The presence of signs and symptoms of a kidney stone may prompt further tests and investigations to confirm the presence of a stone, identify the location, size, shape and type of kidney stone and indicate a possible cause of the kidney stone.

Some of these tests can be conducted immediately, like a urine dipstick, while other tests would require blood and urine samples to be sent to a laboratory for further analysis. Investigations may be conducted in-house within the doctor’s surgery, like an ultrasound, or require further procedures at a clinic or hospital with suitable facilities, like a, x-ray, CT scan or MRI. In most cases, these tests and investigations will not require hospitalization.

continue reading Kidney Stone Tests |Blood, Urine, X-Ray, Ultrasound, CT Scan, MRI

KrisZ71 Asked :
I recently started gym for health reasons. I don’t have any chronic problems but being 39 years old, I felt that I should be taking better care of myself. By the second week of gym, I started noticing severe kidney pain if I run for more than 5 minutes or so and after exercising. The pain lasts for the rest of the day (I only go to the gym in the evenings). It goes down quite a bit by the time I get to bed but sometimes its last the entire night and even continues when I wake up the next morning.

I am worried that this is a sign that my kidneys are under stress and not coping well with the exercise. I have not seen any major change in the amount of urine or the color. I keep drinking plenty of fluids before and after working out so that I don’t dehydrate. My father had high blood pressure and kidney failure and passed on from a major heart attack. My blood pressure is perfectly normal.

continue reading Severe Kidney, Flank Pain After Exercise, When Running

LisaN62 Asked :

I have been having repeated calcium kidney stones and even though I have tried many drugs, the stones keep coming back. If I am lucky, I will go like 3 months without stones. After reading up on the internet and speaking to the salespeople at a health store, I started up on some vitamin supplements.

This did not stop it and I went back to the clinic. I did not see my regular doctor but another doctor told me that I should stop all the supplements as they could cause stone formation. He did not offer much more advice and just gave me another prescription. I am confused because there is some conflicting advice out there about how to prevent kidney stones.

continue reading Calcium Kidney Stone Prevention – Vitamin B6, D Supplements

Most kidney stones pass spontaneously without the need for medical intervention. Stones as large as 3 to 4mm may pass through uninhibited but larger stones may result in obstructions. Increasing fluid intake to push out the stone is essential. If the pain is severe, analgesics may be necessary. These measures may be all that is needed to manage the pain while the urinary system passes out the kidney stone. In certain cases, other treatment options maybe necessary to remove the stone.

continue reading Kidney Stone Medication, Drugs to Dissolve and for Passing Stones