Should You See A Urologist About Your Kidney Stones?
If you currently receive treatment for your kidney stones from a regular doctor, and the treatments don't keep you from getting kidney stones, see a urology specialist soon. There could be a reason why you keep getting kidney stones. Learn more about kidney stones and how a urology doctor or clinic can help below.
What Exactly Are Kidney Stones?
Some things you experience in life can prevent your kidneys from removing waste from your body, including bladder infections and back trauma. Over time, the waste you should eliminate out of your body builds up inside your kidneys instead. The buildup turns into hard pieces of debris called stones.
Most kidney stones are tiny enough to ignore and usually don't cause problems for people. However, some stones can become large enough to cause issues for you, especially if they block the tubes in your urinary system that carry urine out of the body. Some stones can cause painful infections in your bladder. If any of these this is happening to you, see an urologist or urology clinic for care.
How Can a Urology Specialist Help You?
The first thing a urologist or urology clinic may do is test the condition of your kidneys. A specialist may use a kidney function test to examine your kidneys, or they may run blood tests on your kidneys. Some specialists and clinics use CT scans to see inside their patients' kidneys.
If necessary, a urology doctor will order a round of urine tests for you. Your urine may contain tiny pieces of kidney stones, blood, and even signs of infection. Your urine may also take on a strange color or appearance if it contains stones or infection.
If any of your tests reveal something wrong with your kidneys, such as trauma, infection, or cancer, a doctor or clinic will devise a treatment plan for you. Your treatments may include:
- Medication therapy, which uses drugs to dissolve your kidney stones
- Ureteroscopy, which uses a laser to break up your kidney stones
- Shock wave surgery, which uses shock waves to break up your kidney stones
A doctor or clinic may need to access your kidneys directly in order to break up and remove your stones. This type of surgery may or may not be something you need to undergo. If you have questions about this particular treatment, consult a doctor or clinic immediately.
If you're tired of suffering from kidney stones and need help now, contact a urology center soon.