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Kidney Stone

This is more info than most of you will want to know. There is a picture farther down – not gross and not a snake! 🙂

The scan Friday showed my stone to be about 6 mm. I asked the doctor if I could pass that size and he said they are confident most that are up to 5 mm can be passed. After 5 mm, he said “it CAN be done but you’re going to feel it!” Of all the stones I’ve had, 12 – 15 times that I can recall, I had only passed one on my own and it had taken quite a while.

I read that stones can be anywhere from the size of a grain of sand to a golf ball. Whoa! That would be a horrible experience!

Some of you will remember this story. Back in the early 2000’s, I kept having pain – just a dull, aching pain in my side. It was never the “call an ambulance . . I think I’m going to die” type pain. I felt certain it was a kidney stone. The urologist had all the scan done. Back then it was usually an IVP. After weeks of me saying “It has to be a kidney stone!”, he sent me to a doctor thinking it was my gall bladder. They did tests and the gall bladder didn’t show to be having any problems. This went on – more tests for kidney stones that showed nothing. Finally, they decided to remove the gall bladder. What else could it be? They did and I still had the same pain. One night, I passed a kidney stone and that was the end of the pain.

Yesterday I kept telling Vince that I felt like the stone was moving. It wasn’t hurting and it was way down where, if what I was feeling was right, it should be coming out any minute. Vince said “The doctor told you it’s way up high and it’s going to take a while!”

Right before I went to bed last night, it passed!

See those sharp edges? That’s what causes all the pain. It truly feels like a stone – like a little piece of concrete.

I could not believe I had passed it and less than 48 hours after I first began having pain from it.

I’ll call the urologist tomorrow and see if they still want me to come in. They will probably want to send it off for testing. All of mine have been tested and have always come back as the kind that are hereditary and not a whole lot I can do to stop them. I do drink water with lemon juice and water with apple cider vinegar every single day, and that’s supposed to help. I hadn’t had one since 2014. Here’s what I wrote on my blog back then: The kidney stone issue started on July 12, with the first surgery on July 22 and the second surgery August 26. I was very lucky this time . . if this started and ended within two days!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. So glad it passed! That looks to be a very large stone! My husband has had two pass. The second one we were just about to go camping with a trailer out in the boonies so we were glad it acted up just before we were leaving. He still has a large one but was told it will likely never move or pass so he’s good.

  3. I know this tends to run in families..seems like you’ve had your share of them for a lifetime! Hope that is the case! Time to celebrate! (maybe a cup of hot chocolate???)

  4. My first thought upon seeing the picture was “ouch!” So glad that is over for you and hopefully back to feeling good very soon.

  5. I am so glad you were able to pass this! Mine was 8mm and they said no way could I pass that! I thought I was going to die! They gave me morphine and some other pain killer and it was still bad! Not going to go into details but it was such a relief when they got that out!

    • You don’t have to tell me . . I had surgery for them twice while living in Brownwood, making for at least 5 surgeries I’ve had to remove them.

  6. My husband had one that was shaped like a kernel of corn with a sharp point at where the seed attachment would be. When you said sharp point, this is what I thought about. I hurt for you.

  8. You are super woman! So glad you didn’t have to have surgery! Mike had a 6mm in May of 2020 right smack in the middle of rampant covid. He had to have his removed. He would prefer to not have that kind of pain again!

  9. I’m so glad you passed it. I’ve had 2 that I’m aware of. The pain can be unbelievable!! Hugs,

    • Me too. From reading the report, it appears there’s a 10 mm one still hanging out somewhere so I’m anxious to hear what the urologist has to say about that one.

  11. I showed it to my husband and he says that is the kind he gets. If it is it is a Uric acid stone. As soon as any discomfort starts he begins to eat a small can stewed tomatoes usually twice a day and usually they pass when very small. I don’t know if that would help you. He also loosely follows a Uric acid diet that limits the amount of legumes, organ meats, processed meats, beer and wine.

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