chills Fever Nausea and vomiting.The health care provider will perform a physical exam. The belly area (abdomen) or back might feel sore. Tests that may be done include: Blood tests to check calcium, phosphorus, uric acid, and electrolyte levels Kidney function tests Urinalysis to see crystals and look for red blood cells in urine Examination of the stone to determine the type Intravenous pyelogram (IVP) Stones or a blockage can be seen on: Abdominal CT scan Abdominal/kidney MRI Abdominal x-rays Intravenous pyelogram ( IVP ) Kidney ultrasound Retrograde pyelogram.Treatment depends on the type of stone and the severity of your symptoms. Kidney stones that are small most often pass through your system on their own. Your urine should be strained so the stone can be saved and tested. Drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water per day to produce a large amount of urine. This will help the stone pass. Pain can be very bad. Over-the-counter pain medicines (for example, ibuprofen and naproxen), either alone or along with narcotics, can be very effective. Some people with severe pain from kidney stones need to stay in the hospital. You may need to get fluids through an IV into your vein. For some types of stones, your provider may prescribe medicine to prevent stones from forming or help break down and remove the material that is causing the stone. These medicines can include: Allopurinol (for uric acid stones) Antibiotics (for struvite stones) Diuretics (water pills) Phosphate solutions Sodium bicarbonate or sodium citrate Water pills (thiazide diuretics) Tamsulosin to relax the ureter and help the stone pass Surgery is often needed if: The stone is too large to pass on its own The stone is growing The stone is blocking urine flow and causing an infection or kidney damage The pain cannot be controlled Lithotripsy procedure Today, most treatments are much less invasive than in the past. Lithotripsy is used to remove stones slightly smaller than a half an inch (1.25 centimeters) that are located in the kidney or ureter. It uses sound or shock waves to break up stones into tiny fragments. Then, the stone fragments leave the body in the urine. It is also called extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy or ESWL. Procedures performed by passing a special instrument through a small surgical cut in your skin on your back and into your kidney or ureters are used for large stones, or when the kidneys or surrounding areas are incorrectly formed. The stone is removed with a tube (endoscope). Ureteroscopy may be used for stones in the lower urinary tract. Rarely, open surgery (nephrolithotomy) may be needed if other methods do not work or are not possible. Talk to your provider about what treatment options may work for you. You will need to take self-care steps. Which steps you take depend on the type of stone you have, but they may include: Drinking extra water and other liquids Eating more of some foods and cutting back on other foods Taking medicines to help prevent stones Taking medicines to help you pass a stone (anti-inflammatory drugs, alpha-blockers).Kidney stones are painful but most of the time can be removed from the body without causing lasting damage. Kidney stones often come back. This occurs more often if the cause is not found and treated. You are at risk for: Urinary tract infection Kidney damage or scarring if treatment is delayed for too long.Complication of kidney stones may include the obstruction of the ureter (acute unilateral obstructive uropathy).Call your provider if you have symptoms of a kidney stone: Severe pain in your back or side that will not go away Blood in your urine Fever and chills Vomiting Urine that smells bad or looks cloudy A burning feeling when you urinate If you have been diagnosed with blockage from a stone, passage must be confirmed either by capture in a strainer during urination or by follow-up x-ray. Being pain free does not confirm that the stone has passed.If you have a history of stones: Drink plenty of fluids (6 to 8 glasses of water per day) to produce enough urine. You may need to take medicine or make changes to your diet for some types of stones. Your provider may want to do blood and urine tests to help determine the proper prevention steps.Renal calculi; Nephrolithiasis; Stones - kidney; Calcium oxalate - stones; Cystine - stones; Struvite - stones; Uric acid - stones; Urinary lithiasis.Hypercalcemia - discharge Kidney stones and lithotripsy - discharge Kidney stones - self-care Kidney stones - what to ask your doctor Percutaneous urinary procedures - discharge.Kidney anatomy Kidney anatomy Kidney - blood and urine flow Kidney - blood and urine flow Nephrolithiasis Nephrolithiasis Intravenous pyelogram (IVP) Intravenous pyelogram (IVP) Lithotripsy procedure Lithotripsy procedure.Bushinsky DA. Nephrolithiasis.