Health Kidney Stones

[likka]

Second time in around 9 months I've had to spend time in hospital doped up to the eyeballs with morphine trying to pass a ****ing kidney stone. Each time the bastard has been 7-8mm in size, which just happens to be around the limit that one can be passed naturally.

You know the pain is real when a female nurse tells you it is the closest a male can get to experiencing the pain level of child birth.

The movement of the stone from the kidney to the bladder feel like nerves being passed through a meat mincer, but the pain actually becomes worse when this tube is completely blocked and the urine causes the ureter to distend and pulse like a cartoon hose. Pumping bag after bag of saline to flush it out just distends the blocked ureter more and generally means more morphine.

The pain became so bad the doctors were just about to stick a probe with serrated teeth up the old jap's eye to remove the lodged stone manually. Thankfully it passed naturally into the bladder before this Dickensian procedure became mandatory.

Any more of these utter bastards in the short term and I think I have grounds for a kidney replacement... either that or replace both ureters with garden hoses.

Anyone else had kidney stones?

 

[Magnum]

From my understanding kidney stones at their worst are MUCH more painful than childbirth. Women who have had kindey stones said that childbirth is a walk in the park in comparison. I've been told its like the acute pain (like the maximum burst of pain) of being kicked in the balls, or breaking a limb, but coming in waves that last HOURS.

Then again, I don't know I haven't had either, all I know is that I do not envy you man!

 

[Optimax]

Old man had 4, all of them too big to pass naturally.

Got stuck between the bladder and the kidney which meant full surgery to get in and remove them, because blasting them wasnt possible.

I think dad passed 1 or 2 shards and explained it as almost pissing razor blades, hopefully something i never experience

 

[likka]

From my understanding kidney stones at their worst are MUCH more painful than childbirth.

This is what I am genuinely afraid of. Both mine were on the cusp of what docs said were considered to be naturally passable size (7mm), but monster stones that you have no hope of passing (ie Optimax's old man) I imagine would be more painful... if possible.

The sharpness and intensity of the pain has to be felt to be believed.

Old man had 4, all of them too big to pass naturally.

For your sake I hope they are not hereditary.

 

[Heisenberg_]

My Dad had it, ended up in hospital for about 3 weeks, couple of my uncles had it as well as their Dad.
Suffice to say I am feeling pretty confident I will have it at some stage.
yay me

 

[DirrtyBee]

My mum had some around the time im was born. She kept them too which is incredibaly gross.

 

[bresker]

I developed a narrowing in my uretur (not urethra, uretur) which was like having a permanent kidney stone. It took the doctors ages to diagnose it and treat it.

Eseentially, the piss couldn't flow into my bladder so would back up into my system - like a busted dunny.


The pain? Imagine having a really bad headache only localised to a very tender spot at your lower back.

And imagine crawling on your knees around the house, weeping and howling with pain, vomiting up weird thick black bile.

I've been left with kidney scarring and high blood pressure as a result, but am thankful to live in this age. Even 50 or 60 years ago I might be dead. 100 years ago - I'd have been a load for six long ago.

 

[Stone in sock]

cry more

 

[geejay76]

yeah I've had them as well - you're quite right the pain is pretty brutal. I remember needing to get driven to the hospital, not being able to sit or lie down because the pain was too intense, the only way I could ease the pain was to grab onto the back seat and elevate myself about six inches above the base of the seat, gripping the headrest with both hands. my father thought it was hysterical, but I wasn't quite so amused at the time.

the pain - I described it as like someone sticking about 10 knives into your lower back simultaneously, it is intense and very concentrated to an area. I had my spine fused quite a while ago now, and still live with that, but the pain from the kidney stone far exceeded anything that I have had to deal with in relation to my back.

wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

 

[footy_4_life]

My dad has had 3 and his dad has had 1. Dad said it was the worse pain any male could ever encounter. I had never seen him in so much pain prior to being at the hospital with him.

Im pretty sure i will experience it at some stage. Is why i am now drinking 3L of water per day to reduce my chances of going through it.

 

[Lazarus]

I don't like how women hold up childbirth as the yardstick of pain.

 

[gimp!]

What can one do to avoid these stones... drink more water?

 

[Sigh RolleyEyes]

You know the pain is real when a female nurse tells you it is the closest a male can get to experiencing the pain level of child birth.

Do you have to avoid certain foods or anything?

The worst pain i've felt is gout -- but from the descriptions of kidney stones i've been comparatively lucky.

 

[bresker]

to grab onto the back seat and elevate myself about six inches above the base of the seat, gripping the headrest with both hands. my father thought it was hysterical, but I wasn't quite so amused at the time.

I used to deliberately make my legs cramp. Apparently, the body can only deal with one pain centre at a time; the pain from the cramp was a short, blessed relief from the kidney pain.

 

[Plogs]

I haven't had the stones but have had pleurisy which was very uncomfortable.

 

[likka]

Do you have to avoid certain foods or anything?

Urologist made some recommendations to me...

Lots of water (I now drink 3l plus per day, 4l on a big cardio days), limit grog (still drink but don't get smashed now), less salt through whole foods (ie avoid processed foods packed with salt), more calcium (ie milk & yogurt), don't over do red meat (eat more fish now).

Being a fat bastard also contributes, but this is one area I already had covered.

 

[BandF]

After reading this thread I hope I never have the displeasure of getting Kidney Stones.

As mentioned above Gout is the worst pain I have dealt with but that sounds like a walk compared to these things.

 

[likka]

Seems they are considered more painful than childbirth by almost all women who have experienced both...

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090815123849AAbCvtp

Yes! I have given birth three times and couldn't be given drugs because of a preexisting kidney issue...AND, I've had kidney stones. I can say without a doubt that kidney stones are more painful

http://forums.randi.org/archive/index.php/t-12073.html

As far as the pain goes. I am a guy, so I can't speak on childbirth, but during my numerous hospital stays, I have run into many women, both patients and nurses, who have had both.

Almost UNIVERSALLY, they stated kidney stones are worse, and must be doubly worse for a guy, simply because we have. . .

1. More plumbing, hence a longer route for the stone to go
2. A narrower urethra.

http://www.pregnancy-info.net/forums/Third_Trimester/Kidney_Stones_Versus_Labor/

I had a kidney stone after giving birth to two daughters. Let me tell you childbirth has nothing on kidney stones. When you are in labor the pain is like a wave. The pain is intense but then it releases and you have a break. With a kidney stone it is constant. I would have 10 births before ever wanting to go through the pain of a stone.

 

[volcboy]

I haven't had the stones but have had pleurisy which was very uncomfortable.

I have also had pleurisy - not pleasant. Like being stabbed in the ribs every time you take more than a shallow breath, and forget about laughing or coughing.

 

[Jane Doe]

A few months ago, I woke up feeling very sore and went to the dunny and was pisssing blood. Went to the doctor and he advised me it was just an infection, I thought some bloddy infection!

During the day the pain got extremley worse and I had to pee every 5 minutes but it just a dribble. As the day wore on I was in that much pain I could not sit down at all and told my partner to call an ambo. They turned up an that it was my appendix!

Got to hospital had a scan and found out that I had a 6mm stone. After the longest 12 hours of my life it eventually came out. I have had a few broken bones in my life and other stuff but this pain was the worse I have ever had. The nurse actually told me it was more painful than childbirth.