A ureteral stent is a thin, flexible tube threaded into the ureter to help urine drain from the kidney to the bladder or to an external collection system.
Urine is normally carried from the kidneys to the bladder via a pair of long, narrow tubes called ureters (each kidney is connected to one ureter). A ureter may become obstructed as a result of a number of conditions including kidney stones, tumors, blood clots, postsurgical swelling, or infection. A ureteral stent is placed in the ureter to restore the flow of urine to the bladder. Ureteral stents may be used in patients with active kidney infection or with diseased bladders (e.g., as a result of cancer or radiation therapy). Alternatively, ureteral stents may be used during or after urinary tract surgical procedures to provide a mold around which healing can occur, to divert the urinary flow away from areas of leakage, to manipulate kidney stones or prevent stone migration prior to treatment, or to make the ureters more easily identifiable during difficult surgical procedures. The stent may remain in place on a short-term (days to weeks) or long-term (weeks to months) basis.
Chronic blockage of a ureter affects approximately five individuals out of every 1,000; acute blockage affects one out of every 1,000. Bilateral obstruction (blockage to both ureters) is more rare; chronic blockage affects one individual per 1,000 people, and acute blockage affects five per 10,000.
The size, shape, and material of the ureteral stent to be used depends on the patient's anatomy and the reason why the stent is required. Most stents are 5–12 inches (12–30 cm) in length, and have a diameter of 0.06–0.2 inches (1.5–6 mm). One or both ends of the stent may be coiled (called a pigtail stent) to prevent it from moving out of place; an open-ended stent is better suited for patients who require temporary drainage. In some instances, one end of the stent has a thread attached to it that extends through the bladder and urethra to the outside of the body; this aids in stent removal. The stent material must be flexible, durable, non-reactive, and radiopaque (visible on an x ray).
The patient is usually placed under general anesthesia for stent insertion; this ensures the physician that the patient will remain relaxed and will not move during the procedure. A cystoscope (a thin, telescope-like instrument) is inserted into the urethra to the bladder, and the opening to the ureter to be stented is identified. In some instances, a guide wire is inserted into the ureter under the aid of a fluoroscope (an imaging device that uses x rays to visualize structures on a fluorescent screen). The guide wire provides a path for the placement of the stent, which is advanced over the wire. Once the stent is in place, the guide wire and cystoscope are removed. Patients who fail this method of ureteral stenting may have the stent placed percutaneously (through the skin), into the kidney, and subsequently into the ureter.
A stent that has an attached thread may be pulled out by a physician in an office setting. Cystoscopy may also be used to remove a stent.
A number of different technologies aid in the diagnosis of ureteral obstruction. These include:
Prior to ureteral stenting, the procedure should be thoroughly explained by a medical professional. No food or drink is permitted after midnight the night before surgery. The patient wears a hospital gown during the procedure. If the stent insertion is performed with the aid of a cystoscope, the patient will assume a position that is typically used in a gynecological exam (lying on the back, with the legs flexed and supported by stirrups).
Stents must be periodically replaced to prevent fractures within the catheter wall or build-up of encrustation. Stent replacement is recommended approximately every six months; more often in patients who form stones.
Complications associated with ureteral stenting include:
Normally, a ureteral stent re-establishes the flow of urine from the kidney to the bladder. Postoperative urine flow will be monitored to ensure the stent has not been dislodged or obstructed.
Serious complications occur in approximately 4% of patients undergoing ureteral stenting, with minor complications in another 10%.
If a ureter is obstructed and ureteral stenting is not possible, a nephrostomy may be performed. During this procedure, a tube is placed through the skin on the patient's back, into the area of the kidney that collects urine. The tube may be connected to an external drainage bag. In other cases, the tube is connected directly from the kidney to the bladder.
Su, Li-Ming & R. Ernest Sosa. "Ureteroscopy and Retrograde Ureteral Access." (Chapter 97) In Campbell's Urology, 8th ed., edited by Patrick C. Walsh. Philadelphia: Elsevier Science, 2002.
American Urological Association. 1120 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21201. (410) 727-1100. http://www.auanet.org .
"Extrinsic Obstruction of the Ureter." UrologyHealth.org . [cited May 19, 2003] http://www.urologyhealth.org/adult/index.cfm?cat=01&topic=93 .
Sutherland, Suzette E. and Martin I. Resnick. "Urinary Tract Obstruction." eMedicine. May 6, 2002 [cited May 19, 2003] http://www.emedicine.com/med/topic2782.htm .
Kathleen D. Wright, R.N. Stephanie Dionne Sherk
Ureteral stenting is typically performed in a hospital by an interventional radiologist (a physician who specializes in the treatment of medical disorders using specialized imaging techniques) or a urologist (a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the urinary tract and genital organs).
Wish me luck I hope to give a stellar report post removal! PS I have tried heat, ice, major pain meds and muscle relaxers! I believe the muscle relaxer worked the best. In my situation I believe the pain/ colic in my kidney and ureter that I have now are muscle spasms as they are very sharp and very frequent pre and post void.
Thank you
My experience has been that the Dr. has not been very infromative and unless I have asked about something specifically, it has not been addressed.
My stone started on 2/14/08. I had Lithotripsy done in March. The Dr. scheduled me for Lithotripsy again in April then told me 2 days before at the checkup that it was too soon to have Litho done again. When I asked why he had scheduled me again for Litho he didn't say anything.
On 4/21 I had the Cysto/Laser/Stent done. My followup appointment is today so we'll see where things go from here.
I'll try to update the forum. Since the procedure on 4/21 I have only passed one fragment.
That was an experience I'll never forget. The procedure was fairly quick and only about 3 bouts of pain that made me raise up off the table.
About a half hour after the stent was out I started getting cramps like I had when the stent was first in which I believe are bladder spasms.
My wife called the urologist and asked for a detrol order to be phoned to the pharmacy. About an hour latter the nurse from the office called and said the Dr. thinks you'll be fine and isn't going to call the order in. I replied that it was easy for him to say that and hung up.
The next call was to my primary doctor's office and left a message with the answering service. A while later he called back and agreed to call in the order.
I finally got a Detrol LA 4mg capsule around 6:45pm and by 9pm my cramps/spasms where gone.
Moral of the story: Make sure you have a prescription for DETROL LA 4MG when you leave from surgery and when you leave from the stent removal. The PHENAZOPYRID 200MG TAB are good for any irritation of your urinary system so you should be sure to ask for them as well for after your surgery and stent removal.
Because of the arrogance of my FORMER urologist I was in the worst pain of my life from 4:15 to 9:00 pm.
I changed my two month followup appointment to another Dr. in the group today.
Good luck to anybody else who has to go through the procedure.
Last night I accidently tugged on the string attached to the stent when wiping, on now it is most difficult to sit. The string is out about 4” now. Could I have dislodged the stent and pulled it into my bladder? I also do not seem to be passing as much urine now.
Yesterday, the pain from the stent was unbelievable. It is not so bad now, but my kidney pain is terrible. I am also nauseous.
I called the dr on duty and he tells me to stop drinking so much fluid… and not to worry about the stent. I do not think I should be feeling a “pokie” pain when I sit down.
THanks
This is my 2nd or 3rd stent I have had. They told me I'd have it 14 days and then called and said 4+ weeks, I just cried... they pain has subcided a bit but I am still taking pain killers. I agree these things hurt worse than stones... It is like a pinching pain sometimes.
I have had 5 surgeries since January and I think the worst part is the stent.
I don't remember what the pain was like last time it was removed but I still can't wait to get it out. It is very hard to do much of anything. I had a PNL for a huge stone, then a uretoscopy, then Lithotripsy and because of the scar tissue there was a narrowing in the ureter they had to enlarge. They say I might have to have it again I sure hope not. Good luck everyone
I am in excruciating pain and he won't prescribe anything but Detrol, because I am already in pain treatment through the same University hospital system. Even though the pharmacologist told me, and him that I needed something stronger than Vicodin. I live in pain everyday, and I deal with it. Anything on top of the pain is just too much for me to emotionally and physically handle.
It took everything in me to keep myself from crying in front of him. I waited until they brought my car up and then could barely drive through the tears. I've never been so angry in my life that I had to deal with this man's condescension over my pain and need for proper medication.
Anyone who is going in for a stent should be given whatever they need for pain, as a doctor has no way to judge my pain just because "I look better" than before he put the stone in... Duh, I have been sleeping, laying on my porch and put on a little makeup before my appointment.
Angry is the only way to describe my experience. And I have litho scheduled for this coming Tuesday with him. I may refuse surgery if he will not prescribe pain medication that matched my tolerance level. I would rather wait another week and go to someone else in his practice.
I am in excruciating pain and he won't prescribe anything but Detrol, because I am already in pain treatment through the same University hospital system. Even though the pharmacologist told me, and him that I needed something stronger than Vicodin. I live in pain everyday, and I deal with it. Anything on top of the pain is just too much for me to emotionally and physically handle.
It took everything in me to keep myself from crying in front of him. I waited until they brought my car up and then could barely drive through the tears. I've never been so angry in my life that I had to deal with this man's condescension over my pain and need for proper medication.
Anyone who is going in for a stent should be given whatever they need for pain, as a doctor has no way to judge my pain just because "I look better" than before he put the stone in... Duh, I have been sleeping, laying on my porch and put on a little makeup before my appointment.
Angry is the only way to describe my experience. And I have litho scheduled for this coming Tuesday with him. I may refuse surgery if he will not prescribe pain medication that matched my tolerance level. I would rather wait another week and go to someone else in his practice.
Last year they found an 8mm stone on the left and a 14 x 28mm stone on the right. Had 2 lithos done in Jan and one in May. No problems until June, 1st fragment of stone passed, left side, 2nd one followed 3 weeks later. Emergency room visits for both. Love the "cocktails". They wouldn't let me take any home just in case it happened again. Well it did, last week. A stent was put in. Doc said I'd be ready to go to San Deigo on a planned resort vacation after it was done. What a joke! I was in the hopsital for 2 1/2 days. Voiding was uncontrollable at first. Kept the nurses busy, lots of pain, (still lots of pain)sitting still not moving a muscle was great,followed by a continuous (every 4 hours, 24/7) dose of percocet, if you get past the painful bladder spasms and the need to urinate NOW.... RIGHT NOW! ALL THE TIME, and lets not forget the burning at the end of voiding...... I too am a school teacher. walking is a joke, hurts like a large tug of war is going on between the bladder and kidney. Every step I take jars my insides and creates a sharp pain. I feel everyone's frustration AND pain. The removal is painful as well, I was told. Short term sharp pain as it is removed, a few days of aching afterwards. I will be rethinking the stent thing before I allow it to be done again. Surely there is another way. Anyone who can get a Urologist to answer any of these queries, you get the prize! By the way, the people who are having problems with getting pain meds, appropriate pain meds, your Dr. is required and mandated by law to do pain management stuff as part of his patient services. Don't let them treat you otherwise. If you are not happy with the service, don't be afraid to speak up about it.
after 8 xrays finally got diagnosed with 4mm kidney stone. had op last week to remove kidney stone. woke up and was told kidney stone alot bigger than thought and couldnt be removed so put in a stent instead. not sure what happens to kidney stone? defenetly worst pain experienced in life so far, far far wose than childbirth and alot worse than a kidney stone.
so now, thanks to doctor, i still have kidney stone, got excruciating pain in right kidney again, cant walk properly thanks to pain down below, very constipated, weeing almost constantly what looks like just blood, had an allergic reaction to pain killers, now got an infection in kidney as well. wake up during the night in tears as the pain killers wear off. cant work as i am a child carer and am in no fit state.
my honest advice is try everything else before a stent. it hurts so so much and i will be making sure they put me to sleep when they remove it and i will never have one again if i can choose. i think having a stent should not be a day operation, you should be monitered for a few days in hospital. the service i recieved from nurses was appaling. originally sent home with no painkillers. almost as soon as i woke up they said good bye and now ive had this infection brewing all weekend.
believe me having a kidney stone is bliss compared to stent... especially a kidney stone and stent.
i feel very sorry for anyone going through this while pregnant and unable to take strong painkillers.
drinking water does help!!!....until you have to urinate!
after 8 xrays finally got diagnosed with 4mm kidney stone. had op last week to remove kidney stone. woke up and was told kidney stone alot bigger than thought and couldnt be removed so put in a stent instead. not sure what happens to kidney stone? defenetly worst pain experienced in life so far, far far wose than childbirth and alot worse than a kidney stone.
so now, thanks to doctor, i still have kidney stone, got excruciating pain in right kidney again, cant walk properly thanks to pain down below, very constipated, weeing almost constantly what looks like just blood, had an allergic reaction to pain killers, now got an infection in kidney as well. wake up during the night in tears as the pain killers wear off. cant work as i am a child carer and am in no fit state.
my honest advice is try everything else before a stent. it hurts so so much and i will be making sure they put me to sleep when they remove it and i will never have one again if i can choose. i think having a stent should not be a day operation, you should be monitered for a few days in hospital. the service i recieved from nurses was appaling. originally sent home with no painkillers. almost as soon as i woke up they said good bye and now ive had this infection brewing all weekend.
believe me having a kidney stone is bliss compared to stent... especially a kidney stone and stent.
i feel very sorry for anyone going through this while pregnant and unable to take strong painkillers.
drinking water does help!!!....until you have to urinate!
This was my 17th surgery I have had in my life and the post-op was the worst by far. I have had 3 C-sections and I have an incredible threshold for pain ( I had an ectopic pregnancy and burst my fallopian tube. It happened in the morning and I didn't agree to go to the hospital until late that night because I thought I was having a bad period) So I am no wimp.
I am very disappointed because I thought this was supposed to cure my constant UTI's. Infact I have had cloudy urine and pain like I have a UTI since the surgery. I am living on the pain pills. I told my husband that I thank God I do not have an addictive personality because I would have to go into rehab. I take at least one hyrdocodone each day if not a few to be able to function without living on the toilet.
The doctor and I are going to have a come to Jesus meeting. I would prefer to live on antibiotic than go through this again. I am looking into alternative medicine (accupunture) because I can't experience this pain any longer.
The stent certainly helped relieve some of the pain, but I was surprised at how strong and how frequently the urge to urinate was. I was in the restroom every 15-20 minutes all day, every day.
I'm reading a lot of horror stories about stents, and I certainly hope I'm not in the minority. My stent was uncomfortable but not really all that painful. I was sore from all the work that was being done, but I could manage it with pain pills. In fact, the day I had the stones removed (with the stent left in) I was in the back yard pushing my kids on the swing.
The stent removal was probably the worst for me. It was intense, but at least it didn't take long (< 1 min). I remember sweating profusely through it. I soaked my clothes and the table I was on. I'll bet I walked out five pounds lighter :o)
I think I have been fortunate to have one of the best surgeons in the country for this type of thing. From what I understand, he developed the procedure where they use a laser to break up the stones and remove the smaller pieces manually. Here's the URL to the local news story:
http://wcco.com/health/kidney.stones.Patrick.2.372643.html
At a follow-up appointment, I learned that I have several more stones that need to be removed. I'll be scheduling the surgery for sometime in the next few weeks. I trust the doctor completely, and I am not worried about the stent at all. I'm not looking forward to the stent removal, but I'd take that any day over the possibility of repeating what happened in June.
Anyway, I thought I would present a semi-positive experience with stents so that people reading this know that not every experience is bad.
For those of you that are experiencing the awful pain from kidney stones, infections, stents, etc., my heart goes out to you. I'll just say that Jesus is there with you through the whole thing. Put your trust in him, and he will take care of you.
I have a laproscopic procedure done a month ago and since then have a leakage problem. After that had a stent put in on the right ureter as they found a hole in there. After putting the stent I was still leaking. Then then put a naphrostomy tube in and still I am leaking. Right now I have a catheder and the naphrostomy tube and I am still leaking. Drs cant undetstand why? So tomorrow I am going in again with some imaging they want to do and then decide to do a reconstructive surgery. can u please explain as to what are the possibilities of this sort of a problem. All this is beyond my understading all I know is I am going thr hell...... Any input would be great.......
First thank you all for your postings. I'm so glad I found this site prior to having a stent put in.
I woke up a few weeks ago with excriciating pain on my left side. First passed it off as gas until the spasms started and I couldn't move. My husband rushed me to the hospital where it was dicovered I had a 3mm stone in my left ureter closest to the kidney. I was sent home with a bunch of pain killers and told to drink lots of water. If the pain wasn't better after a few days to see a Urologist.
A week later I went to see the recommended urologist. After the XRay, I was told that I had a 5mm stone, and it has not moved at all. They recommended Lithroscopy to blast the stone. Two days later I had the procedure.
Over the next few days I passed lots of fragments with pain off and on. The pain meds kept it under control for the most part. Ten days after the procedure, I started experiencing extreme pain again and visited the Urologist (for the follow-up).
After another XRay they said that there was still a large fragment, around 3mm, stuck in the narrowest part of my ureter close to my bladder. Because of the location, they couldn't do Lithroscopy again and suggested a stent instead. I was told it was a simple procedure and they mentioned nothing about pain. The doctor also prescribed Flomax, .4mg to be taken every night. It was said to make the stone passage easier.
Note that I too am no stranger to pain. After 18 surgeries related to a brain tumor and a very large fibrod, I've been on every pain medication known to man and experienced every pain imagineable! The last thing I need is more of it.
As a result of reading this, I'm delaying the stint insertion as indefinitly and hopefully the stone will pass on its own.
Thanks again,
Lucy.
On a whole the stenting is not too bad id rather that any day to renal colic....
I had two lithotripsy surgeries for the first one alone and in between the two a ureteral stent. The stone was located near my kidney.
When I went for surgery two days ago for the current stent and the laser type lithotripsy through the cytoscope my doctor discovered that the stone must have dislodged when he drained my bladder before he started the surgery.
I had no pain at all when the first stent was removed but it was moments after the second lithotripsy. I was awake but maybe there was some pain killer given through my IV.
I think ureteral stent insertions should require at least 1 day as an impatient. For the first time it's scary. You don't know if the pain you are having is normal and the bloody urine can make you think something is seriously wrong.
I have a very competent doctor and know I am in good hands so far but there has to be a better way. The pain is so menacing when I urinate. I get very nervous when I have to go. I feel like a little kid again. I have to talk to myself to get throug it. Sometimes if you tense up your abdomen, like when you are mid way through a sit-up,it helps but sometimes it doesn't. I think the more water you have to pee the easier it is.
Yes I have had many stents and they are unbelievably painful to say the least. I do not do Lithortiposys any more as they left so much dust in my kidneys (taht turned to stones)that I am now FILLED with stones!The pain is very tough but please ALL do not let this stop you as you surely DO NOT want to loose a kidney! Keep in mind THAT THE STENTS WILL BE REMOVED IT'S JUST A MATTER OF TIME! It is much better than loss of a kidney or sepsis. The blood, clots, pain & tiredness taht come with the stents ARE REAL! I guess I am lucky that my Doc's know the pain is unbearable and keep me highly medicated. There is a great site to go to for stone formers it can be found at
www.cystinuria.org
On the left is a Community tab, click on Cystinuria forums, it really is a wonderful site for stone formers. You will find many caring people here including Doctors to help you. I do not have Cystinuria but I can not tell you all how much the people on this site have helped me! A stone is a stone!
