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[DragoonKain]

I woke up the other day with this notch in my side. I thought I just strained something while sleeping. So I tried stretching it out. Next thing I know my entire back/side is in a tremendous amount of pain. It felt like a heavyweight boxer was punching my kidney super hard over and over again and wouldn’t stop. When you are in that intense pain your body goes into fight or flight mode and you obsess over just doing anything to dull the pain, but everything I did made it worse. There was no comfortable position, nothing helped, it just got more intense. Like I was being punched or stabbed harder and harder over and over and it wouldn’t stop. I didn’t know what was happening so I called 911 and they took me to the hospital and eventually they diagnosed me with a kidney stone. It hurt so bad even morphine they gave me barely helped(but it did make me violently ill after). I eventually passed the stone and didn’t even feel it as I passed it,but man that was brutal. Just hours and hours of non-stop the most intense pain you’ll ever feel that doesn’t let up, like ever. Not for one second.

I’ve heard stories about people just laying down in their beds and moaning for hours, and that’s basically what I was doing in my hospital bed.

Has anyone here had them? I don’t know if mine was super sharp or whatever, but I never wanna go through that again. I’ve always feared getting them so I already didn’t eat a lot of stuff that is said to cause kidney stones, like teas and nuts and too much calcium, but I guess it didn’t matter.

If you’re someone who had one before, how bad was it for you and what do you eat now to prevent it?

 

[Con-Z-epT]

Drink more water!

 

[Maiden Voyage]

I used to get kidney stones until I stopped drinking soda. If you can, catch one through a strainer and have your doc analyze it. They can tell you what it is made of and give recommendations on what potential sources cause it. This should help alleviate the future pain.

 

[DragoonKain]

I used to get kidney stones until I stopped drinking soda. If you can, catch one through a strainer and have your doc analyze it. They can tell you what it is made of and give recommendations on what potential sources cause it. This should help alleviate the future pain.

I have no idea when I passed it, I just kept peeing and eventually the pain dissipated.

 

[Con-Z-epT]

If you can, catch one through a strainer and have your doc analyze it. They can tell you what it is made of and give recommendations on what potential sources cause it. This should help alleviate the future pain.

Probably the best advice since these stones can occur through different nutrisions, infections and even be genetically induced.

 

[Kev Kev]

sounds you had a considerably bad one. most people i know who kidney stones a lot say the pain is the worst ever, but they can at least still function throughout most of their day. sorry bud, that sounds awful

but yeah drink tons of water. the common theme i find amongst the few people i know who get them is the two im thinking of is they love soda, and im assuming they dont drink much water since soda is their goto.

 

[DragoonKain]

sounds you had a considerably bad one. most people i know who kidney stones a lot say the pain is the worst ever, but they can at least still function throughout most of their day. sorry bud, that sounds awful

but yeah drink tons of water. the common theme i find amongst the few people i know who get them is the two im thinking of is they love soda, and im assuming they dont drink much water since soda is their goto.

Odd because I gave up soda years ago. I do drink sparkling water, but that wasn't in any of the websites I looked up as a cause.

I did have a day the other day where I ate a lot of chocolate, and I read chocolate can cause it, but I don't know when the stone actually formed.

 

[Kev Kev]

Odd because I gave up soda years ago. I do drink sparkling water, but that wasn't in any of the websites I looked up as a cause.

I did have a day the other day where I ate a lot of chocolate, and I read chocolate can cause it, but I don't know when the stone actually formed.

dang, thats a bummer.

well like Con-Z-epT said it could be genetic or something else. perhaps a doctor and/or nutritionist could give you some ideas to help prevent them?

heres a good vid with a doctor and a dietitian both answering questions about stones. its broken up into segments to help navigate specific questions/topic. good luck!

 

[Con-Z-epT]

I did have a day the other day where I ate a lot of chocolate, and I read chocolate can cause it, but I don't know when the stone actually formed.

Not just chocolate but cocoa products in general, spinach, beetroot or rhubarb. If you eat to much off course. The reasons are very diverse and are not necessarily related to nutrition.

 

[Fbh]

Literally the only reason why I drink a ton of water is to help reduce the risk of getting one of these, if only a little.

