Kidney Stone/ Overactive Bladder/ Urologist/ Detrol

Looks like several people have had experience with kidney stones. They are not fun and so incredibly painful.

I have had lithotripsy (blasting the stone) several times (I no longer remember how many times). I have had stones that caused pain but were passed without lithotripsy or other procedures. I have also had one removed with the basket Gamma G described.

One time I had lithotripsy, followup x-rays showed that a very large fragment remained. My urologist kept an eye on it and let me know that it may or may not pass on its own. It didn't. Had to have another lithotripsy to get rid of that one.

Kidney stones can live in your kidneys for years. If they doctor is aware of a kidney stone, he/she is probably going to want to order x-rays every so often to keep an eye on the stone(s), as they can get bigger and can cause problems. But sitting in the kidney is not going to be a problem ... unless the stone decides to move.

If you have a stone in your kidney, as long as it isn't too big to pass, the doctor is probably going to want to just leave it alone. If it causes you pain, then it has probably moved and is blocking fluids. If it gets bigger, the doctor may want to do lithotripsy to break it up.

I'm sorry I don't know anything about Detrol or overactibe bladders. My urologists have always taken a "wait and see" approach, and they have never mentioned Detrol for kidney stones.

If your urologist doesn't want to take it out then they must feel it's not large enough to warrant surgery. They take a microscopic basket on the end of a probe and scoop the stone, then pull the tool back out. Instant relief.

I'd say if you're not happy with this doc then by all means, go to a different one.

The best remedy for a kidney stone is water and time. I used to have one every couple of years from the age of 11 to 40... When I finally realized, without the doctors help, what caused them, I never had another one.

Good nutrition is absolutely a must. An absorbable multivitamin will help tremendously. Most don't absorb so don't just jump on any vitamin. Some even do damage. It's been 15 years since I had one of those evil little monsters. Continue with the lemon water. Avoid sodas and processed foods...

Hope this helps,
M.

I've never had any doctor, urologist or otherwise, give me medication or insist on an operation to get rid of a kidney stone. They won't unless it's too large for you to pass on your own, blocks urine flow, or causes tissue or kidney damage. If it's really large and/or causing bleeding, they might remove it then especially if it won't respond to treatments that would help break it up.

The typical treatment is drinking plenty of water and reducing or eliminating carbonated beverages, dairy products (cheese, milk, cream, yogurt, ice cream, creamer, etc), coffee, calcium fortified products, products with high amounts of refined sugar, high sodium foods, highly processed foods. You need to try to increase low-sugar liquids and high fiber foods like carrots and other foods that will help keep your digestive system moving.

Frequent urination is usually due to a UTI or bladder infection, in my experience.

The pain is just something you have to deal with until it passes. If pain is the only thing it's causing and it's not causing other serious issues then there's no way they could do a surgery to take it out because it wouldn't be big enough to even find on X-Ray let alone see it to remove it. And medication, unless it's pain meds, isn't always the answer. Sometimes you really do just have to pass it.

Been there, done that. Still go through it. And I know pain. I've suffered with Fibromyalgia for far longer than I care to admit. I've been dealing with kidney stones since I was 18 or 19 to boot.

Change urologists. That kidney stone needs to be out of there. Then you can worry about your overactive bladder.