Ah, I understand this all too well. I, too, suffer from kidney stones. They are quite uncomfortable. My suggestion for you would to be back off a lot of things with caramel color, like dark sodas. (Some people say soda with citrus is alright, but I’d still ration your intake of it) Water helps your body pass the stones. As far as shrinking them, I do not know of any ‘sure fire’ way to assist in this, but I highly suggest taking a cranberry pill. This is like drinking cranberry juice in concentrate without all the sugar of a cocktail drink or a juice.

Reduce your sodium and salt intake as much as possible. And I’ve read in several places that watermelon is helpful with the passage of stones by softening the tissue and breaking them up. Obviously smaller stones will pass and larger stones will not. Sometimes they pass to the bladder and rest there for all of time, sometimes they are passed through urine.

A warm compress can sometimes help, on the affected kidney/kidneys. Do not put TOO much heat on the area, this could irritate your symptoms of pain. But a little warmth and pressure helps me when I’m feeling the ache of a stone. Also, laying down (for me) tends to compile the feelings of pain. Try standing against a wall, walking or stretching to relax the muscles. Vicodin will work, but make sure you eat a little something with it as it is known to cause upset to the stomach.

Very best of luck to you!