Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I found the forums and stories of others who have been through this not only to help calm my fears but to educate me on options and expectations. For that reason going to briefly tell you about my experience recently to add to the knowledge already on the forums.
I'm a male - mid 40's, no history of stones before but I do only have one kidney. About a month ago I had moderate pain in my left kidney and back, which would come in waves and move to my left lower abdomen and testicle. The pain in the back felt like the first time you weed eat each year, that pain from bending over with the weed eater all day. It would come and go, lasting about an hour then I'd be mostly fine the remainder of the day. I began peeing brownish then red then brownish pee and figured I better go to the doctor as I thought I might have cancer. Reading these forums helped ease my mind and made me realize it was more likely a stone.
Doctor sent me for a CT scan and found I had an 11mm in my kidney and an 8mm too. Referred me to a urologist. those urologist must make some good money because I could not get in to see them for a month, the pain was tolerable and no medication was needed. My pee changed colors from pink to brown to yellow through the month, the waves of pain in the back seemed to cause blood in the urine. The day before my appointment though I had severer flank/back pain, it subsided in an hour.
They did an xray and could only find the 11mm stone, I don't know where the other one went? Talked about my options and those were ureteroscopy or lithotripsy. I was very concerned about doing any damage to my remaining kidney, doctor recommended litho and scheduled me for the following Monday, which was yesterday.
At the hospital they took my weight, what little urine sample I could provide, did an EKG, blood pressure, and of course blood and IV. Waited a couple hours to go back, nurse came in and gave an injection of pre- anesthesia medicine and rolled me back. Last thing I remember was in the OR they put a mask on me and I was out.
Woke up in recovery no issues from the anesthesia, but felt like I had to pee really bad, my bladder was throbbing. Tried to pee and it burned like crazy but nothing came out. Laid there for about 10 minutes and kept trying to pee in the bottle but could not. I have a really high pain tolerance, but will say that feeling was a fullness and burning but not intolerable pain.
Got back to my room, they unhooked the IV and let me get dressed, went to the bathroom and pee'd pure blood. Noticed I had a string handing out my male part, obviously they put a stent in. Peeing was pretty painful but manageable, the description of feeling like your on fire or a wasp is stinging your insides is about accurate. It's tolerable but it hurts.
When I got home I immediately started drinking water, the pain in my bladder and left testicle where about an 8 out of 10. The testicle pain is the worse because it throbs and well it's naturally sensitive. I had not yet picked up my hydrocodone pain meds from the pharmacy so was not on any pain meds at this point. I constantly felt like I had to pee, but 4 out 5 times nothing would come out, the next hour I basically stood over the toilet. Wife got home with my meds took a hydrocodone and was still in severe pain that alternated between the back and the front. This lasted about 4 hours, it was bad enough I called the urologist nurse to ask if this amount of pain was normal, they told me either go to the hospital or take another hydrocodone, I opted for a second pain pill. Got in a hot tub with the cut off end of a plastic glove over my male part so as not to get it wet. The pains finally got better.
So just under 24 hours. The pain in my back from the litho is very tolerable, nothing more than a mild discomfort. It's true the more water you drink the less blood it will look like you will pass and the easier it will be to pee. It still burns and the color goes from pink to red to pink, from what I read it will clear up soon.
Having a new issue however, when peeing I feel the stent in my kidney being pressed down and it hurts more than the burning. The pain meds don't seem to be helping with this, anyone have any tricks to ease that? So far I've not seen any gravel or stones pass, they did not give me a strainer but if I look in the toilet I see what looked like a small piece of tissue and maybe a sand particle. There's been tiny blood clots that pass. I don't know if it's normal to leak blood but I'm having to change my underpants every few hours due to blood leaking.
So my experience so far is;
1) The litho was easy and the pain from the litho itself seems very mild
2) I still feel a pressure in my back, similar to what I felt before the litho so I wonder if they actually broke it up.
