What I Need to Know about Kidney Stones

1 Research and Programs That Touch I Need toKnow aboutKidney StonesThe Kidney & Urology Foundation of America,Inc. is a national, not-for-profit organizationdedicated to helping people avoid the debilitatingeffects of Kidney and urologic diseases disordersaffecting as many as 70 million Americans funding research, medical conferences, andinterdisciplinary hospital initiatives, the Kidney &Urology Foundation provides the leadershipnecessary to promote a better understanding ofkidney and urologic are committed to making research andresources accessible to patients and their families,as well as to caregivers.

2 And we measure oursuccess by our ability to respond meaningfully andpersonally to the public and to people in show your support of a family member, friend, or loved oneor to celebrate a special occasion, consider making a gift to theKidney & Urology Foundation of America. All donations bringhope and help to the millions of Americans, young and old,suffering from Kidney , urologic, and related I am interested in receiving information about : _____. I would like to receive information to distribute to myclub/organization. Please contact me. I would like to volunteer my time with KUFA. Please contact me. Please send me #_____ all-occasion gift : _____Address:_____City:_____State_____ Zip _____Phone:_____Email:_____ I would like to support the programs of the Foundation.

3 Gifts may be made by check or by credit card: Check enclosed (payable to Kidney & Urology Foundationof America)and mail to: Kidney & Urology Foundation ofAmerica, 152 Madison Avenue, Suite 201, New York, NY 10016 Please bill my credit card: MC Visa AMEXName on Card: _____Credit Card Number: _____Billing Address: _____Expiration Date: _____ Amount of Charge: $_____Signature: 2008 For more information on arranging a legacy,gifts of real estate, automobiles, and securities,please contact:What can I do to avoidmore Stones ?Drink more water. Try to drink 12 full glasses of watera day. Drinking lots of water helps to flush away thesubstances that form Stones in the can also drink ginger ale, lemon-lime sodas, andfruit juices.

4 But water is best. Limit your coffee, tea,and cola to 1 or 2 cups a day because the caffeinemay cause you to lose fluid too doctor may ask you to eat more of some foodsand to cut back on other foods. For example, if youhave a uric acid stone, your doctor may ask you to eatless meat, because meat breaks down to make you are prone to forming calcium oxalate Stones ,you may need to limit foods that are high in foods include rhubarb, beets, spinach, doctor may give you medicines to preventcalcium and uric acid to Remember Most Stones will pass out of the body withouta doctor s help.

5 See your doctor if you have severe pain inyour back or side that will not go away. See your doctor if you have blood in yoururine, urine will appear pink. When you pass a stone, try to catch it in astrainer to show your doctor. Drink lots of water to prevent more kidneystones from forming. Talk with your doctor about other ways toavoid more Stones . Printed with permission from the National Kidney and Urologic DiseasesInformation Clearinghouse (NKUDIC), a service of the National Institute ofDiabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). The NIDDK is part ofthe National Institutes of Health of the Department of Health andHuman a complete list of NIDDK/NIH reviewers of this pamphlet, pleasevisit: Madison Avenue, Suite 201, New York, NY or fax our web site at What is a Kidney Stone?

6 A Kidney stone is a solid piece of material that formsin a Kidney out of substances in the stone may stay in the Kidney or break loose andtravel down the urinary tract. A small stone maypass all the way out of the body without causingtoo much larger stone may get stuck in a ureter, thebladder, or the urethra. A problem stone can blockthe flow of urine and cause great all Kidney Stones alike?No. Doctors have found four major types ofkidney Stones . The most common type of stone containscalcium. Calcium is a normal part of a healthy that is not used by the bones and musclesgoes to the kidneys.

7 In most people, the kidneysflush out the extra calcium with the rest of theurine. People who have calcium Stones keep thecalcium in their calcium that stays behind joins with otherwaste products to form a stone. The most commoncombination is called calcium oxalate. A struvite stone may form after an infection in theurinary system. These Stones contain the mineralmagnesium and the waste product ammonia. A uric acid stone may form when the urinecontains too much acid. If you tend to form uricacid Stones , you may need to cut back on theamount of meat you eat.

8 Cystine Stones are rare. Cystine is one of thebuilding blocks that make up muscles, nerves, andother parts of the body. Cystine can build up in theurine to form a stone. The disease that causescystine Stones runs in do Kidney Stones look like? Kidney Stones may be as small as a grain of sand oras large as a pearl. Some Stones are even as big asgolf balls. Stones may be smooth or jagged. Theyare usually yellow or can my doctor doabout a problem stone?If you have a stone that will not pass by itself, yourdoctor may need to take steps to get rid of it. In thepast, the only way to remove a problem stone wasthrough , doctors have new ways to remove problemstones.

9 The following sections describe a few ofthese WavesYour doctor can use a machine to send shock wavesdirectly to the Kidney stone. The shock waves breaka large stone into small Stones that will passthrough your urinary system with your urine. Thefull name for this method is extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy. Doctors often call it ESWL forshort. Lithotripsy is a Greek word that means types of shock wave machines exist. With onemachine, you sit in a tub of water. With most newermachines, you lie on a table. A health technicianwill use ultrasound or x-ray images to direct thesound waves to the SurgeryIn tunnel surgery, the doctor makes a small cut intothe patient s back and makes a narrow tunnelthrough the skin to the stone inside the Kidney .

10 Witha special instrument that goes through the tunnel,the doctor can find the stone and remove it. Thetechnical name for this method is ureteroscope looks like a long wire. The doctorinserts it into the patient s urethra, passes it upthrough the bladder, and directs it to the ureterwhere the stone is located. The ureteroscope has acamera that allows the doctor to see the stone. Acage is used to catch the stone and pull it out, orthe doctor may destroy it with a device insertedthrough the your doctor which method is right for will my doctor find outwhat kind of stone I have?