My right stent has been in since Nov.11.2008 it will come out next Thursday do not ask me why so long. I just had a left stent removed 6 weeks ago and believe it or not I now have another large stone passing again in the left!!!
I will check back on post ALL hang in there. My thoughts are with you ALL for a better New Year!! God Bless!!
Carol X's 30 Years of Stones!!
I thought the removal was not bad. I was surprised that I experienced the same pain that I had when the stent was in place for the next two days.
It is five days after stent removal and I still have low grade pain and tiredness. I am curious how long the low grade pain lasts?
I feel for everyone going through this. I have had a few bout with stones, but this last one a 4mm in the right kidney had to be removed and a stent put in for a week. It was extremely painful the day they put it in an continued until they took it out. The pain when I voided radiated from the kidney to the bladder...I hated the thought of even using the bathroom and waited as long as possible to pee. Removal wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. But it has been 2 weeks since the removal of the stent and I am still out of work due to being exhausted and if I do to much the pain comes back. I am completely frustrated. Has anyone else every had pain for this long after the removal of the stent?? Hope everyone has a Happy Holiday! And a much better New Year! God be with you all through this difficult time!
Chris
When that got pulled out I screamed this really inhuman high pitched yell. I am sure the lobby heard it.
Now its out but the pain goes on just as bad as before the stent went in. Relaxing in a warm bath with pain meds helps. Also I havent had a decent bowel movement since i got this stone agony over a week ago. Today I tried to go and strained to hard,what a mistake that was. I was in agony for over an hour from just trying to take a dump. So here I am in bed typing this.
Rob
Following a routine visit to my PCP at the end of 5 weeks following surgery, he became concerned because I had pressure near the surgery site and it was warm to the touch. It didn't really hurt ... it was uncomfortable. He consulted my urologist and they got me in for a CAT Scan. They found I had sprung a leak in my kidney (a Urinoma). My Urologist admitted me to the hospital for an overnight stay (now at the end of 6 weeks following surgery) and inserted a stent. The first few days after the stent placement, I seemed pretty good. I used the pain meds cautiously and only mildly suffered.
I was scheduled to go on a Christmas trip which my Doctor said would be OK provided I continued my care. During the trip I started experiencing the terrible urges to urinate and burning upon completion. The only thing that would take the edge off was my pain meds (Oxycodone). I had a one week prescription that I stretched the use to three weeks. I even tried taking Advil and Tylonel to ease the urge. I decided the best way to get through it is to gut it out. I did call my Doctor upon my return on Monday and he prescribed Vesicare to relax the bladder. It hasn't helped much. Every time I stand up, I have to go. When I sit down I feel the darn thing and have to hold my breath.
I am now two months after my surgery. I am getting a bit down over it all. I feel like I am only partially functional at work (and sometimes not at all). I had a Cat Scan this morning, but won't get the results till next Thursday. Hopefully the stent will be removed then. I am afraid to ask for more pain meds. My doctors are wonderful and I am sure they would give them to me ... but I am afraid of becoming addicted. Oh well ... this has given me a good reason to get a lot of reading in. It is about the only thing I can do without having to go!
Best wishes to all. Just look at this as a character builder.
So my advice is to try all options to pass the stone if its small enough. Drink lots of lemonade and try the lemon juice/olive oil cocktail and let me know if it works.. If you have to have it surgically removed plan for at least 4-5 days recovery before going back to work. Drink lots of water, like at least 3-4 liters a day, and have someone to take care of you because you're not going to want to do anything. Ask your doctor to use stents that can be pulled out with strings because from what I hear the cystoscopy is a lot more painful. Good luck.
I called doctor again and begged nurse to have doctor take out stents. Well my wish was granted today--and let me tell you it was a blessing after the fact, as the procedure was terrible--no local was given(even though I was under the impression one was to be given).
Well the relief lasted about 2 hours and now I am back to the same old same old. The major pain is gone but the spasms are killing me. Got lots of good info from this site in regards to meds and I know there is someone worse off then me, not that makes me feel better. I wish you all the best, and I hope I never have to go through this again.
Thank God I am not working at this time as I could never had survived going to work. Changing diet to see if it makes a difference in the stone situation as it seems I get one every 2 years--usually in the winter after not drinking enough all summer it seems. Take care everyone and thanks for letting me vent!
Be sure to let your doctors know of your experience. They need this informatin to improve this proceedure in the future.
Also, learned here some useful techniques to deal with stent pain such as wearing loose clothing, drinking plenty of water, tightening your stomach when voiding, not lying down on your stent side, stool softener, etc. And the pain should moderate with time.... I hope.
This is a character building experience. Good luck.
All the best through your experience. Nona
! I fully sympathise with all of you who have and have had stents because its hurts worse than the kidney pain itself. id rather have kidney pain then feela stent!
Two weeks later I had lithroscopy supposedly for a 13mm still in the left kidney but instead the urologist zapped a 6 mm stone in the ureter. The nurse gave me demerol in the same hip being lasered. BG MISTAKE. The pain was excrusiating. It felt like someone hit me with a 2 x 4 hundreds of times every minute. The urologist used 250 mg demerol to complete the lithroscopy. The pain continued not only in the effected area but also from severe muscle ache from straining during the treatment.
The stent still bothers me after three weeks.
I went on search for alternatives and found cornsilk, hydrangea, and marshmallow. The cornsilk lines the ureter and urinary tract to help pass the stone. It's like a kidney stone slip and slide.
The hydrangea helps break up the stone.
the marshmallow helps in circulation issues.
Drink a gallon of purified water every day, sipping all day, not chugging a quart at a time.
No sugar, no high fructose, no caffeine, no red meat.
Do this and you wont ever need a urologist.
Think about it... demerol, toradol, morphine, antibiotics, antispamatics, and other drugs are all very damaging to the kidney.
I'm off all pain meds for one week solid now. The stent is still in and two stones smaller than the urologist estimated are sitting stuck at the edge of the stent about an inch apart.
This stent is out of here as soon as I have my lithroscopy follow up.
I do not believe a word this Dr says. Of course he tells me that I can resume my activities and every thing will be okay. Except a few poeople complain of a "little urgency" All I can say is F that! I havn't been back to work, I can't be active, I really can not do anything.
It feels like the worst bladder infection in my life. I googled stent problems and now I see that this is common. I'd like to stick a stent in that Dr and see how his "little urgency" feels!
I do not believe a word this Dr says. Of course he tells me that I can resume my activities and every thing will be okay. Except a few poeople complain of a "little urgency" All I can say is F that! I havn't been back to work, I can't be active, I really can not do anything.
It feels like the worst bladder infection in my life. I googled stent problems and now I see that this is common. I'd like to stick a stent in that Dr and see how his "little urgency" feels!
I do not believe a word this Dr says. Of course he tells me that I can resume my activities and every thing will be okay. Except a few poeople complain of a "little urgency" All I can say is F that! I havn't been back to work, I can't be active, I really can not do anything.
It feels like the worst bladder infection in my life. I googled stent problems and now I see that this is common. I'd like to stick a stent in that Dr and see how his "little urgency" feels!
Never in my 39 years of life have I experienced such pain and discomfort! While the ditropan does help with the bladder spasms, the Darvocet did not even begin to help with pain relief!!
Post-op I returned home to intense burning during urination, bloody, clotted urine, and a pain that was worse than ever. It's difficult to find a comfortable position to sit, sleep or even lay down and my doctors haven't been much help.
A midnight call to the GU resident resulted in me being told that "everything you're telling me is normal so you'll have to just deal with it." Wow...wtf!???? I was even told that were I to go to the ER that I would be seen by this same resident and discharged....*sigh*
A call into the urologist's office got me some Vicodin which barely takes the edge off the pain. I saw my urologist yesterday and he was perplexed when I described my symptoms and tried to explain that I feel worse off now than before. He insisted that the stent "was properly placed and bypasses the kidney stone so there is no reason for you to be in pain at all." The office visit ended with me being scheduled for Litho on 06/18/09 (tomorrow).
In short I'd like to say that I not only agree with most everything said here but can relate to it. I don't know what the problem is with most of our physicians not understanding or wanting to help with our pain and discomfort but I really wish that would change.
I'm not looking forward to the surgery or the stent removal but am wiling to go through it in an attempt to get this done and over with. My concern, though, is that the fragments could remain and act as seed material for further stones - can anyone comment on this please?
I think that as a pre-requisite for the position of a urologist, each physician needs to have had kidney stones and had the placement of a stent. Were that the case, I firmly believe their dismissive attitude would change...drastically.
Good luck to everyone.
Colby
This has happened to me 7 times since 06/04/09 - it's not consistent but when it hits.....OMG! Has anyone experienced this type of onset before? I brought it up to my doctor who didn't seem to have a clue about it.
Thanks in advance,
Colby
I was released from the hospital after 10 days and told by my urologist to schedule a stent placement when I got home. Being on hard hitting pain meds in the hospital, I didn't bother to ask any questions, came home, and made my appointment.
When I called for my appointment, the nurse told me I would have "conscious sedation", which is what I was also told for the nephrostomy - worst pain I have ever felt in my life, especially while someone is standing over you saying " you may feel a little pinch". This sent me into a panic, not wanting to go through that sort of pain again. I was given NO information about what to expect, what complications may be, if any pain meds would be given, that these things weren't permanent...
I have now sat up till 5 am in the morning, due at the hospital at 7:30am. I am cancelling my appointment until I can get more information. I'm not happy about sitting longer with this bag sticking out of my back, but I'm also not willing to subject myself to more needless torture.
Thoughts and prayers for all of you.
Now I can actually go and cut the grass, which is growing like a weed. Yippee.
In my internet search I also found that “The implanting physician is responsible for informing the patient of the requirements, consequences, and complications associated with stent placement. Failure to do so has obvious management and potential mediocLEGAL implications.†PERHAPS WE SHOULD EXPLAIN THIS TO OUR DOCTORS!
This site is wonderful, but I feel the AFTERCARE management section should include some of the information some of the other User Contributors have offered as well as: 1) That patients should continually sip water not gulp down sporadically. 2) To monitor the urine output/flow. Not Enough Input-No Output-Say Hi to UTI! 3) Stent caused symptoms like bladder irritation causing frequency and urination discomfort and leakage. 4) Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) due to the implanted stent. 5) Should the stent pass on it’s own the office will want to see it. **Though once the stent/s are removed all symptoms resolve almost immediately.
I also liked the description of the ureteral stent as being about the same size as a plastic coffee swizzle stick and about 10-12 inches depending on the type used due to the size of your particular ureter/s.
Did I mention I LOVE THIS SITE! Thank YOU all for sharing and hopefully others can come here and learn more about what is happening to them before it happens to them! It is not often that we can honestly say I FEEL YOUR PAIN! To bad we can not bottle it and share. = (...)
Take care, Alice
Well, that morning I chickened out, and opted to not go to the appointment for stent placement, and called my urologist instead. We discussed at that time that ureter reconstruction was more than likely where I would end up, so it was agreed that 6 weeks later, we would proceed with the surgery. About 4 days after that appointment, the nephrostomy began to leak, filling my pelvis with fluid, and making the decision for me that the reconstruction surgery had to occur immediately.
I woke up from this surgery to be in the absolute worst pain of my life. I still had the nephrostomy, and added a stent to my newly replaced left ureter, as well as a foley catheter and a surgical drain from my stomach. As days progressed, I felt much better, with some pretty bad pain in my groin - I am assuming due to the stent. After a month in the hospital, I finally made it home, still with a foley, still with a stent, and still with a nephrostomy. I was able to leave my house yesterday for the first time to attend an open house for my 8 year old's school. This felt GREAT to be able to leave the house, but after about 30 minutes, had to come home and hit pain meds.
Hopefully, I lose the foley and nephrostomy on Monday. Both of these procederes have caused me a little anxiety, along with the idea of getting this stent removed in another 3 weeks. At least it will (should) be over for me then.
I can say that the stent pain I have has gradually gotten better. I have actually been able to go one day wothout pain meds. I don't know what it will be like when the foley is removed and I have to pee on my own, but hopefully it won't be to horrible.
Thank you so much to all of you that have posted. I received enough insight from your posts to no longer fear the unknown. Good luck to you all!!
I, too, am going through the burning at the end of voiding (which is how I found your post here), and the need to go NOW is horrible. I am getting my stent out in a week or so. But please, please, if they tell you you need the stent, DO IT. The alternative is worse. I had a kidney stone move and block the urethra TOTALLY. The poisons built up in the kidney, and moved to the bloodstream. The scary thing is that there was no pain, nothing I could put my finger on as a problem other than that things "weren't right." My husband finally called an ambulance after I spent a day at home in bed, and was unable to decide anything (like, "Are you hungry?" "I dunno....") By the time I got to the hospital, the infection had moved into my bloodstream, and I was very close to death. I spent over 2 weeks in the hospital as they tried to get me over it. They succeeded (naturally -- I'm writing this, right?), and I have now gone through 3 rounds of lipotripsy (sp?) to blast those stones into little bits that I can pass. So yeah, I'm dealing with the burning, looking forward to the removal of the stent, but also glad to be alive to complain about the burning!
Thank god I found this website! I'm glad to hear everyone else is experiencing the same things I am.
I'm 25 and 27 weeks pregnant with a stent in my right side. I am in the most unbearable pain I've ever experienced. I went into the hospital with right flank pain Aug 25 and they couldn't find any stones but apparently my baby is blocking my kidney, so therefor they had to place a stent. I have two words.... I'm miserable!!! I can't do anything for myself, I can't walk more than 2 seconds and I'm in constant pain. Like everyone else my doctor told me that it was only going to be uncomfortable.... Ha ha ya right... I still have blood (lots) in my urine and occasionally have clots, its so painful wen I urinate that I literally grab something and squeeze for dear life. I'm crying all the time. Its horrible!!!! I have decided that I'm not waiting till my babys born to get it removed I'm going this week to get it out. I would rather have the pain in my flank than go through this 24/7.... I wish all of u good luck and hope ur pain eases.
I am on the 2nd doctor in the group cause the first one was a jerk. This guy is very informative, but said nothing about pain from the stent. He did not say it would be staying though. He said it would be to drain the kidney cause it is full and not going anywhere.
He did talk about a tube from the back with a bag to see if the kidney was functioning at all before he would take the kidney out.
The first guy said it would be okay to leave it in even if it didn't work as long as I was having no pain.
This guy said it should not stay in cause it could cause secondary infection and cause more problems.
We have been told by my husbands MS doctors that "Medicine is not an exact science" YA THINK????
I do not want to be one of "DR HOUSE's" patients believe me.
Thank you all for your time and honesty. I do want to be an informed patient.
I pray for peace and a pain free life for you all.
alice
It is now 6 years later, and after thousands of dollars, they have still not found my parathyroid, but we are still looking. The main point of this post, is, any women out there that are pregnant and just started getting kidney stones, or women that have already had children, but started having kidney stones while pregnant, please go have your calcium levels checked! At one point mine was as high as 12.5, and I think the norm is 3.5-5.0.
I hope this helps even just one person so they don't have to go through having kidney stones for the rest of their lives!
Good luck to everyone. I get my stent out on Monday, and I can't wait! I don't care how bad it hurts, at this point, nothing really hurts that bad anymore anyway!!!
p.s. The BEST PART of this… my son turned 6 yrs old on August 27th and is totally healthy, happy and normal!!! :)
I'm heartily fed up with the whole thing. I've lost 3 months of being able to walk and rumble with the kids. 20 years ago I guess they'd open me up, remove the stones and sew the holes up, with maybe 2 weeks of downtime. Now days, I get 3 months of downtime.
Good luck to everyone else with stones. I'll post back and let you know how it goes.
Robbie (New Zealand)
1. Can sting a bit when they put the anesthetic jelly in your pipe (probably the worst bit);
2. The cytoscope moving up to your bladder is fine and whilst a bit uncomfortable does not hurt;
3. It starts to get more uncomfortable as the cytoscope starts to break through to the bladder but then it settles down very suddenly.
4. At this point you just feel like you need to urinate and it can be mildly uncomfortable if they have to move or rotate the cytoscope to find the stent.
5. Once the end of the stent was grasped by a wire passed through the cytoscope I was told to take a deep breath and then out it all comes - very quickly, and didn't feel any pull or sensitivity in the kidney. The pulling out really is that quick and painless, basically if you blink you'll miss it.
6. Afterwards there was burning and stinging when urinating, a little blood and some kidney pain, but all pretty tolerable/manageable.
Hope this helps anyone worrying about getting the stent pulled out.
barely letting any urine flow. I really felt better with the kidney stone stuck Than i do with this stent. :/
I had a sound waves kidney stone removal operation with a sent inserted on 12/17/09. Bottom line, I had strong pain upon urination, and as is my nature, bit the lip and went with it; thereater, laid in bed most of time and minimized the Percoset intake . Initially, I requested a smaller dose of Percoset due to prior surgical experiences I don't do well with a strong doses. I was prescribed 325mg. The first dose I cut the tablet in half and pain was some what tolerable; thereafter, I decided to take the full dosage with limit on intake frequency. Three days later, I interchanged with Tylenol ( two 550mg tablets) and generally felt okay.
Today, is 7 days later and Christmas Eve, since the operation & stent placement, feel much better, slight pain upon urination. Haven't taken a dose of Percoset in 24 hours just Tylenol.
I want to assure you that each of us have varied experieneces and yours will be different. Just be prepared, ask questions, take pain medications, rest alot, intake water and take time off.
I will see my doctor on 12/29 and will udpate.
Stents are painful. Readers of this website should not necessarily make a decision based solely on these comments. My first stent didn't cause much pain at all. The second one caused a ton of pain after they removed it - cramps and spasms for an entire day that was worse than the kidneystone itself! My current one - well, lots of blood, lots of flank pain during urination, kidney and bladder spasms, and I'm anticipating some pain after removal. But I have meds.
So yeah, you need pain medication during and after the stent. But every person's experience will be different. Heck, every one of my experiences have been different. If the doctors recommend a stent, I wouldn't turn it away. Just be aware that it's not a cakewalk and that you need adequate pain management.
Know what you are all going through as I had a stent put in four weeks ago and it is due to be removed the week after next. This cannot come soon enough as I feel my life has changed for the worse as I have not really been able to do my normal day to day routine things.
I also like a few people did leave the hospital without any advise with what to expect. Contacted the Doctor on numerous occasions and have spent a fortune on prescriptions for things that did not make any difference to the pain and suffering that I have been going through over the past four weeks.
Tomorrow after the Christmas break I am finally going back to work and not looking forward to it as cannot cope with the pain, so lets see how it goes.
