Ok, some anatomy: two kidneys, two tubes called 'ureters' leading from the two kidneys to one urinary bladder. From bladder to one tube called 'urethra' contained in penis in males, and, uh, not in females. Urethra shorter in females.
You 'pass' each stone twice. First, from kidney to bladder, in the ureter. Due to nasty, asteroid, jagged shape and large size of stone, can cause pain. At times, this can be 10/10, roll around on the floor and talk to Jesus type of pain. Call an ambulance pain. You usually cannot pee during this. Why not? You only got one stone in one ureter, you got one perfectly good ureter on the other side, right? So why can't you pee? Sympathy shut down! Although not directly connected, the unaffected ureter/kidney combo will shut down anyway.
This pain can last hours. Ranging from mild annoyance, to making promises to God while chewing up the gurney. Then, finally, the stone drops into the bladder, and the pain stops abruptly. You feel relief. Thus concludes Phase One.
Phase Two begins as the bladder fills up with urine that's been 'dammed up' behind that stone, and whatever urine the other side feels like producing. The bladder fills, u get the urge to pee, and so u grab the urinal off the gurney and hop to it... Sometimes this stone comes out the urethra (pee tube in the penis), sometimes not. Sometimes, it can stay there in the bladder for WEEKS, banging around on the bladder wall, which, when stretched or messed with, creates the urge to pee. This is Phase Two. When it finally gets peed out, you can feel the larger ones as it passes through the penis, which can cause spontaneous elevation off your feet and a lively soprano singing voice.
Phase One treatment: 1) drink, drink, drink pretty much anything, as much as u can without puking. If u puke, go to ER, as u have lost too much ground. In hospital, start an IV, run a liter wide open, reassess for liter #2. 2) Toradol. This is prescription (in the USA) anti-inflammatory drug, can work wonders, it is non-narcotic. If you're at home, try 800 mg of Ibuprofen with a sandwich or substantial snack. Don't let that ibuprofen sit on an empty stomach, or u can puke. DO NOT PUKE. 3) warm bath, but not hot enough to make u sweat. These 3 things can help a lot, saved me a lot of trips to ER.
Phase Two: drink, drink, drink. I have a bottle of wine in my fridge at all times, my family knows DO NOT TOUCH. Alcohol helps numbing the penis. When you pee, hold on to something and mentally prepare yourself that you won't stop if you start to feel something...wrong.
Medical treatments: IVP's, intra-venous pyelograms, an iodine dye injected into your bloodstream for diagnostic purposes can itself help pass the stone. Many a stone have been passed in the X-ray department. Extra corporal lithotripsy, or sound waves, is actually a big deal.
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