Dr. Eboni Green
January 31, 2023
Kidney stones can be extremely painful, but with early recognition, they usually don’t cause permanent damage to the urinary system. Understanding more about kidney stones can help you prevent them from forming or get necessary care quickly. Read on to find out what caregivers should know about kidney stones.
Kidney stones are hard accumulations of minerals and salts that develop in the kidneys. Kidneys filter waste and fluid from the blood and produce urine; stones often form in concentrated urine, where the minerals crystallize and stick together.
Obesity, diet, certain medical conditions, dehydration, and a genetic predisposition can cause kidney stones to develop. The stones can affect a person’s entire urinary system, which includes the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra.
Caregivers should know the symptoms of kidney stones to protect their loved ones or clients and keep them comfortable. People don’t usually feel kidney stones until they move around and enter a ureter, a tube that connects the kidney to the bladder.
A kidney stone stuck in the ureter can block urine flow and cause the kidney to swell and the ureter to spasm. Patients can feel a continual need to urinate, urinate more frequently, and urinate in small amounts.
Your client or loved one may experience severe, sharp pain in their side and back that can spread to the lower abdomen and groin. As the kidney stone shifts, the pain might move to a different location or become more intense.
Your client might feel pain or a burning sensation when urinating. Urine might be pink, red, brown, or cloudy and have a bad odor.
If your client has an infection, they can have fever and chills; the stones also might cause nausea and vomiting. Report these symptoms to a medical professional, and if you suspect your client has kidney stones, consult their primary care provider or take them to the emergency room.
Doctors diagnose kidney stones by conducting a physical examination. They might use images from an x-ray, CT scan, or sonogram to better understand the condition. Diagnostic medical sonography uses ultrasound waves rather than radiation to create images of internal organs, tissues, and fluids.
The treatment course depends on the size and number of stones, their location, and their type. Smaller stones don’t typically require invasive treatment. The patient can often increase fluid intake, use a doctor-recommended pain reliever, or undergo medical therapy that helps relax ureter muscles to help pass the kidney stone more quickly and with less pain.
Larger stones might require sound wave lithotripsy to break up the stones. Sometimes, doctors recommend surgery for large kidney stone removal.
After the stone leaves the body, a lab can analyze it to better understand the cause and prevent future kidney stones from forming. Moving forward, your client or loved one might need to drink more water throughout the day or eat a specialized diet.
