Kidney stones cause sudden, extreme pain whether they move through the narrow tubes in your urinary tract or get trapped in the kidney, preventing urine from traveling into your bladder. When you need help for the pain, turn to James Stocks, MD, at Urology Specialists of Cypress, in Cypress, Texas. You can quickly access caring expertise by scheduling a same-day appointment for an evaluation followed by advanced treatment to ease your symptoms or eliminate the painful stone. Don’t wait to call the office or request an appointment online when you need relief from kidney stone pain.
Your urine naturally contains minerals and other substances dissolved in the fluid. When these substances get too concentrated, they crystallize and develop a kidney stone.
About 80% of these stones contain calcium, but they may also have phosphorus, oxalate, uric acid, cystine, or a substance arising from frequent urinary tract infections called struvite.
You experience symptoms if a small stone leaves the kidney and goes into the ureter (the tube carrying urine from your kidneys to your bladder) or a large stone gets trapped in the kidneys.
Symptoms include:
The stone causes pain as it moves through or gets stuck in the narrow ureter. A large stone inside the kidney can block the opening to the ureter, making urine accumulate in the kidney.
Your provider runs blood tests and performs diagnostic imaging to identify the stone’s size and location. Based on the results, they recommend:
If imaging shows a small stone that can safely move through your urinary tract, your provider makes it easier for you by prescribing medications to relax the ureter muscles.
After guiding a scope through the urethra and bladder and into the ureter, your provider deploys a small basket and uses it to retrieve the stone. They may use a laser to break up the stone.
For large stones that stay in the kidney, your provider recommends percutaneous nephrolithotomy. They insert a laparoscope through a small incision in your back, use ultrasound to break the stone, and then remove the pieces using the scope.
However, one of the most common treatments is extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL).
ESWL sends high-energy shock waves into the area to break the stone into small pieces, then the pieces easily pass in your urine. However, you may need one of the other treatments if your stones are large or hard, you’re pregnant, or you have a kidney infection.
You receive expert kidney stone care at Urology Specialists of Cypress. To schedule an appointment, call or use online booking today.