Friday, November 20, 2009

Frantically Looking For Kidney Stone Relief?

By Anthony M. Belden

Unless you've ever experienced a kidney stone, you cannot imagine the type of pain it can cause. In fact, it is the pain that will lead you to the doctor's office and their diagnosis. Depending upon your particular medical situation, kidney stones treatment may vary.

Pain medication: When the stone is less than 5mm, your doctor will more than likely issue you pain medication to get you through this time. During the process, make sure that you are drinking plenty of fluids as the one thing that you do not want to do is dehydrate as it will only make matters worse.

Alpha-blockers: There are times when the process seems to take longer than it should and this is usually nothing to worry about. More than likely, the alpha-blockers will relax your body and allow the stone to pass much easier. You will still continue with the pain meds and water as well in this situation.

Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy: In cases where the stones are too large to pass, your doctor may choose the most common of all kidney stones treatment. With ESWL, shock waves will break up the stone into smaller units. Once broken down, the stones will be eliminated with urination.

Ureteroscopy: When the stone is too large to pass through the urinary tract or if it becomes stuck, the doctor may use to use Ureteroscopy to remove it. This procedure involves the insertion of a small scope into the urinary tract to break the stone into smaller pieces. A tube is generally left in place to allow more room for the pieces to pass through.

Surgery: This is the final resort and something that is only done if all else fails. Your doctor will more than likely have tried every other alternative at this point, with no success. Surgery is always something to be taken very seriously regardless of how routine the procedure is and this is why this is the absolute last option to pursue. - 14130

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