Next Steps

• If, while waiting for the "stone" to pass, your symptoms worsen over the next 5-7 days, the doctor might order a repeat intravenous pyelogram to determine if the stone has changed location.

• If you are waiting to pass a stone, drink a lot of water to generate urine that will flush the stone through the ureters and into the bladder then out. The stone that passes out of the body through the urine can be easily captured if you urinate into a special cup that has a sieve at the bottom. The urine passes through the cup and into the toilet, and the stone (eventually, you hope) is trapped in the cup. Save the stone and take it to your doctor for analysis.

• If a procedure has been done to remove a stone, you will usually need to follow up with the urologist after a specified period of time.