Kidney Problems Central

Kidney Stone Treatment

A kidney stone begins to form right at the centre of the kidney. With time, other particles cling onto it, therefore enlarging it. The stones cause blood on the urine besides the excruciating pain that leads most people to their diagnosis. Passing the stones is obviously an agonizing process that may take days to weeks. In more severe cases, medical intervention is necessary.

Kidney Stone Treatment

There are several medical and surgical procedures applied to remove kidney stones. This is especially necessary when the stones block the urinary tract and hence cannot be passed or when they cause infection either in the kidney or in the urinary tract. The use of shock waves known as extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy is the most commonly used method. The waves are passed on the body and are powerful enough to crumble kidney stones. This allows them to be passed out with ease. Ureteroscopy is another procedure that removes stones lodged in the ureter.

Small kidney stones will be passed by increased water intake coupled with fresh juice, vegetables and fruits. High fibre intake is also very helpful. Kidney stones can recur even after passing them once. It is therefore important to take up measures that will prevent this from happening. The first step would be to educate yourself on the various causes of kidney stones. These often include lack of intake of enough water, heredity factors and a diet high in calcium oxalate. With this knowledge, it becomes easy to alter diet and lifestyle in order to prevent kidney stones.

Taking plenty of water should be the first step in keeping the stones at bay. This will help in dissolving the minerals that cause kidney stones in the urine and thus passing them without the opportunity of crystallization. Lemonade is also highly recommended since it increases the amount of citrate in the urine, a necessary compound in preventing the formation of kidney stones. The intake of large amounts of oxalate-rich foods should be avoided. Most of the common ones include peanuts, chocolate, wheat germ and sweet potatoes among others. During treatment of kidney stones, you should stay away from these foods completely. Meat is another food item to avoid.  A lot of proteins in the diet will result into uric acid which then easily forms uric acid stones. The amount of salt intake should also be reduced significantly as high amounts of calcium will obviously cause the formation of kidney stones.

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Kidney Cancer Symptoms

There are different variations to kidney cancer, the two most common ones being renal cell cancer and renal pelvis cancer. The former is the more common of the two comprising over 80% of kidney cancer cases. This type of cancer is basically caused by the overgrowth of carcinogenic cells in the kidney. It shows no symptoms in its early stages which show up when the cancer gets to its late stages.

Kidney Cancer Symptoms

Like with most other cancer ailments, people in old age are more at risk, from the age of 60 and above. There are more cases of kidney cancer in males than in females. Others at high risk are smokers, obese people and those whose diets are largely junk food with little or no intake of fruits and vegetables. People whose occupations put them in contact with chemicals such as iron and steel  are said to be at high risk too as well as those suffering from kidney related ailments or other types of cancer that have spread to other parts of the body. Family history will also tell you whether you are at risk or not. The history of the disease in your family puts you up to four times more at risk.

Symptoms of kidney cancer are a variety including persistent low back pain that has not been caused by an injury, pain in the side, a lump in the abdomen and constant fatigue. Other symptoms will include presence of blood in the urine, loss of appetite, swelling of legs and ankles, repeated cases of fever and is some cases anaemia and high blood pressure.

On noticing a combination of these symptoms, medical assistance should be sought immediately. The doctor performs a series of tests to establish whether the symptoms manifest kidney cancer or not. Besides blood and urine tests, other comprehensive examinations would include intravenous pyelogram, x-ray exams that check the condition of the kidneys, surrounding tissues and organs as well as arteriography. CT scan and ultrasonography are other tests performed as well. The doctor may also perform a biopsy, which involves removing some tissue from the kidney that is then taken for testing in the laboratory.

The biggest set back with kidney cancer is that it manifests itself in its late stages. Most of the cases are as a result diagnosed when the disease has grown tremendously. This is why over half of the people with the disease often die. The chances of survival also diminish with age.

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Kidney Surgery

There are several ways to perform kidney surgery, often depending on whether the procedure requires the removal of part or the entire kidney. The removal of the kidney may be prompted by a number of reasons that include donating a kidney, treating kidney cancer, birth defects, an infected part of the kidney or the removal of kidney stones and cysts. Depending on the kidney condition, the doctor can therefore decide whether to perform partial nephrectomy where part of the kidney is removed or simple nephrectomy where one kidney is removed entirely. Radical nephrectomy will on the other hand involve the removal of one whole kidney together with tissues around it as well as the adrenal gland.

Preparation of Kidney Surgery

Preparing for a kidney surgery involves having a blood sample taken to find the right match should the need for a transfusion arise. Stopping smoking is always required to enable quick healing while the taking of drugs is also discontinued. The doctor will advice on which medications to stop and which ones to continue. Patients are also not required to eat anything on the night prior to surgery.

