[aaron89978]

My name's Aaron.

Kidney stones run on both sides of my family, but I first started getting kidney stones back in December when I was working night shifts at Toys"R"Us stocking shelves. Each night, I would consume up to three or four energy drinks (Amp, Monster, Red Bull, etc.) One day, I noticed a lot of blood in my urine. A day later, a piercing pain manifested in my right side. Sure enough, a CT scan revealed it to be a 4-mm kidney stone.
Thanks to my inability to stick to the doctor's orders -- consuming more fluids -- I believe that same stone is the one currently stuck in my right ureter. CT scans and X-rays in March and April revealed it to be 5 mm. It is my belief that my consumption of energy drinks only hastened the inevitable; I would have gotten the kidney stones anyway. I don't have the best lifestyle; my idea of fun is laying around and playing on the lap top, playing video games, eating chili dogs with french fries, etc. My stance is that I need to enter a fitness program and take any other means necessary to turn my lifestyle around before it really is too late. The fact that people can get kidney stones shows that the design utilized by our creator is imperfect.

[kvdb3c3b]

Aaron, I was in the same boat as you. One thing I can tell you, I don't know if your doctor has already told you this or not, sweet tea and energy drinks definitely contribute to kidney stones (also chocolate is bad too). As bad as this sounds, there is almost nothing you can do if you are prone to get kidney stones because they run in your family. Because your genetics will most likely overpower your healthy diet or anything you try to do. I am 21 years old and as healthy as I can be. Unfortunately when I was 20 I found out I had 1 inch whopper kidney stone that hit me like a brick in the face, I had no idea for the longest time that I had any health issues like this. Kidney stones run in my family too and no matter how I modify my diet, the kidney stones are starting to come back. I had to have 3 surgeries because I had complications and just one wasn't enough. They had to put stints in me and take them out way too many times and it was not pleasant at all. I just got the big kidney stone out back in November and I am already getting sick and have some little stones. Also, drink plenty of water and lemonade...or even eat fresh lemons with sugar if you can stand the taste, but my doctor said it will help with kidney stones. I hope you don't have to have any major surgery and let me know how it all works out or if you have more questions!

[haylee_beutler]

I can definitely relate to your story, age, and lifestyle. My life style was very similar to yours. Last October i was diagnosed with an approx. 25 mm kidney stone in the right kidney. Unfortunately, i had no choice but to have this removed surgically and i was out of work quite a while to recover. I never drank water previously. I was like you, i only drank pop and energy drinks. BAD. Soda pop has been the hardest habit i have ever had to give up, but i can honestly say that it helps. I got in the habit of drinking a lot of juice, water, and lemonade.

There are many different kind of kidney stones. Adjusting your diet may not help you at all if that is not the type of kidney stone you have. The most common type of kidney stone is a "calcium oxalate" stone. Urologists say that adjusting your diet and drinking lots of lemonade and water can prevent the formation of these stones. My kidney stones are "struvite" stones, which are cause by frequent urinary tract infections and are of a very hard consistency. One of the most least common types of kidney stones are hereditary. It is very uncommon, but it has been proven that 1 type of kidney stone can actually be passed down through family. If this is the type of kidney stones you are getting, then adjusting your diet may actually not help you at all. (ALTHOUGH IT IS DEFINITELY BETTER FOR YOU ANYWAYS).

Having a stone stuck in your ureter for a lengthy period of time is not only extremely painful, but it can be very harmful to your kidney and your ureter. If you haven't already, i would consult with a urologist and get treatment for this kidney stone as soon as possible. Some urologists will try to have their patients go home for a couple of weeks and drink lots of fluid to see if the stone will move on its own, but if it has been there for over a week then you need to have treatment.

Do not let a doctor try to do any treatments you are not comfortable with and always make sure they explain everything in complete detain. Ask a lot of questions and make sure they answer every one you ask. If you feel like the urologist doesn't know what he is talking about, then chances are he doesn't know what he is talking about. If that happens, find a different urologist. A good question to ask the urologist is "Have you ever had a kidney stone before?". Chances are, if he has had one before, then he will be more sympathetic to your condition and getting you treatment that you desperately need.

PLEASE feel free to ask any questions.