Patient information · Urology
Kidney stones
severe pain, and one combination that is an emergency
Renal colic is among the most severe pains there is — often described as worse than childbirth. Most stones pass on their own with good pain relief. The one situation that cannot wait is a stone blocking the kidney alongside infection, which can become life-threatening within hours.
Go to an emergency department immediately if you have
- pain with a fever or shivering — this combination is an emergency
- vomiting and unable to keep fluids or painkillers down
- passing little or no urine
- confusion, dizziness or feeling very unwell
- pain in someone with a single kidney or a transplanted kidney
- pain not controlled despite maximum painkillers
An obstructed, infected kidney needs drainage urgently and antibiotics alone will not treat it. Fever with renal colic is not something to observe at home. In an emergency call 999, or go to the Royal London Hospital Emergency Department, Whitechapel Road, London E1 1FR.
What it feels like
Sudden severe pain in the loin or side, often radiating round to the groin or genitals, coming in waves that build and ease. People are typically restless and unable to find a comfortable position — which distinguishes it from most abdominal pain, where people lie still. Nausea and vomiting are common, and there may be blood in the urine, sometimes visible and often not.
Pain relief
- An anti-inflammatory is the most effective treatment for renal colic — more so than opioids — usually diclofenac or naproxen, by mouth or suppository.
- Paracetamol alongside.
- A hot water bottle or warm bath often helps.
- Keep drinking normally — forcing large volumes does not flush stones out and can worsen the pain if there is obstruction.
- Strain your urine through a coffee filter or fine sieve to catch the stone. Analysing it tells us what type it is and how to prevent the next one.
Will it pass?
Most small stones pass within one to three weeks. A medicine may be prescribed to relax the ureter and help a lower stone pass. If a stone has not passed after around four weeks, or is causing ongoing obstruction, treatment is needed.
Treatment options
- Shockwave lithotripsy — sound waves break the stone from outside the body.
- Ureteroscopy — a fine telescope passed up to remove or laser the stone; often a stent is left temporarily.
- Percutaneous surgery for large stones in the kidney.
- The right choice depends on size, position, composition and your anatomy.
Preventing the next one
Around half of people have another stone within ten years. Prevention works, and it is worth doing.
Helps
- Drink enough to pass 2 to 2.5 litres of urine a day — urine should be pale
- Add fresh lemon juice to water; citrate inhibits stone formation
- Keep dietary calcium normal — restricting it increases stone risk
- Reduce salt substantially
- Maintain a healthy weight
Increases risk
- Chronic dehydration, hot workplaces, and endurance exercise without replacement
- High animal protein intake
- High salt, and fizzy drinks sweetened with fructose
- Excessive vitamin C supplements
- Certain medicines — ask us to review yours
Come to us for the diagnosis, the prevention and the follow-up. If you are in severe pain with a fever, go to an emergency department. Otherwise we can see you the same day, seven days a week, with urine testing and blood tests in-house, ultrasound performed on site, CT arranged rapidly through our CQC-registered imaging partners, and urology consultations without a referral. We also run the metabolic testing that identifies why you form stones — the step most often skipped after a first episode.
Same-day assessment, ultrasound on site
Urology without a referral, seven days a week, 9am–7pm.
Tower Bridge Hospital London
97–99 Whitechapel Road, London E1 1DT
WhatsApp 07903 284 189
info@mhwclinic.co.uk
Open Mon–Sat, 9am–7pm (closed Sundays until September)
In an emergency
Call 999, or go to the Royal London Hospital Emergency Department, Whitechapel Road, London E1 1FR.
When we are closed and it is not an emergency
Call NHS 111 or visit 111.nhs.uk.