When Drinking Water Doesn't Work

A common scenario that a person with kidney stones would encounter is when he visits a urologist and his kidney stones are small enough to pass without surgery, then he will be advised to just drink more water. Now, I'm talking about kidney stones that are less than 3 mm in size, which are small enough to naturally pass. Knowing that all you need to do is drink more water should be good news.

However, we can not tell when the stones will actually pass. This can be inconvenient if having them comes with pain. Because of this, some would prefer to go through surgery rather than wait for the stones to pass. Also, the waiting time might be too much for some people. Passing stones can potentially take several months, up to a year. One's lifestyle can have an effect on it, though.

How much water do you need to pass kidney stones?

Based on experiences of other people, those who have small kidney stones and have already seen their doctor were recommended to consume around 3-4 Liters of water a day. Some of them were required to keep a log of their drinking and also avoid drinking coffee.

I came across someone who recommends avoiding hard water, which is the type of water that has high mineral content. He didn't explain why but I would assume that the mineral content in hard water may contribute to the formation of kidney stones. If you don't have any soft water sources, one option is to use a reverse osmosis filter.

Exercising

If you're not experiencing any pain, then it would be best to pass them as soon as you can. However, keep in mind that you shouldn't do anything too drastic as it might do more harm than good. For starters, I'd recommend these exercises. While they designed for pain management, they can assist with passing those stones due to the movement involved in the exercises. Additionally, you can also try the breathing exercise presented in the same post just to help manage any kind of pain whether it's physical or psychological.

Lemon

Those who have successfully passed their kidney stones suggest consuming lemon. They are typically served by squeezing their juice on a glass and then drinking them. If the sour flavor is too much for you, you can mix it with water.

Please, don't put sugar in the drink. According to experts, lemon juice or lemonade without sugar increases the amount of citrate in the urine which inhibits the formation of kidney stones. It doesn't guarantee that you will get the same effect if you put sugar in it.

There are other fruit juices that contain citrate including orange, grapefruit, cranberry, etc.

See a Nephrologist

If you feel that something else needs to be done aside from drinking water, you should consider getting a second opinion. One of the recommendations that I encountered is to see a Nephrologist.

People who have kidney stones typically go to a Urologist. I guess it's fine but when I look up the definition of Urology, it says that it's genitourinary surgery. According to the material, the organs included in the domain of the study and practice of Urology includes, kidneys, urinary-tract system, male reproductive organs and others. Nephrology, on the other hand, involves the study of kidneys and their health.

Considering this information, I think you'd get a closer look at what's happening to your kidneys if you visit a Nephrologist and maybe get a better recommendation.