Prevention and treatment options for kidney stones
MARTIN COUNTY — Kidney stones are one of the most common problems affecting the urinary system. They can range in size from a grain of sand to a golf ball and form when crystals separate from the urine and stick to the inner surfaces of the kidney.
A number of factors can place you at risk for kidney stones; the first step in preventing them is to understand what is causing them to form. If this is a recurring problem, your health care provider can order further tests, such as lab analysis of one of your stones, blood tests or a 24-hour urine tests to determine what is causing the stone formation. Depending on the type of kidney stone you have, your provider might recommend changes in the amounts of sodium, animal protein, calcium or oxalate you consume.
While every patient is different, these are some general recommendations to help minimize the risk of stone formation: drink more fluids, reduce your salt intake, eat less animal protein and maintain normal calcium intake of approximately 1,000 mg per day.
We advise our patients to drink enough water to make 2.5 liters of urine a day. The amount of water consumed will be different for each patient, depending on factors such as how active you are, what type of climate you live in and how much you perspire. The more water you drink, the easier it is for your body to dissolve the substances that make stones.
Using strict dietary and treatment regimens, we can successfully eliminate stone formations.