Healthcare provider’s assessment

When you visit your healthcare provider for kidney stones, they may:

• Ask about your pain level and symptoms (pain and symptom assessment)
• Ask how much and what kind of fluid you drink (fluid intake assessment)

Things to watch for (symptoms of concern)

Contact your healthcare team if you have:

• fever
• blood in your urine
• increasing pain that is not getting better with medicine
• nausea and vomiting
• trouble peeing or peeing more often than usual

Other things to tell your healthcare provider

You are the most important part of your healthcare team. Tell your healthcare provider about the impact the kidney stones or pain is having on the things that are important to you like your job, hobbies and interests, and relationships. And tell them about things in your life that can impact how you are able to manage your health, like concerns with money, social support, or childhood experiences.

Remember to think about all parts of your health and wellness: physical, financial and social, spiritual, and emotional. This is called whole-person health.

Making the most of your appointment

If you don’t understand what your healthcare provider is telling you, let them know right away. Be open and honest. You might say:

• “It sounded like you said that I should… Did I understand that correctly?”
• “Can you show me a picture or model to help me understand?”

Learn more about working with your healthcare team and making the most of your appointment.