My dad has had a couple of them and I've never seen him in that much pain. The last one was specially nasty as it got stuck somewhere and just wouldn't pass, then it got infected. Long story short the pain came and went for like a week, eventually he had to stay several days at the hospital and pee through a bag for a couple of weeks.

As others have said, if you get them again try to see if you can catch/keep one and have it analyzed. That should help a doc give you an informed advice and what food to avoid.

 

[Artoris]

That sounds like the closest thing a man comes to giving birth

 

[12Goblins]

it really depends on the type of the stone, the size, it's shape, and where it is located. I had a 10mm stone lodged at the UV junction. it left me in the fetal position hyperventilating until they stretched me to the hospital. I have a low tolerance for opiods, but I had to be given 2 shots of morphine and 1 shot of Dilaudid to feel some pain relief. they wanted to operate but I ended up drinking approx 2 gallons of lemon water and a glass of apple cider vinegar per day and eventually was able to flush it out. alhamdulilah

problem was drinking black tea and eating 2-3 handful of nuts every day. if I drink coke now I will squeeze in a lemon slice which prevents oxalate from binding to calcium, which forms the most common type of kidney stone; calcium-oxalate stones

don't limit your calcium intake, because your body will just pull it from the bones if your levels are low

 

[The Pleasure]

That sounds like the closest thing a man comes to giving birth

 

[jufonuk]

ouch omg OP, I hope I never have a kidney stone.
shit... I drink loads of water and tea, does drinking cranberry juice or lemon juice help reduce them?

 

[DragoonKain]

it really depends on the type of the stone, the size, it's shape, and where it is located. I had a 10mm stone lodged at the UV junction. it left me in the fetal position hyperventilating until they stretched me to the hospital. I have a low tolerance for opiods, but I had to be given 2 shots of morphine and 1 shot of Dilaudid to feel some pain relief. they wanted to operate but I ended up drinking approx 2 gallons of lemon water and a glass of apple cider vinegar per day and eventually was able to flush it out. alhamdulilah

problem was drinking black tea and eating 2-3 handful of nuts every day. if I drink coke now I will squeeze in a lemon slice which prevents oxalate from binding to calcium, which forms the most common type of kidney stone; calcium-oxalate stones

don't limit your calcium intake, because your body will just pull it from the bones if your levels are low

Will lemon extract suffice? Or does it have to be a freshly squeezed lemon?

I have a low tolerance for opiates too. Have me rampant nausea that lasted for hours.

 

[Pasta]

Lol yup and you scared me so I'm going to go drink more water right now. I try to do the 10cups/2-3liters a day but it's a lot. I remember being in the ER with my 2nd stone groaning it's only been 2 years! In bed I felt paralyzed with waves of pain. It would relax for a few minutes but I couldn't move and the pain would just start up again.

 

[BazookaBadger]

I'm surprised that the morphine barely helped. I've had 2, one I had hit me at work. The other one I'd woke up one day and it hit me. The first one I passed at work. The other one I had to be hospitalized because it got stuck in my dick lol. That sucked.

 

[12Goblins]

Will lemon extract suffice? Or does it have to be a freshly squeezed lemon?

I have a low tolerance for opiates too. Have me rampant nausea that lasted for hours.

ive looked it up, I don't think the science is there to back it up but theoretically it should help, but it may not as effective as fresh lemon. I like to use the True Lemon packets you can get from Amazon.

 

[JayK47]

Thankfully I have never had one. An old Army buddy had one, because he liked to drink hard liquor a lot and he got one shortly after a bender. After seeing him go through that, I always keep plenty hydrated. You are lucky that it was easy to pass. I hear that passing it can be the worst part, like similar to giving birth.

 

[nkarafo]

That sounds like the closest thing a man comes to giving birth

I heard cluster headaches are even worse.

 

[CGiRanger]

That sounds like the closest thing a man comes to giving birth

Intestinal Obstruction is what I've heard being close to that. Definitely wouldn't be surprising.

 

[Coolwhhip]

So now nuts are bad? Cant eat fruit and vegetables because of pesticides, meat because of anti biotics. So just drink water eh?

 

[Sakura]

Yeah I get one every 2 years or so. Last time was particularly bad. Was peeing blood at the end.
For me I find lying on the floor with a hot shower spraying on my back relieves a little bit of pain.
probably get them from drinking so many energy drinks.

 

[German Hops]

So just drink water eh?

As long as its not bottled or tap water, you're good.

