Kids And Kidney Stones

WASHINGTON, DC (WUSA) -- Like many eighth grade girls, Taiylor Miller enjoys time with her friends and fashion!

However, probably unlike many girls her age, Taiylor is a teenager whose been through a painful and dangerous journey.

"I was having sharp pains on my right side and I was getting high fevers, and I was getting the chills," explains Taiylor.

Taiylor's mother, Daminique. couldn't believe what doctors discovered.

"After an x-ray and reviewing...they discovered that she had massive stones on both of her kidneys," says Daminique.

Daminique explains that doctors told her that they hadn't seen a case of stones like Taiylor's in many years.

The massive stones in Taiylor's right kidney became so big, the kidney actually stopped working.

"We found out that her right kidney had shut down and as a result of the stones and that's why it was so important that when a stone is detected it is removed," explains Daminique.

So that's why when doctors detected stones in the left kidney, doctors used a laser to destroy them before they caused the same kind of damage.

Daminique explains "It was just three little pinhole type incisions and then a half moon cut over top of her belly button."

Dr. Hans Pohl with Children's National Medical Center says the size of Taiylor's stones is unusual but from what he's seen lately, pediatric cases in the metro area continue climb.

Dr. Pohl explains, "We're seeing more stones than we ever have before. This area, many don't realize is sometimes referred to as the stone belt. The stone belt is an area in the United States that has a higher incidence of stones than the rest of the United States."

The reasons, Dr. Pohl says, is inactivity in childhood, and eating unhealthy foods, especially those with too much sodium.

Dr. Pohl explains,"Kidney stones are formed because of salts in the urine that should precipitate out. If one has a higher amount of fat in their diet, and a higher amount of salt in their diet and become relatively dehydrated, then we believe that this is a recipe for a kidney stone."

Daminique says Taiylor has always been fairly active, so news of the kidney stones was a mystery at first. She believes some of the reason may be genetics, however, today they know that without the proper nutrients and calcium to dilute sodium in the body a stone can crystalize.

To help prevent the crystallization of stones, Dr. Pohl has his own litmus test for families.

"Make your urine look as close to tap water as possible. That's when you know that you're drinking enough water," explains Dr. Pohl.

For Taiylor she understand all too well that a healthy diet and staying active will serve her Live Well.

Taiylor says,"It's important so I can maintain my weight and keep my kidney functioning to keep it running."

Kids and Kidney Stones Symptoms:

-Consistent sharp pains in lower abdomen

-Sharp pains in their lower back

-Sharp pains in lower abdomen or lower back accompanied by a high fever

-In some cases, nausea and vomiting

Preventing Kidney Stones in Kids:

-Too few fluids encourage the formation of stones, so it's important to stay active and drink lots of fluids