Kidney stones are among the most common reasons for sudden, severe abdominal pain in North India. Most stones are treatable — and many need no surgery at all — but the difference between "wait and drink water" and "treat this now" is a medical judgement, not a guess.
Symptoms that suggest a kidney stone
- sudden, severe pain in the side or lower back, often coming in waves
- pain radiating to the lower abdomen or groin
- blood in the urine, or urine that looks pink or brown
- burning while urinating, or urinating in small frequent amounts
- nausea and vomiting alongside the pain
Fever with chills on top of stone pain is an emergency — it can mean the urine above the stone is infected, which needs urgent treatment. Come in immediately, at any hour.
Does every stone need surgery?
No. Small stones often pass on their own with adequate fluids and medication to ease their passage — many stones under about 5 mm clear without any procedure. Whether watchful waiting is safe depends on the stone's size, position, whether it is blocking urine flow, and whether infection is present. That is what the evaluation determines.
A stone generally needs active treatment when it:
- is too large to pass on its own,
- is blocking the kidney and causing swelling (hydronephrosis),
- is causing repeated infections or bleeding, or
- has not moved despite weeks of conservative management.
How we evaluate and treat kidney stones
At Bhadoo Surgical & Wellness Centre, kidney stone care is led by Dr Vivek Bhadoo, MBBS, MS (General Surgery) — a senior surgeon with over three decades of practice and a special interest in urology and uro-oncological surgery.
- Consultation and evaluation — history, examination, and basic lab and imaging work-up under one roof to establish the stone's size and position and the state of the kidney.
- Conservative management where appropriate — hydration and medication plans with scheduled follow-up, so a passing stone is confirmed passed, not assumed passed.
- Surgical management where needed — performed in our modular operation theatre, using minimally invasive approaches wherever the stone allows, so recovery is faster and hospital stay shorter.
- Prevention after the event — stone disease recurs; dietary and fluid advice tailored to your stone type reduces the odds of a repeat episode.
When to get checked
If you have had one episode of stone pain — even one that settled on its own — an evaluation is worth it. A stone that produced pain once is still in the urinary tract unless a scan says otherwise, and silent stones can damage a kidney without further pain.