We’ve gathered a collection of kidney stone pictures in this photo gallery. The stones include small passed stones up to large staghorn stones. Stone composition (or type) is indicated when available.
3 stone fragments that were removed during percutaneous surgery.
A 7 mm stone successfully passed by a patient. Comprised of calcium oxalate and calcium phosphate.
Fragments of an orginally 1.1 cm stone treated with laser lithotripsy and removed during ureteroscopy. Comprised of calcium oxalate.
A 1.4 cm and a 5 mm stone removed percutaneously from a kidney.
Collection of carbonate apatite stones removed percutaneously from a kidney.
2mm and 4mm uric acid stones removed with ureteroscopy.
Multiple large smooth kidney stones removed percutaneously from a single kidney. Largest stone measures 1.2 cm in size. Analysis demonstrated 70% calcium oxalate monohydrate and 30% calcium phosphate.
Multiple small kidney stones with the appearance of bird seed. Removed with ureteroscopy from a single kidney. Largest stone measured 4mm in size. Analysis demonstrated 85% calcium oxalate monohydrate and 15% calcium phosphate.
File photo of large bladder stones removed by open incision. These have a “jackstone” appearance.
File photo of a large “staghorn” kidney stone removed intact by open surgery. The various parts of this stone fill up an entire kidney’s central collecting system, giving it a characteristic shape appearing similar to a deer’s antlers. Stones this size are not commonly seen intact anymore as most are now treated percutaneously and broken up before being removed.
File photo of another large “staghorn” stone removed by open surgery.
Hi, im Paula, i had 2 kidney surgeries in March, one on the 2nd of March, one on the 22, i had so many kidney stones on both kidneys, huge huge to medium size to smaller ones that i passed @ home, while in the shower, i was in excruciating pain the night b4, i said if this is what labor pains feel like, i’m glad i never had kids!! After i passed the tiny stones, i felt good, i ran some errands, came home and started running a high fever, it got up to 104.7, i was delerious, but remembered my nurses training, and applied cold compresses, all over my body, by morning, it was normal the top of my head felt tender and sore, i was supposed to work till the end of Febuary, but got sick on the 8 th , i was off a total of 9 weeks, my 2nd recovery was bad, it took almost 2 months, untill i felt totally well, my hair fell out, for months, and the anesthetic, made more than deathly ill, i had A LITHOSCOPY, MY LATEST LABS SHOW CLOUDY URINE MODERATE BLOOD IN URINE, AND YELLOW URINE, i’m wondering if they are coming back, i have a little burning when i pee, i have to see my urologist after the year, my vaginal cream may be the culprit on some of these things, we shall see, i’m going to start drinking Apple Cider Vinegar, and as MUCH WATER AS I CAN TOLERATE DAILY… They almost always come back..
Hi, im Paula, i had 2 kidney surgeries in March, one on the 2nd of March, one on the 22, i had so many kidney stones on both kidneys, huge huge to medium size to smaller ones that i passed @ home, while in the shower, i was in excruciating pain the night b4, i said if this is what labor pains feel like, i’m glad i never had kids!! After i passed the tiny stones, i felt good, i ran some errands, came home and started running a high fever, it got up to 104.7, i was delerious, but remembered my nurses training, and applied cold compresses, all over my body, by morning, it was normal the top of my head felt tender and sore, i was supposed to work till the end of Febuary, but got sick on the 8 th , i was off a total of 9 weeks, my 2nd recovery was bad, it took almost 2 months, untill i felt totally well, my hair fell out, for months, and the anesthetic, made more than deathly ill, i had A LITHOSCOPY, MY LATEST LABS SHOW CLOUDY URINE MODERATE BLOOD IN URINE, AND YELLOW URINE, i’m wondering if they are coming back, i have a little burning when i pee, i have to see my urologist after the year, my vaginal cream may be the culprit on some of these things, we shall see, i’m going to start drinking Apple Cider, and as MUCH WATER AS I CAN TOLERATE DAILY… They almost always come back..
Ive had/passed kidney stones, some pretty big but the pain isn’t comparable to childbirth. I’ve had 3 children all natural without an epidural and it is the worst pain. I’m unable to compare it to anything because there’s nothing that I’ve ever been through that compares to it. Lol
I just found out yesterday that i have a 7mm stone that im getting ready to pass. Yee haw I’m definitely NOT looking forward to it. It is a very painful experience for sure!
