How Soon to See a Doctor if You Suspect a Stone
At the time of a first kidney stone attack, people often aren’t sure what’s going on and need to be seen by a doctor to make sure the symptoms aren’t the result of a more serious problem, such as appendicitis, says Dr. Lieske.
As a general rule, you need to seek medical attention if you experience any of the following symptoms:
- Severe pain that makes sitting still or getting comfortable impossible
- Pain with nausea and vomiting
- Pain with fever and chills
- Difficulty passing urine
- Blood in your urine
- A burning sensation while urinating
If you can’t see your doctor that day, head to the emergency room.
When urine gets trapped behind a kidney stone that is blocking the ureter, bacteria can grow in the urine, says Seth K. Bechis, MD, a urologist at UC San Diego Health. This can cause an infection of the kidney tissue or result in the infection spreading to the bloodstream, causing a life-threatening immune response called sepsis, he explains.
Additionally, the stones themselves can harbor bacteria, causing urinary tract infections (UTIs), adds Dr. Bechis. Some people who have a history of recurrent UTIs are found to have a large stone that continuously sheds bacteria into the urine.
While men are more prone to kidney stones than women, women are more likely to get UTIs, says Lieske. “So it’s not surprising that women are also more likely to get a urinary infection associated with their kidney stones,” he says.
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