Kidney stones
A kidney stone and one rule about fever.
Waiting out a stone can be tempting. The decision should rest on your symptoms.
Emergency department now
- Stone pain together with fever or chills
- You cannot urinate
- Bleeding that is heavy or does not stop
- Pain or vomiting you cannot control
Call the Cumming clinic
- A stone seen on an ER or urgent-care scan that has not passed
- Repeated stone episodes and you want to find out why
- Blood in the urine without the emergency signs above
- Ongoing flank discomfort that comes and goes
If the stone needs treatment
Three procedures cover most cases: shock wave lithotripsy from outside the body, ureteroscopy with a laser through the urinary tract, and PCNL through the back for very large stones. The first two are typically outpatient at the Johns Creek surgery center, while PCNL means admission to a hospital, often overnight.
Afterward, a 24-hour urine collection and blood tests can point to why the stones formed. More on kidney stones from Advanced Urology.
What a kidney stone is (Dawson County kidney stones write-up) in the terms we use (Dawson County review) in clinic
A kidney stone is a (Dawson County review) hard deposit that forms in (Dawson County readers) the kidney and can move (Dawson County kidney stones note) into the ureter, the tube (Dawson County page) that carries urine to the (Dawson County kidney stones write-up) bladder. The pain can be (Dawson County review) sudden and severe, and it (Dawson County readers) can come with nausea, blood (Dawson County kidney stones note) in the urine, or the (Dawson County page) urge to keep moving because (Dawson County kidney stones write-up) no position feels right.
Our urologists can help if (Dawson County review) a stone has already been (Dawson County readers) seen on a scan, if (Dawson County kidney stones note) you have passed stones before (Dawson County page) and recognize this pain, or (Dawson County kidney stones write-up) if a hospital emergency visit (Dawson County review) sent you home to follow (Dawson County readers) up. Dawson County visits for (Dawson County kidney stones note) this happen at the Cumming Clinic, 4150 Deputy Bill Cantrell Memorial Rd Suite 180; (Dawson County page) procedures are done at the Johns Creek surgery center.
How Advanced Urology treats a (Dawson County readers) stone that will not pass (Dawson County kidney stones note)
Shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) uses (Dawson County kidney stones note) sound waves from outside the (Dawson County page) body to break a stone. (Dawson County kidney stones write-up) Ureteroscopy uses a thin scope (Dawson County review) through the bladder and ureter (Dawson County readers) often with a laser, to (Dawson County kidney stones note) break or remove it. PCNL (Dawson County page) is used for certain larger (Dawson County kidney stones write-up) or more complex stones and (Dawson County review) is done through a small (Dawson County readers) incision in the back. Which (Dawson County kidney stones note) of those, if any, is (Dawson County page) right depends on size, location (Dawson County kidney stones write-up) and your health, and we (Dawson County review) will explain the risks of (Dawson County readers) the one we recommend.
The one emergency rule we (Dawson County readers) do not soften
A stone with a fever (Dawson County kidney stones note) or chills, or a stone (Dawson County page) with the sudden inability to (Dawson County kidney stones write-up) urinate, is an emergency. a (Dawson County review) hospital’s emergency department, or 911 (Dawson County readers) is the right next step. (Dawson County kidney stones note) Do not wait for a clinic opening (Dawson County page) in Cumming. For pain without (Dawson County kidney stones write-up) those warning signs, call 678-344-8900 (Dawson County review) and we will talk through (Dawson County readers) the next step.
What to bring after an emergency-department visit — on this Dawson County kidney stones page?
The discharge paper, the CT (Dawson County kidney stones note) report if you have it (Dawson County page) and a list of pain (Dawson County kidney stones write-up) medicines you were given. Identification (Dawson County review) and your card from your (Dawson County readers) insurer belong in the same (Dawson County kidney stones note) envelope. Our Cumming clinicians will (Dawson County page) review what was already done (Dawson County kidney stones write-up) so we are not starting (Dawson County review) from a blank page.
Will every stone need a procedure — on this Dawson County kidney stones page?
No. Some stones pass with (Dawson County kidney stones note) time, fluids, and pain control (Dawson County page) and we watch those closely. (Dawson County kidney stones write-up) A procedure is for stones (Dawson County review) that will not pass, that (Dawson County readers) are infecting the system, or (Dawson County kidney stones note) that keep coming back in (Dawson County page) a way that needs a (Dawson County kidney stones write-up) planned intervention.
Can you help me form (Dawson County readers) fewer stones later?
Yes. After the acute problem (Dawson County review) is handled, we talk about (Dawson County readers) fluids, diet in general terms (Dawson County kidney stones note) and, when it will help (Dawson County page) a metabolic work-up. We do (Dawson County kidney stones write-up) not hand out a single (Dawson County review) banned-food list for every person. (Dawson County readers)
Who does the procedure if (Dawson County page) I need one?
The urologist who sees you (Dawson County readers) in Cumming stays with the (Dawson County kidney stones note) case at Johns Creek. You (Dawson County page) are not starting over with (Dawson County kidney stones write-up) a new team on procedure (Dawson County review) day.
Three official stone videos, including (Dawson County kidney stones note) two of this group’s urologists (Dawson County page)
Doctor T. Casey McCullough and Doctor Rut Patel (Dawson County page) both appear in official Advanced (Dawson County kidney stones write-up) Urology kidney-stone videos, and a (Dawson County review) third official video explains ureteroscopy. (Dawson County readers) Use them to get your (Dawson County kidney stones note) bearings; your own stone still (Dawson County page) needs an exam and a (Dawson County kidney stones write-up) look at the scan.
A first conversation with our urologists is a short call or a booked visit away.