Each of the 3 stents that I have had were painful, but this one is not as bad as the other ones. The enablex has helped significantly.
Hope this helps someone out there as you have helped me.
God bless you all with better health this new year!
Ann, I am happy to hear that you had a stone rather than a tumor. I had to stay home from work during my entire ordeal. I drive heavy machinery for a living and there is no way I could keep stopping to void every 5 minutes. I think the most frustrating thing about the stent is the false feeling that you have to go all the time. I couldn't even sleep because of it. I take my hat off to you for going to work with that thing in you. I wish you the best and hope for a quick recovery for you. God bless.
It took me weeks to find the right combination of medication. I take Vesicare in the morning along with Pyridium and Vicodin (3-4 times a day). The dr. said the pyridium "doesn't do anything" but for me has done WONDERS. I can function at work, although I go to pee a few times an hour, and i get bad flank pain during the day but i can use a heating pad and more pain meds to help. I suggest you get on your doctor about pain meds. I don't care if i have to call once a week...if i have to have this thing in until the end of January, i NEED something strong. I think its a joke that a LOT of these urologists believe that Tylenol would be enough for the pain. It is NOT!
This latest stone was in my R kidney, another 4mm, on Thanksgiving 2009. Got a shot of dilaudid/phenigren, oxycodone pills for pain, sent on my way. Three days before Xmas 2009, I go to hospital again, receive demorol (sp?) shot, hydroxodone for a 6mm stone in my R kidney. Go to uroloist, who says the 6mm isn't moving so they'll have to go in and get it. Oh yeah, and another one in my L kidney, unbeknownst to me, that was 7mm and still in the kidney. They could do the sonic blast thing on that one. Went in, had the surgery (was totally knocked out for it), got a stent in the R kidney. The stent hurt worse than the stone did! I spent a week barely moving, barely eating, in pain every time I urinated, and heavily doped up on Percocet and muscle relaxers. Missed 3 weeks of work overall due to these nasty little things (I work as a corrections officer and we can't go into work when on any type of narcotic). Got the stent out today, one week after surgery, and here go those spasms again! My bladder is spasming, as well as the R kidney. I just took 2 percocets and the pain is gradually subsiding. Gosh, I sure jope this isn't going to be a recurrent theme in my life. This pain is unbearable, which I'm sure all of you know. I have never in my 36 years on this planet felt such agony as I have in the last few weeks.
I have been diagnosed with a 9mm stone in my right ureter "close to the VUJ" whatever that is.
I am scheduled to have a stent inserted next Tuesday 19 Jan 2010 as the first stage in the stone removal. I understand that at a later date, they will go in with some instrument to break the stone up.
It sounds as though I am in for a rough ride. It looks like almost everyone has had considerable pain and discomfort.
I have had stones before. I have passed a couple of small ones with just short sharp pain and I have also had larger ones surgically removed. This is the first time that they have had to use a stent however.
I look forward to following this forum.
I had my ureterscopy January 14 to remove large kidney stones in kidney/bladder/ureters. (This was detected during a hysterectomy last November.) I also had a stent inserted with the thread hanging out. I was very fearful of the pain involved by reading these posts. So far the pain is not totally botherson but then again I have been dealing with an UTI since the hysterectomy and meds not relieving the pain to my desire. (I have also previously endured wrist surgery, major spine surgery, a uterine ablation, a D&C and naturally delivered 10lb babies) I have now been prescribed Cipro 1000mg ODx3, Percocet: 5mg/325mg 2 every 4 hours, and Detrol 5mg 3x/day. Peeing is constant as i am also constantly drinking water and cranberry juice. I am wearing a pad but there is no more blood...I use the pad as a presserary and apply pressure to vagaga when walking and periodically when sitting. I am also doing kegels. The most bothersome issue is that dang thread--I have accidently pulled it twice. I also cannot bend---that causes pain but it is manageable with a grunt and a loud groan...LOL...I am scheduled for a kidney xray next week and if all is well the urologist will pull the cord. I am hopeful the pain following will not be too bad...I feel some of my pain is actually the healing from the hysterexctomy which is not healing fully on the inside (granulous tissue growing over unhealed areas. I am now creating a new eating/exercise lifesyle to avoid kidney stones developing again and to lose weight (I also have a fatty enlarged liver. I am 43 yrs old at 205 lbs (I lost 10 lbs since November/hysterectomy) According to Real Age mybody thinks I am 52...eek...time to get fit and have fun!!!
Good luck to everyone going through this procedure!! The short term pain now will result in a great, active, painfree life! Be well!
I didn't need a catheter apparently. I asked the doctor why and he said that it was just a feeling he had that it wouldn't be needed on this occasion. Because I was passing urine ok and all of my observations were good I could check out a few hours after the procedure and go home.
Yes it stings a fair bit when I urinate but I have no other uncomfortable symptoms and I can't detect that the stent is in there.
Subject to all being well he is going to go in there in a week and try to break up and retrieve the 9 mm stone which is located in my right ureter just above the bladder.
No pain tonight.
I go in this morning to have the stone blasted and removed. The doctor said that there is a 90+% chance of success.
There was slight discomfort with the catheter in the urethra but otherwise it was pain free.
He replaced the stent and I have that removed next week under a general anaesthetic. I mentioned to the doc today that I was pleased that it would be under a general anaesthetic and he was unaware that it is common practice elsewhere (as discussed in this thread) to remove it with a topical anaesthetic.
I have to say that this has been a very good overall experience in terms of pain.
But Oct 09 I had cloudy pee and blood/protein breakdown products were found as well as a blocked left ureter and nephrosis of a kidney. There was no pain and I was easily riding faster than others in my cycling group. But later in 09 I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. All sorts of scans were done and my urologist suggested the ureter blockage be investigated in a procedure before the prostate was removed. My pee cleared up after a week and there was no pain despite the blockage. I had the investigative endoscopic surgery about 3 weeks ago where they found I had something they could not see squeezing my ureter shut. They took samples of the lumen to look for cancer but none was found. They also put ina stent after I had fasted in the hospital for 26 hours. After the stent insertion I needed 4 injections of morphine to ease the pain. I slept 4 hours and when I woke I was peeing blood and it was painful. I was released from hospital, ie, booted out, and told symptoms will ease. During the following 5 days of pain the symptomes did ease although I had an attack of even more painful backache. Bleeding stopped after 2 days. My accupuncturist gave me a treatemnt which eased my back ache, and the stent pain steadily eased.
A few days later after beginning to eat and poop again I felt so good I went out on my bike for 35km, and there was no problem. after 2 more days, 70km, and I thought all was fine. Then after another 2 days, another 80km but this time I began to pee blood after 50km so I rode the last 30km very slowly, feeling a bit alarmed. The bleeding stopped after a day's rest and pain during peeing was bad but bearable. Then after 2 more days I rode again and bleeding began after only 10km so I have given up riding for a week now completely. I no longer bleed, but have some discomfort with the stent and some pain when peeing.
My prostate op is due in 3 weeks, and I will be sending a report on pain&symptoms to my doc. He said I would bleed a bit, and that I could ride a bike, and that the stent cannot remain for longer than 6 months. He also said that if the blockage is found to be due due to cancer spread then they would not do the prostate surgery and thatI would have to have radio therapy and hormone treatment instead. OK, so now there is not big pain anywhere, but the docs really don't know my total condition and it could well be the beginnning of the end for me. I thik at 62, longevity is an oxymoron, and what I have is shortevity, and how short that time is I have no clue, but cancer killed my father, sister, and nearly got the other sister so I've always thought my turn would come, and it did. My advice? make sure you insist on a prostate biopsy when your PSA goes to 4.5. By the time its 5.0, you will have been seen by the urologist and there's still time to catch the cancer before its spread. One has to allow for medical system delays. My PSA went from 4.7 to 7 in just 1 year and maybe I was just one year too slow to catch the cancer before it spread. The medical system here does not recommend you have a biopsy before PSA reaches 7.0.
I'm hoping the ureter problem is benign and fixable and not a spread of prostate cancer, but hope never affects medical outcomes which can be far worse than you hope for and accompanied with much pain during treatments. I had a prostate biopsy without aneasthetic and was in frightful pain as 9 samples were taken. Each was positive.
But at least I am fit and healthy (apart from cancer) and not overweight so when the docs cut me open again they don't have to work around piles of unwanted fat in my guts.
Regards to all. May the God of the Universe not torment you too much.
The 2nd stone not so much. I started to have pain in March, I hate hospitals, so I endured til 4/20 then when I couldn't sleep in any position, I called an ambulance and went to the E.R. they told me I had 'a life-threatening' infection in my left kidney and a stone. Put me through 7 antibiotics before settling on one so caustic it blew 8 I.V.s before having to have a midline put in. Also got the stent in April.
Since the antibiotic was to go on for 4 months, I was placed in the nursing home from hell. After the treatments finished I waited a month before they would do surgery, then it was postponed, I had a drain in as well. I fired the original doc who wasn't even aware I had a catheter when I requested it be removed, and I had just seen him face to face.
He wanted to exchange the stent for a LARGER one.
I've had cancer (ovarian, in my teens), been in labor (16), both were extreme pain, and the stent was in another timezone of extreme, off the charts. I begged for pain killers. Soon, I had spasms so horrible I would roll in a ball and cry. The blood in my diapers went from red to black, but no one did anything.
In July I was given norcos, and dermal morphine. It worked for awhile, and I bled alot. Finally in August I was given a bladder relaxant for the spasms. I had to fight for it.
By September when the second doc finally scheduled me, I was making plans to make sure my friends and loved ones knew I loved them, certain this would end up killing me.
9/9/09 I had the surgery, litho. I had had the stent from 4/20 to 9/09
afterwards I was severely anemic. Finally able to ween myself-they were happy keeping me on the pain meds forever... off norcos, morphine and the bladder relaxant they kept giving me.
I left the nursing home on Oct 23rd. Since then I still have to wear diapers because I can't make it to the bathroom. My self-esteem has plummeted. I am only 46 years old.
I looked in hiring a lawyer, who laughed at me and said if I lost a kidney I'd have a good case, if I died it would be a great case.
From reading so many cases at this forum I think I have had it easy with the temporary uretic stent I have. But even at a concert last night with Nigel Kennedy playing violin I was in pain for some of the time. I think some stent pain comes from having a length of stiff pipe with flared ends sitting in a ureter which ordinarily can bend into any shape with body and internal organ movement which happens each day in our ordinary lives. If you bend down to tie shoe laces the ureters bend around and are pressured by other organs. So if you have a stent the end of the stent can press into soft linings of the ureter and cut them thus causing pain and bleeding. NOWHERE have I seen doctors mention this aspect of stenting; ie, the practical real world ability or disability of a patient to tolerate a stent.
I have cancer as well as ureter problems and the cause of my ureter bother could be a tumour on the ureter and I am not sure at all about what the surgeons can do to prolong my life and give me back some pain free health.
Regards to all, Patrick Turner.
On 1/27 they did a lithotripsy with stent replacement. Once again "you'll be fine in a 'few' days". Since I didn't do well the first time, I made sure I took at least 5 days off from work - including the procedure. Even then I worked one 8 hour shift and was in so much pain - I took the next 2 days off.
I just had the stent removed yesterday, it was not as bad as I thought it would be (men may have a worse time because the removal has to go over the prostate). I had some bloody urine for a while - LOTS of stones, but not a lot of pain (at least - so far). I hate doctors that have no compassion or bedside manner, but I don't have many options - there are only 2 groups in town and the other group if kinda far to travel. If I ever have to have another litho or basket removal - I may try the other group.
Good luck to you all. My best advice to everyone is DON'T BELIEVE THE DOCTOR about the amount of pain you will be in - get the good drugs (if you aren't allergic) and take additional time off work to recover. As always - everyone reacts to pain differently - but be kind to yourself and your kidneys - DRINK LOTS AND LOTS of WATER! Again - Good luck.
The aftermath has consisted of some bladder spasms that are diminishing with time. The doctor prescribed a bladder relaxer/pain killer for that. It is somewhat uncomfortable when I urinate. It stings pretty good, but that's because the urethra is still a bit irritated. And, of course, there is blood in the urine, which will diminish as well.
Overall, it was not as bad as I expected. I did not/have not experienced the horror stories you hear from some folks about this. But then it's only been a few hours. I'll have to see how I progress through the weekend.
To those of you anticipating this procedure, I say expect some mild discomfort during the procedure. And be ready for some uncomfortable urination afterwards. Everybody is different, but in my particular case, everything was very manageable. Just continue to drink a lot of water after the procedure to help flush the blood out, and to keep the ureter from becoming irritated due to lack of fluids. Don't worry, it's not as bad as many are saying. You'll get through it just fine.
I had a stent placement last year as well but my thing is I don't remember being in this much pain or bleeding this long. I had my surgery on 3/5/10 it is now 3/14/ and the bleeding is still pretty substantial
THANK YOU
Don't expect to go back to work for at least a few days after having the stent removed. All in all, the stent is the worst, but the alternataive of having the uerter close up, back up urine, damage the kidney would be worse. Losing a kidney and having to live by dialysis would be worse. I hope I never have to go thru this again!
I felt nothing when they put it in through my nephrostomy tube, I had a few days of being uncomfortable, a bit like period pains and my bladder felt a little funny. I was back at work after the weekend.
I thought I would put this in case there is anyone else out there looking for info and they are terrified. I think everyone is different, or it could be that the surgeon who put mine is was brilliant!
I have tried a lot of different anti-spasm meds, but was just put on another since the Nucynta isn't working as well. I now take 100 g Nucynta, Tylenol with codine ( so much vicadin I ended up with an allergic reaction) detrol and advil (800mg at a shot.) Next I am going to do a lot of self talk since I still suffer pain.
I too experienced the most terrible pain with stent removal. Thank goodness it is a quick procedure.
It has been extremely helpful finding this site and finding out it isn't all in my head. The Doctors make me feel like I am unusual in that I have so much pain. Now I know the TRUTH!
Hang in there... I had bilateral stents for 3 months, then again with daughter for 3 months (one side). It's is awful... I want to validate that. It feel at times like a sharp knife. I would really encourage you to go on disability (I did). Take it easy. Get off your feet. Tylenol seemed to help me toward the end. I feel for you. Just wanted to let you know. Maybe you've had your baby since posting, let us know.
They held me in the hospital, doctor took the 7mm stone out in an operation and he put the 2 stints in. The 10mm stone was crushed with the ultrasound table, not sure if its out yet. Dont know what happened to the 4mm stone. The doctor prescribed Detrol LA 4mg and Uroxatral 10 mg. He perscribed Vicodins but I am already on Percocet so my pain management doctor did not want me to "OD". He gave me a prescription for Fentora and a free coupon, I can see why it was free (like eating a Tic-Tac).
What happens is when my pain medication is close to wearing off I start going into the spasms again and I feel like I have to pee more often. That part of the process is starting to lessen but I believe it will come back when he takes the stents out for a short time. I will need something closeby to take because I will be in so much pain.
With the stents placed the nausea has subsided! I can eat again... which is great. However, I feel USELESS. I am in pain from the stents. Lots of blood & tissue in my urine. My bladder spasms are killer. (And it feels like my bladder is always full) I hate taking the oxycodone for the pain, but I can't go long without it. I feel guilty doing so, because of the baby. I have a difficult time sleeping and I can't wait to have these out! The doctor gave my husband notice to take off work for a few days. He goes back to work on Monday (4 days from now) and I am freaking out a bit. I have a 23 month old daughter at home... I don't know what I am going to do. Thought maybe I was just being too weak and needed to suck it up. Glad I am not crazy... or being a big "baby." I am so frustrated right now, it brings me to tears.
With the stents placed the nausea has subsided! I can eat again... which is great. However, I feel USELESS. I am in pain from the stents. Lots of blood & tissue in my urine. My bladder spasms are killer. (And it feels like my bladder is always full) I hate taking the oxycodone for the pain, but I can't go long without it. I feel guilty doing so, because of the baby. I have a difficult time sleeping and I can't wait to have these out! The doctor gave my husband notice to take off work for a few days. He goes back to work on Monday (4 days from now) and I am freaking out a bit. I have a 23 month old daughter at home... I don't know what I am going to do. Thought maybe I was just being too weak and needed to suck it up. Glad I am not crazy... or being a big "baby." I am so frustrated right now, it brings me to tears.
Well, grab yourself a cup of coffee (or better yet water - keep those kidneys healthy!) and I'll tell you the tale...
Prior to surgery, my pain would come and go in random intervals. In terms of "kidney stone related" pain, one day I'd feel as fresh as a clear summer day, and the next I'd be walking around with the most obnoxious dull ache in my lower back (from the hip to the groin). Sometimes this would come and leave within a matter of a few hours; other times it would stick with me for nearly a week straight.
I felt as if I was constantly tired, and the "fatigue" related symptoms stuck with me pretty much on a regular basis. I was essentially diagnosed with IBS symptoms and GERD at a very young age and had recently undergone a specific diet to attempt to rid myself of systemic candidiasis (i.e. a yeast infection plaguing my intestines) My situation was very miserable around Thanksgiving in terms of the "mystery lower back pain," and around Christmas was the time I finally decided I was sick of it and needed to see the doctor. IBS and candidiasis weren’t explaining all my symptoms.
So, sure enough - I'm asked to play the "pee in the cup" game and the doctor returns saying, "Wow... there was a lot of blood in the urine. 98% of the time with males... that indicates a kidney stone." I laughed at the idea at first, since the only person whom my other relatives "thought" had a history of kidney stones was my grandfather and "supposedly" kidney stones were hereditary. Well, to make a long story short, I had the CT scan done... and "family history" or not, the stone was definitely there (14x7mm) and definitely NOT coming out on its own without any help.
Next step - find a urologist! So I did in February (2010), and by the time I got to the waiting room, I was questioning whether I was waiting to see a doctor or waiting to apply for assisted living... (no insult intended whatsoever; it was simply an amusing experience walking up to the counter, "signing the roster," and then turning around to see an entire room of senior citizens stare at me as if saying- "What on earth is this crazy young-blood doing in here??")
The urologist immediately suggests a lithotripsy, to which I ask- “Oh, well I was researching that, and won’t I have to worry about the pain that comes along with passing 50 to 100 fragments of gravel?†He then explained that they would put a stent in place and I “wouldn’t even feel them passing.†That relieved me as I nodded, “went with it,†shook his hand, went home to research it in more depth, and checked my schedule so I could plan the surgery. I also was required to get an X-ray and report back to the urologist a week later with the results. So, another week later, we go through the drill, and the urologist shows me the stone on the scan. I was a full-time student, taking a tough load of core level classes at the time, so I decided to schedule the surgery after the semester had wrapped up. The first available time was May 7.
