First hand experience: Kidney stones

As a young adult, I never imagined anything would go wrong with my health. I am active, I eat fairly healthy, and I'm still young. Unfortunately, I was proven wrong one night when I awoke at 3am with sharp pains in my side and lower back. My mom took me took the hospital, which I have never been before, and I was taken back to get tests done. The doctor came in, after what seemed like hours, to explain to me that I had kidney stones. I was shocked because I thought that only happened to old people. Since I was leaving for college in less than a month, the doctor thought it would be a good idea for me to get my stones removed. So 2 weeks after I found out I had the stones, I got an operation called ureteroscopy and had the stones removed. Now I know this blog is meant to inform people about medical conditions and not about my personal life, but I wanted to let young people know that they are at risk for illnesses, diseases, and medical conditions even at a young age. I also want to let people who have had kidney stones know that I can empathize and relate.

Kidney stones are a hard material, like a stone, made up of crystals from urine. Most kidney stones are due to an excess in calcium. Kidney stones are normally found in the kidney (obviously) but sometimes they can be found in the urinary tract. They are caused by dehydration, which usually occurs when the body is not replenished with liquids after strenuous exercise, from holding your pee for too long, or from an infection in the urinary tract. Often, kidney stones can be hereditary and white males are the most susceptible. A few symptoms that are caused by kidney stones are pain in the lower back or side (often compared to child labor), blood in urine, fever, vomiting, or burning when urinating. The most common way to get rid of kidney stones are to pass them, or pee them out. There are also surgical ways like shock waves, tunnel surgery, or using a ureteroscope. Kidney stones can help be prevented by drinking LOTS of water and limiting your amount of caffeine intake.

"Kidney Stones in Adults"
http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/stonesadults/