When a stone strikes
Stone pain is sudden, severe, and usually one-sided — flank or lower abdomen, sometimes with nausea or blood in the urine. Many stones pass on their own with the right support; some need to be removed.
If you are in severe uncontrolled pain, have a fever with stone symptoms, or cannot keep fluids down, go to the emergency room — those symptoms can signal infection behind a blockage, which is urgent. For everything short of that, call us: stone patients are worked into the schedule promptly.
How we treat stones
Treatment depends on the stone's size, position, and behavior. Options at UACC include supported observation while a stone passes, medications that help it along, and surgical removal when needed — including laser stone surgery through natural pathways, with no incision.
Preventing the next one
Roughly half the battle with stones is recurrence. After the acute episode, we offer a metabolic evaluation — lab work through our on-site laboratory, a review of diet and medications — and build a concrete prevention plan, not just a suggestion to drink more water.