… … …
(Continued as “Part IIâ€)
So, a week before May 7 (… it may have actually been 2 weeks…) I stumble across this place. WOW! Talk about a collection of “Tales from the Underworld†that I wasn’t expecting. The 5-letter word “S-T-E-N-T†had me scared to death, as I actually finished reading through all 200 testimonies and only 5 or 6 of them said something along the lines of “It wasn’t that bad†or “in terms of pain, this was a good experience.â€
I figured it was time to conduct my own research. I started asking around with people I came into direct contact with – pretty much anyone – if they personally had AND/OR knew someone who had experienced the lithotripsy with a stent. Most of them said the exact same thing- “I was out for the surgery so I don’t remember anything about that. Once you have the stent in place, you WILL feel it when you urinate! Make no mistake – you will not feel like “running†or “lifting†anything for a couple days.â€
I also read several hundreds of testimonies on various websites, and I’ve noticed there is a VERY strong correlation between individuals who are pregnant and/or have cancer and individuals who testify about horrible stent pain. At this point, I started feeling better about the whole process, and decided to stop worrying about the “demonic pain that might be.†My urologist’s assistant said that “80% of people don’t even feel the stent,†but I have a hard time buying that one… either way, it certainly can’t be true when referring to the urination process.
Anyway, May 7 rolls around (and it feels like it was just yesterday instead of a week ago) and I decided to go in with an extra chirpy attitude… I was after all, about to be put out COLD for 2 hours… why not have a little fun beforehand? So, I started joking around with the anesthesiologist and the nurses about the “fun†I was ready to undergo. I admitted that I was nervous about the whole deal, to which a nurse said, “Oh we’ll give you a sedative to relax you. I can give it to you now, unless you want to speak with the doctor (i.e. the “doctor†who was about to perform the surgery that I hadn’t even met yet). I temporarily declined and said, “Actually I think I’m going to ask him some questions first…â€
10 minutes pass. The doctor soon arrives… and he is ALL “business†– very professional, not interested in “sharing a joke†or anything of the sort. He just proceeds to describe exactly how the cystoscopy works… i.e. how they’re going to shove the stent up “the tube†while I’m under the anesthetic. I asked him a couple questions about “stones potentially getting lodged in the stent,†to which he explained that it “wasn’t going to happen like that.â€
Then, my father (who had been sent to say a quick farewell before they wheeled me into the procedure room) says, “Hey, it all sounds straightforward. Now it’s pretty likely that he’ll be good to go after one ‘litho’ right?†…To which the doctor turns his head toward my father and utters “… No,†almost as if in the tone- “Are you kidding me? Who told you THAT garbage??†He then explained with a stone as “big†as mine, 2-3 Lithos was not uncommon before the stone could be fully broken up to the point that it would ALL pass through… and we’d just have to wait and see how things went after the first week.
So I was wheeled away, and given the drugs. I was having two procedures done. #1. Stent placement on left side via cystoscopy. #2. Left lithotripsy…
… … …
(Continued as “Part IIIâ€)
I woke up 2 hours later with minor pain. Of course, upon eating the saltine crackers I was offered while coming back to the “real world,†I knew what came next – I would have to URINATE! Otherwise, the nurses weren’t allowed to let me leave. So, I went into the bathroom expecting to see a whole lot of blood and feel a nasty jolt of pain… well, maybe I was still under some heavy pain pills at the time, because there was plenty of blood but it really wasn’t all that painful. The nurses came in to see the “proof†that I qualified to be dismissed, and I was relieved to jump in the car and leave the surgical center with minimal pain.
The meds started to wear off and I came home ready to urinate again (one “rumor†that is true about stents – they give you a sense of “urgency†you’ve probably never experienced before!) about 25-30 minute later….
OKAY… I admit.. THAT was NOT a fun experience. The feeling upon releasing urine with a new stent is akin to a UTI with hellfire. Compared to some of the stories I’ve read, I still think I had it relatively easy during “Pee #2†because although the sting was painful, it really wasn’t what I’d call “unbearable.†I was able to stand upright and steady myself while “emptyingâ€â€¦ and there was no screaming… ;)
From that point, on and off I would notice that same irritating dull aches in my left back… basically the same thing I described earlier (prior to seeing my doctor and discovering the stone). The first few days were the worst, but the Vicodin I was prescribed really did help with the pain. Overall, through the day, I can’t say it was really that bad. As long as I kept taking a pill every 4-6 hours, I didn’t encounter any terrible pain with the stent by itself. Of course, urinating continued to cause the typical “stent†burning sensation, but as I drank more water and green tea, the intensity lessened and it became easier to deal with the discomfort.
Days 2-3 were the most annoying, which probably doesn’t come as any surprise. For the first 5 nights I could NOT find a comfortable position when trying to go to sleep. I think this is because whether you’re reclining on a couch or lying down on a bed, you’re putting pressure on the stent. That discomfort also eventually subsided, and now (7 days later) I can lie on the side opposite of the stent without causing much pain. Waking up in the mornings was probably the worst part of each day… the pain meds had worn off, the bladder was full (or at least felt full), and pressure had been applied for several hours… needless to say, I haven’t been a “morning person†for a week since the surgery. ;)
There was indeed plenty of blood upon urination. In fact, today (once again, Day 7) is the very first day since the litho and stent placement that my urine has actually started to look like clear urine… and NOT dark cranberry juice. Don’t let the blood or clots intimidate you… it’s typical and for the first couple days, it may actually look like 99% blood… 1% pee. It’s all part of the “experienceâ€â€¦ nothing disastrous.
… … …
(Continued as “Part IVâ€)
This afternoon I went back to see my urologist and presented him my latest X-ray taken yesterday. The new X-ray appeared to show a stone similar to first X-ray, except it had taken a “wave†shape. At first I figured this meant to prepare for Litho #2 without question, but the doctor actually said that the shape was primarily dust and small particles that could clear up in due time. I was getting worried about the “success†of the first Litho, because all I had managed to capture when straining was a few VERY small glass-like particles of the stone. However, it seems the Litho process can reduce these giant stones to miniscule sand fragments and you’ll hardly know you’re passing them.
Well, this just about concludes my history tale of Ryan’s Litho / Stent adventure. My urologist prescribed some more Vicodin to deal with any recurring stent discomfort, and I’m sitting hear typing this with very little pain at the moment. Urinating is still “annoying†but it’s most certainly not unbelievably painful by any means.
I will be getting another X-ray next week and return to see my urologist for further instruction. I shall then post my new tale with Update II.
My whole point in going through this long story is because I know there are others out there who (like I did) are considering or about to go through the Litho / stent placement procedure and have their eyes popping out at the some of the scary stories here. I wanted to assure you that NOT everyone suffers “tremendous pain†while dealing with a ureteral stent. As for me, it was certainly tolerable… at least so far. I will, of course, update you with honest feedback no matter what direction my condition takes.
NOTE: I am by NO MEANS attempting to downplay other people’s testimonies when they claim they have experienced terrible degrees of pain. I do sympathize with those of you who have had to deal with excessive pain and discomfort and wish you the speediest of recoveries.
Update II to follow.
- Ryan V.
Ugh! That sounds horrible, and I hope you can avoid the stent procedure.
Are you fairly certain it's a UTI? I ask because 2 years ago I went to the doctor with standard "UTI symptoms" as well and he quickly diagnosed me with a UTI, which of course came with a significant does of anti-biotics - Cipro and Levaquin. After noticing that the symptoms were only growing worse, I went to a different doctor who immediately suggested running several blood and urine tests.
I ended up developing a nasty yeast infection (see "Candida ablicans" or "candidiasis") and all those anti-biotics were only adding fuel to the fire, because they destroy the "bad bacteria" along with the "good bacteria" that fights off fungus within the body.
If the anti-biotics are relieving those symptoms and you are noticing a difference, you're probably fighting off a standard UTI. However, if feel the symptoms growing worse or no change, you may want to return to your doctor and start asking about testing for yeast overgrowth. They can spread to the bladder, kidneys, etc. and cause infection very similar to a UTI.
Best wishes,
- Ryan V.
My father had a kidney stone 20 years ago, went into hospital, cut open, stone removed, back to work 10 days later. So far I have been to the hospital 6 times prior to the recent, first, surgical attempt to remove the stone - that failed and resulted in the stent - and another operation is proposed in 3 to 4 weeks. In the meantime there is no way I can work unless there is sudden improvement in my condition (which seems unlikely after reading this page). It seems like the old way would be both quicker and less painful for me, as well as taking up less of the consultants and other hospital staffs time and money.
Maybe the old ways are the best.
one who has kidney stones this surgery really dose help
Wow! It's good to hear you're feeling better now after emergency surgery.
Did you end up having a stent placed? If so, I wouldn't be surprised if the discomfort attributed to the stent is a cake-walk compared to a blocked ureter with a 1 cm stone... from the testimonies I've heard, that can be absolutely horrible.
Anyway not trying to guarantee that the rest of your recovery process will be like riding down easy street compared to your previous pain, but if you're feeling much better after surgery, then it's very possible that your body tolerates stents well and the 'worst' may be over.
Good luck and keep us updated!
- Ryan V.
Ta Ta For Now!
I had my procedure and stent placement last june 10. My doc said the stent will stay for 8 weeks. My main concern right now is the bloody urine... until now, my urine is not very clear... I can still see fresh blood and its been like 19 days since the procedure... do you think that is 'normal'? anybody has a similar experience? Thanks in advance.
Mike
Someone asked about stent/catheter removal ( nephrostomy) it doesnt really hurt at all more discomfort, ask the doctor to tell you to cough when they pull it out.
Hi Nancy, i've read your note and have recently heard about permanent stents which are made from titanium, called Memokath, and are much more comfortable and less likely to cause infections. Perhaps you should ask your urologist for more information on this. There is nothing worse than an infection when you have a stent in - I really feel for you! Hope everything improves for you.
My ureteral constriction is caused by an aneurysm that has developed scar tissue around it. That is pressing on the ureter causing the restriction of proper urine flow resulting in SEVERE pain such as is the case with a kidney stone.
Adjusting to having a stent in place can be really difficult, especially in the beginning. What I've learned from reading this site is that the response to stent placement seems to be very individualized. Some of us experience excrutiating pain, while others just annoying discomfort. Here are some things that I have found helpful: use pyridium, detrol, or anti-inflammatory meds if your urologist has ordered them (they decrease the discomfort significantly); drink loads of water; see if changes in your position help. I find that if I am walking alot, I am very uncomfortable. Certain sitting positions are more comfortable than others and when I am in pain, I try to move around until I find one that is tolerable. Lying flat seems to be best for me.
I wish you luck.
lower portion of my kidney..The stent removal was no FUN at all, but since then I still have times that I PASS BLOOD AND i always feel strange down south. How love does it takes for everything to heal...Tired and the pain and not knowing what is normal! should i call the doctor and make a appointment! thanks in advance and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
I will never have stents put in again - nothing could be worse than the hell I went through for six days.
Sorry for such a late response, as I have not been through this forum in a long time. I fear my response is a little "too late," but I will reply nonetheless.
If I remember correctly, I believe I had orangish to darkish yellow urine (i.e. blood) for at least 2 weeks after my stent placement, if not longer. I wouldn't see dark clots unless I had engaged in some sort of outdoors activity, which apparently agitates the stent and can cause more bleeding.
I never completely understood the dangers or complications of exercise while having a stent; my doctor essentially said I'd be fine as long as I could tolerate any side effects. I do know that running or jogging roughs up the stented area (whether it be the kidney, ureter, bladder, or a combination of them) and I certainly wouldn't recommend doing that, as I'd often find myself peeing dark orange urine and having extra stent pain for a couple hours as a result of any extended jogging or jumping activity.
Your stent may be very sensitive to motion - so keep in this mind, this does not simply apply to running, but activities such as swimming or biking too. If you do "rough up" the stent a little, it's probably not anything serious to worry about (unless you find yourself in unbearable pain); it's just irritating to endure for a while. Just be careful and take it relatively easy, because apparently it is possible to dislodge the stent from its placement, and I hear that's not a fun experience.
- Ryan V.
I apologize once again, because I failed to update as early as I had announced with my last story (See posts 218-221 above).
In an attempt to make this follow-up story short and sweet, basically I did have to go through with another lithotripsy. Recovery from this 2nd litho was much easier than the first, and any pain afterward was negligible. I only saw heavy concentrations of blood in the urine for the first day or two.
3 weeks and 3 x-rays later, my doctor said he believed only about 30 percent of the stone remained; the rest had dissolved to dust, courtesy of the 2 lithos. Then my doctor told me it was time to take the stent out. I have to admit - that worried me a bit, because at that time, I had grown accustomed to the stent and was not enduring major pain. I wasn't understanding how it was a wise idea to remove the structure that opened up my ureter to prevent stone pain as they were passing, especially when I had a decent sized chunk of stone left in there. But I went ahead with scheduling the removal, since this doctor seemed to have a very good grip on what he was doing.
I had the stent removed with a local anesthetic on July 9. Like others, I was worried that this was going to be an absolutely dreadful experience. Honestly, it wasn't too bad for me. The feeling of the cystoscope used to remove the stent really isn't so much painful as it is extremely weird and uncomfortable. The insertion is the most awkward part. After that, you just feel this extremely odd (difficult to describe) feeling of something bumping around in your bowels. The entire removal-part of the procedure (involving the cystoscope) only took 2-3 minutes. Note: If you fear you may have developed an infection, have yourself double-checked before proceeding with stent removal. An infection would make this procedure a lot more painful than it needs to be!
Since then I've been doing better, except for the past couple days I've been feeling that same nasty, dull ache throughout my kidneys. I woke up today, drank a bottle of water, went to the bathroom and POP - out came a 2mm by 1mm (oh yeah, I measured it!) stone and about 6-8 tiny stone fragments. This is by far the largest stone I've been able to capture in my life, and I was relieved to see a 2mm stone plunk into the toilet without experiencing any agonizing pain. I pray the pain is over for a long time!
I go back to my urologist for a check-up on August 30 and will have a new x-ray taken the day before. Hopefully, this run-around is just about over. I have been following the lemon detox treatment for 6 weeks now (though I did skip a week in between) which is supposed to be good for dissolving and assisting the passing of calcium oxalate stones. Maybe this is contributing to the recent breakage of stone fragments in my left kidney - I'm not sure. If anyone wants details about lemon detox, let me know. I'd be happy to share! I only wish I had started it while I still had the stent in place.
Best wishes,
- Ryan V.
good luck see you all at the doctors office
I’ve actually been going the “heavy lemon detox†route for nearly 2 months now. Some may find it a bit extreme, but I read quite a few positive testimonials about it and will continue the course.
You will need several lemons and a juicer or some tool / appliance that can be used to drain the raw juice from the lemons themselves. According to many detox advocates, only juice from real lemons will do the trick.
This particular lemon detox requires 20 oz. of lemon juice. I was able to accomplish this by aggressively squeezing 5 lbs worth of lemons. Each lemon varies in size, so you may need 10 – 20 lemons. The important part is making sure you’ve measured out 20 oz of juice by the time you’re finished.
You immediately drink an 8 oz. glad of pure lemon juice – NO water and NO additives! This might seem somewhat intimidating at first, because raw lemon juice tastes bitter going down. However, it actually has a very sweet after-taste, and the juice isn’t as difficult to swallow as it may seem.
You then proceed by drinking one 8 oz. glass of water, mixed with 1 oz. of lemon juice every hour until the lemon juice is depleted. In other words, you will drink 12 glasses over 12 hours.
I believe there is some debate as to whether or not fasting is necessary during your “detox day.†During my first couple experiences, I ate 2 small meals / snacks during the detox, but then switched over to a “no food†policy, which is supposed to be optimal. I didn’t find resisting the urge to eat for one day to be very difficult, since the heavy water consumption nullifies feelings of hunger.
You can repeat this process once every week for “better results.â€
As for my personal experience, I’ve been following the weekly detox for two months, with a “by-week†after every third week. I was never able to pass any noticeable stone fragments until I started this lemon detox. Even my doctor admits my situation is unusual in that I never passed visible stone fragments until a month after my second litho with a stent in place. I actually passed two stones last month – a 2 mm and a 1.5 mm stone – one of which came out the morning after I had finished a “lemon detox day.†Neither experience was very painful at all.
Coincidence? It’s possible, but even my doctor informed me that statistical evidence shows that the acidic content of lemon juice breaks down calcium oxalate stones.
I’ve personally witnessed enough to deem the lemon detox worthy of a few more monthly trials. If any of you have calcium oxalate stones and decide to give it a try, please return and post your results. I’ve love to hear about it!
- Ryan VanDorp
Depending on how the stent is dislodged and many other factors regarding each individual’s condition, the symptoms may vary from little discomfort to extreme pain. If you have reason to believe you’ve dislodged your stent, you would probably have to see your urologist and have an X-ray taken to find out for sure.
However, given what you’ve described, I think you’re just experiencing the symptoms of “Lucky Week #1†with a new stent. It’s anything BUT fun! Your symptoms sound very similar to my own experience during my first “stent week.†The good news is that after 1-2 weeks this pain will probably subside (though it may not entirely disappear) and your body will begin to adjust to the foreign object currently propped up within your left ureter.
Bill (comment #268) is right – walking and movement will make the pain worse, especially during your first few days as your entire urinary tract is still extremely sensitive. Take it easy during your first couple weeks!
Vicodin usually alleviates some of the pain, but even ES (750 mL) tablets won’t remove ALL your stent pain. You should notice a considerable difference within a couple weeks. If not, make sure you talk with your doctor. Good luck and keep us posted!
- Ryan VanDorp
My stents (I had 2 in the same ureter) were taken out 2 weeks ago. First of all, that procedure was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. The relief was immediate. When I urinated right after the procedure there was all sorts of flotsam in the toilet. A couple of days later, there were two instances where some blood was visible present in the urine. That is pretty normal as things scab up and break away. Since that time, there is some tenderness in my bladder. That will probably not be the case for you since I had tissue resected from my bladder to clear the uretal opening.which was closed due to scar tissue from a previous surgery 7 years ago. But there is also some minor discomfort in my kidney and ureter just prior to urinating and during as well. It passes as soon as I am done and I think it is slowly getting better. It’s not nearly as bad as the pain before, and after the surgery and while the stents were in. Since my kidney was blocked for so long it was swollen. I am going for a sonogram in 3 months to see if it is returning to its normal size. I’ll give the discomfort that long to go away before I tell the doctor about it. To all you people who have chronic stones and have to endure this more than once, my heart goes out to you.
For the first couple of days I was only able to urinate 2-4oz freqently during the day at one time, but at night 12-14oz at a time. Now only 2-4oz regardless of the time of day.
Feels like I always have to go. When I am urinating, I seem to stop suddenly after the 2-4oz, even when I feel I need to go a lot more. Getting to the point I am afriad to drink too much so I don't burst. Is this fairly normal?
I've strained about 12-15 grains of stone for the last 5 days. Any point in continuing to strain my urine for the next week and half before my doctors appointment?
Thanks in Advance.
