So how long does it take to pass a kidney stone
from the ureter?
So, before i jump into this video let me talk to you about some sizes
and let me talk to you about some props. And the reason i'm using these props so,
that you get an idea how big these renal stones are!
And the renal stones can be a variety of sizes
one millimeter, a couple of millimeters five millimeters
10 millimeters or even more in size; and in terms of the bigger stones which
are 10 millimeters or more think of this penny, this penny in terms
of diameter or in terms of width is around 10 mm, 10 millimeters so you
have an idea how big some of these renal stones
are. Some of the other stones are shorter in size and this is the size
of a raisin, and this raisin is
around five to seven millimeters in size and then others are the sizes of
crystals i'm not sure whether you have a good idea when you can see this
if you can see the crystals in my hand and these crystals are about a
millimeter in size; and if these stones are made
in the kidney they have to go down your ureter and the ureter is the size
of the straw and that and the width of the straw which is around three to four
millimeters. Now that you know the sizes of these different props let's get on to
the video. Coming up! Also a shout out to Eli
and Drost Video who both suggested to do this video on kidney stones so
link to both of their channels in the
description below. So, what are kidney stones? Kidney stones
are hard deposits made of minerals and salts that form inside your kidneys.
So, how they formed? If there are high levels of
certain substances in the urine such as calcium, oxalate
cysteine or uric acid, stones can be formed.
This happens especially if you're not drinking
enough fluid, enough water that is you're not making enough urine. So these
substances I mentioned earlier start off forming smaller crystals
which then increase in size. They become anchored in your kidney causing pain
and spasms because your kidneys trying to eject
this stone of these stones. Your kidney recognizes the stone
as a foreign body and an inflammatory response begins to fight this foreign
stone and tries to expel it from the kidney.
If you're interested to learn about gallbladder stones i've provided
a link above. So, where does the kidney stone go
next? Typically, the stone will move through the urinary tract
and is passed out of the body in the urine
the next place the stone ends up moving to
is the ureter. The ureter is only three to four millimeters in size.
If a stone is less than three to four millimeters in size
it is more likely to be expelled spontaneously.
Sometimes, stones can block this passage and subsequently also block the passage
of urine. This causes inflammatory changes as well
as pain, as the body in particular the
ureter is trying to expel the stone in
wave-like motions. Unfortunately, if a stone is larger than 5 millimeters
the chances of it being expelled spontaneously
decreases with larger stones. A study looking into this
came to the following conclusions: so, if a stone is around zero to two
millimeters in size there's 98% chance of it being expelled
spontaneously, around four millimeters in size 81%
of chance of it being expelled spontaneously,
and the larger stones like five millimeters in size
65% chance of it being expelled spontaneously,
six millimeters in size 33% chance of it being expelled
spontaneously and the larger stones more than six and a half millimeters in
size only nine percent of chance of it being
expelled spontaneously. Also the stone size
and location of the stone predicted if the stone could pass out
spontaneously or not. Apparently, stones who are on the left
side or left-sided ureteral stones seem to pass significantly more often
than right-sided ones. Why was this? The authors argued that the right ureter
is typically adherent to the peritoneum, this is a sac-like
structure which covers the organs including the
kidneys and the ureter. The left ureter in contrast provided
better peristalsis, meaning the stones were able
to be expelled by the ureter through muscular wave-like
motions. Once the stone reaches the bladder
the early type of pain I described in the kidney and your ureter has decreased.
This makes sense as the bladder is a bag- like organ
and stretches out when filled with urine; and can be anywhere between two to six
inches in size. Therefore, if a kidney stone reaches the bladder
you will feel an irritation and a bladder sensation
with a sense of urgency and frequency to urinate. At the same time your body
also wants to help try getting rid of these stones as
it still says heh, there's a foreign body in here and we need to get rid
of this stone or these stones. Once the stone finally reaches the urethra
you're finally at the finish line, as you can help
push the stone out especially as the urethra
is wider than the ureter and in females is around
on average six millimeters in size and males
around eight millimeters in size. So, the main question
you're waiting for is how long does it take
for a stone to pass? So, there are no set rules, but on the average if the stone is
less than two millimeters usually within a week,
if it's around four millimeters around a month or 30 days
and if it's more than five millimeters it might take up to one to two months or
even longer and especially if it's more than six to
seven millimeters in size it might take several months and with
its more than ten millimeters in size or one centimeter in size
you would need a medical or surgical intervention. So, the question is can
stones over ten millimeters in size pass spontaneously? Of course, there are
always exceptions to every rule and to what i've said
before in terms of sizes of the stones, however, a stone that size
to pass through is rather rare and unlikely.
