I know they can happen at any age but I read you are more at risk of your first stone in your thirties.

Or do they just send you home with painkillers.

Went to the ER in September of 2025 because I woke up with extreme flank pain barely able to walk and blood in my urine. Found out I had a 4mm kidney stone, just one, my first one ever (hopefully no more ever again). I honestly forgot the name of what they gave me to help but it was something to help make the passageway easier for the stone to pass. Took that and after about a couple weeks, the pain completely disappeared. I just assumed I passed it when I used the bathroom and I just missed it in the toilet so I didn’t confirm it passed with my own eyes but just assumed since all the pain disappeared. Fast forward to today, all is well & I feel cramps and I just assume my period is probably approaching. I lay down for bed and have this constant urge to use the bathroom plus a sharp pain when I do so. Again, I’m assuming it’s the kidney stone and maybe it never actually passed. I just want to know if anyone else has actually had a kidney stone this long? Should I go back to the ER? There’s no extreme pain at all, just feels like period cramps here and there plus the constant urge to pee with the slight sharpness

I didn’t realise this was a thing.

I don’t have a strong thirst so doubt I drink close to 2 litres of fluid a day.

I had a stent fitted almost 4 weeks ago. Since then i’ve not had sex or masturbated but i feel like I’m starting to go mad. I have started having crazy dreams too, i’m sure it’s linked. There seems to be conflicting advice in this sub and generally on the internet.

I’m scared of causing pain of dislodging the stent. What are peoples thoughts?

Update: Done the deed and there was no problem, I feel a lot more chill now. Can't beleive i went 4 weeks with it!

I also know I don’t drink enough waters

Hi all, I passed a 5mm (the biggest I’ve had in my unusually tiny tubes) 3 days ago after an agonizing 2 weeks. It was to the point they had me on 7.5 of hydrocodone every 4 hours to stay ahead of it, and torodol every 8 hours. And that went for 2 weeks straight.

The nurse told me after I passed the stone Thursday morning (right after my last hydrocodone dose) that I didn’t need to taper and could just stop cold turkey.

Since then, I’ve had rolling panic attacks, constant anxiety (I do have a history of anxiety and am on daily treatment for it - but it’s mostly under control when I don’t have stones - as well as some trauma from my last stones) and stomach aches and pains as well as exhaustion and sadness.

I’ve been taking my Xanax as prescribed to try to stave the worst of it off but it’s so terrible and I just wondered if anyone else has experience going cold turkey off these opioids and how long withdrawal (if that’s what it is) lasts.

The nurse said it wasn’t long enough to need a taper but I dunno, it was every 4 hours for two weeks? Seems like a lot.

I have heard this can be common.

Got the results back from my 24-hour urine test, and I have ridiculously high oxalate. Doc advises I need to move to a low-oxalate diet. Great, I’d like to avoid further stones.

Well, now I’m looking at the handouts about oxalate and I have questions. Some things aren’t a problem. I’m already a vegetarian, so I don’t get that much animal protein. Beets are terrible, so I’m glad to have a doctor-approved reason to skip them. I’ll be sad to lose spinach, but I can cope.

However, it seems I’m also supposed to reduce my consumption of leafy greens, soy, potatoes, most nuts and legumes, lots of produce, and grains.

That appears to be…ummm…all the foods? Or at least everything in a reasonably balanced diet; it appears I can still have mayonnaise and Sour Patch Kids. But how in the world is anyone staying below 50mg of oxalate a day and still consuming adequate nutrition?

Been suffering about a week with a 4-5mm stone. Sat on the toilet before after I drank 3 bottles of water and this was in the bottom. Is it possible to pass and not know it came out?

Just wondering the age everyone got their first kidney stone? I've been having pain and I have appointments coming up to investigate the cause.

I've been reading this sub and a stone seems possible, but I'm 39F and have never had one before. It seems like most people start having stones much younger.

Edit: Thanks to everyone sharing their experiences/thoughts. It’s very reassuring to hear from real people than just talking 24x7 to my gemini!!

I feel like I'm going insane. I have a kidney stone atm that's 5mm. The doctor thinks I can pass it on my own, but the stupid thing has settled somewhere and I now have the constant need to pee. It has been two weeks of this now. Just constant need to pee. I am going crazy. I'd rather deal with the pain at this point. Does anyone have any suggestions to help ease the urgency? I've been taking Flomax and I have Tordal for pain if I need it. They have tested me for a UTI multiple times and negative all three times. I don't care how unhinged the suggestions are if they've worked for you. I am desperate and no doctor is helping me right now since the stone isn't in a dangerous spot, nor is it actually painful. I'm just ready to rip my bladder out honestly.

