SYMPTOMS OF KIDNEY STONES – WHAT ARE THEY?

The typical symptoms of kidney stones include a sharp, cramping pain in the back and side. This feeling often moves to the lower abdomen or groin. The pain often starts suddenly and comes in waves. It can come and go as the body tries to get rid of the stone. Normally, if you are passing a kidney stone, there is a sudden severe pain that starts in your side, in the small of your back under the ribs or in your lower abdomen, and the pain may also move to the groin area. The amount of pain inflicted, on top of that, may last for minutes or hours followed by periods of relief. You may have nausea and vomiting. Also, you may have difficulty passing urine or see blood in your urine.

From medical lenses, many kidney stones are discovered accidentally when X-rays or ultrasound tests of the abdomen are done for other reasons. Sometimes, patients with large kidney stones that have not moved have few or no symptoms. As a result, the following lists are the signs of kidney stones which you may need to pay attention to.

1. A feeling of intense need to pass urine.

2. Passing urine more often or a burning feeling when you pass urine.

3. Urine that is dark or red due to blood (sometimes urine has only small amounts of red blood cells that can’t be seen with the naked eye).

4. A feeling of pain at the tip of the penis in men.

In addition, we need to understand that the kidneys are fist-size organs which handle the body’s fluid and chemical levels. Besides, we all have two kidneys embedded inside our body; one on each side of the spine behind the liver, stomach, pancreas and intestines. Healthy kidneys clean waste from the blood and remove it in the urine so when your kidneys are healthy, they properly control the levels of sodium, potassium and calcium in the blood.

The kidneys, ureters and bladder are part of your urinary tract. The urinary tract makes, moves, and stores urine in the body. The kidneys make urine from water and your body’s waste. The urine then travels down the ureters into the bladder where it is stored, and the amount of urine stored eventually leaves your body through your urethra.