When I found out that my urologist recommended stent removal without a general anesthetic, I did the same thing. I searched online and read a bunch of horror stories, combined with some "oh it's not that bad" testimonies.
So, I went back to my urologist and drilled him with questions, to which he explained that the standard stent removal procedure only took a few minutes. According to him, the process was somewhat awkward and rather uncomfortable, but not very painful. He also stated that if I was completely against the standard procedure, I could always opt for general anesthesia, but that it was often viewed as overkill. Supposedly the standard procedure was far more convenient and less expensive.
I went ahead with the standard removal procedure, and although I admit it was downright uncomfortable, I can't say it was anything horrifying or extremely painful. I would probably go this route again if I needed to have another stent removed.
However, if you are 100% opposed to it, you should be able to demand a general anesthetic and have it done the way you prefer. I'm sure each individual's experience will be slightly different. Don't be afraid to bring on the questions next time you see the doc.
- Ryan VanDorp
Thanks for the imput. I've been climbing the walls with anxiety over this, but knowing I have other choices is comforting. I can handle the pain when its thrust upon me but volunteering for a painful procedure is a different story. I may opt for the general anesthesia because I'm a bit of a chicken. I'll speak to my doc about it. Perhaps he can give me strong sedatives in the office if I choose to have it removed there.
Thanks again
Dan
Thanks!
I would see your urologist immediately. Stents are supposed to be removed or replaced every 6 months. If they remain in the ureter too long, they can calcify.
- Ryan VanDorp
I feel for all of you who have experienced this. It is very uncomfortable and its like you can't do your normal activities since there is that thing inside you. I try to stay out of pain meds since they make me vomit and just go through all these mild pain and pray that all my stones be removed and never to come back again.
Everyone is different so they experience different kinds of pain level. But as soon as you have your first stone, try to live healthier so as not to form any stones again because going through this kind of ordeal is not fun at all. Wish me luck tomorrow on my 2nd ESWL!
Congrats! As I think most would agree, the worst pain associated with stents is usually experienced during the first week. It sounds, to me anyway, that your body is tolerating the stent very well. Congrats!
Unfortunately, I can't tell you anything about the self-removal process of stents. My last stent had to be pulled by my urologist. If you're uncomfortable with the process, make sure you alert your doctor. Better to be safe than sorry.
- Ryan VanDorp
Congrats! As I think most would agree, the worst pain associated with stents is usually experienced during the first week. It sounds, to me anyway, that your body is tolerating the stent very well. Congrats!
Unfortunately, I can't tell you anything about the self-removal process of stents. My last stent had to be pulled by my urologist. If you're uncomfortable with the process, make sure you alert your doctor. Better to be safe than sorry.
- Ryan VanDorp
I had the unfortunate complication of having my right ureter badly damaged when i went in for a radical hysterectomy and fibroid tumor removal. The urologists had to move my bladder up under my right kidney, and tip it on its side, and cut the bottom of it off so as to fashion the remaining parts from the r kidney to the urethra. Of course a stent had to be put in. I have becme a hateful, bitter monster: just call me Sybil. The bladder spasms are much worse than labor pains. I am five weeks post op and if i hadn't pressed for meds they would not have given me anything. Now i am on loritab5mg, ibiprofin, and utira-c. together they work to minimize the qty of spasms but they still keep happening anyway. Each episode lasts for 30 minutes. So i am comiserating with you and want you to know that i feel better now that i have venterd a bit and see that there are so many of us stent people out there!
Had one first put in early June and had nothing but problems since. More so because apparently my tubes from the bladder to kidney are smaller than a "normal" persons so Ive had to wait longer for things to "take affect".
I finally had the stone removed two weeks ago and was extremely disheartened when told that the stent had been left in and would be for a few weeks, especially considering the amount of pain it had left me in, especially when going to the toilet.
Also because of other health issues, Ive been on alot of painkillers this past year and anything I seem to be taking now, my body is resistant to... HOWEVER, I have been prescribed Oral Morphine Sulphate which does the trick for a few hours or so. Ufortunately though the pain has got quite bad today, feels like I constantly need to urinate, and when I do (as usual) nothing or not much comes out.
And like many others, I am terrified of having it removed knowing that I'll be awake during the procedure.
Thanks for reading
Had one first put in early June and had nothing but problems since. More so because apparently my tubes from the bladder to kidney are smaller than a "normal" persons so Ive had to wait longer for things to "take affect".
I finally had the stone removed two weeks ago and was extremely disheartened when told that the stent had been left in and would be for a few weeks, especially considering the amount of pain it had left me in, especially when going to the toilet.
Also because of other health issues, Ive been on alot of painkillers this past year and anything I seem to be taking now, my body is resistant to... HOWEVER, I have been prescribed Oral Morphine Sulphate which does the trick for a few hours or so. Ufortunately though the pain has got quite bad today, feels like I constantly need to urinate, and when I do (as usual) nothing or not much comes out.
And like many others, I am terrified of having it removed knowing that I'll be awake during the procedure.
Thanks for reading
Doc never said a word about Detrol or the orange stuff. Oxycodone stops most the new pain but worried about all the acetominophen and tired of the narco constipation. Doc never said a word about that either. Cipro and pain makes me mean. Ready for the ordeal to end.
Heard Fiuggi water helps and coconut water with lime. Doc is very skeptical. Have a month before they go after other side. Heard drinking too much tea sets the stage for stones. Heard to drink skim milk WITH any meal containing oxylate foods and there are a lot of oxylate foods! If you drink soda pop, QUIT!
My cousin (who is also a teacher) only missed one week of class when the stent was in and said when he had his removed, he was back to work the next day. I am really wondering if that will be the case with me.
I hope Ryan V. is right and that this is just a "week from hell" and I will feel better and be able to return to classes next week!
I definitely understand what you all are going through with the urologists. Mine was a nice enough guy in the office but come surgery day on the hospital, he almost had an argument with me about staying overnight (which he offered as an option in his office TWO DAYS PRIOR) telling me I must have "misheard" him. Well lucky for me I pushed the issue because I ended up waking up with a catheter in me and my nurse Mary having to wake me up every hour on the hour to irrigate all of the clots. She told me had I been sent home I'd have been in ER that same night in extreme pain. Oh and when I woke up, the dr. was gone. Guess since it was Friday, he was in a hurry to start his weekend. Hope he had a better one than I have!!
Since coming home, I experienced a lot of bloody urine yesterday. I took Phenazopridine (the stuff that makes your pee orange) before going to bed and I did sleep through the night only having to get up twice to pee. Today, I don't have any blood in my urine and after the phena wore off my urine went to an interesting yellow color. It is still painful and burns to urinate and I feel it EVERY time going through the stent and have to hold my back with one hand in order to urinate without extreme pain.
I'm glad to read some of your stories about this becoming a distant memory after the stent removal. I plan to call the doctor tomorrow morning to find out when this thing is being removed and plan to stay with a friend for the night after it's removed just in case! I will keep you guys updated as to how this all pans out. I bookmarked this site as I feel like once someone has been through this, it's like we're part of the same "family."
Oh and just to put this in perspective: I have suffered from extreme migraines since I was 16 years old and I'd take a migraine ANY day over this! At least a migraine is a day long event and then it's gone. This is ongoing all day long! Ugh! Thanks for listening :) I spent the night reading all of your stories and they really helped me feel that I'm not alone!
Received a letter in the post this morning saying that the removal will be TOMORROW!
Im relieved that Im not waiting weeks on end again, but also quite scared about it reading some peoples experiences about it.
Well, I shall report back tomorrow or during the week to let you know how I got on
I was more shocked that the whole procedure took roughly 2 minutes to do, and even straight after it felt easier to pee.
A few hours later, as Im writing this, the need and urge to urinate has gone. Its still ever-so-slightly painful to pee, but I was expecting that.
So Im hoping this is it. The pain now is nothing compared to what Ive been through the past 5 months and Im so glad its over
But the worst part of this horror show is.I was sexually molested and repeatedly tortutures by a densist and a church deacon at the same time.When I grew breasts the dentist lost interest and begane to hurt me instead,telling me i was bad and I said anything I'd go to the New England Home for little wanderers.He said all bad girls went there and god only gave big breasts to bad girls.I cannot lie down in a spreadeagled position with all kinds of poking and misery going on down there.I was terrified of that place and everytime i feel apinch or burn from the stents I get hysterycal.This is more Than I can take and nightmare are torture and so real.Has anyone been thru anything like this?
I was just curious to what the procedure was to remove your stent as well was it painfull? I had one placed on 10/15/2010 and I have to have it removed on 11/2/2010. I was just wondering how it was removed as well am I gona be in lots of pain being that Im not going to be put to sleep! Well if you can,respond and give me the details! This way at least I wont be going into this blind folded. Thanks!
You need to see another doctor IMMEDIATELY! Stents are not meant to be left in unchecked and they shouldn't have even put it in without going in and doing something to remove the stone. The stent is probably calcifying and is going to immobilize you eventually if you don't get it removed. I would suggest going to a hospital in a neighboring community or larger city and trying to work out a payment plan. If you pay some upfront, most will work with you! I feel really sorry for what you are going through :( Please keep us updated! God Bless!
I wnat to know the anwser for •Why is ureteral stenting recommended? and
What type of stent will be used, and when will it be removed?
Thanks
Starting with post #218, I told the L-O-N-G story of my kidney troubles and my first experience with a lithotripsy and stent. This continued in post #262, and unfortunately the lithos were very ineffective in destroying or wearing down my 1.6 cm stone.
So, upon seeing my urologist a month ago, I elected to just "get this all over with" and go with the ureteroscopy laser surgery and have them blast the stone to bits. I had this procedure done last Thursday and started my "2nd recovery journey" with a stent left inside.
I don't know the exact cause - maybe I had a bunch of stones trying to pass through and blocking the flow of urine (causing pressure), or maybe I just didn't receive the right pain meds in time, etc. - but for whatever reason, I left the hospital in agonizing pain - worse than anything I had encountered during my previous stent experience. The ride home was absolutely miserable, and upon arriving, I immediately shoveled down four 200 mg fast relief ibuprofen tablets. I had already been given 1000 mg vicodin, so my pain relief options were somewhat limited based on the doctor's recommendations. I managed to almost immediately fall asleep on my couch and then...
Poof! I awoke 2 hours later... and felt as if the surgery had never happened! No pain! Whatever was causing such agony must have run it's course, because I was able to walk around and gained my appetite back almost immediately. Of course, upon urinating I still felt the inevitable pressure of the stent, but compared to my last experience, it wasn't bad at all. This time around I am taking a daily "blue" bladder relaxant (or something similar) type medication, in addition to 500mg vicodin tabs every 6-8 hrs. The pain has been minimal and I really can't complain.
I do continue to pass very small stones almost EVERY time nature calls, which I suppose isn't surprising, given the fact that a 1.6 cm stone was blasted to fragments and dust. I will probably be having the stent removed in 1-2 weeks in the doctors office under a local. It's not "fun" by any means, but I don't recall my last stent removal procedure as being anything unbelievably horrifying... just very weird and quite uncomfortable for a few minutes.
They go in with a scope and pull it out. It sounds worse than it is. It takes about 2 minutes and within about a week you will feel normal again. Sadly though don't be surprised if you get more stones. I already have another one :(
LOT 06340 0B . Został mi taki stent założony i potrzebuję na wymianę co 6 tygodni.
Pozdrawiam, Lucjan Nowak
For example, the pain in my abdomen (most likely the bladder) and the pain in my kidneys when I void urine is explained simply as the emptying bladder pulling down on the pigtail in the bladder thereby also pulling down on the pigtail sitting anteriorly in my kidney. This pain is sharp, but only lasts for a few minutes.
These internet forums where people read horror stories are the last thing anyone should read before going in for a stent. They scare people, and many posts are from 3 or more years ago. Stents have changed considerably in urban medicine and I consider myself lucky that I have not had some of the complications that the rural patients posting in these boards experience.
The best thing you can do is find a Urologist with a great bedside manner, lots of experience, and who is willing to understand your concerns and remain empathetic post-op. But isn't that what we all are looking for in a doctor?
I'll be honest, I thought I would be off from work for 2 weeks... and while that DOES sound appealing, I feel like after just a couple more days I will be able to go back to work without issue.
The Pyridium is making urination less painful and the Vicodin and Percocet does alleviate some of the dull pain. Thank goodness for Ducolax to keep my bowels flowing.
Don't be surprised to experience some acute pain in the morning when voiding - some blood clots may come out too.
So far, the hardest two things for me have ben drinking enough water, and avoiding sneezing and laughing - both of those things seem to cause some brief sharp pain.
I already have another stone :( It's smaller and he's hoping it passes on its own but so far it hasn't moved so I could be in for another round :(
Neil
Durig the night and early Wed-morning, I notice a vey strong stream when urinating and when I woke up for the day, Wed.-morning, I discovered the sting had come out approx. 5- 6 inches and I was continually dripping urine around it.
A trip to the ER resulted in my urologist's order for the stent to be removed. I was surprised at how easy and painless (safe for a mild itchy sensation) that procedure went! No futher complications and I am now urinating freely and comfortably.
yes sometimes it feels like I am "trying" to pass it out but that only last a bit usually
I'm with him. If it weren't for the stent, I'd probably have gone into premature labor from the pain. As it is, my baby is safe, still happily gestating. And I will probably miss no more than a week of work, even with the pneumonia to battle too.
So yeah. Whatever. Don't let everyone scare you. Some people just like to complain.
I have had renal calculi for the last 26 years and have so far 'passed' over thirty of the little blighters often after Lithotripsy and, latterly after laser and lithoclast therapy.
Currently I have a 'double J' stent fitted to ease the passing of the latest two stones and while it is uncomfortable it it nothing compared to full-blown renal colic which is the worst pain that I have ever experienced. I do wonder how many here complaing about painful stents have actually had full-blown renal colic with the associated 100+ temperature, vomiting, palpitations etc.
If your stent is casuing you real distress, demand that your urologist scans to ensure that all if 'seated' well. They do take a week or more to 'settle' and you will notice blood in yu urine. Think about it, the cytoscope is snaking around bumping into the wall of your ureter and bladder, there is bound to be some associated bleeding. There is also a significant risk of a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) caused by that nasty little pice of bacteria-ridden stone passing through your system. Antibiotics will take care of it in the vast majority of cases.
As to stent removal, don't worry about it. The procedure is quick and the only concern, from puely a point of modesty, is powwerfully urinating while it is removed. Given however that you are laying there awake and with your genitalia fully exposed to a surgical team (my urologist was a soccer fan and spoke about his favourite team and his registrar was chatting about her favourite fim) then peeing yourself is the least you have to worry about :-)
Good luck to anyone with a stent, but they are so much 'nicer' than renal colic, ask any urologist.
The first time was in 2009, I had a hell of pain after operation due to the stent, especially the first few times peeing after operation. I took pain killers for a week after that the pain was tolerable every time I pass urine. In 2010 I had another kidney stone blockage problem of the urethra, chronic pain again but this time in the right kidney, a big stone was blocking (~25mm long with 9.2mm diameter), again, the same procedure but this time, I have requested the doctor to give a strong pain killer before I go to pass urine for the first few time. I succeeded to avoid the pain for the first few time but I still got a strong pain for the 3rd time. I kept the stent for 3 weeks after that, we removed it. The pain was tolerable during those 3 weeks whenever I pass urine.
The 3rd time was on christmas 2010, in the right kidney again, this is a part of the big stone that jumped back to the kidney during the previous laser operation. During this operation, the doctor find a stenosis in the erethra due to calcification of the wall of the urethra, I don’t know if someone had this case before and I hope to get answer on it. Anyway, the doctor inserted the stent and I still keep it for almost 2 month now, I will remove it this week. i understand that keeping the stent for 2 month is to avoid stenosis again.
However, this time the stent discomfort was really minimal, I didn’t have pain during passing urine after surgery (for sure I took morfin for passing the first and second time) but after that and till now I can say that I am not having pain, just little disconfort.
I understand you guys, whom you are having pain because of the stent. I know how painful it is. I really do not know the exact reason why this time it is not painful for me, but I assume that is related to the length of the stent, the loops inside the kidney and blader,…etc. we can say success of the operation.
I have an opinion that worked for me when I was having pain of stent: while passing urine, push the urine out, let it go out under presure and fast, don’t keep it at ease. This way you will feel pain just at the end little. I know that it scary because you are worried of having a lot more pain when pushing, but it was the opposite for me. when I use to let the urine drain at ease, I use to have a lot more pain.
Sorry Ann, I didn’t experience pain after removing the stent and i hope noone have it. and I hope you will be recovered soon.
wishing that I have contributed and help sharing the above information with you,
My CT Scan showed a stone in my right ureter which was causing some blockage and of course the blood in my urine. The doctor gave me two options but the obvious choice was to have him remove the 3mm stone and get this over with. My outpatient procedure was performed on a Tuesday at 12:45pm and was out of recovery and on my way home at 2:30pm. When the anesthesia completely wore off after I was home, it was a lot different than everything I had read or even what I was expecting as a “worst case scenarioâ€. To steal a line from Bill Cosby “…and the pain was tremendousâ€. It felt like I had a kidney stone with massive pain in my right flank that none of the prescribed medicine would even put a dent in. By 5:30pm was back at the hospital but this time in the emergency room. As a side note, I found that you will be seen faster in the ER if you are more vocal with your pain since the loud moans and groans do not make for a relaxing environment to the other patients. Within 15 minutes of arrival I was in my own little room and within 30 minutes was given injections that alleviated the majority of the pain. This was done not by design but by the simple fact I could not stand the level of pain I was in. Emphasizing to the medical staff the fact you are in extreme pain is a good thing, they will be able to tell you are in pain because your blood pressure will be very high.
I spent the next 48+ hours in the hospital receiving pain meds and antibiotics. I am very glad this turned into an inpatient because of the amount of pain I was in and the awesome care I received at my local hospital. After getting out of the hospital on Saturday afternoon I took it easy as I could feel the stent when I moved and a sharp pain in my right kidney when urinating. Another side effect from the procedure has been a persistent sore throat that nothing seems to help. Six days after the fact this is still my major complaint and hope it subsides soon.
Today is Tuesday (Day 6) and I didn’t sleep very well because of thinking about what it will be like to have the stent removed. The doctor tricked me and said “I am going to take the tape off†(the tape holding the suture thread that is attached to the stent) and before I had a chance to freak out, the stent was out. It was a weird sensation but no pain of any kind. If you are in a similar situation there will be a few days of pain and discomfort but it is better than any of the alternatives out there. Good luck!!!
More of my story to follow...