Laparoscopic kidney surgery is, unlike the others, less invasive. It is performed for kidney conditions such as kidney stones, infection and complicated cysts among others. The doctor makes a number of incisions on the lower abdomen through which he inserts a tube that carries a light and camera. This laparoscope is directed up to the kidney and the doctor is able to observe the process on a monitor. The doctor is then performs any surgical procedure with equipment that is part of the laparoscope. This type of surgery takes less time to recover, and the patient can remain in hospital up to two days after the surgery.

The other types of surgery are more open and they are performed as the patient lies on their side. The cut is made on the side as well, right under the ribs and after the kidney is removed either in part or wholly, the cut is closed with stitches. There are risks involved in kidney surgery such as loss of blood or blood clots, breathing problems after the surgery as well as reactions to the medications used during and after the procedure. There may also be cases of the remaining kidney failing or injuries on other internal organs.

Open kidney removal will have a patient staying up to a week in hospital after surgery. The doctors will monitor the outcome of the procedure, administering any treatments necessary such as to relieve pain or prevent blood clots.

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Kidney Cyst

Kidney cysts are small sacs of fluid in the kidney, usually oval or round in shape. They are often non-cancerous and cause no symptoms that would suggest their existence. They are therefore found through a scan of the kidneys using computerized tomography widely known as CT scans or through ultrasonography. Small cysts are often harmless and even when found and are without any kind of complications, they are left untreated.

Who get kidney cysts?

After the age of 50, a lot of people are prone to kidney cysts. In fact it is believed that over 50% of these people have the cysts and some do not know it. The hereditary polycystic kidney disease will cause some people to have kidney cysts. This disease is often characterised by such symptoms as high blood pressure, presence of blood in the urine, pain in the back and kidney infections from time to time. Any one of these symptoms should however not be taken as a sign of PKD. It is therefore vital to seek medical assistance for one or a combination of them to determine their real cause. Kidney problems are best taken to a urologist, who specialises in kidney problems.

In some cases, kidney cysts may grow larger, exerting pressure on other organs in the body and thus causing pain. In such a case, treatment is required which often involves puncturing the cysts to release the fluid trapped inside. A needle is used to do this and it is inserted through the skin and then guided by use of ultrasonography towards the cysts. Once drained, an alcoholic solution is poured on it to help harden the tissue.

Larger and more complicated cysts require surgery. These may often bleed and the most common surgical procedure for kidney cysts is the use of laparoscope. This involves the removal of the cysts and in some cases kidney tissue. It takes the patient about two days in the hospital after the surgical procedure. After the cysts are successfully removed, there usually are no subsequent health problems arising from the surgery.

Simple uncomplicated kidney cysts will not cause any health problems but they should not be ignored either after they are diagnosed. Subsequent visits to the doctor are important during which he will carry out CT scans to ensure that the cysts do not grow bigger. Such visits should be spaced between 6 to 12 months. This will help your urologist to administer prompt treatment when need arises.

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Passing Kidney Stones

The function of the kidneys is to remove waste formed in our bodies. Urine is a product of the kidney’s work of filtering blood to get rid of the wastes. Its components include water, urea and components of sodium chloride, calcium, organic salts, phosphates and potassium chloride. A lot of water is needed to aid the kidneys in carrying out their functions in order to dissolve these minerals. Lack of enough water causes them to crystallize forming kidney stones. A high percentage of cases of kidney stones are caused by calcium oxalates.

While everybody may get kidney stones, there are those people who are more at risk. These include those with a family history of kidney stones. Other predisposing factors are influenced by ones lifestyle and dietary practices such as eating meat on a daily basis, drinking plenty of  coffee and other soft drinks, living a sedentary lifestyle and of course not taking enough water.

Passing Kidney Stones

Small kidney stones are often passed unnoticed. The main symptom of the stones is sharp cramping pain from the back right under the rib cage. The pain may spread to the groin. Surgery is not necessary to treat kidney stones. They can be passed efficiently especially with taking plenty of water to help them move along the urinary tract. It may take hours or days to pass the stones and this may be a very painful process in which case pain medications may be administered.

In extreme cases, medical intervention may be necessary when kidney stones fail to pass. Previously, open surgery was the only available option but today, there are other options that do not involve surgery such as the use of shock waves to crumble the stones so that they are passed easily. The doctor may also induce certain fluids into your veins to treat dehydration thus promoting urination to flush out the stones. He will at the same time advice on the best foods to include in your diet to aid in passing the stones. This will include high fiber take as fiber is able to absorb oxalates, passing them out through the large intestines.

Staying away from coffee and soft drinks is highly recommended as these beverages dehydrate the body rather than encourage urination. Instead, drink plenty of juice from fresh fruits coupled with fresh vegetables and plenty of water. A strainer is used to catch the kidney stones as they pass so that they are taken to the doctor for analysis. This will help determine what compounds they are made of.

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