Kidney Stone Treatment in San Angelo

Relieving Your Pain with Expert Care

A kidney stone is a hard deposit that forms in the kidneys that is painful to pass. They are made up of minerals and acid salts that coalesce in the urine. As the stones move into the ureters, which are the tubes that allow urine to pass from the kidneys to the bladder, symptoms can include pain, nausea, vomiting, fever, chills, and blood in the urine. Oftentimes, kidney stones pass on their own without any medical intervention. Patients typically begin to experience symptoms when kidney stones are left untreated, become worse, and become infected. For kidney stone treatment, you should visit the emergency room immediately if you are experiencing any of the following symptoms:

• A fever higher than 101.5 degrees Fahrenheit
• Cloudy or odorous urine
• A burning sensation during urination
• Severe pain in the kidney or bladder area
• Co-existing conditions that might make it more difficult to pass a kidney stone such as diabetes or impaired kidney function

Premier Kidney Stone Diagnosis Services

Before we can begin treatment, we must first determine if your pain is caused by kidney stones or another medical issue. The fact that we have access to the necessary tools for diagnoses is a major reason to visit our center. The last thing you want to do is leave a potentially dangerous issue untreated and allow it to develop. When you visit our center suspecting the presence of kidney stones, we will want to learn a bit about your medical history to determine if you are likely to develop kidney stones. We might ask if you have a family history of kidney stones as well as some basic questions about your lifestyle. Please remember that our facility is a judgment-free zone, and we are only asking these questions so that we can understand more about you and get you on the most successful road to healing possible. If we think it is appropriate to test for kidney stones, we can use the following methods to do so:

• Lab test

We are fortunate to have a full in-house laboratory at Concho Valley ER. At our lab, we can perform a urinalysis, in which we take a sample of your urine. We can use these tests to determine if your urine contains high concentrations of the minerals that form kidney stones. We can also perform a blood test, which will test these levels in your blood.

• Imaging test

We also have access to state-of-the-art technology that allows us to gain important insight into the state of your kidneys. For example, our abdominal X-rays can identify a kidney stone in the urinary tract and show its location. In addition, our CT scans can be used to create images of the urinary tract. This can also show the severity and location of the kidney stone and give us important information as to whether the stone is blocking the urinary tract and what conditions might have led to the kidney stone in the first place.

Comprehensive Kidney Stone Treatment Options in San Angelo

Once we determine that kidney stones are indeed the source of your pain, we will begin with treatment. The exact treatment method will depend on the needs of the patient and the severity of their condition. When it comes to kidney stones, our goal will always be to help the patient pass them in the most painless and effective way possible. In general, there are three primary ways to treat kidney stones:

• Allowing the stone to pass on its own
• Performing surgery to treat or remove the stone in severe cases
• Prescribing medications to help the stone pass

If you are experiencing pain related to kidney stones in San Angelo, Texas, make a visit to CVER. If you have other questions regarding our treatment process.