I don't think you should drink tap water in most places. Even in the US, they are finding towns with lead in the water as well as other unsafe contaminants. The older the infrastructure of the pipelines, the more likely the water may get contaminated. I avoid local tap water AND ice. I believe that both can contain bacteria and viruses. They may not be that harmful even, but who wants the runs when in public. The thing about bottled water is that some of it is just tap water. You have to check the manufacture to find out if it is pure or not.

 

[Coolwhhip]

Yeah I get one every 2 years or so. Last time was particularly bad. Was peeing blood at the end.
For me I find lying on the floor with a hot shower spraying on my back relieves a little bit of pain.
probably get them from drinking so many energy drinks.

So it doesnt cross your mind to maybe, you know, stop drinking them?!

 

[Ironbunny]

Neogaf before this thread

Neogaf after reading the OP post

 

[German Hops]

 

[Ironbunny]

Did it give any signs in the earlier weeks or did the pain just start that day?

 

[ChazAshley]

Sorry for your experience OP. Had some friends go through the same thing and I literally shudder thinking about it. I mean look at this. THIS is what passes through you:

Shudder....

 

[nush]

I avoid local tap water AND ice. I believe that both can contain bacteria and viruses.

The and ice is very important to remember as well as don't brush your teeth with tapwater as well. This will depend on where you live.

 

[ipukespiders]

Here's mine from back in Sept. It's about the size of a peppercorn.

 

[12Goblins]

WW2So now nuts are bad? Cant eat fruit and vegetables because of pesticides, meat because of anti biotics. So just drink water eh?

its not that nuts are bad. they are just high in oxalates, which is one of the components that make up kidney stones. if you drink a lot of water and your urine is clear , you can take in as much oxalates as you want because you will be flushing all that shit out

what gets most people is not drinking enough water on top of taking in way too much sodium, which is impossible to avoid if you live in the states (salt makes you retain water, making you pee less so you are not irrigating the build up of these deposits in your kidneys and ureters). add oxalates to the mix and it's a deadly combo

long story short, if you are drinking enough water, no matter where it comes from, so that you are peeing clear and it looks like water - you will not get stones

 

[Jsisto]

Welcome to the club! Glad to hear you passed it. I’ve had several. It’s always a different experience depending on where exactly the stone is. Sometimes you just get hit with the excruciating pain. I had one where there was no pain, just blood in my urine til it passed, which was terrifying. You also can just get hit with the constant feeling of having to urinate. The last one I had was the first I was able to catch and have looked at. I checked it out under a magnifying glass and it was fascinating....basically looked like a small crystal with shards all over it……definitely makes sense why they hurt so much. Was a calcium oxalate stone, which is the most common. I’ve made a big effort to eat and drink more healthy the last couple years and thankfully have been stone free so far.

Its kind of redundant to hear, but the best possible advice is to drink more water and less of other things. I was also told by my urologist that eating more citrus fruits and drinking lemon juice can help break down deposits before they become stones, but I dont go too crazy obsessing about that. Again, glad to hear you’re alright now. It truly is a scary experience, especially if you’ve never had one before and dont know what’s happening at first.

 

[DragoonKain]

Did it give any signs in the earlier weeks or did the pain just start that day?

No signs at all. Just woke up that day and boom it happened and escalated very quickly.

 

[DragoonKain]

Welcome to the club! Glad to hear you passed it. I’ve had several. It’s always a different experience depending on where exactly the stone is. Sometimes you just get hit with the excruciating pain. I had one where there was no pain, just blood in my urine til it passed, which was terrifying. You also can just get hit with the constant feeling of having to urinate. The last one I had was the first I was able to catch and have looked at. I checked it out under a magnifying glass and it was fascinating....basically looked like a small crystal with shards all over it……definitely makes sense why they hurt so much. Was a calcium oxalate stone, which is the most common. I’ve made a big effort to eat and drink more healthy the last couple years and thankfully have been stone free so far.

Its kind of redundant to hear, but the best possible advice is to drink more water and less of other things. I was also told by my urologist that eating more citrus fruits and drinking lemon juice can help break down deposits before they become stones, but I dont go too crazy obsessing about that. Again, glad to hear you’re alright now. It truly is a scary experience, especially if you’ve never had one before and dont know what’s happening at first.

