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On Seeing a Urologist
Yesterday, I went in for a checkup with my urologist. After the last time I got kidney stones, I started seeing a urologist annually. Mine is actually quite knowledgeable about SMA, and he sees another friend of mine who also has Type II.
As it turns out, I still have a small stone in me that’s been there for well over a year. My urologist said that it hasn’t moved and isn’t in a dangerous spot that could cause pain or complications. He said that it could potentially remain there for the rest of my life, but that there’s no need for surgery or anything as long as it’s not disruptive. He said that this is often the case with stones that are extremely small.
Do any of you see a urologist? I know it can be one more thing to add to your schedule, but I find it helpful. This way, if I do have another stone or some other urinary issue, I can go straight to this guy.
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10 Replies
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I began seeing a urologist on a regular basis about 30-something years ago due to an onslaught of kidney stone issues. I’m so thankful today that I kept him in my Legion of Med Superheroes! When I found out about suprapubic catheters (SPC’s), all I had to do was make a little visit to my friendly kidney doc & we were off and running. I love being able to call him if I have a kidney, bladder, urinary tract infection and get an antibiotic ASAP. It’s saved many headaches of always having to explain what’s wrong with me, what I can & can’t do or take, & what kind of treatment has already been done.
I would recommend to anyone that they definitely need a urologist in their Legion!
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I agree completely. Yes, it’s one more thing to add to the list, but having a urologist helps tremendously.
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I go urologist only when I have pains,I have luck that I have sand,not stones.When I had first time problems with kidneys I went to urologist and gave me good pills,that I even now use sometimes and thank God I haven t any kidneys problems.
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That’s good. Hopefully you won’t ever have to deal with kidney stones!
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This is my first post so hello to all! My name is Lisa Karczewski. I’m 43 years old and have SMA type 3. I lost my ability to walk/stand 10 years ago after I fell and broke my left tibia bone. I use a motorized scooter full time and transfer from one place to another. Anyhoo, about three years ago I had a suprapubic catheter put in. It was getting too difficult and way too time consuming for me to have to transfer on and off the toilet every time I had to pee. Getting the catheter put it was a great move for me and ended up saving me so much time, effort and embarassment. The only problem is that I have a constant UTI. As soon as I take an antibiotic to clear it up, it immediately comes back. My urologist prescribed Uribel to treat the UTI pain and frequency and told me to drink a lot of water and cranberry juice and also take a probiotic. Does anyone have any experience with Uribel or any other tips to deal with UTI’s?
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Hi Lisa, welcome to the forums. Unfortunately I don’t have experience with SPC’s or UTI’s, so can’t be of much help. I know SPC’s are quite common among the SMA community, so hopefully someone can chime in. Sounds like you’re being proactive though, so that’s a good thing.
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Thanks for sharing Lisa. And welcome!
I have limited experiences with internal catheters, but I wear an external one. I’ve been catheterized in the hospital before, and I did have a bad reaction to an antibiotic one time that they tried to use for what they thought was a urinary infection. Gotta love it when one medical issue turns into another!
I do hope you’re able to resolve this issue. A couple other drinks my urologist recommended as alternatives to dark sodas were lemonade and diet orange soda. It was interesting, but that’s what he said at my last appointment.
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Hey Lisa! Welcome to the forum, and thanks for telling us about yourself. It’s always great to hear from newcomers and to have one more person on here who can share from their own experiences. As you will see, we all have unique lives but share a common bond in dealing with SMA.
I am 55 years old with SMA type II, and I’ve had my SPC for 18 months. It was the best decision I ever made. I actually went to my urologist and requested it because I was struggling with ongoing UTIs. After the initial problem associated with a UTI that developed from some nasty antibiotic resistant bacteria, I have had no more infections and no problems at all with it. My UTIs had gotten so bad before the SPC that my urologist had put me on an antibiotic prophylactically, which wasn’t really doing the job. I have been infection free now for 9 months!
I will tell you that I tried a med similar to Uribel, but it didn’t fix the problem. Have you had your urologist do a full culture on a urine sample to see which bacteria you are growing? That may be beneficial because you may not be getting the right treatment for it. I ended up having to be on IV antibiotics for 8 weeks before we finally got rid of all of it. Much like Kevin, my urologists over the years have told me that caffeine (especially from tea & dark sodas) can cause problems with your kidneys. I also have had many, many kidney stones, but no more of those in 4 years due to my complete abstinence from these drinks. It was super hard at first, but now I don’t even miss them. I do still eat plenty of chocolate because I can’t kick that habit. A girl has to have some vices!
One thing I did find before I got my SPC that helped with my infections was a supplement called D-mannose. I got mine off Amazon in powder form, but they also have pills if you can swallow them. Cranberry juice is of course a great juice for your kidneys, and those come in pill form as well. I understand your frustration with getting recurrent infections, and I sympathize greatly with you. If your doctor hasn’t checked which bacteria it is, that could be the next step for you. If he has, just keep trying everything until you get the right combination. You can always vent on here if you need to. Sometimes it can make the world of difference to know there are people who understand what you’re going through!
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I never used chateter,but i must take care if I want to urinate good,I must do it often.It is easier when I haven t big pressure down there.
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Hey everyone, here’s my column about this topic: https://smanewstoday.com/2018/11/13/sma-kidney-stones-realistic-risk-visit-urologist/?amp.
Great discussion here! Thanks to everyone for sharing your perspectives.
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