Yes, kidney stones can damage your kidneys, especially if they cause a blockage or an infection that isn’t treated quickly. But having kidney stones does not automatically mean your kidneys have been damaged or that you’re going to develop kidney disease. I know how frightening it can be to hear that something might be wrong with your kidneys, especially when you’ve already been through the pain of passing stones or having surgery to remove them. Many of my patients worry about what all these stones might be doing to their bodies. I want to help you understand when stones can become dangerous, what your doctor can check, and what you can do to take better care of your kidneys. Most importantly, I don’t want you worrying about something you may not fully understand.
Stones and Kidney Function
Your kidneys do a lot of important work every day. Think of them as your body’s cleaning system. They filter your blood, remove waste through your urine, and help keep the right balance of water and minerals in your body. When you develop a kidney stone, one of the biggest concerns is whether it’s getting in the way of your kidneys doing their job.
Here’s an easy way to understand it. Your kidneys make urine, and that urine travels through small tubes called ureters into your bladder. If a stone moves into one of those tubes and gets stuck, urine may have trouble flowing through. Think of it like a drain clog. When urine backs up, pressure can build inside the kidney, and if the blockage isn’t treated, it can eventually cause damage.
Now, I don’t want you thinking that every stone sitting in your kidney is hurting it. That’s simply not true. Some stones can sit in the kidney without causing problems, while others may move, grow, or eventually need treatment. This is why I always encourage my patients to understand where their stones are, how big they are, and whether their doctor is concerned about a blockage. And please don’t assume that no pain means no problem. You can have a stone that needs attention without having terrible pain. Knowing what’s happening inside your body is much better than guessing and worrying.
Warning Signs: Blockage and Infection
One of the things I really want you to understand is the difference between having a painful kidney stone and having a kidney stone that’s creating a dangerous situation. Kidney stones can cause terrible pain, and anyone who has experienced it knows just how miserable it can be. But when a stone blocks urine flow and an infection is also present, it becomes much more serious. An infected, blocked kidney is a medical emergency because the infection can spread and make you very sick.
If you’re passing a kidney stone and develop a fever, chills, vomiting, difficulty urinating, or pain that is severe and won’t improve, please seek emergency medical care. I know some of you have been through this before and think you can tough it out. I also know that nobody wants another trip to the emergency room, especially when you’ve already spent so much time and money dealing with kidney stones. But this isn’t the time to wait it out at home or assume drinking extra water will solve the problem. Your health is too important.
I’ve written more about this in my article on whether a kidney stone will pass on its own. The size and location of your stone help determine whether it might pass without a procedure, but how you’re feeling and whether your urine is flowing normally matter, too. I also want you to read my article about when to go to the ER for kidney stones and listen to our podcast episode about when to go to the hospital for a possible kidney stone. I would much rather you understand these warning signs before you’re sitting at home in pain, wondering what to do next.
What Research Says About Stones and Chronic Kidney Disease
This is the part that scares people, and I understand why. When you hear the words chronic kidney disease (CKD), you may immediately think about dialysis or your kidneys no longer working. But I want you to understand something important. Having kidney stones and having chronic kidney disease are two different things. Chronic kidney disease means your kidneys have had changes in how well they work, or other signs of kidney damage, for an extended period. It does not mean that every person with kidney disease needs dialysis, and it certainly doesn’t mean that everyone who develops kidney stones will eventually have kidney disease.
Researchers have looked at whether people who form kidney stones are more likely to develop chronic kidney disease later in life. A Mayo Clinic study found that people with a history of kidney stones had a higher risk of developing chronic kidney disease than people who had never formed stones. A study published in 2024 also found an increased risk among patients with a history of kidney stones requiring procedures. That sounds concerning, I know, but I want you to remember something important. An increased risk does not mean something is definitely going to happen to you. These studies found a connection between stones and kidney disease, but that doesn’t mean every kidney stone causes permanent damage.
We also have to remember that kidney stones aren’t the only health issue that can affect your kidneys. Diabetes, high blood pressure, and infections can be part of the picture, too. Another Mayo Clinic study looked at health conditions associated with chronic kidney disease in people who form stones. That’s why I want you and your doctor looking at your overall health, not just your kidney stones.
If you’ve had several stones over the years, I don’t want you reading this and thinking that your kidneys must be damaged. I want you asking your doctor a simple question: “How well are my kidneys working?” You deserve to understand what’s happening with your health without having to imagine the worst. And if your doctor wants to monitor your kidney function, that doesn’t automatically mean something terrible is happening. It means you’re keeping an eye on something important.
