Kidney Stone Symptoms and How to Act On It

Knowing the kidney stone symptoms is the primary step you have to make in order to prevent the eventual complications that may occur. 

Photo Credit: © Nevit Dilmen

Some of the kidney stone symptoms are:

•  pain below the ribs
• blood or cloudy urine
• nausea
• vomiting
• the urge to urinate constantly
• fever
• chills

What should you do if you notice at least two or three of these symptoms? In the first place, you should consult a specialist before doing anything else, because even though you may not be affected by kidney stone, it is better to eliminate any eventuality that might be actually harmful for you. If you do so, you will surely find further advice regarding the symptoms you are experiencing, which might be due to an urinal tract infection, or UTI, and other diseases.

Consuming many fluids should be a priority when you experience such symptoms. Your organism needs to be well hydrated and you should increase the amount of liquids you consume every day. Opt for simple beverages, like water, tea or fruit juice and give up alcohol, coffee or other store-bough drink, because they will influence the acidity of your urine and the pain you will feel is going to be worse.

Lastly, pay close attention to your calcium intake. Even though it was said that calcium might be very harmful for those people suffering from kidney stone, some studies showed that this is not actually this way and calcium might be a precious ally in this regard. Avoid any calcium supplements and try to get the necessary daily intake from more natural sources, like dairy foods and meat.

Also, avoid taking any other vitamins or supplements, such as vitamin C, which might be also very harmful for your organism. Natural sources are the best, so choose them instead of processed ones. For instance, fruits like strawberries, apples, grapefruits, oranges, lemons and limes contain vitamin C naturally, so consuming them will be a good way to keep your organism working properly and avoid the oxidization of the kidneys. Plus, this will decrease the density of the stones, which will relief the pain.

Important Things To Know About Colposcopy

The Colposcopy method is usually recommended by doctors if your PAP smear shows abnormal findings. This procedure allows your doctor to take and observation at your vulva, vagina, and cervix. Your doctor will use a colposcope to take a look at your vaginal tissue and see if there are any signs of abnormalities that may lead to any health problems like cervical cancer.

Colposcopy is mainly done to identify precancerous lesions before they fully develop. The procedure is done to prevent cancer by treating it early. The colposcope is equipped with special magnifying lenses that help the doctor thoroughly examine the cervix and the area around your vagina.

Before the procedure is scheduled, some women may feel nervous. This is quite fine but understanding the whole procedure will help you feel more comfortable and less worried. If you find yourself feeling nervous before Colposcopy, be sure to speak to someone about it.

Colposcopy is just a simple process. However, few complications happen such as pelvic pain, chills and infection. These complications rarely happen though. Patients are advised to consume foods that contain a vast amount of fluids after Colposcopy. If any you feel anything after the procedure, such as one of the symptoms mentioned, you should inform your doctor right away.

Preparing For Colposcopy

Prior to the procedure, your doctor is going to give you a few details concerning Colposcopy. She is going to address all your questions and concerns so that you’ll feel more comfortable and less worried. Should there be any more concerns that you haven’t discussed with your doctor, you should inform him/her immediately so as to make sure that you don’t feel any hesitation in doing the procedure. 

Thing you should do in preparing for the colposcopy is to avoid vaginal intercourse for a number of days before the examination, avoid using tampons for a while after the procedure, and avoid setting the colposcopy schedule at the time when you’ll have your menstrual period.

Taking Tylenol or other pain relievers before Colposcopy is fine, it can actually alleviate any uneasiness that you may feel. Better yet, consult your doctor on what is the best thing to do to help you feel relaxed during the procedure.

(Photo Credit: National Cancer Institute via Wikimedia Commons)

What Is Biopsy?

Numerous people grow anxious whenever their doctor advises them to have a biopsy. Usually, doctors do not schedule a biopsy without there being some substantial explanations for it. The biopsy process involves closely assessing samples of tissue to see if the pathologist can discover any signs of diseases. From there, doctors will be able to determine the next medical steps to take to evaluate your overall health condition.

Regardless of the fact that there are various forms of biopsy that are undertaken for specific reasons, they are commonly performed to detect cells that may cause cancer to the person. This is a critical medical procedure that helps the doctor to have a closer look of the body tissues to come up with better analysis. To state an example, if you felt an unusual lump in any part of your body, a doctor will be able to assess whether it is malignant or not through a biopsy. 

The Biopsy Procedure

The biopsy process may be undertaken in the bladder, the vulva, liver, breast or any other parts of the body. It may even be done on the bone marrow to see if it is in good condition and secretes healthy blood cells to the body. Biopsy procedures usually cause discomfort to the patient. Side effects depend on the kind of biopsy done though. Bleeding may even occur for several days after the procedure along with some pain and soreness. 

How Doctors Help You Through The Process

Before the biopsy, your doctor will discuss the whole procedure to you from the beginning to the end to give you an idea on how it will be done, possible side effects and discomforts, and how to proceed after the procedure. This will help you know what to expect about the whole process and be better prepared emotionally and psychologically. Feeling of anxiety is usually normal among patients. To help ease your situation, tell your doctor your honest feelings so that he or she will be able to understand you and relieve you of your worries. You should not be shy on how you feel about the whole thing because doctors are professionals and they fully understand your feelings. It is part of their job to make you feel comfortable as much as possible about the whole process.

Photo Credit:

By Photographer’s Mate 2nd Class Chad McNeeley (Navy News Service, 021204-N-0696M-180) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons