How to Make $75,000 Selling Your Kidney Stone

Kidney stones are a fairly common health issue. One in 10 people will have a kidney stone in their lifetime. The prevalence of the kidney issue rose from 3.8% in the 1970s to 8.8% in the late 2000s. What many people don’t think about when they are finally able to pass their kidney stone (if they are able) is how much money the stone may be worth.

My Kidney Stone

A few weeks ago I was experiencing some kidney pain. I am prone to kidney infections so I thought that was the issue. I took some of the medication that I have for the infection and tried to wait the pain out. While using the bathroom I heard a “tink.” When I looked in the toilet I couldn’t believe my eyes! It was a kidney stone. I didn’t even know I had one. I had been experiencing some pain in my back but hadn’t thought twice about it. Now, much to my disbelief, I was staring at a kidney stone that had come out of me!

If you’ve never had a kidney stone they can vary in shape, size and pain. Some kidney stones (or pebbles, as I like to call them) come out a pretty gold color. Others are black and some are brown. Most are yellow or brown. Some are jagged around the edges while others are smooth. The reason you have a kidney stone determines the shape and size.

Without a second thought I flushed. I was still in disbelief and called my mother almost immediately saying, “I just passed a freaking kidney stone.” She couldn’t believe it either. She asked me if I’d fished it out of the toilet. My response was “absolutely not.” That is gross! Then I got to thinking not only could fishing it out have provided me something to go to the doctor with but it also left me with a rather strange question: “How much are kidney stones worth?”

The Cost of a Kidney Stone

All joking aside having a kidney stone can be a costly thing. Not only are you in an immense amount of pain (or most people are — I was lucky), but you will also have to pay tons of money to resolve the issue. Most of the time getting rid of a kidney stone involves multiple blood tests, urine tests, CT scans, MRIs, specialist visits, prescriptions and lab analysis. All in all, a kidney stone can cost someone without insurance $12,000 to $15,000 before the issue is resolved.

That is an astounding amount of money (especially when you think about how small a kidney stone is). Medical costs have been on the rise for years and many people go into debt trying to stay healthy. What if you could sell your kidney stones to make up for that cost?

How Much is  Kidney Stone Worth?

So, I took to Google to find out exactly how much the tiny pebble that just fell out of my kidney might have been worth. I found out that in 2006 The Guinness World Book of World Records recorded that the most expensive kidney stone ever was sold for $75,000. At first I was a bit mad at myself but then I realized that the person selling the kidney stone was none other than William Shatner himself. If I was one of the most famous actors in the world I could’ve made a fortune off my tiny kidney pebble. You don’t have to be a celebrity to cash in on your kidney stones though but it won’t make you rich (unless you are a kidney stone-making factory).

Some countries (Turkey, China and Japan specifically) use the kidney stones in packaging. Odd, I know. If you are willing to sell off your kidney stones you’ll only get about $3 per stone this way. If you are looking to make thousands with your kidney stones you’ll have to be William Shatner or another high-profile celebrity (Gene Simmons sold his for $15,000).

The best way, in my opinion, to “make money” from kidney stones is to avoid having them all together. They can be an unnecessary expense, costing you thousands of dollars and, in reality, you won’t likely be able to sell them at all. Be sure you are drinking plenty of purified drinking water and decrease the amount of soda, alcohol and sugary drinks in your diet. In addition to eating better make sure you get plenty of exercise.  Saving the money kidney stones will cost you is the best way to benefit financially from kidney stones.

For ways to stay healthy and never have to go through this check out these articles.

3 Kitchen Shortcuts for Quick and Healthy Eating
Eat Healthy on a Budget
8 Free ways to stay healthy

Have you ever had a kidney stone? Did you try and sell it?