Tests Worth Asking About
If you’re worried about kidney damage, one of the best things you can do is ask your doctor to explain your kidney function tests. You don’t have to become an expert in medical terminology, and you certainly don’t have to understand every number on your lab report. But you should know whether your kidneys are doing their job and whether your doctor has noticed any changes.
Two common things you may see on your blood work are creatinine and eGFR. Creatinine is a waste product your body makes, and your kidneys normally help remove it. Your eGFR is an estimate of how well your kidneys are filtering your blood. I like to explain it this way: these tests help your doctor understand how well your kidneys are cleaning your blood. Your doctor may also check your urine or order imaging, such as an ultrasound, to see whether urine is backing up or whether stones are causing other problems. If you’ve had a blockage in the past, it’s perfectly reasonable to ask whether everything has returned to normal.
Now, I want to talk about another test that is near and dear to my heart: the 24-hour urine collection. I talk about this test constantly because it gives us so much useful information about why you’re forming stones. It’s different from the blood tests we just discussed. A 24-hour urine collection for stone prevention is not primarily measuring how well your kidneys filter blood. Instead, it helps us understand what’s happening in your urine that may be contributing to stone formation.
For example, are you making enough urine during the day? Is there too much calcium or oxalate in your urine? Is your citrate low? Citrate is a natural substance in urine that helps protect against certain kidney stones. These are the kinds of things we can learn from your collection, and they’re the things I help my patients address through diet. I explain why this test matters in my article, The Most Critical Question to Ask Your Doctor. I also have an article explaining how to complete a 24-hour urine collection, because I know the thought of collecting your urine for an entire day isn’t exactly exciting! But the information we get can be incredibly helpful when creating your prevention plan.
Please don’t be afraid to ask your doctor about these tests. You are not being difficult or questioning your doctor’s expertise. You’re simply trying to understand your own health, and I think every patient deserves that.
Why Prevention Matters
This brings me to the part of kidney stone care that I care so deeply about: prevention. I’ve been helping kidney stone patients since 1998, and I know how much these stones can affect your life. Some of you have been dealing with them for years. You’ve missed work, canceled vacations, spent nights in emergency rooms, and worried every time you feel a little pain in your back. I know some of you are even afraid to eat certain foods because you worry they’ll cause another stone. That is an exhausting way to live, and I don’t want that for you.
The good news is that you can do practical things to lower your risk of forming more stones. That’s why I teach the six goals of my Kidney Stone Diet®. We work on drinking enough fluids, lowering sodium, getting enough calcium from food, limiting added sugar, eating appropriate amounts of meat protein, and being mindful of high-oxalate foods. These aren’t goals meant to make your life miserable or leave you with nothing enjoyable to eat. They’re meant to help you make changes that fit into your real life while addressing the dietary factors that contribute to kidney stone formation.
And please remember, you don’t have to make every change overnight. I know how overwhelming it can feel when you’re first diagnosed with stones and suddenly everyone is telling you what you can and cannot eat. One person tells you to stop eating calcium, another tells you to avoid every food containing oxalate, and before you know it, you’re afraid to eat anything. That’s why I spend so much time helping my patients understand their own 24-hour urine results. Your test results can help us figure out which dietary changes matter most for you, instead of having you follow a long list of restrictions that may not even apply to your situation.
I also encourage my patients to repeat their 24-hour urine collection after they’ve made dietary changes. I want you to see whether your work is making a difference in your urine chemistry. Maybe you’ve been working hard to lower your sodium, or you’ve finally gotten into the habit of drinking enough water every day. Those are wonderful changes, but I also want you to see how your urine results respond. And if you’re struggling to figure out what to cook while following the six goals, my weekly meal plans can help you enjoy regular, satisfying food without overthinking every meal. I also tell you how much oxalate is in each meal, so you don’t have to worry!
I want to leave you with something important. Having kidney stones does not mean you’re destined to have kidney damage. But it does mean you should take your follow-up care seriously and do what you can to prevent future stones. Ask your doctor how your kidneys are functioning, understand your test results, and don’t ignore symptoms that could mean something is wrong. You don’t have to understand everything about kidney stones all at once, and you certainly don’t have to be perfect with your diet.
What I want most is for you to feel less frightened and more confident about taking care of yourself. You deserve clear answers, practical guidance, and a prevention plan you can actually live with. That’s what I hope to help you achieve.
Your friend,
Nurse Jill, LPN, CHC
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