As to follow up care, they usually take out or replace these stents every 6-8 weeks. Being the baby is due in 9-12 weeks, they are going to leave the stent in until after the baby is born. I've read that some are put under a local anesthesia for the removal of the stent, but the doc who put mine in me said it's not needed. It's an easy two minute procedure apparently. Well I am going to demand SOMETHING! I’ll be damned if I have to go through that without anything (I don’t care how comfortable it was for some people). I've read a couple horror stories online about how people are after the stent removal..and it wasn't good (most reviews stated that they had on going pain problems in the kidney area, some severe). That worries me. If that's that case, then I'd have to have something done in the way of care that would be a long term fix (like shortening my ureter). I want to make sure that nothing will stand in the way of me being able to take care of our daughter. They said that discomfort/pain remains in maybe 5% of cases after a stent is removed (in other words existing pain after is rare..and being this happened during my pregnancy, which could have been caused because of my enlarging uterus during my pregnancy, the chances I'll have any existing issues once it's removed is slim.)
(...)
For the people that had mild pain after that stent was removed was very lucky...This is the worst pain i have ever went through in my entire life. I thought i was dieing due to intensity of the pain.I'm no stranger to pain at all and can handle alot of it before i break down...My wife had never seen me cry in the 6 years we have been together til just a while ago and she got real scared over it. All i can say if you can avoid the stent..Do it dont get that stent if you can help it..I will never let them do it again to me if i can help it. I personally think that Doctors need to be informing there patients alot better as to the extent of the pain this surgery causes. I will wait the next time and deal with the pain of the stone passing...
Good Luck to all that is going through I know how you feel And Its horrible
I'm with the majority that the stent pain was much more difficult to deal with than the stone pain. I had my stent removed today and am feeling human again. I was fortunate and experienced very little pain with the cytoscope removal. Like many others though within about an hour I was having significant back and flank pain. I took a good dose of dilaudid, laid down with a heating pad and now a couple of hours later am relatively pain free.
For those still suffering with spasms and stent pain I found relief in frequent warm baths, a heating pad and as little sitting as possible.
I told my doctor that stenting is inhumane and I wouldn't wish that pain on my worst enemy.
I wish you all the best and speedy recoveries.
The flexible scope which is used for stent removal is really not of a very wide diameter. In my case, there were only a very few drops of blood in the urine immediately after the procedure. (As many on this site know, that is not the case following stent insertion and/or stone removal, where you may experience ongoing varied amounts of blood in the urine for a period of time which, although it's not "serious", can be a bit distessing nonetheless). In the patient preparation waiting are, I asked the nurse whether she would recommend that I take any of the co-codamol tablets that I had with me (which are not terribly strong codeine based tablets that I'd been prescribed at the time of my stone removal 10 days earlier, but none of which I'd used); she said "absolutely!", so I took the normal dose of two tablets - each of them was 30 mg of codeine phosphate hemihydrate and 500 mg paracetamol, i.e. "30/500" caplets - about 90 minutes before the procedure. I didn't feel too "buzzed up", but I'm glad I took them and I would HIGHLY recommend that anyone undergoing this procedure not be braver than they need to be. I think the nurse was VERY sensible suggesting I make it easy on myself - and I recommend that you do the same! As for the procedure: first, they use a non-needle syringe (nothing scary) to squirt a numbing gel into your willy; a little uncomfortable (you'll probably feel a sense of pressure and perhaps even a sense of temperature differential from the gel), but nothing to get too worked up about; it's really not bad. They then, almost immediately, carefully work on inserting the flexible scope into where they just squirted the numbing gel. It's not particularly pleasant having the scope go in, but the discomfort is quite bearable (no beads of sweat on the forehead or anything like that). HOWEVER, when the scope passes through the prostate gland, there may be a very momentary sharp zinging pain where you will perhaps feel like "where the bleep is the numbing gel these guys just squirted into me??!", but it is only a VERY MOMENTARY pain. It's a little like if you've ever been at the dentist and he/she is drilling a tooth and suddenly the drill gets too close to a nerve and (if you're like me) you make a noise to let them know they're hurting you - and usually such pain is only very fleeting. The procedure is literally over in about 3 minutes; it's so quick you'll likely surprise any loved ones waiting for you in the waiting area.There was virtually no sensation that I sensed as they extracted the stent itself; the only thing I felt was the insertion and removal of the flexible scope. And, of course, the joy and relief of having the stent out was instantaneous - I felt improvement on the spot: no more of that sense that something unnatural was poking me on the inside of my bladder! I felt almost 100 percent recovered by the next day (I'm writing this four days later and, other than oddly experiencing nights sweats for the past few nights, I feel fine - no discomfort at all. So GOOD LUCK to anyone who's reading this with whatever you're up against, and know you're not alone. (And do take something before they remove your stent, if you can).
is this normal. please help me.
I do not like to take pain pills, but the last 2 days it's been around the clock with them. It's good to know I'm not crazy and that I'm not alone in this. It is really depressing seeing that much blood come out everytime you urinate. The blood clots are large sometimes and before the stent were as bad as stones.
what's depressing now is I have 7 weeks till school is out and I will not let him take it out when I would have to miss teaching my classes. I guess I'll be walking around in a "belladonic haze" till then.
thanks so much for sharing what we are all going through.
Please advice me on this
Along with this, the the ends have a curlicue like a pig's tail to keep them in. As we move around, the torsional motions will cause these ends to twist around in the soft tissue.
I do not feel any better, but I understand a little more now. I wonder why mu urologist does not explain it in these terms?
It tastes really awful and bitter but works extremely well..
Gin is flavored with a very small quantity of this low growing bush whitish grey colored berry.
I have heard that when all else fails this works, it opens up all the plumbing as it were.
in 2007 I had a small crystal looking stone that I passed at home. I had no clue that I had any sort of stone until I couldn't pee one morning. I thought I was dehydrated so I drank a big bottle of water, then was in excruciating pain for about 6 hours from not being able to pee.
On june 12th of this year I woke up at 530am with a bad pain in my right kidney. I thought I was dehydrated or possibly constipated, so I drank some water, and took a hot shower ( with the hot water aimed at my kidney). I took my 3 kids to the zoo for 3 hours, and then the pain came back super bad. My neighbor's husband watched my kids and my neighbor drove me to the hospital. The ER diagnosed me with a stone and gave me a shot of dilaudid for the pain, and told me to call the urologist the next day. The urologist told me my stone was 14x5mm and I needed to have a stent placed, then have shock wave therapy to break it up. I was not looking forward to the stent placement after my experience 10 years ago, but honestly, it hasn't been so bad. I am currently on ditropan and pyridum to help with the spasms and irritation. The shock wave therapy did not totally break up the stone, so I am going in next week so he can use the scope and a laser to deal with it. He says he will take out any fragments through the scope.
Since I have never had this problem before now, I did not know what to ask. I felt like an insignificant number in his computer.
I have had a lot of abdominal pain since the procedure and passed a lot of blood. My abdomen is extended and bloated. I was not asked if I needed any relaxers, nor was I was ever asked about my current symptoms. He did prescribe Lorset on the day of the stone removal, but I try not to take too many of these as they are highly addictive. I thought I could go back to work today (law firm), but that was not possible.
I am seriously thinking about asking for another Doctor. This guy has no personality or bedside manner at all. I guess I should have done more research before the procedure, but the stone was discovered on a Friday and I received a call at work from the urogolist on the following Monday telling me that I would not be able to pass this stone and to be in his office on Tuesday if I wanted it out.
Looking forward to getting better...
I last wrote to this group on 20 Feb 2010 concerning effects of having a temporary ureteral pig-tail stent fitted to bypass a constricted left ureter. At the time I wrote, I was due to have prostate cancer surgery within weeks.
Its now 8 August 2011, some 18 months later. I'm on my third temporary pig tail stent, and the 40mm ureter constriction problem is un-changed. I have now been scheduled to have a memokath permanent stent installed to try to resolve the problem.
For the last 18 months I've been continuing the cycling on my bike 3days a week, with average rides of 65km each, all without much bleeding or stent pain. However, If I ride furiously with a bunch of young blokes who might average 30kph, I will get a bleed from the stent after about 45km. I can ride 90km alone OK without bleeding, enjoy the warm afterglow without the utter exhaustion of keeping up with younger men.
Weight is up 1Kg. All my problems would be far worse if i ride for the 10 hours a week on the bicycle, about 220km per week and yesterday I got a 24.3kph average speed. I think riding a bike is better than riding a woman. I can jump on any old time I like, no dramas, extremely low cost, and its a great pity I cannot find any woman interested in road cycling, and who'd have something to share with me without all the huge whinges and dramas of daily relating. What seems to be missing from so many negative posts I've read here about gross agonies regarding stents is the absense of people keeping healthy by means of exercize. Most other people I know of 64 have a litany of health bothers and most are overweight, and they won't exercize. So I'm the odd man out, and I never ever socialise with any of them. I've been lucky to have had such little pain from stenting so far. See Dr Haxhimolla's video of a memokath install. Google for it. ) I hope the memokath solves my problem and offers some long term freedom to allow cycling longer distances without ever bleeding. I eat well, lots of fruit and vegetables, and probably I pay twice what other people pay for the calories I eat because NONE of it is processed food or junk food. Last time I went to McDonalds was in 1993, and I felt sick afterwards. I cook for myself each day, everyday. I have one bottle of dry red every 3 weeks, and it takes 2 nights to drink it - the alcohol hi is a glory with good music, maybe strawberries, and a bar of 70% cocao Lindt chocolate. Guess what's missing? For those wonderin', the radio therapy hasn't yet affected continence or hard ons. Things still work like being 25, but of course there's "no address for the letter". Bowels have been fried a bit by radio therapy, so sure, I am now officially an "old fart". Ah, but I have so few worries. If I die, I'll at least be a good lookin' corpse.
Cheer up everyone, and good luck.
Regards, Patrick Turner.
When I came to, I had two stents, although I had said that I didn't want one, and the Dr. was gone. No one told me why I had them, or when they would be removed. No one offered me any info or medication, and I lived 75 miles away.
I have spent the weekend passing what feels like broken glass, and lots of blood.
The pain is constant, in my prostate, both kidneys and general discomfort all around the bladder region. I can't walk much, sitting hurts, standing hurts, and I'm both frustrated, and angry.
Most of the time the stones were not as troublesome as this.
Why on earth do these practitioners think that they can just do as they like, and we should just accept it with no help or adequate explanation.
Stents? I want them gone!
The big problem though, was when I got to the doctor's office, they said I had to walk across the street to the hospital to have a KUB (kidney-ureter-bladder) x-ray. This ticked me off...why didn't they tell be before that I would need an x-ray? I could have done that the day before and saved an hour of time. So my advice is to check with your doctor to see if any imaging is needed before the stent removal. The doctor did warn me about pain for the next two days. At first he dismissed my request for more Vesicare, saying that the urgency/bladder spasms will go away now. I asked if he could give me a 100% garauntee on that, and he said no. I insisted on more Vesicare, and he ended up giving me two packs of samples.
I also followed the advice on this forum and took a vicodin as soon as I walked out of the office. They tried to get me to make a followup appointment in two weeks, but I said I needed to get my school year going first, see if it will be easier for me to do an afternoon or morning appointment, then I'd call. I have no intention of going back to this doctor. Right now I feel pretty good, but sleepy from the Vicodin.
I had a KUB prior to the stent removal. I was told the results did not show any fragments so I was able to have the stent removed. I am in extreme pain do to the pain and I do not get it. why and what is this pain. I called my Dr earlier and all he said was go to the Emergency room. I Do not want to end up back in the hospital. If the Dr tells me there is no fragments what could this pain be.
How concerned should I be?
My stints are metal, so not due to be replaced until next year.
I went to have my stent exchanged last Friday (after 7 weeks) and it was SO encrusted that my Urologist could only safely remove HALF of it. He actually cut it in half and left the other half in. He then proceeded to put a new stent in alongside the old one and sent me to u/s to check the positioning. The u/s showed that the new stent isn't 'quite' in the right position (b/c the crusty old half stent is in the way!), so now we're taking a 'wait & see' approach. I've had bladder pain the past few days and mild discomfort in my kidney. I'm not sure if it's just residual stent exchange pain or if the new stent isn't draining the kidney as it should b/c of its incorrect positioning.
Urologist said that the only safe way to get the half stent out is to laser the crust off of the pigtail end. But that would require general anesthetic and lithrotripsy and i'm not sure my midwife/OB will be down with that. Have any of you preggos had lithro while pregnant? And do we really need to be knocked out for it or would an epidural suffice?
At least the end is in sight for me - due in 4 weeks but likely to get induced sooner so we can deal with the kidney issues sooner than later.
I went to have my stent exchanged last Friday (after 7 weeks) and it was SO encrusted that my Urologist could only safely remove HALF of it. He actually cut it in half and left the other half in. He then proceeded to put a new stent in alongside the old one and sent me to u/s to check the positioning. The u/s showed that the new stent isn't 'quite' in the right position (b/c the crusty old half stent is in the way!), so now we're taking a 'wait & see' approach. I've had bladder pain the past few days and mild discomfort in my kidney. I'm not sure if it's just residual stent exchange pain or if the new stent isn't draining the kidney as it should b/c of its incorrect positioning.
Urologist said that the only safe way to get the half stent out is to laser the crust off of the pigtail end. But that would require general anesthetic and lithrotripsy and i'm not sure my midwife/OB will be down with that. Have any of you preggos had lithro while pregnant? And do we really need to be knocked out for it or would an epidural suffice?
At least the end is in sight for me - due in 4 weeks but likely to get induced sooner so we can deal with the kidney issues sooner than later.
I hope all goes well for you Lisa!
Saw a different Urologist yesterday and he said 'no way' to laser so close to delivery. Too many issues with regards to: the anesthetic, the required CT scan(s) and even the laser procedure itself. Pre-term labour is an issue, so I'm just going to have to tough it out for at least a few more weeks. It sucks b/c since my stent exchange, I've had HORRIBLE bladder spasms. It makes walking difficult - I just want to sit / lie down all day, which is impossible while running around after my almost 3 year old. Urologist prescribed oxybutynin (detrol) for the spasms, but upon calling MotherRisk, have discovered that NO human trials have been done on pregnant women so i'm not willing to take it. I'd love some morphine though, and I know that's safe for baby (unless birth is imminent). Yeah, morphine, that would probably feel pretty good right about now.
In non-preggos it can stay in for 3 months even, but for some reason, pregnant women are prone to crusting up their stents so change them often!
tendre@hotmail.com / Claudia
Thanks
Welcome to the forum that should actually be renamed "ihatemystent.com".
I'm a little concerned about labouring with the stent as well. I'm hoping that the labour pains cancel out the stent pain. Wishful thinking? We'll see.
I may be induced a bit early as well. My urologist wants to attempt another stent exchange in a few weeks but I'm thinking I'll be 39 weeks at that point and there's no EFFING WAY that I want to go through that hell again especially WHILE PREGNANT. I'm hellbent on having this baby before any more talk of 'stent exchange' takes place. At least your problem should resolve upon delivery of the baby and your uterus shrinking. I'll still have to go under general anesthetic & laser surgery post-partum to remove the crusty old half stent & any stones in my kidney. And then I still have to have a stent for another week or so to make sure the kidney is draining properly before removing it. So basically two post-partum procedures. Super stoked about that - caring for a newborn, sore nipples, sore everything down below and no sleep. awesome. can't wait!
I also would love to hear from any mums out there who laboured with a stent? anyone?
I've been doing too much the past few days and now I'm paying for it. So. Much. Pain.
It's tough trying to fight the nesting instinct though - today I painted for a couple of hours (don't worry - it was the low VOC paint).
I had a baby almost 3 years ago and I seem to have forgotten what my labour pain was like. I'm almost wondering if I'm actually in labour and just forget what it feels like. haha.
I didn't use an epidural with #1 and hope to avoid it again with this one. #1's labour was 5 hours start to finish so there was really no point in messing with the labour since it was going so awesome and fast.
I was out of the plane to a wheel chair, ambulance and to the hospital. I was at the hospital for that night until the next day with pain that did not go away. I had so much morhpine injected to me that I was talking with out knowing what I was saying but the pain did not leave me.
The CT scan showed that I had 7 mm stone in my left ureter just below the kidney. However, I had to wait for another day until my operation. My kidney stone was blasted and 2/3 of it was removed and the rest of it was pushed back into the kidney.
The urologist explained that he could not get it out ( not sure why tho?). Nevetheless, he inserted a stent and he said that the stent will be removed in 4 to 6 weeks.
After the stent was inserted, I always had the urge to unrinate every 20 minutes or sometimes less than that. I was pissing blood for 4 days after and continue to do that if I do any physical activities. Just going for a walk 15 minutes made me rushed home to go to the toilet. When I had the urge to go to the toilet, it seemed that I had to go, I could not control it anymore.
I felt tired, uncomfortable (especially the kidney area), most time painful and sleep a lot which I hated doing nothing.
I am a fittness fanatic, I go to the gym everyday and out walking up the mountain for at least 4 hours (especially inthe weekend), jogging at the beach and very active. And for me to do nothing I am frustrated but I had to comply because I pissed blood.
Next week I will go into the hospital for the stent to be removed. Thank you for everyone in this site that unconditionally shared their experience and we all benefit from each other.
The fact that the doctor told me that I would hardly feel or notice that the stent is within me is a straight lie. He also told me that I could return to work in 5 days did make me wonder how inaccurate his advice on this occasion. It makes me feel that may be the doctors had these ideas in mind:
1. too much information for the patients may scare them
2, provide basic information only unless we ask more questions
3. doctors may be too busy, not enough time to explain more information to us
4. doctors may be like to tell us only the good things not the bad things otherwise we worry too much
Mo - i know what you mean about the doctors being vague about the possible side effects. The urologist who put my first stent in said 'you MAY feel the urge to urinate more often' and 'you MAY experience a bit of blood' and 'you MAY experience some discomfort'. He also said, 'many people have them and don't even realize it' YAH RIGHT is what i say. I'd bet at least 50% of the people with stents have at least some symptoms from it. How could you not? It's a foreign object in a place that is meant for liquid only.
I think it should be mandatory for ALL urologists to have a stent placed in their OWN kidney/bladder for at least 2 weeks so that they can be a little more honest about the potential side effects.
At any rate - i have a consult with my Urologist tomorrow - may start talking about early induction depending on his assessment.
Once the baby is out, CT scan will be able to determine the next course of action. I'm now told that it's quite probable that I'll need more invasive surgery than traditional lithrotripsy. The Urologist may need to cut into my back and go directly into my kidney to laser everything and pull the stents out that way rather than down through my bladder/urethra. This is b/c I now have one & a half stents in my ureter and it is likely that there wouldn't be enough room to manipulate the laser into the correct position. I'm okay with this, but am a little concerned as i'll be in the hospital for at least a day (maybe two) and I'll have a newborn and I'm not happy about taking my baby to the hospital at the risk of germs / infection. I was told that I wouldn't be allowed to recover from this surgery on the maternity ward, which would be ideal.
At any rate, let's hope this baby comes before the stent begins to cause me problems. Hope you're all surviving.