So, if you're finding value in this video don't forget to
like, comment, and hit that notification bell
and smash that subscribe button! So, what are risk factors
for stone formation? Family history, not drinking enough fluid ie dehydration,
a diet which is high in sugars, high sodium die, a diet with high levels
of animal protein, use of calcium
supplements such as antacids, diabetes,
gout, obesity, primary hyperparathyroidism, Crohn's disease,
gastric bypass surgery, certain medications
such as the overuse of laxatives, long-term use of steroids
use of sulfa drugs, migraine medication called Topomax.
So, how do kidney symptoms look like or feel like?
You'll feel a very sharp pain towards your back
or sometimes towards your side radiating down
towards your lower abdomen and sometimes towards your groin;
and these pains can be constant or they can come in
waves with fluctuating intensity and these wave-like pains can last up to
20 minutes to up to around 60 minutes. You might also have an urge to urinate
with a burning sensation. Your urine might be foul smelling and
red or brown in color indicating loss of blood other symptoms might
include nausea and vomiting and signs of an infection
which are fever and chills. You might pass
multiple small stones in your urine looking like sand
or gravel. So, how do we diagnose kidney stones?
Your doctor will start off with a physical examination,
and might include some blood tests as well to exclude signs of an infection
and check your calcium levels as well,
as your kidney function.A non-invasive imaging test is preferred such as an
abdominal x-ray, however, this might miss smaller stones
or certain types of stones which cannot be picked up
in this kind of test, as they do not show up
on x-rays. The same applies to another non-invasive test called an
ultrasound. You can do a CT scan which can pick up
smaller stones, however, you're going to be exposed to an
increased amount of radiation. You may be asked to urinate
through a strainer to catch stones that you pass. The stones
can be sent to a lab to evaluate the makeup of your
stones. This is useful as depending on the type
of stone this would determine what preventive
measures should be put into place to help
you further with your stones. Your doctor can also
do a simple urine analysis to check for blood and
signs of an infection. So, how can you treat
your kidney stones. If the kidney stones are small
with minimal symptoms you would not require
an invasive treatment. You can help pass a small stone by drinking a lot of water
and i'm talking about a lot of water around two to three liters of water,
that's about a gallon of water. So, how do you know how much water you need to
drink? You need to drink so much water so that
your pee looks clear. Moreover, your doctor, if there's no
contraindication, might prescribe an anti-inflammatory
drug such as Ibuprofen and the brand names Motrin
or Advil or Naproxen and the brand name is Aleve. This can help relieve the
pain especially when the stone is lodged in the kidney and moving down the ureter
and to help relax the muscles of your ureter,
your doctor, your provider might prescribe
Tamsulosin and the brand name is Flomax,
to help you pass the kidney stone quicker.
And, if you're interested in other medications including
side effects click on this link above. If the stones are larger your
Doctor might arrange the following treatment:
A procedure called ureteroscopy. In this procedure a tube with a light
and a camera is passed through the urethra
then through the bladder and then the ureter to help
remove smaller stones in the kidney or urethra.
Once your doctor locates the stone he or she can use special tools
to break up the stone or pick up the stone.
In the area where the stone was located your doctor will place a small
tube called a stent to help keep that area of the ureter open,
promote healing and reduce inflammation and swelling. After the procedure, you'll
still be passing some blood in your urine.There is
another procedure called ESWL which stands for
extra corporeal shock wave lithotripsy. Here, stones can be broken up with sound
waves. These broken pieces of stone that are
passed in your urine. You're placed under
sedation for this procedure and this lasts about
30 minutes to about 45 minutes. If you're having very large stones
surgery might be required. In that case using a small cut on your back and a
camera with a light, the stone is then surgically removed.
This procedure is called percutaneous nephrolithotomy.
Then the other types of stones causing calcium
phosphate stones; and these are usually caused by an overactive
parathyroid gland and this condition is called
hyperparathyroidism. Your doctor might suggest a parathyroid surgery because
these stones are caused by too much parathyroid hormone. So, what preventive
measures can you d? Hydrate well and drink plenty
of water at least two to three liters. You want to
make or increase your urine output to help move
the stone along. If your stones are calcium oxalate
stones, eat fewer oxalate rich foods such as beets,
and nuts, tea, chocolate ,spinach, rhubarb.
Reduce the amount of salt you eat! Reduce the amount of animal proteins you eat!
Use caution with calcium supplements such as antacids.
Now, some specialized treatments. If you have calcium stones, your doctor
might prescribe a thiazide diuretic; for uric acid stones
allopurinol to reduce uric acid levels; struvite stones make sure you hydrate
well combined with long-term antibiotics as
they are prone to staghorn calculi, stones that look like
staghorns; and cystine stones, make sure you drink a
lot of water, you hydrate well combined with the medication to increase
the solubility of cystine. So, question of the day? Do
you suffer from kidney stones and what are
you doing about it? And, if you want to see more videos don't
forget to like, comment and subscribe and you can click
right here and click right here click right here
and click right here. Have a good day and think your health oh my god why did
this last take
next take okay last take what the heck and it's possible now let
me do this again what the heck