Take Control of Your Kidney Health: Navigating Kidney Stone Treatment and Prevention

Kidneys serve an important function for our bodies, acting as filters against waste and harmful substances. Treating and preventing kidney stones — which affect 10–15% of individuals in the U.S. — is critical for keeping this natural filtration system healthy.*

If you’re currently suffering from kidney stones or have been treated for them before, you know the pain and discomfort they bring can be unbearable.

That’s why the urology team at AHN Saint Vincent Hospital is here to help you take control of your kidney health and treat kidney stones and their symptoms.

Understanding kidney stones: what they are and how they form

Kidney stones are hard deposits that form inside the kidneys. They can vary in size from a grain of sand to a golf ball, and they occur when certain substances in the urine build up over time, growing into crystallized stones.

Several factors should be considered when examining the cause of kidney stones:

Lifestyle – Dehydration is one of the top contributors to kidney stones. Other factors like diet and caffeine intake can affect kidney health as well. Some patients are prescribed a kidney stone diet to replace salty meals and refined sugars with healthier high calcium, low sodium alternatives.

Genetics and metabolism – Whether kidney stones run in your family is an important consideration for prevention and management strategies. Metabolic factors including increased blood sugar or abnormal cholesterol levels can also be risk factors for kidney stone development.

Gender – Both men and women can get kidney stones, but they are more common in men, particularly those ages 48–60. For women with a history of kidney stones who are planning to get pregnant, it’s important to talk to a doctor first to ensure a healthy pregnancy.

Catching symptoms as soon as they arise

Pain is like the body’s natural alarm system alerting us that something might be wrong. Kidney stone pain can look different for everyone, but the most common sensation is throbbing in the back or side, which can come in waves.

Other common symptoms include:

• Pain that radiates to the lower abdomen or groin.
• Pain or burning sensation while urinating.
• Pink, red, or brown urine.
• Cloudy or foul-smelling urine.
• Nausea and vomiting.
• Frequent urge to urinate, even if little comes out.

Hydronephrosis, another kidney condition, can trigger similar symptoms like painful urination, nausea, and vomiting. This occurs when excess urine accumulates in the kidneys, causing them to swell.

You should make an appointment with your AHN provider as soon as you notice any of these symptoms coming on.

Identifying the right treatment for you

Before making treatment decisions, urologists do screenings to look at what's called the stone burden — or the location, size, and number of stones that have formed in the kidneys.

Once patients work with their urologist and care team to determine their stone burden and other factors affecting their current condition, there are various kidney stone treatment options available to them at AHN Saint Vincent Hospital.

These include:

Shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL) – A minimally invasive treatment that uses high-energy shockwaves to break stones down into small fragments, which will allow them to pass through the body during urination.

Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) – A more invasive surgical treatment often used to treat stones that are too large to pass on their own, or that won’t respond to other treatment methods.

Ureteroscopy – An advanced method used to diagnose and determine treatment for stones in the ureter, or urinary tract. This involves the passage of a small telescope, called a ureteroscope, through the urethra and bladder, up to where the stone is located.

Preventing kidney stone recurrence

Practicing healthy habits like drinking lots of water, exercising regularly, having less caffeine, and eating a healthy diet can make a huge difference in preventing new stones from forming.

If kidney stones return after treatment, it’s a sign that more evaluation is needed to develop a long-term, preventive treatment plan.

With recurring stones, it’s very important that patients don’t try to treat their symptoms at home or wait for the stones to pass naturally through urination or with over-the-counter (OTC) medication. When not treated properly or in a timely manner, patients can end up in the emergency room from an obstruction or urosepsis — which occurs when a urinary tract infection (UTI) spreads to the kidneys.

To avoid these more serious problems, you should always work with your AHN Saint Vincent provider to determine what next steps are necessary for treatment, and whether non-invasive or surgical intervention is needed.

Prioritizing your kidney health

Don’t let kidney stones disrupt your life. AHN Saint Vincent Hospital's expert urology team is here to help patients ensure lasting kidney health and make informed choices about kidney stones and preventing stone recurrence.

Reach out to find the right treatment plan for your lifestyle and health needs.