So probably joining the ranks of the middle aged and slightly falling to bits (as if I hadn't been there a while already, but anyway...)
Turns out kidney stones are like ninjas: unseen, unheard, lurking in the shadows, and really effing painful when they decide to strike. Never knowingly had them before, but ended up in A&E just over a week ago, on IV painkillers (plus the joy of anti-inflammatory suppository), followed by a week of codeine while the little swine presumably sauntered away from my kidney whistling an innocent tune and tucking the big pointy knives away. Assuming it's found it's easy to my bladder, I am not looking forward to it sauntering further and me having to pass the little git.
I've had the CT scan and am awaiting the hospitals giving me a call to tell me what's next, but anyone got any vaguely positive stories of similar incidents? All I'm getting from most quarters is "yeah, they're the closest men get to the pain of childbirth" and "they tend to come back every few years for me" which is not cheering me up any...
Nope, but I'll raise you the pain from pancreatitis caused by gall stones.
{I was told by a nurse that it's actually more painful than childbirth!]
Good luck anyway!
My wife also suffers, she has 2 left after the third hospitalised her last year. She's taking the citric acid will help break them down advice seriously and does a lemons worth of lemon water most days usually about half a lemon per pint of fluid. That and cutting back on salt a bit too apparently 'may' help. She's terrified of them coming back again though.
Congrats!
I got them a fwe years back, aged 38. As you say, really bloody painful, but the worst part is not knowing what the hell is going on or where the pain is coming from.
I went from sitting eating breakfast outside with the GF to curled up on the floor, clutching my gut, writhing around in agony. The neighbours were looking out their windows wondering what the noise was about (lived in a large apartment complex in town at the time). GF called an ambulance and by the time they had arrived two neighbours helped me back into our (ground floor) flat. Three paramedics and then an emergency doctor turned up.
They strapped me, literally, into a wheelchair to get me in the ambulance as there were three steps to go down. The neighbours probably thought they were finally taking me away tot he mad house!
Got to hospital. Scans showed a small cluster of individual stones. Got given a load of things to drink and told I was to piss through a sieve. Fortunately the second night i managed to piss them out. Wasn't as painful as I was expecting it to be!
Doctor came the next day and we talked about my health and in articular my drinking habits.....
Cup of tea. Bit of water on the 30 min ride to work. Coffee. First beer at lunch and then perhaps two or four more before finishing work. Then maybe another beer or glass or two (probably more realistically a bottle) of red wine.
Surprisingly, or not*, he said that my fluid intake was good, but my first beer of the day should be a Weisn (Wheatbear) as it contained lots more nutrients. That advice I've taken to heart and now very rarely drink a Helles (Lager) and I've not had a problem since.
* the Doctor was a proper old school, beer bellied Bavarian with a twiddly moustache
After 3 bad attacks the only positive I can give you is that Morphine is one hell of a drug. The other possible one is is that the nurse said to me “I can give you the suppository or you can do it yourself.” I did it myself we’ve known each other for over 30 years.
Yeah, I got offered the "I can or you can" with the suppository. I had the smaller fingers...
Thankfully not had them since 2005 after passing 6 of them over 3 months, but the ward sister I saw said don’t ever let a woman tell you about childbirth pain, she had 5 kids and kidney stones once. her words were "give me childbirth any day!"
She then gave me an intramuscular ketamine injection and quite frankly after 5 minutes I couldn’t have given a flying cheesy whatsit about anything!
Keep hydrated is my main take from that episode. Always have a pint of water as soon as I get up come what may.
I had them in 2010. Ended up having my first ever nights (2) in hospital with the little ####s. Oddly, like Sharkbait, my female nurse told me (in front of my wife too!) that the pain was indeed worse than childbirth. (I went on to have pancreatitis which surpassed that pain...closely followed by a 2nd bout of pancreatitis caused by galls stones (having had my gall bladder removed some years earlier...go figure that one out!))
But erm...no, no advice, pain killers sorted me and not had them since. Lemon barley water is supposed to be good for lessening the risk of future stones
Ruptured appendix. Shingles on the face. Kidney stones. All similar levels of pain.
My first one passed when I was riding up a hill. No pain, just a strange warm and wet sensation of a fair amount of blood in my shorts.
Second one was vomit inducing pain for about 20 minutes and then fine.
I now drink a lot more water when out on the bike and have not had a recurrence.
Feeling a bit left out I didn't get anything put in my bum.
They nip a bit don't they 😀
Paramedics morphined me, they weren't getting me in the ambulance any other way. I didn't care what they pushed up my bottom after that....
Twice.
First time I had the nitrous oxide taken away as I was impersonating early Everest climbers in A&E.
Second time - happy with the bum pill, thanks.
Then emergency ureteral stent - sitting on the cord post op was unpleasant...
I stay hydrated now at all times 🚰
This thread is either a pissing context or dick swinging?
I think the hydration thing's a biggie - I've known for years that I tend to run a bit dehydrated most of the time, and I guess it's caught up to me. That said, on the recommended 3 litres of water a day I'm weeing on the hour, every hour, regular as water clock works
3 maybe 4 times for me (over 20years), as I'm rubbish at staying hydrated, which is the main cause, or so I was told. I believe mine have always been at the lesser end of the pain scale (no bum pills or morphine for me), as I've managed to pass mine every time. That's still 6-12 hours of joy, with my ex-NHS nurse partner* force feeding me a pint of water an hour till they passed... not sure what's worse.
*she did abandon me last time, to go away on pre-arranged camping trip.. apparently I would survive... I did
That said, on the recommended 3 litres of water a day I'm weeing on the hour, every hour, regular aswaterclock works
Who gave you that recommendation? As even the 1ltr a day, is a made up figure. Day to day its about staying ahead and not getting thirsty
That said, on the recommended 3 litres of water a day I'm weeing on the hour, every hour, regular aswaterclock works
Who gave you that recommendation? As even the 1ltr a day, is a made up figure. Day to day its about staying ahead and not getting thirsty
I got pointed at the NHS web page as guidance by A&E doc and he mentioned the 3 litres thing. Even Garmin Connect recommends 2.8 as a standard daily figure - made up, maybe, but most have some basis somewhere!
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/kidney-stones/treatment/
What is the pain like and where? Last couple of weeks I've been getting really bad ache in my lower back and my first thought was kidney stones.
Pyro apparently not... no scientific study just a recommendation from 1945 which suggested most of that would be via other food (Other search results) though just to confirm, I'm not saying, you shouldn't drink a reasonable/healthy amount.
Aphex - bloody agony! I'd had a few days of general low grade stomach cramp type pain that may have been associated (but, but when it came on properly it was Naught to Chewing Furniture in 15mins, one side just below the ribs at the back and radiating round my side and down to the groin.
On the plus side, I have passed the little swine now - small but pointy, 5mm little swine (I could post a picture, but I won't...) and the hospital have rung to say there's no more visible in my kidneys from the CT, so no risk of another episode imminently.
And z1ppy - interesting article, even the urologist who gave me the good news said that they recommend 2.5 litres a day for a standard day.
