Oh boy. Someone else too. What's worse is ignoring kidney stones until you're hiking.
Just a couple months ago, I suspected I had a kidney stone/kidney stones and possibly mild beginning urinary tract infection(UTI) pre hike(s) through self diagnosis. Later, found out the UTI was being caused and being further aggravated by the kidney stone issue that I thought I could soldier away. The cause of the kidney stone(s) may have been because I wasn't drinking enough water compounded by the heavy regular coffee drinker I can be when not hiking. The acids in coffee can be a bitch when going to the coffee drinking extremes I was. Without seeing a health care practitioner, and since I already had time slotted to hike, all prepared for the hikes, I went on the hikes instead.
A week into the hike, while still not drinking enough plain clean spring/trail water and still consuming coffee in mass while traveling to the various THs and in towns, the pain in my lower back to the right of my spine, abdomen below my rib cage, and groin became a 8-9 on a 1-10 scale. I would have to take my backpack off writhing in pain on the ground until the pain subsided. I couldn't get comfortable. I managed the pain as best I mentally could and popping those few emergency Alleve typically in my First Aid kit. I also upped my hydration of water to more than 10 glasses /day. The coffee drinking was eliminated which I don't typically consume on trail anyway. That was enough to get to the next resupply town stop.
Saw a conventional western trained M.D.. Yup, had at least one large kidney stone, some smaller ones, and a UTI as I had suspected. Antibiotic, kidney stone breaking meds, Percocet scripts, and one other prescription were offered. Some talk of potential surgery was discussed. Meager to no advice was offered, despite me asking, about the causes of these issues. I felt unfulfilled as it's my crazy notion that I want my questions answered regarding causes and prevention, like to prevent this from occurring again, what I might have done incorrectly, or escalating into the need for expensive surgery.
Made a follow up appt with an Integrative Health Care Practioner, like Dr. Oz or Dr. Andrew Weil, who advised drinking plain cranberry/pomegranite/ juice and/or taking cranberry extract pills(I did both), adding certain foods(lemons, blueberries, turmeric, ginger, fresh parsley,) drinking dandelion tea(surprisingly I found this at a local conventional grocery store), copious amts of spring water, staying away from some foods/drinks(NO coffee!, NO soda), non prescription pain reliever to be taken ONLY if other pain management techniques weren't enough, a product called Stone Breaker(largely a herbal liquid formula), and a largely herbal Kidney Flush pill( I forget the name). Three days later all gone. I've followed up though by continuing the juices, water, elimination of coffee, kidney/UT flushing.
https://www.pureformulas.com/stone-b...5240001647782#.
I hear you about the pain but please be aware that popping pain pills are only a temporary solution to managing the symptom of pain not a solution that addresses the cause of that pain. Don't regularly attempt to cowboy through kidney stone pain as I did. It can lead to a UTI and much pain. See a doctor. Rid yourself of the stones not just the pain. There are lots of approaches.
Oh, BTW, the M.D. visit was $144. Don't know how much all those prescriptions would have been but I suspect easily more than $40. The Health Care Practioner I saw charged me $70. All the stuff I bought this doctor suggested, largely food/drinks, that were pretty good anyway, cost me $44 and a follow up $6 bottle of unsweetened cranberry pomegranate juice. I'd send ya free the rest of the Stone Breaker and Kidney Flush pills if you wanted to try that approach as I still have some but I mailed them back home to Hawaii and I'm not currently there.
There is that Health Food Store, Spice n Nice I think it's called, in Bennington between the Subway and Mountain Goat Outfitter on the same side of the street though.