Sir,whether undergoing lithotripsy repeatedly for the removal of kidney stone affects the functioning of the kidneys.I have already undergone LT twice but again kidney stone size is 13mm.Kindly guide.
Awaiting surgery to remove a 34 mm stone completely blocking my ureter.
Last year I had a 13mm kidney stone that had to be removed by surgery. I recently had not been feeling well & had similar symptoms I had experienced from my previous with kidney stones. I started drinking Braggs vinegar, which is a raw unfiltered vinegar. I had only been drinking it for a few weeks & I passed a stone. I do believe that by drinking a lot of water & drinking unfiltered vinegar it cleansed my system & allowed that stone to pass. I drink a shot of chilled unfiltered vinegar everyday now. It isn’t the best tasting, but it’s better than having surgery!
I have had two kidney stones. The first one was 13mm & I had to have surgery to remove it. Now another one a year later, I started having similar symptoms from when I had the first stone. I started drinking Braggs vinegar which is an unpasteurized raw unfiltered vinegar. I had only been drinking a tablespoon daily for a couple of weeks & I passed another kidney stone. I do believe that by drinking that vinegar it cleansed me enough to pass the stone. It tastes terrible! But between drinking a lot of water & the vinegar i am going to continue my daily routine of drinking chilled Unfiltered vinegar.
I have 33*32 mm stone… Can pass through urine?
The doctor said i have a 2.3 cm stone this has me farley concerned because i didnt know that could be that big … Is there a chance in hell i can pass that on my own or that he is wrong??
Nina, there is totally no chance that you can pass that stone. the Urologist is likely to break it up using shock waves or other techniques probably over two procedures. Done under GA. Dosnt hurt although you will probably have stents to allow the stone debris to pass over a few weeks. I had two, one in each kidney that were 3 cms each.
I have a 7mm stone and I am waiting for a surgeon, they said I can’t pass it. I’m in so much pain, my left kidney hurts, nauseated, chills and my P was rusty brown. Everything I can’t eat anything without being in pain. Waiting on the surgeon to get back to me, been sick 3 days now.
Drink freshly squeezed Limon juice i had stones the other day i was in really bad pain and now there gone thanks to the juce
Hope you are feeling better now.
what was treatment done for you?
I have kidney stones so would like to know.
I got pain in right kidney last night and I immediately recognized that this is due to a stone coz it had happened me 5 years ago. The first home based remedy was that I drank a glass of warm water mixed with lemon juice and equal parts of extra virgin olive oil. I kept drinking normal water thereafter. The pain was not easing down so I decided to go in an emergency ward in a hospital where I was given painkiller. On the next morning they did my CAT scan and found a stone in my bladder which was 5mm in size. They said its a good thing that it is already in the bladder and very close to passing out through urinating. I kept drinking water throughout the whole day and while I was urinating it came out suddenly but I did not feel any pain.
I’m 61 and started having stones 4 years ago. This pain is like nothing you have experienced before. I passed several that were 2 – 5 mms. I woke up one night with the worst pain ever. I was sweating profusely and had chills and was vomiting. I went to the emergency room and they called my urologist and she had them do a cat scan on me. Test found I had a11 mm stone. They did surgery and the stone looked like a sand burr. Tests showed I had three more stones that measured 3,5 and7 mm and I’m still waiting to pass them. I feel for all of you experiencing kidney stones for this is something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.
Tommy, I can empathize. I’m 61 and have have 5 episodes over 25 years. Oh my, do they hurt. Just passed one that 6-7 cm. Hang in there…”better out than in” they say.
Sorry, I believe that should mm not cm.
I have a great picture of my 10mm stone that I very painfully but successfully passed.
Would you please post a picture of your stone. Do you know what type of stone it is? How long did it take for you to pass the stone?
I have a 4mm stone that has not passed in almost 4wks now. Had a 2mm in June that gave me no issues. Can the pain from the stones also present itself as a back strain? Went to the er today and was told the stone shouldn’t be giving me this much pain but the same er told me the 4mm is very painful just 3 weeks ago when they found it. Very confused and in serious pain
When I was first told that I had a 5mm stone which was my 3 time having stones. It took 3 1/2 months to pass it. I was in the ER every other week with pain. I had a cystoscopy to attempt to remove the stone which was unsuccessful. They put a stent in because my ureter is displaced. But when I did finally pass it. I measured it at 10x5mm.