I've heard they can build up over time and take months or even years to actually form a stone, but I'm not sure.

I told one of the ER doctors I'm not going to eat anything I ate the last couple days and she basically said that's not how it really works.

 

[Jsisto]

I've heard they can build up over time and take months or even years to actually form a stone, but I'm not sure.

I told one of the ER doctors I'm not going to eat anything I ate the last couple days and she basically said that's not how it really works.

This is true also. They definitely don’t happen overnight. Also, someone could potentially think they passed a stone, but without seeing it, it’s entirely possible it just moved to a less uncomfortable spot. Pretty sure that happened to me on some occasions.

 

[DragoonKain]

This is true also. They definitely don’t happen overnight. Also, someone could potentially think they passed a stone, but without seeing it, it’s entirely possible it just moved to a less uncomfortable spot. Pretty sure that happened to me on some occasions.

They probably have the greatest health threat to pain ratio of any ailment. Generally, most kidney stones are not deadly, but the pain you get feels like something that would be life threatening. Can't think of many things with that kind of pain that are generally not that serious to your life.

 

[Jsisto]

For real! I think generally they’re only a major health threat if they’re caused by genetic reasons that can’t be fixed by diet. I’ve heard of people having 10+ decent sized stones at one time and having to have them surgically broken down or removed often. I can’t even wrap my mind around that. Nothing but empathy for anyone dealing with that shit.

Just read the largest number removed at once from a single kidney was 728. What!? How is that even possible!? How is It still even a kidney and not just a bag of rocks at that point? Insane.

 

[DragoonKain]

The only thing I can think of that I eat is yogurt. I eat a lot of it for dietary reasons. I read dairy can be a cause of it, but I only eat one yogurt a day. And I never drink milk and I don't eat ice cream. One yogurt per day doesn't even sound like a lot of dairy.

Could that have caused it?

 

[Uhtred]

I remember laying on the emergency room floor in the waiting room and I asked God to take me. I have never been in so much pain in my entire life it was almost unbearable.

Even after they gave me a shot of morphine I could still feel the stone moving and cutting up my urethra every millimeter it went it was incredibly painful

 

[12Goblins]

For real! I think generally they’re only a major health threat if they’re caused by genetic reasons that can’t be fixed by diet. I’ve heard of people having 10+ decent sized stones at one time and having to have them surgically broken down or removed often. I can’t even wrap my mind around that. Nothing but empathy for anyone dealing with that shit.

Just read the largest number removed at once from a single kidney was 728. What!? How is that even possible!? How is It still even a kidney and not just a bag of rocks at that point? Insane.

The scariest is those that get no symptoms and then eventually get checked out for nausea and they find one of your kidneys shriveled up like a grape

 

[HoodWinked]

Here's mine from back in Sept. It's about the size of a peppercorn.

how did you get that out?

 

[Werewolf Jones]

This entire thread makes me want to clutch the sides of my body like I have a phantom pain.

 

[captainpat]

One of the many reasons why I need to re-evaluate my terrible diet.

 

[Skyfox]

What a fucking nightmare. Sorry you guys.

/Drinks shitloads of water in terror

Edit: Apparently Pizza is a culprit in case it helps anyone

 

[BigBooper]

I have no idea when I passed it, I just kept peeing and eventually the pain dissipated.

I know that feeling.

 

[MaestroMike]

Never had any, but I eat a ton of food high in oxalates. also a lot of citrus too like lemons and orange juice so maybe that helps in preventing it even though I eat a lot of oxalate heavy food

 

[NahaNago]

sounds you had a considerably bad one. most people i know who kidney stones a lot say the pain is the worst ever, but they can at least still function throughout most of their day. sorry bud, that sounds awful

but yeah drink tons of water. the common theme i find amongst the few people i know who get them is the two im thinking of is they love soda, and im assuming they dont drink much water since soda is their goto.

Soda is pretty much mostly what I drink .

 

[GymWolf]

Thank god for drinking 4+ lt of water per day + hating cola\soda.

 

[ipukespiders]

how did you get that out?

I peed it out.

The passage of the stone from the kidney to the bladder was excruciating.
I was given a prescription for "flowmax" to help with the the final stage - bladder to exiting penis through the urine stream. It took just under two weeks to pee it out and was anti-climatic, although I was dreading it every time I went to pee.