If you've ever experienced a kidney stone surgery, you're definitely not going to want that on your worst enemy and you're going to do anything to prevent it again. Kidney stones are more common in men than in women, and it strikes again within 10 to 15 years without precautionary measures in about half of individuals who have had one.

Let kidney stones pass

How are kidney stones formed?

Steps to bypass kidney stones

Kidney stones or renal calculi grow as other compounds, such as calcium, oxalate, and uric acid, which become too concentrated to form crystals in your kidneys. The crystals grow larger into "stones”. Approximately 80 to 85 percent of the stones in the kidneys are made of calcium. The rest are uric acid stones, which form in humans with low urine pH.

They may dislodge and pass down the ureter after stones form in the kidneys, blocking the flow of urine. The result is periods of severe pain including flank pain (pain between the stomach and back on one side of the body), sometimes with blood in the urine, nausea , and vomiting. They can cause frequent urination, bladder pressure, or groin pain as the stones pass down the ureter toward the bladder.

Kidney stones typically last for several weeks to a couple of months, depending on the number of stones and their size. Over-the-counter pain medications, such as ibuprofen ( Advil, Motrin IB), acetaminophen (Tylenol), or naproxen (Aleve), can help you manage the pain until the stones pass. Your urologist may also prescribe an alpha blocker that will relax your ureter muscles and help pass stones faster and with less pain.

If the pain becomes too intense, or if they are too large to pass, they can be surgically removed with a ureteroscopic procedure. Here, while under general anesthesia, a small endoscope (a device with a miniature video camera and instruments at the end of a long tube) is inserted into the bladder and up the ureter. A laser breaks up the stones, then removes the fragments.

While kidney stones may be common and recurring once you have them, there are simple ways to help prevent them. Here are a few methods which may help:

Drink enough water - Individuals producing 2 to 2.5 liters of urine a day are 50 percent less likely to develop kidney stones than those producing less. To produce this amount of urine, it takes about 8 to 10 8-ounce glasses (about 2 liters total) of water every day.

Avoid foods that are rich in oxalates - Such foods, including spinach, beets, and almonds, obviously increase levels of oxalates in the body. Yet small levels of low-oxalate foods, including chocolate and berries, are all right.

Treat yourself some lemons - Citrate is a citric acid salt, binds to calcium, and helps block the formation of stones. Studies have also shown that drinking 1⁄2 cup of lemon juice concentrate diluted daily in water, or two lemon juice, will increase urine citrate and reduce the risk of kidney stones.

Watch out sodium intake - A high-sodium diet can trigger kidney stones, as it increases your urine's calcium content. Federal guidelines recommend that total daily sodium consumption should be limited to 2.300 milligrams (mg). If sodium has in the past contributed to kidney stones, try lowering your daily sodium to 1,500 mg.

Cut back on meat protein - Eating too much animal protein, like meat, eggs, and seafood, will boost uric acid levels. If you're susceptible to stones, limit your average intake of meat to an amount that's no greater than a pack of cards to play.