Ways to stay safe during kidney stone season in South Florida
WELCOME BACK. YOU KNOW, FLORIDA SUMMERS COME WITH A SEASONAL SPIKE IN KIDNEY STONES. IT’S OFTEN REFERRED TO AS KIDNEY STONE SEASON. JOINING ME NOW IS DOCTOR LAWRENCE YOUR UROLOGIST WITH TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL. DOCTOR YOUR. THAT’S CRAZY. I’VE LIVED IN FLORIDA FOR A LONG TIME. I’VE NEVER HEARD OF THAT. BUT IT IT MAKES SENSE. TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT KIDNEY STONES, WHAT THEY ARE. IF PEOPLE AREN’T FAMILIAR. WELL, KIDNEY STONE IS JUST LIKE A STONE YOU WOULD SEE ON THE FLOOR. IT’S A. IT’S USUALLY COMPOSED OF CALCIUM. THAT’S THE MOST COMMON TYPE. AND UNFORTUNATELY, WE’RE ALL SUSCEPTIBLE TO IT HERE IN THE SOUTHEAST BECAUSE IT’S SO HOT. AND IF YOU DON’T DRINK ENOUGH FLUIDS, YOU GET DEHYDRATED. AND WHEN YOU GET DEHYDRATED, THE URINE GETS MORE CONCENTRATED AND A STONE CAN FORM. OKAY. SO IT’S DIRECTLY RELATED TO HYDRATION. YES. INTERESTING. AND I HEAR THEY’RE RATHER PAINFUL. WELL, AS A MAN, I’M TOLD THAT IT’S WORSE THAN HAVING A BABY. I DON’T ARGUE WITH THAT. OKAY, OKAY, SO FLORIDA IS REFERRED TO AS THE STONE BELT. WHO ELSE IS IN THE STONE BELT? WELL, WE HAVE OUR NEIGHBORS, GEORGIA, LOUISIANA, TEXAS, PRETTY MUCH WHEREVER IT’S HOT IN THE SUMMER, EVEN IN NEVADA. SO IT’S AGAIN, IT’S HEAT. AND, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ARE ACTIVE. YOU’RE OUT RUNNING AROUND, JOGGING, DOING WHATEVER YOU’RE DOING. YOU PERSPIRE, AND YOU JUST DON’T REALIZE HOW MUCH FLUID YOU LOSE. OKAY. TALK ABOUT SIGNS, SYMPTOMS, WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW WHEN WE NEED TO SAY, OKAY, WE NEED TO GO TO THE DOCTOR. WELL, THE MOST COMMON SIGN OF HAVING A KIDNEY STONE IS BLOOD IN THE URINE. OKAY. AND SOMETIMES IT CAN BE SYMPTOMATIC. IN OTHER WORDS, YOU’RE HAVING PAIN IN THE BACK BECAUSE YOUR KIDNEYS ARE LOCATED. YOU HAVE TWO KIDNEYS, ONE ON EACH SIDE. SO YOU HAVE BACK PAIN. AND THAT COULD BE A SIGN OR JUST ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU WAKE UP, YOU SEE THERE’S BLOOD IN THE URINE. AND THAT’S PROBABLY THE MOST COMMON REASON FOR HAVING BLOOD IN THE URINE. AND THE THE WARNING SIGN WOULD BE THE BLOOD AS FAR AS LIKE HYDRATING. DO YOU NEED TO YOU KNOW, I’VE ALWAYS BEEN TOLD THAT SOMETIMES WATER ISN’T ENOUGH. SOMETIMES YOU NEED THOSE ELECTROLYTES. SOMETIMES. DOES THAT MATTER OR IS IT JUST SIMPLY. NO. PRETTY MUCH WHAT I MEAN IF YOU’RE A HEALTHY PERSON, YOUR NORMAL DIET PLUS WATER. AND IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE FANCY WATER, JUST TAP WATER, TAP WE CAN DO TO PREVENT THIS? YEAH, ICED TEA IS PROBABLY NOT A GOOD THING BECAUSE ICED TEA HAS SOMETHING CALLED OXALATE, WHICH CAN COMBINE WITH CALCIUM TO FORM CALCIUM OXALATE STONE. SO IT DOESN’T MEAN YOU HAVE TO GIVE UP TEA, BUT YOU WANT THE MAJORITY. AND WE’RE TALKING LIKE, YOU KNOW, IN THE SUMMERTIME, MAYBE 100OZ OF, OF WATER A DAY TO PREVENT KIDNEY STONES. REALLY GOOD INFORMATION. THANK YOU SO MUCH. MY PLEASURE. AN IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER, ESPECIALLY TODAY AS WE’RE UNDER A HEAT ADVISORY, THOSE FEELS LIKE TEMPERATURES ARE GOING TO BE IN THE HUNDREDS. YUCK. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU SO MUCH, DOCTOR. APPRECIATE THAT INFORMATION. ALL RIGHT. SO IF YOU’RE NEW TO FLORIDA NOW YOU KNOW I’VE BEEN HERE FOR A WHILE. I’VE NEVER HEARD THAT. BUT IT MAKES TOTAL SENSE. SO IF YOU’D LIKE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT KIDNEY STONES AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM, GO TO OUR WEBSITE,
Ways to stay safe during kidney stone season in South Florida
Updated: 12:29 PM EDT Jun 18, 2026
Hot Florida summers can lead to an increase in kidney stones. Dr. Lawrence Yore, with Tampa General Hospital Urology Group of Florida, shares ways to avoid becoming a victim during “kidney stone season.”Stay up-to-date: The latest headlines and weather from WPBF 25Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.
Hot Florida summers can lead to an increase in kidney stones.
Dr. Lawrence Yore, with Tampa General Hospital Urology Group of Florida, shares ways to avoid becoming a victim during “kidney stone season.”
Stay up-to-date: The latest headlines and weather from WPBF 25
Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.