My kidney stones always start out as a stomach ache and the pain eventually, travels to the left or right side of my lower back. I passed two stones today that were 6mm and 8mm in size. They were spiky and sharp stones probably made up of uric acid. When you decide to pass the stones you need to prepare yourself for the pain, medication, treatment, and posture you need to pass the stone(s). The pain lasted about four weeks ranging from level 2 to level 8.
My recommendations: 1) reduce food intake until you decide you want to try and pass the stones and take pain relievers, muscle relaxants especially for your ureters, and possible antibiotics for possible urinary infections because of damage caused by the passing of the stones.
2) When you decide to pass the stones prep all medications you will need especially Percocet and ice packs for the back pain. Lying down on a cold stone floor with an ice pack will feel far better than medication that will no longer work in the long run if you keep using them. Passing the stone is best when you are standing up in the shower or walking back and forth in the bathroom area. Body movement will help pass the stone better than just lying in bed. You also need to drink enough water to pass the stone while at a level of pain you can tolerate. Be prepared for a high pain level when the stones pass through the penis.
3) Preparing stone removal or preventing stones, you should reduce the food items that often promote stones such as sodas, teas, beans, and food that makes your blood system more acidic. Drinking coffee, water, apple cider vinegar (with the mother) in water and eating food that will promote a more pH basic in your blood stream may reduce stone formation. You may want to consider potassium citrate pills to lower the chance of stone formation. They are far cheaper to get outside the country.
Hope this helps – good luck.
Suffered the sharp pains in my left side for the longest. Next day it had made it to my abdomen. Third day finally went to ER where I was told i was passing a 8mm stone. Which had made it’s way to my bladder. Along with that a pancresse infection. The pain intensed over the next 4 days. Finally at the end of the week frustrated with all the pain and suffering. I drank water all day none stop. That night while passing urine the flow stop. I took a deep breath and pushed hard… Out popped this huge black jagged rock with a thud so hard when it landed. Unbelievable! I was so relieved. I bit sore and beyond ready for a uriologist check up to see if there are any more of these stones inside me. 🤒😷
My pain is always on my right side from my ribs to my hip. Just tart cherry juice dissolves kidney stones so you don’t need to get drugged up!!! I passed one this morning & only took ibuprofen. They can all act different & be extremely painful! My last two had me throwing up several times within a half hour of the pain coming on. I couldn’t even walk.
I have a 7mm stone will it pass or will I need to have a treatment to break it up.
Yes even 2.49 cm kidney stone can be diluted throug herbal medicine
What forms of over the counter herbal medicines if any have you found to successfully help dilute kidney stones?
Can you please give me information on what kind of herbal treatment! Thanks in advance;
I have 1.4 cm kidney stone . I want to remove my kidney stone with Herbal medicine s. but what are the herbal medicines ,could you please tell me.
I dont want to go surgery
i am from india. we use banana tree stem which is round sized after removing the outer skin. This has very high fiber content and you can cut the stem in to small pieces and have it crushed in crusher in to juice and take every day with two liters of water to be taken in the morning in just one hour time in empty stomach. if you continue to do this for a weeks time, stone will go away through urine. This is the traditional method being followed by ancestors over many many years ago which is proven. just banana tree plant round sized stem in which you can find the stem of fiber inside.
What is a banana tree stem round sized? Is this from a small banana tree? or just part of a branch? Where can I find this to purchase some??
I passed a 1.2 stone thru exercise and lemon juice virgin olive oil and 1.5 gallons of water per day
I have been diagnosed with multiple kidney stones, the biggest measure 0.97×0.83 cm in the leftside kidney. Do I require surgery to remove this stones.
Alex karanja
Kenya
is 12 mm stone can be cured aur we need to operate this, also laser treatment can be effective for this.
I have a 13 x 8 kidney stone. Can’t see the urologist til Friday. Will this stone have to be surgically removed?
