You may or may not have pain from kidney and bladder stones, but it is important for your overall health to get treatment. Blessing’s urology specialists have extensive experience in diagnosing and treating bladder and kidney stones.

What to Know About Kidney and Bladder Stones

  • Small vs. large stones: Very small kidney and bladder stones may pass without you having to do anything. Larger stones may be difficult or impossible to pass and need immediate treatment.

  • Kidney stone symptoms: If a kidney stone becomes stuck in your urethra or ureter, it can block your flow of urine. You may experience back pain, fever and chills and notice blood in your urine.

  • Bladder stone symptoms: If a bladder stone cannot pass, it can cause urinary problems. These symptoms include a need to urinate frequently, painful urination or blood in the urine.

  • Risk factors: If you have had one kidney or bladder stone, you are at risk for having more. Urinary tract infections and an enlarged prostate can also increase your risk. Your doctor can tell you ways to reduce your risk for developing more stones.

Experience the Blessing Difference: Treating Kidney and Bladder Stones

We see many men and women with kidney stones and bladder stones and treat the conditions in a variety of ways. We offer:

  • Quick diagnosis: We usually diagnose stones with a CT scan, which gives us a detailed picture of your kidneys and bladder and shows us where the stone is. We may do other types of imaging as well.

  • Latest treatment for kidney and bladder stones: The majority of stones pass on their own. For larger stones, you may need treatment, including:

    • Medicine: We may be able to prescribe medications to dissolve the stone.

    • Shock wave lithotripsy: An alternative to surgery, this treatment uses targeted shock waves to dissolve the stone into tiny pieces that you can pass. For most patients, the recovery is very quick.

    • Laser lithotripsy: A minimally-invasive surgical procedure, laser lithotripsy involves using a ureteroscope, a thin, hollow tube. The doctor inserts this tube into the urethra, finds the stone and then sends a laser beam through it to break up the stone.

  • Expert care: When you come to Blessing, you get expert care, close to home. We are led by a fellowship-trained urologist. Fellowship training means years of additional, specialized training in urology.

Contact Us

To schedule an appointment with a Blessing urologist or refer a patient, please call (217) 214-3460.