Now I'm scheduled for surgery for Nov 3rd to remove both stents. As i mentioned before, they can't get the laser up my ureter with TWO stents in the way so the urologist will be cutting into my back/kidney to access them that way. I'll be under general anesthetic for almost THREE HOURS! this freaks me out a bit, especially since i'll have an overnight stay and my nursing baby will only be one month old. It's likely i'll pump while at the hospital and send the milk home as we don't really want the baby at the hospital (germs). Good thing we live really close to the hospital.
Mandy - I'm so sorry that you are dealing with such pain, especially as a working mother with little ones, that must be tough. My first stent was inserted at 28 weeks gestation and i gave birth at 38 weeks and it was 10 weeks of hell; i know your pain. Hang in there and try to rest as much as possible. Good luck!
But finally good news and a break!! I was able to get on the schedule for Nov. 3rd..hopefully all goes well and there are no more delays in getting this stent and stone removed. good luck to anyone who has to go through this!!!
November 3rd is my scheduled surgery date too! My urologist can't do traditional laser so he has to cut into my back/kidney to get the stones/stent out. Not looking forward to that since i'm currently recovering from labour and am caring for a 10 day old. Hope it all works out, just nervous about leaving my new baby at home for a whole 24 hour period!
good luck to you!
I can imagine the stress of having a newborn and trying to get that done also! Anything more than the pain from this is over the top for me! I bet you will be glad to get it over with though, I know I will be. I am at the point I don't care how they get them out, as long as they just do it. I am sure everything will be fine for you!!!
Thanks and good luck to you also.
Weeks after my procedure, I had the sharp pain again. I layed down and tried to stick it out like old times. I fell asleep and woke up feeling normal again. My pain still happens but doesnt last nearly as long. I have pain pills from the doctor. ITS SOMETHING YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE IF YOU HAVE THESE PAINS. I cannot stress that enough.
I went in to have my uteral stent taken out the other day. I was literally on the table, feet in stirrups, naked from the waist down, numbing cream on crotch, when I start to eye the tools on the table next to me. I see a large tubed 'scope' and a smaller wired cord, alongside a tube of lube cream, and a horse sized pill. First thing that comforted me is the horse sized pill, ''Oh good, a pain pill plus numbing cream. This wont be so bad.'' The nurse comes in to check if the numbing cream is doing its job. I ask, ''Should I take that pain pill now?'' 'Oh, that's not a pain pill' she says, 'Its something you take after the procedure to prevent infection.' Mind you readers THIS SCOPE AND WIRE CORD ARE BOTH GOING UP MY PEE HOLE TOGETHER! Just then my surgeon from my last operation comes in, hes also my neurological doctor. I look up at him from the table, eyes wide with fear, and pleadingly ask ''Do I have to have this taken out today?!'' ''Well, no. Your kidney will swell up again since its still blocked technically.'' Then why remove the stent if it's draining the swollen kidney. He then told me to get dressed then come to the other room to discuss 'kidney repair surgery.' I've never jumped off a table quicker than that day. Wiped all the numbing gel off (which took forever) then discussed my options. Stent still aboard.
I will have to have the stent removed in a couple weeks, but this time I will come prepared with a couple Vicadins in me before I allow them near me with the tools. Then I will have my kidney repair surgery. Hopefully I'll be pain free after that :) Good luck to anyone who has to deal with these strange awful pains. For the longest time I though I had a bad gallbladder, then leaned my gallbladder is on the other side. I waited a year before I went in to the hospital for it. Dont make yourself suffer with the pain, they can fix it. And in the hospital, they will load you up on Morphine. It knocks the pain out in seconds.
Afterwards, I was supposed to take the string stent out after 3 days, but was too scared to pull it out myself. I was genuinely terrified thinking about having it removed, so I had to wait 2 extra days to see my urologist who removed it. It honestly was not that bad at all. He basically had me look away and pulled it out in a second-1.5 seconds, It stung when he did this but it was nothing worse than stubbing your toe or stepping on a rock. I doubt I could have pulled it out myself that fast. I had some minor burning on the inside of my penis for about 10-15 min after that. I took a 50mg Tramadol and pyridine about an hour prior to this. I haven't had any bladder spasms yet, but ask for something to help and your urologist should give you something, mine gave me Vesicare. The worst part of the ordeal was thinking about pulling out the stent. I still never want to have another kidney stone or stent in my life.
Here's my story...
I was in the hospital for 4 days enduring the WORST pain I have EVER felt ... The pain caused vomiting, uncontrollable body-shakes, and contractions about every 2 minutes. I was given a steady stream of morphine, anti-nausea meds, anti-contraction meds, suppositories (because I couldn't poo... causing MORE pressure and pain), a cath (because I couldn't pee) ... OMG ~ this was the most torturous experience of my life! All the while I was worried SICK about my baby and how all of the stress and meds would affect him/her.
Finally, on the evening of my 4th day in the hospital, after realizing that, if indeed this was a kidney stone (ultra sound was inconclusive... just showed a WAY swollen kidney) - my body was NOT going to pass it, my urologist implanted a stent.
So, here I am almost 2 weeks later and although the stent is DEFINITELY NOT pleasant... it is far better than the pain I had in the hospital. I am still enduring painful urination (that wringing feeling... OMG!), blood in my urine, and passing small blood-clot-like flecks about once or twice a day when I urinate. Being pregnant... the blood and the little clot-like passings are VERY unsettling. This is my first pregnancy and seeing blood in ANY way shape or form is not fun. My mind is constantly wondering if this blood is coming from my cervix or my kidneys...
I am trying to stay positive ~ but, this has been very difficult. I have been taken off of work because the bladder spasms have me contracting about every ten minutes... SO... my life consists of laying on the couch... counting contractions, counting fetal movements, inspecting my urine like an obsessed freak, and trying to steer clear of pain meds. Believe me, this begins to *eff* with one's mind after a while.
It is comforting to read the stories of the other girls here who were pregnant... and to learn that it does get better after delivery. I am SO afraid of being in constant kidney pain when I have a newborn who needs me!
Back in 2009 I was in severe pain in my left side of my kidney and in severe pain in my right side of my groin.
I was in this pain for nearly a year and pain got to the maximum,I kept going to the doctors and they kept saying it was irritable bowel syndrome,so I went to ane a few times and they kept turning me away saying that the doctor has got to refer me.in the end the hospital kept me in after months n months of screaming to them and did swabs and a 2d scan which doesn't detect much !!! Anyway the results come back n they said ' oh we think you might have endometriosis coming'.
They sent me home ,still in major pain I then went back to doctors and got on my knees and begging a doctor to help me.
She sent me for an internal scan,I had results within a few days and they said my womb didn't look normal and then they
Sent me for a biopsy and within two weeks of having this I found out I had cervical cancer and it had been left that long that it had grown out of my cervix and grown up the out sides of my womb and the left Tumor was leaning on my left kidney tube and blocked it and caused me to have kidney failure.within a couple of days they sent me down theatre for a stent put in kidney,omg,it was the worst thing I've ever known ,it was like living out a horror movie,I was awake through the whole procedure,they tried numbing my back and kidney twice and I still felt everythink going on,cutting into my back,feeling and hearing my kidney pop,the pain going all the way down into my bladder and all through that I had to keep very still ,pure torture that's all I can say.
So anyway went through chemo,radio ect and had stent changed when they could be bothered which should of been changed every 3 months,but no they decided to leave it in for 12 months and for months a kept telling them that I was in alot of pain,infection after infection and then Christmas 2010 I started to bleed and told doctors and they kept saying that it would go but it just got worse,I started going to toilet alot lot more and I would have to forse my wee out and before my wee came out I would get a big blood clot come out fist and then my wee would gush out.
Over the weeks the blood clots got bigger and the end they got as long as my hand,the pain was so bad,I was scared to go to the toilet.anyway Christmas day came and I couldn't even lift my head to watch my children open their presents,I was as pail as a ghost and I couldn't breath,it felt like someone had put a tube in my chest and was sucking my life out of me.
The day after I went for a blood test,I managed to walk into the hospital to have it done,next thing I know people are rushing to me,the doctor told me that my blood was at 3 and I'm lucky to still be alive,so had the blood and then got told my kidney was blocked and I had to have a drain bag attached to me for two weeks and all together I had to stay in hospital for a month being prodded with needles a few times everyday and different fluids pumped through me,it was a nightmare.
And just think!! This was all because they couldn't be bothered changing my stent after 3 months of having it put in.
I'm so angry because after all that I went through and nearly died through it!! It's happening again,started bleeding yesterday,I rang them up to say it's happening again and all they said is ' oh your not due a review until February 2012' I'm fuming,my stents a month over due now and they know the torture I went through before,they don't care at all.
I'm going through legal proceedings now to sue the lot of them,they've not only wreaked my life but my family too.
Hope this has helped someone find out early signs of cancer or with the kidney,please dont let it get as bad as mine did.
Good luck xx
I read the article and a lot of your comments and found it very informative.But I have a question. One night a little over a month ago, I was experiencing severe pain that started in my lower back, then moved to my flanks on both sides. I thought it was gas and moved on. When the pain came back a day later, I went to the emergency room. There, I was diagnosed with two 8mm kidney stones on each side lodged in my ureters, plus a smaller stone behind the big one in my left ureter, plus several small stones still in my kidneys. The doctor prescribed flomax and pain meds and told me to try and pass it and see a urologist. When I saw the urologist, he said I probably wouldn't be able to pass them and I wound up having to have a cystop(sp?) - the thing with the laser removal and stent placement. I was put under general anesthesia for the procedure and afterwards I wasn't feeling too bad. I had a lot of blood in my urine, I had to pee ALL THE TIME, and towards the end of my urine stream it would hurt. But it was better than the pain from the stones. The other day, I went to get my stent removed. I was very worried about it but it wasn't bad at all even though I had stents placed in both ureters. It was a little uncomfortable but no worse than a pap smear. Since my stent removal, I have had severe pain in my flanks worse than the kidney stone pain. And, I have a difficult time urinating unless I literally drink a GALLON of water. I have also passed several blood clots. Does anyone know what is the cause of this pain? Or how long I should expect it? Or if I should go back to the doctor? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I am just hoping to offer some help to anyone experiencing the pain fromm this procedure. I am pregnant and had my stent inserted 2 weeks ago. While I did experience excruciating pain for the first week, I can not take my pain meds all of the time, or my child will be born with an addiction- something I could not bear to do to anyone let alone to a newborn infant.
The following things helped me dramatically...
#1 they gave me Alfuzosin- I accidently missed 2 doses and noticed that almost all of the urgency pain associated with my bladder ceased. The point of that medicine was to 'relax the bladder neck' which created constant pressure to urinate, which was mostly gone after I stopped taking it
(I am not a Dr- ask your Dr before you stop taking any medication)
#2 even after I stopped taking the Alfuzosin my urethra would still sting for awhile after I urinated so I asked my doctor for some lidocaine cream/jelly - this was a lifesaver for me, I put a dab into my urethra with a swab and had instant relief of all of my urethral symptoms.
#3 I had very occasional ureter pain, which would have normally been relieved with a heating pad (I know this from prior stones) but because of my pregnancy - no heating pad, so I sit in a deep warm bath till the pain subsides, a bonus to this is that urinating after getting out of the hot bath is nearly painless due to the relaxing of all muscles.
#4 as repetative as it sounds- drink as much liquid as you can, but NO CAFFINE, nothing is worse than urgency with no relief, so drinking the liquid will insure that you have some urine to release. Caffine will ALWAYS make you have to go more often, which is the worst thing you can do to yourself.
also a note to those having a hard time getting stronger meds from the Dr...
Plead your case to the nurse, explain that he seems to underestimate the severity of your pain, and that your current meds are not working for you, and that your not sure that you explained that in a way that he understood. dont call him a blockhead (even though he might be)
I personally would mention that the first week after my insertion was WORSE than post partum pain- by a longshot, and that I have had 3 kids so I would know.
But the nurse is more likely to take you seriously, The Dr has to learn to cope with the fact that he did that to you in the first place, and human nature kind of demands that he minimize your pain so he doesnt feel like a monster- and thankfully so, because whether we know it or not, this procedure has probably saved some of our lives.. a diseased kidney is a very dangerous thing and its always better to save our godgiven parts!
Good luck and I hope you guys get some relief!
I have a conduit . Now to try again on Monday but doctor not optomistic
it will work. Now What Happens
My other kidney is working real good.
I am on my third stent, which was needed due to scarring of one of my ureters. All my stents have been the long-term ones without the thread. My experiences with them have ranged as follows:
First one was causing excruciating pain for the first 2 days caused by severe spasms. Only IV morphine helped to make it tolerable. Wasn't able to pass urine for the first 12 hours as I would nearly pass out. Severe pain with very bloody urine for at least 2 weeks and I felt like I needed to 'go' every 10 minutes. Excruciating pain on the toilet due to urine reflux. During that time I was unable to work. But my body 'got used to' the stent slowly after that. The bleeding got less and only occurred with physical exercise. The pain settled into something I could deal with with the occasional hot water bottle or painkillers. After about a month, I was doing physical exercise for 30 minutes a day. 3 months later I was able to complete my first ever marathon, using a funny kind of 'shuffle running'.The first stent gradually got less and less effective and I found it more and more tiring to live with. Noticeably so after about 5 months.
I had a laparoscopy to try and free up the ureter. After 8 weeks they found that the ureter was still blocked. So they placed a new stent. This one bled for about a day and was uncomfortable for quite some time (about 2 weeks again). It never once bled, even with sweat-inducing exercise. No bladder spasms with that one either, hurray! Occasionally it would stop me from doing things, but I was back at work fulltime within a few days. I had 3 UTI's with this one, all caught early witb antiobiotics. Having learnt from stent number 1 that you get a 'good bit' in the middle of it's life span, I was able to run two half marathons (actually properly running this time!) and go travelling with that one. I found it very painful to walk around much in towns but softer ground was fine so being outdoors was very good during that time and helped my head to recover and feel 'normal' for a while. After 5 months, the tiredness returned and I was able to do less for the last 3 months.
Number 3, experiences so far. Again, very painful for the first 2 days. Passed blood on day 1 but this has settled. Back at work 4 days after the stent was changed under a general, but finding it very hard going so far. Bladder spasms, reflux and tiredness from the pain are making it hard to drive, walk any distance or 'appear cheery'. Not that easy this week, but I know it will get better soon.
I hope this helps some of you who have to go through this. Basically, every stent is different. It depends on how they 'sit' inside you whether they hurt, and when they'll hurt. Exercising as soon as you feel able to do something will help eventually to get it to settle. The more I drank, the more I try to keep fit, the easier they settled into my body. I can't do much to start with, but swimming is possible. So is cycling a short distance after the first week. I try to stay off pain meds to give my kidneys and liver a break, but it is not always possible. Painkillers don't actually do much. For me, heat (hot bath, as hot as I can tolerate without feeling faint, or a very hot water bottle) or smooth muscle relaxants (IBS medication such as buscopan) help a little bit. But the bottom line is, you have a piece of plastic inside you that is nearly a foot long and has two spiky curls that can touch your kidney or bladder and irritate or scratch them, continuously or sporadically. It makes you feel sore and tired.
I hope a good story like this helps. I try and think of the stent now as something that needs constant attention and affection.
Take care, all of you.
I trusted this doctor so we did. Then I get an email saying, "Once you have your pain under control, I would like to revisit your kidney, and consider our treatment options. "
I still have the stent in and am now trying to get into another doc, but has anyone else had this happen?
I do not know how many meds I've taken, some of them were really scary strong, but none of them have given the level of relief I get from this thing. I have been getting blood clots stuck in the stent and I'm sure most of you know that's very similar to a fresh stone. This is the only real relief until they pass.
You can google TENS Unit and find it. The pain doctor charged me $80 for it, but it is worth FAR more based on the level of relief it has given me.
The only solution being to suck it up and hope you live through it. I wonder how many haven't? My phamacist said with as many avaiable legal drugs that there are for pain. There is absolutely no excuse for human suffering. I happen to agree.
the stone had formed from a stent i had inserted 3 years ago that was left in longer then it should have been after having surgery to remove some of my kidney tubes. (may i add i never had no pain or discomfort whilst having the stent in for 16 weeks)
i went to my local hospital to have the stent removed in jan 2009, as they began to remove the stent it got stuck so was sent home with 2cm of the stent hanging out and the following day was sent for a x-ray that showed some form of growths on the stent, the following day i was admitted to the day hospital to have the stent removed under general anaesthetic, after the procedure i felt great with no pain or discomfort, and was advised a follow up appointment would be made for a few months later, what a surprise i got lost in the system 3 years later experience mild lower back pain and was advised that the growth from the stent 3 years ago was stones and that over the 3 years had grown to a very large 4.7cm, underwent the operation to remove the stone and felt great for the first 5 days discharged from hospital after 2days with mod pain as you would expect after a op, day 6 chronic stomach spasms in my abdomen (no kidney pain) saw my gp antibiotics given but water sample came back clear so was given cocodamol 8/500mg for pain (what a joke) returned to gp 5 days later advised to keep taking pain relife, extreamly worried i googled kidney stent pain and to my relief i found this site, i sympathizer with everyone on hear i would much rather be in labour then have the pain that am experiencing (i have 2 children and had 2 bad labouring experiences) i could hit the roof when i pass water and the spasms well they are that painfull i can not describe them and constantly have abdomen pain. my stomach is that hard and tench a feel i brick wall is softer, tomorrow i will be going to my emergancey gp with a list taken from of this site of pain killers and muscle relaxants that i shall be demanding as it obvious that they have no intenshion of offering me anything then cocodamol 8/500mg. good luck to every one and hope you all feel well soon
the stone had formed from a stent i had inserted 3 years ago that was left in longer then it should have been after having surgery to remove some of my kidney tubes. (may i add i never had no pain or discomfort whilst having the stent in for 16 weeks)
i went to my local hospital to have the stent removed in jan 2009, as they began to remove the stent it got stuck so was sent home with 2cm of the stent hanging out and the following day was sent for a x-ray that showed some form of growths on the stent, the following day i was admitted to the day hospital to have the stent removed under general anaesthetic, after the procedure i felt great with no pain or discomfort, and was advised a follow up appointment would be made for a few months later, what a surprise i got lost in the system 3 years later experience mild lower back pain and was advised that the growth from the stent 3 years ago was stones and that over the 3 years had grown to a very large 4.7cm, underwent the operation to remove the stone and felt great for the first 5 days discharged from hospital after 2days with mod pain as you would expect after a op, day 6 chronic stomach spasms in my abdomen (no kidney pain) saw my gp antibiotics given but water sample came back clear so was given cocodamol 8/500mg for pain (what a joke) returned to gp 5 days later advised to keep taking pain relife, extreamly worried i googled kidney stent pain and to my relief i found this site, i sympathizer with everyone on hear i would much rather be in labour then have the pain that am experiencing (i have 2 children and had 2 bad labouring experiences) i could hit the roof when i pass water and the spasms well they are that painfull i can not describe them and constantly have abdomen pain. my stomach is that hard and tench a feel i brick wall is softer, tomorrow i will be going to my emergancey gp with a list taken from of this site of pain killers and muscle relaxants that i shall be demanding as it obvious that they have no intenshion of offering me anything then cocodamol 8/500mg. good luck to every one and hope you all feel well soon
I had a 6mm kidney stone in my right side that they took out with the bucket and placed a stent.
