Can you play with kidney stones – Matt Harrison

can-you-play-with-kidney-stones-matt-harrison-photoMatt Harrison of the Texas Rangers is playing pretty well this season, but he’s sidelined by the nastiest, meanest, most painful injury a baseball player, heck, any player can deal with. Kidney Stones.

The pain started last Friday and he went to the hospital that night. As Matt said:

With my luck, I’d go out there and it would want to pass in the first inning. I felt like I was dying when I woke up.

Kidney stones are no joke and you won’t be able to play with them. The pain is literally crippling and affects every part of your game.

What are kidney stones? They are mineral chunks that get caught in your kidney, ureter or bladder. Like a pearl, they grow with the addition of more and more minerals. They start with seed crystals and grow from there with more and more layers of minerals added.

How do you know if you have kidney stones? Pain. Excruciating, crippling pain. The pain will start in the lower back and radiate towards the front. You will also suffer from nausea and may experience diarrhea. I have to tell you that the pain comes on suddenly and quickly progresses to crippling pain. A doctor will recommend an xray or CT scan to verify the stone and location.

Why do kidney stones hurt so much? This one always got me. They are small, located in out of the way places, so you would think not a big deal. It turns out there are a ton of nerves in your renal area and it is important. When something occurs out the ordinary your body lets you know. This is especially true if the stone is stuck in your ureter as it will continue to try to expel the object.

How do you treat kidney stones? Yeah, find some wood and bite it. In almost all cases you’re going to pass the stone. Yep, it’s coming out of your, well, you know. Believe it or not, the pain isn’t as bad as when the stones are stuck. To get it to this point you’ll need to drink a ton of water. If you cannot pass the stone, it is too large or has caused kidney damage, you’ll need surgery.

In most cases you’ll pass the stone in a day or two and be back in playing shape very quickly.

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