Calculi (Stone)

A lot of people might have experienced the most painful sort of pain in the abdomen other than constipation pain LOL...

Almost every 2 hours we receive patients complaining severe lower abdominal pain that starts from the back and radiates downwards to the groin area. It is quite characteristic of a "ureteric calculi". Calculi means stone. In our urinary tract we have the kidneys, down to our ureters, then to the bladder and then out through the urethra.

When there is a stone in the urinary tract it is a normal mechanism of our body to get rid of it. So our body tries to expel it through our urine. What makes it painful is that the stone have sharp edges and as it tries to get its way out through the small ureters and urethra it has to be squeezed out by peristaltic movements and hence causing the pain. And mind you, even men have trouble bearing this pain, some would faint.

The bad news is the pain will only resolve after the stone comes out and it might take days. Look at the X-ray above, that stone on the left has a long way to go before it gets out. More bad news for men, your urethras are much longer then in females :P And even more bad news...It can recur.

To avoid getting stones in your urinary tract, drink plenty of water every day of at least 2L of water in healthy young adults unless if prohibited by your physicians for your other medical conditions. Eat plenty of green vegetables and fruits everyday and urinate regularly. Do not hold it in for a long time everyday. Also avoid beer and cigarettes.

Some stones may be very big, probably too big for it to come out but that is quite rare. That would require other surgical or laser interventions.

So make sure you get good healthy diet and drink clean water every day for the rest of your life. Believe me, you wouldn't want to experience this pain at all, ever.