“Boy, when you get one, you know it.”
HealthEast Kidney Stone Institute patient Stewart Laird

“My first kidney stone stopped me in my tracks,” said Stewart Laird. At the time, he was 38, and in the middle of a big do-it-yourself home remodeling project. “I remember sitting in a chair, recovering from the surgery, having to watch other people doing the work I wanted to be doing.” Thinking it was an isolated incident, Stewart recovered and moved on — only to have his stones recur. And recur again. And so on into his seventies, each time taking Stewart away from the sports and family life he enjoyed.

“I had a high-stress job, and the doctors told me the stones were stress-related and that they would stop when I got into my sixties and retired. No doctor ever said, ‘Let’s find out why you’re producing them.’ Until I went to Dr. Portis at HealthEast,” said Stewart. “He was the first one I encountered who did the follow-up care instead of just saying, ‘Call me if you get another stone.'"

Diagnostic tests revealed that Stewart’s stones were not due to the formation of new ones, but the persistence of incompletely treated ones. “Before HealthEast, I expected that each kidney stone would be my last, simply because once I had the procedure, they’d say I should cut back on this food or that and I’d be done. But it turns out I was a gravel producer — until HealthEast. A combination of medication, diet and yearly follow-ups have kept me on track. What Dr. Portis wants to do is manage the stones, as opposed to just removing the pain and waiting for the next one.”

Four years later, Stewart is stone-free. “Knowing what I know now,” he said, “I would say anyone with kidney stones should go to the Institute at St. Joe’s Hospital. They’re the only ones who are really interested in trying to prevent you from getting new stones.”

Kidney stone solutions for good: Dr. Andrew Portis

When Stewart Laird first met with Dr. Andrew Portis, they had one thing in common: A long history with kidney stone disease. Laird had suffered from recurring kidney stones for over 30 years. Dr. Portis had earned a national reputation for creating innovative strategies for getting rid of kidney stones — and keeping them from coming back. Together, they laid out a goal: To end Stewart’s repeating cycle of kidney stones.

“The problem with stone disease is that both patients and physicians accept repeated occurrences as inevitable. The usual approach is to treat stones with the mindset that the relief may only be temporary,” said Dr. Portis. But he and his colleagues at the HealthEast Kidney Stone Institute have a different approach: to provide kidney stone solutions, both for immediate relief as well as for the long term.

According to Dr. Portis, recurring stones may not be due to newly formed stones, but the persistence of untreated ones. “If the stones are not completely cleared, residual fragments are a seed for trouble. Typical surgical techniques cannot ensure complete stone elimination. In our experience, if we get you completely stone-free, you tend to stay that way.”

Dr. Portis’s comprehensive approach for Stewart is routine at the Kidney Stone Institute: Complete clearance of the existing stones, followed by careful monitoring of risk factors. In Stewart’s case, underlying metabolic issues which had not been addressed in his previous 30 years were reversed. Stewart is now in control of his disease, and has been stone-free for almost four years.

Studies have shown that the Kidney Stone Institute's approach is effective with a retreatment rate of just 10% after seven years, well below the expected recurrence rate of 50%. “People should be asking their doctors more than ‘Can you bail me out of trouble?’ They also need to ask, ‘What’s your long-term strategy, and what can I expect in the next ten years?’ We want people to have high expectations and to take charge of their disease. They should expect success.”