When I woke up form the operation, my pee was like molasis and I cried when I peed but that went away after a few hours.
I had it in for 2 nights and while it was in, I hardly felt it. Just could feel it when I sat up sometimes but other then that, it felt alright.
I was told to take it out on my own, I did it. It felt weird but didnt hurt much, and made a mess.
I thought it was all over and could get back to normal. WRONG the worst was still to come
an hour after taking out the stent, i was in so much pain, i went to the ER and they gave me Morphine and anti-biotics incase there was an infection.
Thought it was over again, WONG..
The next night i was in just as much pain, went back to the ER and they hardly took me seriously. Again morphine. Perscribed me Oxy and FloMax and told me to just take pain pills when it hurt and to follow up with the urologist.
I wont be able to get an appointment with one in weeks and now it is 4am the next night and I am in serious pain even after taking many pain pills. Dunno when this will end but i will never agree to a stent again, would rather have kidney stones any day of the week.
i am JOY.I had undergo through pyeloplast one month ago..after the surgery there was great pain.it was so painfull that one day i cried for an one hour at a stretch..but now i feel fine...this thrusday the doctor will remove the stent..so i am bit worried,will you please tell me how it will be processed...& will there be any pain???
Two weeks ago I posted that I was having my second stent surgery. They did it, and found some other problems when they got in there. Not only was the stent blocked, but it also had a kink in the ureter and stones had formed on the stent in my bladder! The dr decided to put in two stents, instead of a larger one. The night and morning after the surgery were extremely painful, and I cried while voiding. My pain while voiding subsided before I left the hospital, but I have had continuous pain and irritation in my kidney. Now the pain in my bladder is back, along with the spasms, and now the baby wants to kick it too. I'm going to get a second opinion to see if there is anyting I can do besides drink lots of water and take cranberry. I can't be miserable like this for 4 more months, knowing it is going to get much worse as the baby grows.
Three weeks ago I felt pain in my lower back and then severe blood in my urine. Dr. Sent me to ER to have a CT scan. It was over 1 cm near my kidney. Go back to original urologist and he schedules me for lithotripsy again. I just didn't feel right plus they called and wanted 6k up front because I had not met my deductible. I told them I did not have and they dropped me immediately. I found a new urologist. She took me through CT scan and told me I could lose kidney if I delayed too long. I agreed to a laser and had it done two days ago. Again the stent is killing me. I still have gross hematuria and small clots. Cant go over 2 hours without voiding and pain is severe each time I go. They treat you like an addict if you ask for pain meds. Two things are for certain 1. Each stent is different but they are all horrible. 2. I'll risk the kidney next time before having a stent placed.
Shortly after getting home from the hospital after the stone removal, my side starting hurting as much as it ever had when the stone was there (more even!)and I was hardly peeing anything. My husband suggested a hot bath. That did it. It relaxed the whole system, and I think it actually unblocked the ureter. I haven't seen anybody talk about the benefits of a hot bath, so I wanted to post this.
However, my other urether is still swolen after the first surgery nearly three weeks ago, they tried to stent it too, but it's too inflamed for a stent to fit. Hopefully that will clear up some time soon, I'll try the hot bath tip from Lisa above as I couldn't find much advice online on what to do to reduce ureteral swelling. Hopefully it will fix itself up and I wont need to get my kidney punctured in order to reduce the hydronephrosis.
Just in the last week or so I recognized the pain in my left flank. Within two days I was put under and a stent was inserted. After a week which was yesterday I was again put under and the stone was blasted. I have absolutely no pain, no blood in my urine and am not on any meds. Doc want me to wait a week to remove the stent but I think since I have no pain or blood in the urine I should get it removed immediately. Waiting on a call from doctor's office and I hope he agrees. I am so thankful this recent kidney stone experience was so easy compared to the one I had 30 years ago and to those I have read about.
After reading some of the comments I,m not looking forward to having stent removed next week
I'll write about my experience later - only got out of hospital this evening, and too wiped out for anything other than sleep - but I wanted to echo what many have said with respect to the pain associated not only with kidney stones and renal colic, but also that associated with a stent. I have suffered extreme pain before, including pelvic abscess and peritonitis. I would rather suffer them all again than go through this kind of pain. But that isn't the worst part. The playing down of this aspect by some physicians is. I came round in recovery from having a stent inserted under GA in terrible pain, and not understanding why, and why no-one seemed prepared to do anything about it. I was given paracetamol. When I said my pain was getting worse, the anaesthetics nurses actually laughed at me. The ward nurse refused to take me back to the ward until my pain was sorted out, but they completely refused to give me morphine or something of equivalent strength. 24 hours later they wanted to discharge me on minimal meds, saying they were unhappy to send me home on oramorph. So what was I supposed to do? It was the only way I had managed to get through the previous 24 hours, and now they wanted to remove it, and pack me off home, alone, with the same inadequate meds that had me admitted to A&E in the first place?
Aware that I am rambling now, so will stop and write about my experience when I am less wiped out.I just think it's important that this blasé attitude to the pain experienced by patients really is addressed. Because for all that I have absolutely been through the mill physically over the last couple of months, the pain I have experienced during this process and the way this was handled by the medical staff has left me feeling completely traumatized, something I have never experienced before, and hope to never experience again.
Just wanted to say my thoughts are with you. My stent is due to come out next monday. Last week I developed an infection - again - and it reset the bar for pain. I didn't think anything could be worse than the stone, and then the stent. But the stent plus the infection - I have never experienced anything worse. I hope it went okay
I had my surgery two days later after my first visit. I got the spinal instead of being put under general anesthia as they felt that was best for my baby. I had him monitored before going into surgery, when I got into the room, and when I went into recovery. I could hear the doctor's talking the whole time my surgery was going on as I was awake for the whole thing. They told me that they couldn't find the stone, or even any evidence that a stone was even present. They did find that my ureter was kinked due to the baby laying so low and inserted the stent to straighten it out as they thought maybe this could have been what was causing my pain. When I first agreed to the surgery I thought I would only have the stent for a week and then when I was done with the surgery they told me they wanted me to keep it till the end of my pregnancy.
The doctor told me that the sent would be uncomfortable, I didn't expect it to be painful. The reason why I had the surgery was to get off the pain medication and be able to function more with my children. Now I am more dependent on the pain medication and I need to lay around even more because it hurts to do anything, I can't even go shopping anymore. I had the stent placed at 29 weeks, so it has only been a little over a week since I got the stent. I am trying to keep myself from taking too much of the pain medication a day, as I already know that my baby is going to be born and go through withdrawals from the medication. If I had known what it would be like after the surgery I would have thought it through a little more. Truth is I feel like I was kind of rushed into it because when I called to ask questions about when it would be done they told me it could be done two days later and they started putting me into the schedule. I can't wait to get this thing out.
my doctor put a suture through my right ureter and sewn it shut. 11 long painfull days later, I
had emergency surgery to undo the suture and had a stent put in. here it is over a month later,
and it leaks. tried a cathereter= but too painful. still leaking but now my pee smells very bad.
i think my body is starting to rot on the inside. i will find out more in 3 days. PAINFUL. Very
painful. I'm only 45
So far this page has been a great help to know what is normal of this horrible horrible ordeal weve are all going through, takes my mind off from contemplating suicide to make the pain stop. however there is one thing Ive been looking for in all these anecdotes, is it normal to pee pure blood, even without drinking, and the Blood/Urine to smell so nasty?
I think Ive peed half a liter of pure blood just tonight, and its only 2 am.
please... anybody?
(Ps i was really scared after reading this site and then the last comment I saw told me to trust Jesus. Im so thankful for that commenter. Thank you for reminding me.)
Good luck to you.. It definitely chnages the way you manage day to day. Lay down way more often than I used to.
My first 2 stents never had a problem with and even rode my horses, still continued with problems and they did another procedure which kept me trouble free until this year.
Well on my third stent for this year and all 3 have been unbelievable pain have had to resign from work and basically live on a long list of tablets . One was so bad i could not even stand to lie in bed the pain was that bad.
I then this year also had a Laparoscopic Pyeloplasty which unfortunately was not successful, first thing that went wrong was surgery went from 45 minutes to over 4 hours as when they got in their stent had crystalised plus scar tissue and kidney had adhered to my side. Post op i was placed in ICU due to low oxgyen and collapse of lung, I then continued to lose over a litre of fluid a day 14 days post op, which apparently no one had seen before.
I had my 6 week stent removal which showed blockage so within a week had to have another stent placed back in.
My surgeon is not sure what to do next and wants to do some further tests but leave this new stent in for another 3 months so that hopefully swelling and everything goes down so they can get a camera up and see what is happening.
I feel I am in the same position as I was 9 months ago with pain and quality of life.
I also woke up in a pool of blood with huge clots this morning which they are not sure what is going on there.
So I guess to be continued.
Regarding the stent removal, if there is nothing unusual (like crystals that have grown on it as some people report), the process is quick and almost painless. WHen I had the stents removed they squirted a bit of lidocaine into the urethra to numb it, waited a minute or two, inserted the cytoscope, grabbed the stent and zip, it was out. I felt nothing but a tiny bit of stinging when the cytoscope went in and then a very slight tug in my kidney as the stent was removed. Afterwards the relief of the stent discomfort in the bladder was immediate. I could pee and not have that stinging at the end. Whst a wonderful thing that was!
A word for Nad and others - pay attention to the signs of something going wrong, like excessive blood in the urine after more than 3-5 days or fever. Get help if you have those signs of infection. And for those considering not getting a stent when your ureter is blocked, don't do it! Because of the initial misdiagnosis by my GP my kidney was blocked for anywhere from 2-4 months and is now permanently damaged. The stent can be the difference between a healthy kidney or having the kidney die and need to be removed completely.
Good luck to all!
Susanne
I will never never allow a stent in my body again.
I have an eating disorder and though I'd passed a few small stones on my own in the past, quite a few clustered were found this time after continued
Blood in my urine since August. I'm struggling with drinking enough water- I'm frequently dehydrated so that's been my biggest
Challenge next to trying not to exercise and get the pain rolling. I'm so happy to read these other accounts-
I didn't know what a stent was until I woke up with one after laparoscopy. I wasn't advised on
What was normal or routine effects from it and my husband has been worried out of his mind over me
As well as my employer who sent me home again today doubled over crying from pain. It's just a
Comfort to know I'm not alone. I've been bleeding every time I urinate for the last 4 weeks and they think I am
Now possibly getting anaemic from this do I've gotta go get that checked out too...
The stent pain has been horrific. I have missed 2 weeks of work (I am a mailman) because of the pain and the narcotics. I can not sit for more that 5 minutes without being in extreme pain. The most comfortable position is lying on my back. The next most comfortable is standing/swaying from side to side. After trying to deal with the pain with OTC ibuprofin, I resumed taking narcotics that were left over from the kidney stone pain prescription, but quietly because everyone freaks out, thinking I am not really in enough pain to warrant taking them :(
My doctors have generally been quite good - except the late dr. My MAJOR issue is with the office staff. TERRIBLE scheduling and service. Average wait time for each appointment has been 1 hour. Also, I called early Thursday morning with a question concerning my pain level and blood. As of this morning, Monday, I have not receieved a call back. Their voicemail message says to please leave only one message. That should say ALOT about their proficiency :(
Good luck and God bless any/all future kidney stone/stent sufferers. I feel your pain!
Stent pain isn't fun, I get pain after urinating, pain after doing pooh.
Lots of groin pain, & shooting pain down my front left leg.
Today needed tremadol, feeling all loopy.
Mine has been in for 5 weeks getting it removed 25th September.
Not under general, I will be awake yuck.
I'm hoping once its out hopefully won't get lots of pain after the removal.
Thank you all.
Anyway, have any of you passed air with a stent in? :/
Thanks
am being told I need an internal one now. There is very little drainage going into the external bag. Why do I need an
internal stent if the tumor has been removed? A friend has one and says it is uncomfortable, I do not want something
like that if I do not need it. Thank You
Kidney stone was stuck in a tube, pain when weeping pain on how to lay
Blood in urine not pleasant and I've had a baby naturally
And this is more painful also getting pain inthe back
I am due to get surgery on Tuesday and I hope the stent will be removed then and I get treatment for the tumour in my kidney. Last time it was chemo.
Some people get on fine and others have a terrible time as if their body os rejecting it, I am the latter sadly. Horrid things.
I am in the second day after removal this time and it is a different story. The doctor did not sedate me to remove the stent like several others comments I have read this was not that bad just uncomfortable. The Doctor stated that there was a lot of blood when he went in with the scope to remove the stent. The Doctor had prescribed me Urispas for Spasms and Tylenol #4 for pain when he put the stent in. However; he told me after stent removal I might have some spasms. He did not subscribe me any medication. 30 minutes later in the parking lot before I could even get home the first spasm started. I had three doses of the spasm and pain medication left and thought since he did not make a big deal about the spasms it would be short time thing (Wrong). every four hours or less my pain would be so intense that it would double me over with pain.
I took my last meds at 2:00 am the next morning at 8:00 as soon as they opened I contacted the Doctors office and told them I was having severe Spasms and pain. I was sent to the doctor's nurses voice mail and had to leave a message. I called back several times during the next few hours and never got to talk to the nurse personally. Around 11:00 I called and the receptionist put me on hold for approx. 15 minutes and came back and said the nurse was in clinicals this morning and would listen to her messages after clinicals. Around 3:00 pm I went to another Doctors office that is associated with my Urologist office to try to get someone to refill my medication. My local Doctor told he was going to call in my medication. I bekieve he called my Urologist because when I got to the Pharmacy they told me my urologist had just called in my medication. Within the next 30 minutes while I was getting medication my wife received calls from both my MD and Urologist office one telling me that they called in my medicine the other telling her that they could not duplicate the prescription that my urologist had just called in. I am a cancer survivor and had several surgeries and treatments related to the cancer and have never had the kind of pain that I have had with this stent. I do understand why so many urologist are just like mine that do not prepare and treat their patients for the pain and discomfort related to a stent.
Most patients would probably like to be given a complete explanation regarding:
WHAT is going to be done to them, involving diagrams (even if using hand-gesticulations) etc.;
WHY (a) or (b) (c) [etc.), procedure/s are going to be done, in the patient's PARTICULAR case;
ALL of the significant/serious RISKS associated with the operation
ALL of the likely SIDE/AFTER-EFFECTS of surgery itself - including realistic TIME FRAMES
ALL of the likely SIDE/AFTER EFFECTS of any placed device (such as a stent,) or of P.O. medication
ALL of PAIN AND RECOVERY METHODS that can be utilised to minimise pain and discomfort
Patients want, need, surely are entitled to open and thorough discussion on all of these issues. They should be fully informed, and feel themselves to be in a reasonable position to discuss with the practitioner initial treatment/procedural and options, and post-operative care, etc. As one of your contributors has emphasized, practitioners have a duty to make sure that the patient is given adequate and supportive post-operative care, irrespective of how brief, or, on the other hand, how protracted and complex. I felt so much sympathy for so many of the people who have written so far, and also certainly identified with many of those, too. To everyone still suffering, I hope that you do come to an end to your problems and pain, very soon.
I had a Ureter stent inserted about a month and a half ago due to narrowing of my ureter which the doctor cannot determine a cause ,anyway I experience excruciating pain in my bladder while urinating which I assume is normal and I also have extreme pain in my penis while urinating ,I honestly thought after some time this would go away but it is still there after a month. is this normal?
A week or so later we took him back to hospital as he was complaining of stomach pains and a swollen stomach. Doctor said he has a bowel obstruction. He was in hospital for a few days (catheter put in ) they gave him anaemia for two nights. He came home from the hospital with the catheter for Christmas. Just after new year we had to rush him back to hospital , he had been shivering during the night and had a high fever, he could hardly string a sentence together.
They admitted him for 8 days, the nurse used the words blood infection. He came home after 8 days. A week later he was in the same state again. Doctor took out the stent but his temperature was still very high and now he was delirious.
He is now under another doctor , who last week operated on him and told us he had a perforated bowel. He has been in ICU since last week Wednesday. He has a catheter in again and a colostomy bag. When he came out of the operation, he had a tube in his mouth to drain something. That was taken out. His temp is still very high and blood pressure high.
His gout is getting worse. He is in a lot of pain. He stopped breathing and they put a tube in his throat to breath.
As a family we don’t understand how you go into treat your kidney stones and he is now critically ill. Is this all coincidence or has something gone wrong somewhere.
Please can you advise what we should do.
It is fairly simple to change urologists. Make sure to find one that specializes in whatever condition you have going on, search the internet for reviews on them and move on. Do not stay with a doctor you don't have confidence in or one that doesn't explain everything you need to know or promptly respond to your concerns. If you have to have a primary care referral, tell your primary what the problem is and why you need to change. Listen to that little voice inside you. There is a reason it's talking to you. Best of luck to everyone. These are not easy procedures and this board is full of tough warriors!
l.
Can't sleep, as I'm suffering from colic due to the stent that was placed in my body, after my 7mm stone removal 6 days ago. Took 1 percocet and an hour later, I'm finally able to lay down comfortably in bed. It's been a long week. I have one more day of this and then it (stent) can come out. All week I have had pain, pressure, bleeding, cramping, colic, tugging, and burning. Not fun! I am nervous about the removal of the stent, but at this point, I'm use to being in pain so, can it be
any worse? I'm going to go prepared by taking a percocet before the
appointment. Hope that will mask some of the pain that may occur after it's out. So glad I found this forum. Lots of good information. This is only my first surgery and stent. Bless all of you that go through this on a regular basis. My heart goes out to you.
If I could give any advice to someone who is going through this for the first time, find a great doctor with an award winning bedside manner. Write your questions down and ask ask ask. When you get home, rest, relax, wear loose clothing, and rely on friends and family to help out. Drink lots of water, it really helps. Heating pads work to some degree, if anything, the warmth makes you feel better. (2) 325mg Tylenols help with colic pain, but don't kick in for a few hours. 1 percocet helps within the hour.
Best wishes to you all!
Peace out,
Jody
Now I have to wait till the end of this month for my next op at the hospital for which they booked me in today - the earliest date available due to a large number of cancer operations - but they also put me on their "short list" so I might be lucky again. Meanwhile I'll have to put up with the pains and take Panadols. I'm just hoping they are able to successfully remove the tumour and that cancer hasn't spread anywhere else in the body. I'll also have my doctor discuss with the urologist and hospital staff re the diagnoses and treatments and we may have to consider the private hospital if necessary. I hope my experiences narrated here may help some people. Thanks for your time.