It's been around one month plus since I undergone a kidney stone removal procedure (a uretral stone to be more precise) which was an eyeopener for me. The agonizing pain that I suffered insisted me today to share the learning out of this experience with you all.
What are kidney stones and why they are formed?
Kidney stones are small or at times large stone like formation that is mostly due to collection of unfiltered minerals (especially calcium) in the kidney. The minerals keep on accumulating resulting in calculus. In my case also, there was a problem with calcium metabolism. Kidney stones pain mostly when they try to get out of your body via the urinal passage.
How the kidney stones be detected?
The best possible way to detect kidney stones is via ultrasonography. If you are suffering from deep pain going from front to back either on the left or the right side, I would highly recommend that you should get it done as soon as possible. In some cases though, it becomes really difficult to detect kidney stones through ultrasound which can then be detected via a CT scan.
What are the symptoms of Kidney stones?
The symptoms vary from person to person. The most common symptoms that are found in almost all patients suffering from kidney stone problem. They may include as in my case also nauseating feeling, deep stabbing like pain traveling from front to back from on either left or right side. In some cases it may also lead to severe lower back pain.
What are the causes and how to prevent kidney stones?
Here, based on my discussion with my doctor as well as all the reasons that I learned through various other sources, I list below the several causes along with remedies to prevent the formation of kidney stones:
Cause #1: Dehydration
This is the most important cause because of which the stones occur. Not drinking enough water leads to kidney stone formation. What you may be doing in your every day life is drinking lots of dehydrating drinks like tea and coffee but no water.
Remedy: Drinking about eight to ten glasses of water besides your usual with food liquids is highly recommended if you want to prevent kidney stones from forming. Also if you are already a kidney stone patient, then its best to cut down on dehydrating drinks from your menu like sodas, alcohol, caffeine related drinks as they are more likely to drain out water from your body. If you are confused about how much water should you drink (like I was also very much confused before clearing it out with my doctor) then the best workaround for this is to make sure that you pass around two liters of urine in a day in order to prevent the kidney stone formation.
Cause #2: Poor Metabolism
Some minerals don't get metabolized by the body in the way as they should be resulting in its accumulation in kidney as kidney is not able to filter it out through urine. The most common mineral culprit for building up of stones is calcium.
Remedy: It is best possible to check out the reasons of kidney stone formation by testing the stone. It can be uric acid stone also. Calcium alone does not cause any problems though but when it binds with oxalates which are formed by eating meat, spinach, caffeine related drinks etc. then it is really a trouble as it will cause stones to buld up in kidneys.
Cause# 3: Other Causes
There are several other causes which contribute to the stone formation which can include the factors like constipation, some problem in the kidney anatomy and several others.
Remedy: To prevent constipation, eat lots and lots of fiber in your diet and drink plenty of water. For other kidney related issues, getting yourself checked after consultation with your doctor is highly recommended.
Other Remedies:
Below I list other remedies some of which I also included during my treatment phase:
Remedy#1: Drink Beer
Many people recommended to me to have a pint or two of beer daily in order to cut the stone. But I found this one useful in pushing out the small stones (preferably <6mm) in my left ureter but the stone in my right ureter which already grew bigger in size, stood as it was. If you can manage to drink one pint daily or every other second day, it is recommended as it is a diuretic and will cause kidney stones to flush out immediately.
NOTE: Drinking alcohol can cause harm also. Its best to consult your doctor before taking it. Also I would recommend to drink slightly more water as alcohol can dehydrate your body.
Remedy#2: Drink Cranberry Juice
It was hard for me to find one. After fishing out several markets in New Delhi, I was able to find it in Khan Market. Rich in vitamin C, it can cut down the big stones into pieces which can then be easily passed out of the urinary tract.
Remedy#3: Include enough Vitamin C in your diet
The main problem is our less intake of vitamin C. If you include vitamin C just to be suffice for the daily requirements, it will help in preventing kidney stones to build up as well as will also aid in increasing immunity.
Remember, prevention is better than to suffer from this agonizing pain of kidney stones. They can be extremely paininful if they build up. Also I would recommend to consult your doctor for any assistance as each body has its own mechanism. If I missed out on anything, please feel free to let me know.
A quick summary of what it takes:
1) Drink lots of water (If you can't count the glasses, count the liters instead. Around three to four liters a day are suffice).
2) Keep a check on Coffee or tea intake ( drink green tea instead)
3) Cut down or best avoid alcohol (take in moderation)
4) Avoid or cut down aerated drinks like sodas, soft drinks etc.
That's it. Best strategy is to counter the effects of one thing by doing the other. For example, if you feel you can't do without tea or coffee, then add more liters of water to compensate the after effects of dehydration. I hope that you all should stay well and no one suffer with this pain. Take Care.
~Eat Healthy, Stay Healthy~
