Anyone ever had a kidney stone?? Yowzer!

Q. · Jul 6, 2001

My husband is kind of a regular with his kidney stones. He usually gets one every year. He is usually a pretty stoic kinda guy - but when he got his stones, he was in excruiating pain and bellowing down the hallway. We've spent hours in the ER, and typically 60 of torodol IV is the only thing that can calm him down. Then, he is usually given a Rx for percocet and waits until it passes. Fortunately, he's passed every single one and so far he hasn't had an obstruction.

His doc told him to cut the caffeine, the salt and increase the fluid intake. So far we're not sure if that helped any.

I feel for you - while I haven't had them myself, I see the kind of pain it causes my husband.

Tiara · Jul 7, 2001

Hey Hoolahan aka MargaretH! Sorry to hear about your stones! I don't know why, but my husband managed to have the attacks on holidays - so beware, you did it once! He has a long history of stones. He has some gravel now that's just sitting there but it's been a while since he's had a bad attack. Good to see your post and take care of yourself!

Bobl427 · Jul 10, 2001

I have delivered 2 kidney stones. The last was about 7 years ago. Hard to believe such a tiny little thing can cause such pain. I hope to never have one again and sympathize completely with anyone who is going through it. I also had a bad experience with the ER. I am generally very stoic about pain and can generally ride it out but this kind of pain is too much to deal with. I can understand the reluctance to give pain med prior to diagnoses but after that, what is the hold up? I believe that a patient's pain is "what he or she says it is" an will medicate accordingly and advocate for adequate pain relief for all of my patients as a result of my experience.

Good luck to you!

jamistlc · Jul 10, 2001

Greetings All Nurses,

My subject line says it all! OUCH!!!!!!!! :eek:

hoolahan, ASN, RN · Jul 10, 2001

I am pleased to announce I delivered 2 stones today!! I never actually thought I would ever pass any.

Now, thanks to all the replies here, I know how important it is to have it analyzed. I have to save them for my urologist appt next week.

The kids thought it was gross, my husband was impressed. Hard to believe something so small can wreak so much havoc.

BlueBear · Jul 11, 2001

congratulations on the birth of your twins! have you given them names yet???? let's see, pete and repeat? anyway, so glad you passed them and hopefully they won't have any siblings heading your way!!!!!! :eek:

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Jul 11, 2001

Relief at last. Congrats on your delivery! Hope the stone analysis leads to clues for treatment. Other suggested tests include Blood: Calcium, Phosphorus and Uric Acid, possibly parathyroid hormone level; 24 Hr urine for creatine, Calcium & uric acid. Follow-up flatplate of abd or repeat CAT since multiple stones in 6wks-6 months.

Hope you have find a good urologist and remember, bottoms up! LOL.

Katmease · Jul 11, 2001

Glad to hear those bad boys are out of there! :cool:

01Jetta · Jul 28, 2001

My best friend passed stones a few months ago. Said it was the worst pain of his life and he was heaving all the way to the hospital. Worst part was they stuck a catheter up his d***, no drugs or pain killers NOTHING. Stuff wasn't made to go up there. EW! He hopes never to have them again, but sees a urologist every six months.

ADN 2002 · Jul 29, 2001

I had a stone at Christmas this past year. They had done a CT a couple of days before Christmas and found "something." They couldn't tell if it was a stone in the ureter or a mass on my ovary. They sent me to my OB/GYN stat, where (after a pelvic) I was told that everything was fine. Christmas evening, however, I was in excruciating pain but did not want to go to the ER because we had a lot of family over. So I spent the evening in bed on the heating pad. A couple days later, I was back in the doctor's office having an IVP, which showed nothing! I went to see the urologist who said I must have passed it. So I wound up passing that one without any drugs of any kind - it's not fun.

So, lately, I've been having the same kind of pain, just a little higher. My "attacks" have become more frequent and lasting longer and finally I was in such extreme pain two nights ago that it woke me from a dead sleep and I got my butt out to the ER - with this kind of pain, I just knew there had to be some damage going on. The doctor came in to see me and said the pain I was describing didn't sound like a stone. I was ready to fight with him b/c I had done some reading in my nursing books that a stone still in the kidney could indeed cause this pain. So the doc ordered an IVP to humor me, and it showed nothing again! (and I haven't had pain again either) So they basically told me it was in my head, that I was far too anxious, and sent me home with some Xanax.

Can you believe this? :confused:

hoolahan, ASN, RN · Jul 30, 2001

OH man that is mean. If it wASN'T A STONE, THEN THEY SHOULD WORK UP THIS ACUTE PAIN. mY UROLOGIST SAYS THAT THEY DON'T ALWAYS SHOW UP WELL ON ct SCAN, HE WANTS ME TO HAVE A SIMPLE, hit caps lock, excuse that please, not typing it over! Anyway he just wants me to have a simple KUB x-ray.

It is certainly a weird experience, I had other minor and major intermittent pains since in the four days after the first episode, and nothing since.

Wish I could tell you something good, but I'm new at this myself. I suggest another urologist or a second opinion.

ADN 2002 · Jul 30, 2001

They didn't even give me a referral to the urologist! They just doped me up on Demerol, gave me the Xanax and sent me home (where I had a major nursing paper waiting for me....I'm a student nurse). They treated me like I didn't know what the !@#$ I was talking about! I'm going to go to my GP if it happens again, and he'll give me the referral I need, b/c we have a really good urologist at my clinic.