What can you eat with urethral stones?

Written by Guan Hai Fang
Urology
Updated on September 18, 2024
00:00
00:00

It is recommended that patients eat more diuretic foods and fruits, such as apples, pears, peaches, oranges, and especially watermelon, which can produce a large amount of urine, flush the urethra, and possibly carry out small stones. Also, it is important to drink plenty of water every day, more than two liters, especially before going to bed—at least 500 milliliters—so that the urine volume is greater the next morning, making it easier to flush out the stones. Furthermore, patients are advised not to eat spicy and irritating foods, not to drink alcohol, especially strong spirits, and not to eat seafood, as urinary stones can easily lead to symptoms of urinary infection, and consuming these spicy and irritating foods can worsen the symptoms of infection.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Wang Shuai
Urology
58sec home-news-image

Urinary tract stone symptoms

The symptoms of urethral stones and the size of the stones, as well as their position within the urethra, are directly related. If the urethral stone is relatively small, patients may not experience any discomfort symptoms. By drinking more water and urinating frequently, the stone can be expelled from the body. If the stone is large and causes obstruction in the urethra, it will lead to noticeable symptoms such as urinary obstruction, frequent urination, urgency, and pain during urination. If the stone damages the urethral mucosa, there may also be symptoms of hematuria. If the stone completely blocks the urethra, it will cause urinary retention, and the patient will have significant difficulty urinating. For larger urethral stones, it is necessary to conduct timely ultrasound, CT, and other examinations to determine the specific location of the stone. Appropriate surgical treatments are then selected to crush and expel the stone from the body.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Wang Shuai
Urology
52sec home-news-image

What should I do about urethral stone pain?

Urethral stones can easily irritate the urethral mucosa, causing urethral pain which intensifies during urination. Some patients may also experience significant urinary obstruction and urinary retention. In such cases, it is crucial to visit the hospital's urology department promptly for examinations such as ultrasonography and CT scans to determine the exact location and size of the stone for appropriate treatment. If the pain is severe, pain relief medication can be used initially before addressing the stone. If the stone is relatively small, drinking plenty of water and frequent urination can help expel the stone from the body. If the stone is large, timely surgical intervention is necessary to break and remove the stone. Only by removing the stone can the root cause of the pain be fundamentally resolved.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Wang Shuai
Urology
54sec home-news-image

Can urethral stones cause urgent urination?

Urethral stones can cause symptoms of urinary urgency because the stones stimulate the urethra, causing urgency. In addition to urgency, symptoms include frequent urination and painful urination, and in severe cases, blood in the urine may occur. If the stone is relatively large, it can block the urethra, leading to symptoms of urinary retention. If suffering from urethral stones, it is necessary to go to the hospital's urology department for ultrasound and CT scans of the urinary system to understand the specific size and location of the stones in the urethra, and to carry out targeted treatment. If the stones are small, they can be expelled from the body by drinking more water and urinating frequently, relying on the flushing action of the urine. If the stones are large, it is recommended to undergo surgery as soon as possible.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Wang Shuai
Urology
48sec home-news-image

What should I do about the stabbing pain from a urethral stone?

Urethral stones can cause urethral pain, painful urination, and even a feeling of urinary blockage, with severe cases leading to urinary retention. For urethral pain caused by stones, it is first necessary to examine the specific size and location of the stone within the urethra. If it is a small stone in the anterior urethra, it is advised to drink more water and urinate frequently to flush the stone out of the body with the flow of urine. If the stone is large and becomes lodged in the urethra, or even completely blocks the passage, causing urinary retention, it is recommended to undergo surgery as soon as possible. The stone should be crushed and expelled from the body, with a catheter left in place after surgery. The patient can usually be discharged from the hospital within three to five days.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Sun Chun
Urology
1min 53sec home-news-image

How to check for urethral stones

Urethral stone examinations are primarily divided into the following areas: Firstly, the physical examination provided by the clinical doctor which checks for urethral stones can be categorized into anterior and posterior urethral stones. For anterior urethral stones, one can feel a hard nodule inside the urethra with their hand. Combined with specific symptoms, such as sudden stabbing pain during urination or a sudden inability to urinate, and if there is a history of urinary system stones, then urethral stones might be considered. As for posterior urethral stones, they cannot be felt externally; if they are lodged at the prostate, a doctor might insert a finger into the rectum to touch the area around the prostate. If a hard nodule is felt upon pressing, then a posterior urethral stone might be considered. Secondly, a more accurate clinical exam is the plain film radiography of the urinary system, commonly known as X-rays. Generally, most stones contain calcium, and in such cases, the X-ray can reveal a hard nodule in either the posterior or anterior urethra, which can be diagnosed as urethral stones. Thirdly, the urinary system's CT scans can sometimes detect radiolucent stones, such as uric acid stones. It can also identify conditions like kidney hydronephrosis in the bladder and stones in other parts of the urinary system. If all examinations, including auxiliary checks, suggest the presence of urethral stones, treatment depends on the situation. If the anterior urethral stone is not large, stone retrieval may be performed. Posterior urethral stones are generally treated like bladder stones; after pushing them into the bladder using a cystoscope, the stones are broken down either by lithotripsy or laser.