How Long Does it Take to Pass a Kidney Stone?

by admin on 28. Aug, 2010 in Health Sciences

Kidney stone formations are caused by the calcium and salts and acids that do not dissolve and get flushed out from the kidneys. As time passes, these minerals crystallize and bond together, forming a kidney stone. Because the kidney stones are difficult to expel from the body, they are extremely painful as they move through the digestive tract.

Once developed in the kidneys, the kidney stones move into the ureter that connects the kidneys and the bladder. This is a very small tube, and the movement of these stones and the strain it puts on the ureter causes extreme pain.

Symptoms include pain in the back or below the ribs. This pain escalates then disappears on a 60 minute cycle. Other symptoms include nausea; frequent urination; and fever or chills.

When you begin to suffer from these symptoms, it is best to see the doctor about it. The doctor may CT scan or X-ray, to determine the size, the number of the stones, and their location.

Once the doctor has evaluated and have found out all the information he or she may need to figure out your kidney stones, the doctor should be able to estimate how long does it take to pass a kidney stone in your case. The doctor will also give you a strainer that allows you to catch the stone when it passed. This allows the doctor to further analyze your kidney stones.

There is no exact science on how long does it take to pass a kidney stone. From the start of the symptoms it can take hours, days, or even weeks to pass the kidney stone. But the larger the stone is, the longer it will pass.

Kidney stones that are 6 mm or greater in size takes a lot longer to pass especially if medical methods of treatment are not applied. Since the time frame is longer, doctors may at times require the use of surgical methods to break up the stone. This is essential since the longer a kidney stone stays in the body, the higher the chances that he or she may suffer from an infection. Therefore, the immediate removal of the kidney stones is in order.

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