Tell Me About Kidney Stones

[Pegleg84]

Hi guys!

 

It's been a while, mostly because I've been doing very good in the gluten department. Aside from catching more than a couple cold bugs this year, I've been a-o-kay in the food department.

 

Or at least (possibly) up until this Thursday. I ate some oatmeal for breakfast, and we had an extra long meeting at work and I was getting really hungry (weak and nauseous) by the end of it, so I wolfed down a Macro bar when I got to my office. I was feeling some discomfort before that, but the nausea didn't stop, and I got this HORRIBLE pain in my side. right down in the left side above my hip, too far over to be in my stomach. It was not the usual pain I get from indigestion or anything like that. This was different. I toughed it out for a while, decided to try to eat my lunch (thinking I might still be hungry) and ooooh man, it just kept getting worse. It hurt when I pressed on my side, and I could hardly see straight. Something told me very strongly that this was not normal. So I abandoned my half eaten lunch, told my boss what was going on, and was off to the clinic. It didn't get any worse but not much better while I wated. Doctor thinks its either a stomach bug or food poisoning (unlikely, no fever or vomiting), kidney stones (most likely), or an ovarian cyst.

So, we're treating it like a kindney stone at this point. I did a urine test, have an ultrasound scheduled for Monday, and she gave me a prescription for pain killers. Drinking lots of water. Eating mostly soup.

 

The pain was bad but not horrible the rest of Thursday, was ok Friday morning but came back in the afternoon (right after lunch, oddly enough), so I went home and doped myself up (percocet works! but man does it make you loopy). Today is so far so good. I'm still hoping it's nothing, or just my stomach being a pain and doing weird things, cause if it is a stone it's not going to be fun getting rid of it. There's still a mild ache in my side, a bit tender.

 

Anyway, since this is my first experience with these (possible) suckers, anyone want to share their experiences? Or posit alternatire possibilities? I know the pain is intermittent, but can you tell if the thing has passed or not (ie: is the pain actually gone, or will it be back with a vengence?).

I know this might not be directly related to Celiac, but I have read (very old) threads about stones being common in Celiac sufferers.

 

Anything you can offer would be great!

 

Cheers

Peg

 

[MycasMommy]

I just had this happen for the first and hopefully last time ..last thanksgiving.  It was horrible pain! I hear you!  I went to the E/R, the nurse had mepee in a cup...  it was a cup of blood basically.  They quickly dosed me up with some morphine (which makes me insanely itchy but better than hurting like that) and gave me some filter things to lay over the toilet to pee through so I would know when the stone(s) had passed.  It took 3 days. Thank you vicodin.  I have a really low pain tolerance for some things, and a very high one for others.  Very strange.  But THAT? That hurt.  Before my friend drove me to the E/R I was on all fours on the ground, trying to breath like a woman in labour... twisting myself around and almost upside down to relieve some of the pain. haha It is kind of funny now.  If I ever get those feelings again, you can bet I will be ina race back to the E/R of doctors office (if open) to get pre drugged GAHHH    Happy times...happy times.....

 

 

ETA:  The summer before that happened, I also had to have my gall bladder out. that ended up a 7 day stay in the hospital because it was so bad they had to open me wide. There were stones wedged way down into the bile ducts of my liver?  I think that was what they explained.. it took me mroe than 3 months to recover and then BAM kidney stones...

[etbtbfs]

I got stones in 2013. At that point my lifelong celiac symptoms were significantly receding, having been gluten free since 2003. A urologist broke up the stones that would not pass, with a laser device inserted thru the urethra. My biochemistry is much more stable now and I feel quite well; I'm not expecting a reoccurrence of stones. My regular doc has since done imaging; no new stones have appeared at this point.

[Pegleg84]

Had my ultrasound today. Won't get results for at least a week, but from the horrid pain I had on my left side during the scan, I'll be surprised if something's not up with my kidney.

Did anyone else have really bad tenderness in your side/back when dealing with stones, even when it's not super painful? The pain has been coming and going, but is still in the same spot. No sign of anything "passing" or moving.

[MycasMommy]

Had my ultrasound today. Won't get results for at least a week, but from the horrid pain I had on my left side during the scan, I'll be surprised if something's not up with my kidney.

Did anyone else have really bad tenderness in your side/back when dealing with stones, even when it's not super painful? The pain has been coming and going, but is still in the same spot. No sign of anything "passing" or moving.

 

Hmm mine was super painful the whole time but I am going to guess that it was because I had to very large ones. They did a CT right there in the E/R because of the amount of blood in my urine. But the area of the pain.. It hurt up and down my back and side like a dull but persistent pain the few days leading up to this fiasco.  It was explained to me as thus:  The stones are actually a crystalline structure whose sharp edges cut the tube leading from your kidney to your bladder. The larger they are the slower and more painful they can be as they are cutting you more. That is why you may get some blood in your urine. Multiple small ones can hurt but you will not necessarily bleed from them.  The only way (as far as I know) that you will know if they have passed or not (besides pain relief) is that little filter tray you lay on the toilet to filter as you pee. (Or another ultrasound or CT I guess too).  I have also heard but have not checked it out, that ultra sound can help to break them up.