More than half a million people are affected by kidney stones every year, including women, men and even kids. For many people, they become a reoccurring issue. “Sometimes it’s just a one and done deal, but sometimes you start forming stones over and over and over again,” said Dr. Jessica Dai, urologist at EvergreenHealth Urology Care. Kidney stones are calcifications in the kidney that sometimes stay there and don't cause many problems. Symptoms typically happen when the stones start to try to move or drop down the ureter. They include pain while urinating, blood in the urine, back pain, nausea, vomiting and fever. While the majority of stones can be passed on their own, treatments are available for stones that won’t pass naturally. “I have quite a few patients where we go in and treat the stones before they become a problem,” Dr. Dai said. “These are mostly bigger stones.” Doctors consider things like the size of the stone, where the stone is located and what your body habitus looks like when determining what treatment is best, including minimally invasive options. “It just depends on you, your stone, a couple of other different factors, so that’s why talking to your doctor is really helpful,” Dr. Dai said. Prevention is key to avoid kidney stones and the symptoms that come with them. “I always tell people jokingly, numbers one, two and three, if you’re going to do three things are more fluid, more fluid, more fluid,” Dr. Dai said. Along with increasing fluid, watching your salt and animal protein intake can help. If you’ve had kidney stones before, the team at EvergreenHealth Urology Care will often do 24-hour urine testing, which is a metabolic evaluation to look at your individual specific risk factors. EvergreenHealth Urology Care provides comprehensive expert evaluation and treatment for urological conditions to help you improve your quality of life. Visit the EvergreenHealth website to learn more. This story is sponsored by EvergreenHealth.