Do I Have Bladder Stones?

Are you a man over 50?

Do you have a burning sensation, pain or discomfort during urination?

Do you have strong, frequent urges to urinate?

Do you have trouble starting a stream during urination?

Do you have an interrupted urine stream (stop-start flow)?

Do you have urinary incontinence (loss of bladder control)?

Do you have cloudy or abnormally dark urine?

Do you have blood in your urine?

If you are a man, do you have discomfort or pain in your genital area?

Do you have pain in your lower abdomen or in the back or hips?

Do you have chills and fever?

If you are a man do you have an enlarged prostate (benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH)?

Do you have Parkinson's disease, diabetes, a herniated disk or have you had a stroke or a spinal cord injury?

Based on your answers it is unlikely that you have bladder stones. Bladder stones are small, hard masses of minerals in your bladder usually caused by incomplete emptying of the bladder. Bladder stones can also be caused by an underlining condition such as enlarged prostate in men. You can decrease your risk of bladder stones by drinking a lot of fluids, especially water. Liquids have the ability to dilute the concentration of minerals in your bladder. Talk to your doctor about the appropriate amount of daily fluids for you or any unusual urinary symptoms.

Based on your answers there is a possibility that you have bladder stones. Bladder stones are masses of minerals in your bladder. When you have trouble completely emptying your bladder, the urine in the bladder becomes concentrated. The minerals in concentrated urine crystallize forming the stones. Sometimes bladder stones do not cause problems no matter how big they are. Increased fluid intake can help you to pass a small stone naturally but in most cases people need to have their stones removed. Early diagnosis and treatment are very important because bladder stones may lead to infections and other complications.

Based on your answers there is a high possibility that you have bladder stones. Bladder stones are hard lumps of minerals inside your bladder. This condition mostly affects older men, while women rarely have bladder stones. The number and shape of stones in your bladder can be various; sometimes a group of stones will form and in other cases just one stone. If a bladder stone irritates the wall of the bladder or blocks the flow of urine it can cause serious complications such as chronic bladder problems or urinary tract infections. Large bladder stones need to be treated by breaking them up or removing them by surgery.