These stories are based on information gathered from health
professionals and consumers. They may be helpful as you make important health
decisions.
Roy, age 32: I have had a kidney
stone before. I remember the pain, and the medicine did not help me all that
much. When I started to pass another stone, I knew right away that I wanted to
try breaking up the stone. Hopefully the stone will pass more easily and cause
less pain.
José, age 38: I have several
friends who have had kidney stones. They told me how much it hurt. Now that I
am passing a stone, I know what they mean. My doctor gave me a strong pain
medicine, and we talked about having the stone broken up to make it pass
easier. But I prefer to avoid any medical procedures if I can. My doctor says
it should only take a few days to pass the stone, and as long as the pain
medicine works, I'll get through it okay.
Marge, age 50: I went to the doctor because of the pain in my side. She did
some tests and told me I have a kidney stone. She said it is pretty large, but
it should pass on its own. However, she also said that because of its size, it
might take awhile to pass and the pain could be pretty intense. We decided to
break up the stone using ESWL to try to reduce the time it takes to pass and
the pain involved.
Rita, age 28: The doctor
told me my pain is being caused by a kidney stone that I'm passing. He gave me
some strong pain medicine and said I could have the stone broken up, which
might make it pass more easily. He also told me the stone is pretty small and
should pass soon. I'm going to try the pain medicine and make sure I drink
enough water for now. If the pain gets to be too bad, I can change my mind and
have the stone broken up.
