Kidney stones are the hard deposits of minerals and salts that form inside the kidneys. This problem can be developed by several causes. Kidney stones affect the urinary tract and systems including kidneys and urinary bladder. Generally, kidney stones form when your urine becomes very thick and concentrated and it allows minerals to stick together to crystalize. If kidney stones are diagnosed on time, then they pose no major threat to your health and you can get rid of them very easily and quickly.
7 Signs Of Kidney Stones
There are several signs of kidney stones that can help you or your doctor in identifying that you have kidney stones. Based on these signs, your doctor diagnoses you and chooses the treatment option. If you notice any of the below-mentioned signs, consult a specialist doctor as soon as possible.
Intense Pain In Middle Abdomen
Pain in the middle abdomen is one of the most common signs that one can experience. Kidney stones cause sudden and spontaneous pain. The severity of the pain increases whenever the stones change their position and location. However, stones larger in size cause more pain than small one. Experts believe that the pain during kidney stones is almost like the pain during childbirth or being stabbed with a knife. Research suggests that there are more than one million patients in emergency rooms of the hospitals each year due to the pain caused by kidney stones. Usually, the pain increases when the stones move from its original place of origin. Kidney stones block the passage and build up pressure in the kidneys when it moves to ureter.
Pain Or Burning Sensation While Urination
When the stones are located at the junction of the ureter and the urinary bladder, you start experiencing pain and burning sensation during passing the urine. This condition is medically known as Dysuria, which causes a sharp pain or burning sensation while urination. Patients suffering from cystitis and urinary tract infections also encounter similar pain.
Frequent Urges To Urinate
If you are suffering from kidney stones, you feel the urges to urinate more frequently than usual. It happens because the kidney stones move to the lower region of the urinary tract. In such cases, you urinate frequently even during the night.
Bloody Urine
Generally, patients with stones in the urinary tract complain of blood in their urine. This condition is medically known as Hematuria. The bloody urine can vary in color from red to pink or brown. You experience this specific sign when the stones damage the kidney or any other part of the urinary tract. This is a serious sign and should not be taken casually. You should consult a doctor immediately.
Smelly Or Cloudy Urine
Usually, urine is clear and not very smelly in normal cases. But in case of kidney stones, your urine can be cloudy and very smelly. The urine smells foul because of the presence of harmful bacteria in it. More concentrated urine than the normal can too give a foul smell. Cloudiness of urine is caused by the presence of pus or pyuria in the urine, which can be a sign of infection in kidneys or the other parts of the urinary tract as well as the system.
Urinating Lesser Than Usual
Kidney stones large in size can get stuck in the ureters, which blocks the ureters and slows down the normal flow of urine. Due to this, you urinate more frequently than usual but are unable to empty the bladder completely. Not only this, the urine flow can be also stopped completely in severe cases of kidney stones, especially when the stones obstruct the ureter or urethra. This results in an emergency situation that needs immediate medical attention.
Nausea, Vomiting And Fever
Due to large kidney stones or intense pain, your stomach can get upset and results in nausea and vomiting. Fever and feeling cold are the other most common complaints of the patients suffering from kidney stones. Fever is mostly caused due to infections in the urinary tract or the kidneys. This condition can be a serious problem and complicates the condition of your kidney stones. With kidney stones, you may also feel cold and shiver frequently.
Permanent Solution Of Kidney Stones
After a proper diagnosis of your kidney stones, the doctor recommends the best-suited treatment option for you. The doctor prescribes medications if your kidney stones are mild, small or medium that can pass along with the urine very easily. There are numerous Allopathic, Homeopathic and Ayurvedic medicines that mostly show positive results. But, in some cases, the medicines do not bring the desired results or the kidney stones form again in some time. If you relate to this problem then you do not need to fret as alternative and permanent solutions of kidney stones are available.
When dietary changes such as having adequate amounts of water and fibers along with medications do not work, you should go for better treatment. Usually, large or multiple kidney stones do not pass along with the urine on their own. So, the doctor recommends surgical treatment, which is a permanent solution for your kidney stones, otherwise the stones may damage your kidneys. If your kidney stone requires surgical treatment, you do not need to spend days worrying about it. The advancements in medical sciences have brought the minimally invasive treatments for kidney stones into existence and the shockwave lithotripsy is one of them.
Shock Wave Lithotripsy is the most effective treatment for kidney stones. It makes the best use of sound waves to produce strong vibrations or shock waves. These are created outside the body and directly target the kidney stones to break them down. The shock waves in lithotripsy procedure are strong enough to break any size of kidney stones. Once the kidney stones are broken into small pieces, they easily come out of the body along with the urine. Due to granules of the kidney stones, your urine may appear to be quite dark, which is normal after shock wave lithotripsy. The effectiveness of this surgical procedure makes it one of the best and permanent solutions of kidney stones.
The entire procedure of shock wave lithotripsy takes around 30-40 minutes to complete. The doctor administers local or general anaesthesia to you before the surgical procedure starts so that you will feel no pain or problem during or after the entire treatment procedure. Although shock wave lithotripsy involves no cuts, anaesthesia is necessary because it helps you in being still. This also minimizes the chances of any discomfort and enables the doctor to break the kidney stones precisely.
Untreated kidney stones can be harmful to your health and overall well being. So be wise and choose the best and permanent treatment over the prolonged pain and discomfort of kidney stones. You can contact any hospital who offers shock wave lithotripsy and get your surgery done. Do not delay anymore. You can contact a highly experienced and skilled surgeon now.