About this topic
The urinary tract is made up of the kidney, ureters, bladder, and urethra. The kidneys make urine and it drains down into tubes called ureters. These ureters are connected to the bladder. The bladder then squeezes out the urine and it exits the body through the urethra. ‚
Sometimes, salts and minerals in your urine build up and form stones. The stones are hard and can get stuck on their way out of the body. Some stones are too large and block the flow of urine. Others cause bleeding and pain. They may damage the kidney. These stones need a procedure to break them up. ‚
Kidney stones may be broken up without cutting the skin. A special procedure called extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy is used to break the stone down into tiny sand-like pieces. ‚
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What care is needed at home?
- Ask your doctor what you need to do when you go home. Make sure you ask questions if you do not understand what the doctor says. This way you will know what you need to do.
- Ask your doctor when you should resume taking blood-thinning drugs or aspirin.
- Pieces of the kidney stone may pass in the urine for a few days and cause mild pain. Your doctor may give you drugs for the pain. Take the drugs as ordered by your doctor.
- Drink 8 to 10 glasses of water each day. This will help flush the broken kidney stones out.
- Your doctor may ask you to strain your urine by using a filter. This will hold the stone pieces that will be tested.
What follow-up care is needed?
- Your doctor may ask you to make visits to the office to check on your progress. Be sure to keep these visits.
- Your doctor may ask you to get an x-ray to see how fully your stone has broken up.
- If you were asked to filter your urine, bring the collected stones on your next visit.
- If your doctor used a small tube, called a stent, to help pass larger kidney stone pieces, your doctor may set up a visit to remove this.
What drugs may be needed?
The doctor may order drugs to: ‚
- Help with pain
- Prevent infection
- Relax smooth muscles in your ureter to help flush out kidney stones
- Prevent kidney stones
Will physical activity be limited?
You may have to limit your activity for a while. Talk to your doctor about the right amount of activity for you. ‚
What changes to diet are needed?
- Talk to your doctor or dietitian about your personal diet plan. Ask if there are foods you should avoid.
- Avoid caffeinated drinks that can overwork your urinary tract.
What problems could happen?
- Pain while pieces of the kidney stone pass
- Blocked urine flow if stone fragments are too big to pass
- Kidney injury
- High blood pressure
- Urinary tract infection
- Blood in the urine
- Bruising
- Discomfort in the back or belly
What can be done to prevent this health problem?
- Prevent or treat urinary tract infections.
- Drink lots of water during the day and evening. When you have less fluid in your body, urine becomes concentrated. This increases your chance of kidney stones.
- Follow the diet plan your dietitian gives you to prevent kidney stones.
- Limit foods or drugs that may cause kidney stones.
When do I need to call the doctor?
- Signs of infection. These include a fever of 100.4 ‚ °F (38 ‚ °C) or higher, chills, pain or burning with passing urine.
- Very bad pain in your back or side that will not go away
- Throwing up
- Urine smells bad, looks cloudy, or has blood in it
- No urine for more than 6 hours
- Very bad pain in your chest, shoulder, or belly
- More swelling of your ankles, legs, and hands or tightness with your shoes or rings
- You are not feeling better in 2 to 3 days or you are feeling worse
Teach Back: Helping You Understand
The Teach Back Method helps you understand the information we are giving you. The idea is simple. After talking with the staff, tell them in your own words what you were just told. This helps to make sure the staff has covered each thing clearly. It also helps to explain things that may have been a bit confusing. Before going home, make sure you are able to do these: ‚
- I can tell you about my procedure.
- I can tell you how to strain my urine for pieces of stone.
- I can tell you what I will do if I have a fever, pain in my back or side that will not go away, no urine, changes to my urine, or swelling.
Where can I learn more?
American Urological Association Foundation ‚
http://www.urologyhealth.org/urology/index.cfm?article=148 ‚
National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse ‚
http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/stones_ez/ ‚
National Kidney Foundation ‚
http://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/kidneystones_ShockWave.cfm ‚
Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care providers advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
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Copyright ‚ © 2015 Clinical Drug Information, LLC and Lexi-Comp, Inc. ‚