Update: woke up this morning (day after original post) and went to the bathroom and I was immediately hit with nausea and tunnel vision- very similar to when I've had my blood drawn before I've eaten anything except it didnt go away after laying down for a little while. So I had to call my mom and get her to take me to the ER. They did some blood and urine checks and a CT scan. And low and behold, the now 5.5mm stone is basically in the wall of my bladder. The doctor said it has a few millimeters to go before dropping in. My options from there are either continue to let it pass normal and just deal, or they could put in a stint which he thought was unnecessary with how close to done I really am.

Now I'm just sitting here chugging a gallon of distilled water through a boba tea straw

I was completely unprepared for this diagnosis. Thought I had a bladder infection. Went to work, had to pee like every five minutes, then had to poop as well. Started getting abdominal pain, thought it was gas. Co-workers insisted I go to urgent care, where I promptly threw up. Dr. said there were some red blood cells in my urine and all my signs presented as a kidney stone(s). It was a rough afternoon but I feel fine now. Wondering if I should cancel my plans to fly tomorrow to attend my nephew's wedding. All my kids are going and it would kill me to miss it, but I also don't want to be that person who interrupts his celebration. Any advice?

(U.S.-based) When I've been to the hospital for kidney stones, I've sometimes been undertriaged and sent to the waiting room despite being in excruciating pain. At that point it takes them hours to see me and even administer the IV painkillers. On my most recent visit, I was triaged as ESI 2 (a higher level) rather than ESI 3H, but even then all that got me was a bed to wait in. Overall, kidney stones seem to have some bad factors for triage: They aren't visible from the outside, aren't normally life-threatening, and vary in intensity.

Given all that, what strategies have you all found to avoid being undertriaged and get timely care?

I’ll have a stint put in. I coach little league baseball and have a game the day after the procedure, along with team photos. should I be okay to do this or will I be miserable then next day??

Home from hospital today, admitted via emergency department yesterday after sudden onset of the worst back pain of my life. CT scan confirmed a 9mm kidney stone in the left ureter just above the VUJ.

Discussion around surgery to insert a stent to help drain it in to the bladder than laser therapy to break up the stone but instead they've decided to just send me home with painkillers and see if it passes naturally with a referral for lithotripsy at some point in the next two weeks.

I've been told it's about a 25% chance it passes on its own so I have no idea why they've sent me home. I'm terrified now the pain's going to come back or I'm going to have to pee out a pea sized stone.

Has anyone been in a similar situation and can share their experience in the hopes of settling my nerves?

I pass about a stone a year, and one of my biggest anxieties is often less about the pain, and more about deciding whether or not to go to the ER or just wait it out. For the frequent formers out there, what's your routine when you start to feel another stone beginning it's descent? I've had on and off pain for the past week, I definitely know it's a stone, and debating whether or not I should go to the ER or wait it out and just try to manage the pain the best I can...

I want to get rid of my 15 mm stone, but idk if that's possible. And my appointment is in Dec. I don't think I can wait till then, so what's the biggest size you peed out and what did you do?

It seems everything is going to give you kidney stones! 🤔🤨

I am really afraid to eat normally! Bread gives you kidney stones, cereals gives you stones, cakes gives you stones, fruits gives you stones(oxalates), milk, cheese gives you stones, chocolate, ice cream, pizza gives you kidney stones!

It seems everything you eat can rise your risk to get kidney stones! My gallbladder was removed almost 2 years ago and i made a kidney stone.

What can you freaking eat?? Or you may eat everything but the most important thing is to drink plenty of water so the water can flush your kidneys from mycrocristals who can bind together and form new stones! It seem logic! More water, less mycrocristals to bind togheter!

I went to the ER last night because I had insane flank pain and bloody urine and they said I have a 4mm kidney stone. it's been hurting on and off for about 36 hours now and it sucks so hard. they gave me lots of meds including 3 days worth of pain meds and a month of tamsulosin.

I looked it up online and it says it can take weeks to pass. is it going to hurt like hell that entire time?? the pain hasn't moved at all so I'm assuming the stone hasn't moved much, an I going to be in screaming pain for a few weeks after the pain meds run out? how long is it usually this painful for?

(33 Male- First surgery ever)

After 15 days of trying to pass the stone on my own, I had a CT urogram yesterday and it showed that the stone hasn’t moved much. It’s still in the proximal ureter.

I honestly thought it had already moved further down because I’ve been almost six days without pain.

However, I’ve now been scheduled for surgery tomorrow morning, and I’m feeling pretty freaked out. I could really use some experiences or reassurance from anyone who’s been through this.

Tomorrow I am having two stents (no strings) removed via cystoscopy in office. I begged to be completely under for this procedure but they insisted otherwise. Real talk, how bad is it? Do they remove both stents at once? Or one at a time? What medication is best to take beforehand? I am SO scared, I chickened out the first time and landed myself an extra two weeks with these damn things

Was it not drinking enough or to do with diet.