If you can’t pass the stone, if the doctor can locate the stone then using shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) is the most common treatment. The stone will be broken into parts that you may be able to pass through your body but it may still be extremely painful due to the passage may cause injury to the urinary tract as the stones pass by. Since I believe your stone is too big to pass through the ureters and urethra without breaking up before travel.
I have a 13 x 8 stone. Is this considered extremly large?
big enough for a procedure – mine’s last measurement was 12x4mm and requires lithotripsy
I’ve been passing stones since I was16 years old.anywhere from 2 or 3 a month up to 4 or 5 a week. I am now 42 years old. I found a urologist that does a scope and goes in and removes stones in the kidney. Well he won’t even talk to me until I get a CTscan which I have no problem with doing … But I have Medicaid and they won’t approve it , until a ultrasound and a exploratory surgery are done to show cause for the ct scan. So the doctor won’t see me to discuss the procedure without the ct and Medicaid won’t approve the ct until the ultrasound and exploratory surgery is done . REALLY COME ON. I’m still trying to figure that one out. They won’t approve a ct scan but they will approve surgery to show cause for them to approve the ct.
Have a 5mm stone drinking plenty of water but can’t seem to pass through
I just passed a stone that is 7mm. It took about 7 weeks to pass. I began getting concerned. Make sure you can urinate. A blockage will cause serious side effects that need immediate attention. Good luck!
I have a 7mm stone now. Was you hospitalized with yours?
Try cranberry juice and plenty of coffee
Really? My urologist told me to avoid cranberry juice because of the high sugar content and to avoid coffee because of dehydration. He recommended fresh squeezed lemon juice and water.
Had a 12 mm stone which had to be surgically removed. The doctors first placed a stent to remove the blockage which was caused by the stone (Surgery #1) A week later had surgery #2 to remove the stone since we discovered the stone was a lot bigger than they were thinking.
I was having symptoms in the beginning (vomiting, fever) which was over a month ago but did not relate them to a kidney stone. Thought it was stomach bug. The back pain I thought was pulled muscle which I took Tylenol. This was first kidney stone.
Kidney stones feel like a heavy (bloated) feeling in the abdomen then it turns into a stomach ache that eventually moves left or right to the lower back area. You will also feel hot and may think you have a fever. That is the body trying to remove water from your body by sweating because the kidney is blocked and water can’t get out of your system through at least one of your kidneys. Find out what foods promoted the stone and consume less of those items in the future also drink a lot of water when you eat those items too. Simply drinking water while you are eating stone forming food will reduce your chances of forming stones.
One time I urinate and to Gray balls came out in my urine are those kidney stones
Michelle, I’ve also had round ones that appeared to be black. Good luck!
I passed a 6mm X 2mm stone that had moved down to the top of my bladder. Took .4mg Tamsulosin/Flowmax daily, and AOR Classic Series herb Chanca Piedra (stone breaker) 500mg 2 pills 4-6 times/day. Also lemon juice and Braggs Vinegar (with mother) 2 tbls in water 3 times per day … took 6 days. Felt like the stone broke up a bit and seemed to be coated and not too sharp (chanca piedra maybe coated it?). I think the vinegar helped too … google this info and decide … good luck
I HAVE A VERY SMALL BROWN ABOUT THE SIZE OF A SMALL PEA….I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A PICTURE OF THIS TYPE…..
I have a 6.3 mm stone on my left kidney. I was diagnoses of it 2 months ago. Will it pass…i have no pain in my back. Now after one month my urine has become dark…deep yellow. What could be the reason for dark urin
You need to see a Urologist.Today i had a 10mm.stone . They used a Laser to blast it,am home now,will see what happens next. So glad thy found it,was having vomiting & diarhia(sp),getting de-hydrated etc.Had to go to Hosp.to get re-hydrated.Hope I feel better soon. good luck.
6.3mm is typically not passable. Stones less than 5mm usually are. Blood in your urine /could/ be the reason, but may have to do with certain dietary factors. It doesn’t have to be crimson red to contain blood. Regardless, make an appointment with your urologist at your earliest convenience. Nip it in the bud because you don’t want to have to deal with a 6.3mm stone that gets jammed at the end of your ureter. It’s super painful and if lithotripsy won’t work (some stones are more difficult to break), ureteroscopy is often the procedure recommended.