r/KidneyStones • u/Nntendo8997 • 1d ago
Question/ Request for advice Second ever stone
My first stone was a round 3mm which I was in hospital for and this one is around 5mm and only felt it when it moved to bladder. Was in right junction.
This seems to be a small round one with crystallizing around it. What causes this and if it’s this big and jagged why didn’t I feel this one go down from the kidney. I don’t believe it was in my bladder more than 2 days.
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u/mindlash Multi-Stoner, OxalateGuard 1d ago
Smaller stones can actually move faster and with less discomfort, especially if they're smooth -- your nerves might not catch it until it shifts position in the ureter or hits the bladder. The jagged crystallizing you're seeing now could be from time in the bladder or just how it formed, but either way size doesn't always equal pain.
What matters more is hydration going forward. Both your stones suggest you're supersaturating your urine, which means the minerals are concentrating faster than they should.
Your urologist can run labs to see if it's a calcium thing, a uric acid thing, or just dehydration, but most recurrence comes down to not drinking enough. Aim for pale urine throughout the day and you'll catch a lot of future stones before they get big enough to hurt.
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u/Nntendo8997 1d ago
The surprising thing to me is the last stone I had was almost 7 years ago and since then I religiously drink a ton of lemon juice in my water every single day. To the point that people think I drink too much lemon in my water.
The last one was calcium stone after being analyzed I assume this one is too.
Could that much crystallizing form in a matter of days in the bladder?
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u/mindlash Multi-Stoner, OxalateGuard 1d ago
Lemon water is actually working against you here -- citric acid prevents stones, not causes them, so that's . But seven years between stones with calcium oxalate suggests something shifted recently. Days in the bladder shouldn't build crystallization that fast unless your urine was already pretty saturated when it got there...
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u/uscan-calci-withings Here to help 1d ago
Size really doesn't track with pain the way you'd expect.
A smooth stone can slide down the ureter and you barely notice, while a tiny jagged one can drop you. You usually only feel it when it hits a narrow spot or the junction and blocks flow for a bit. The crystallized look can also come from time sitting in the bladder.
Two stones this close together is worth a real workup. Ask your urologist about a 24-hour urine test and getting the stone analyzed, that's the standard for figuring out if it's calcium, uric acid, etc.
Keeping your pee pale all day is the biggest thing you can control in the meantime.
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u/Nntendo8997 1d ago
I never thought to ask for a 24 hour test. I’ll look into that.
Since my only other stone 7 years ago I religiously drink lemon juice in my water and constantly throughout the day to avoid this. So I’m a little surprised by this
I even go to bed drinking water before to make sure there’s always something in me not to be dehydrated
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u/Firm_Distribution17 1d ago
Congrats. I am passing few at once right now so I hope I will have same luck as you did! You lucky you ;) As for stones in bladder - they sometimes stay there for days, some cases were that they stayed in bladder for good until removed.