Around 20% of kidney stones that are larger than 6 mm will pass on their own in about 12 months. However, when stones are this large, it is best to seek immediate surgical removal. This can be a very long period of time while you’re dealing with all the pain and immense discomfort. You do not want to try to get rid of larger kidney stones by yourself.
You need to go see your doctor if you’re dealing with intense pain and suspect you have a large kidney stone. Your doctor can assess how large the kidney stone you’re dealing with is and offer you various options. With larger kidney stones, it’s going to be very difficult to pass it through your system naturally.
This is when you want to go ahead and opt for some kind of treatment to help deal with the kidney stones. Shock wave lithotripsy can help break the stones if you are dealing with medium sized stones. Larger stones can be dealt with using procedures like ureteroscopy and percutaneous nephrolithotripsy. Your doctor will likely have the options that are available to you.
If you’re dealing with smaller kidney stones, you can usually let your body work on getting the kidney stone out of your system. There are many things that you can do to assist your body with the process.
First, drink 8 to 10 cups of water a day. You need the extra water to help flush the kidney stones out of your system. You can even drink upwards of 12 cups if you don’t mind having to visit the bathroom frequently.
Second, change your diet. You need to adjust your diet based on the type of kidney stone you have. This may mean having to consume a low oxalate diet for calcium oxalate stones and eating less animal protein if you have uric acid stones.
Third, consider taking supplementation. Supplements have helped many people deal with kidney stones better. The supplements help by aiding your body in breaking down the kidney stones. They may also prevent the growth of existing stones. When trying to decide which supplement to go with, read through the customer reviews to see which supplements have received the best ratings.
Finally, make the necessary lifestyle changes. If you’re obese, you need to start on a weight loss program as obesity increases the risk of kidney stones significantly. If you’re taking medication for some health issue, look into the medication. Some medications can elevate the risk of developing kidney stones. You may want to look for alternative medications that deliver the same results if you find that this may be causing your kidney stones.
Overall, it can take anywhere from a couple of days to a year to pass kidney stones. As mentioned before, it will usually depend on the size of the kidney stone. You will want to visit your doctor, evaluate your kidney stone condition and take the necessary steps on dealing with it.