3) Have pain in my lower left abdominal and left testicle that shoots in waves, seems more tolerable with the pain meds.
4) Peeing hurts and is bloody, but the more water you drink the better it is. Having blood leakage in my underpants.
5) The stent is annoying but tolerable so far, the only bad part is now when peeing I feel the stent being pushed down in my kidney causing about a 6 out of 10 pain.
Based on what I've read from others my experience seems almost normal, for someone with high pain tolerance though I seem to be on the more painful side of the scale then others. Hopeful the worst part was last night and it gets better from here. To those that are having this done, yes it hurts post litho with a stent, drink a lot of water, don't fall behind on the pain meds, and you can manage through.
Almost the end of week one and the first 40 hours were the worst, mostly severe pain. Hydrocodone did not help but got Oxycontin on Tuesday and really helped get through the worst pains. Once the blood began to clear things got a little more tolerable. still hurts to pee as I have testicle pain and that darn stent pushed down in my kidney and I almost can't stand up. Did find that sitting down and bending over seems to help some as well as pee'ing in the shower with hot water hitting my back, that really takes the stent pain away. My wife was not thrilled by my discovery though
Hopefully get the stent out on Monday but I don't have a good feeling Ive passed the stones and I fear now that when the stent comes out I'm going to be in more pain, they will do an xray on Monday before the stent removal to check on stones progress.
Did anyone else have this much pain from their stent? After coming out did it get worse or better? Anyone?
my symptoms were in the 2nd paragraph in the 1st post. causes depend upon the type of stone, could be from the food you eat, to your weight, to your activity level, to hereditary. Until you pass a stone and analyze it or they do a urine test for 24 hours I don't think they can tell you the cause. Mostly they form because the urine is not saturated enough meaning people don't drink enough water and the urine forms crystals, although that's not the only cause.
1 week and had followup with urologist today. The part I feared the most the stent removal As many have said here and on other forums, the anticipation was way worse than the actual act. I stood up and he pulled the strings and out it came, by the time I felt anything I looked down to see the end of the stent coming out. I did not feel anything except a burning but it was no where near as intense as peeing the first 24 hours after litho and the stent. Just like everyone else I can attest having gone through it, the fear and anticipation were much worse than the actual stent removal. Pain about a 3 out of 10, just a burning as it came out then it was all over.
They gave me an injection of Tramadol to help with any inflammation, so far no issues just a mild tingle in my back.
The xray today showed there are still stone fragments but the edges were blurry making the doctor think these were more like sand size particles clumped together and I'd just need to pass them. Followup in two weeks for another xray to see if they are gone or have moved.
I'm a 76 year old male. This was my first ever Kidney stone, and I recently (11/2020) had the Ureteroscopy with Lithotripsy and stent procedure. My 5mm stone became lodged in my lower ureter after 10 hours of pure agony as it descended from my kidney. A CT scan in the emergency room confirmed the presence of the stone. Once it lodged, the pain disappeared and I had no indication of it's presence. I wanted to just live with it, but was told it could come back to haunt me later if nothing was done. Two months went by and I finally went in for the procedure. It all went smoothly and I felt fine until I had to urinate. Then, OMG, the burning pain associated with that was the worst pain I've ever experienced in my life, and I've had bilateral knee replacement. The pain had to have been like an 11 or 12 on a scale of 1 to 10. I was hoping it would get better after I went home; but no, it was excruciatingly painful every time I peed, and none of the meds I was given were of much help. The stent stayed in for two days, and I was dreading having to pull it out, but surprisingly it slid right out with a little tug on the attached string. What amazed me was that everything returned to normal almost immediately after the stent came out, no more pain, no blood! I had read online where some people had had their worst pain after removing the stent, so I was dreading that. But my experience was just the opposite, so I guess everybody's experience can be different. I just hope I never have to go through it again.
I'm a 76 year old male. This was my first ever Kidney stone, and I recently (11/2020) had the Ureteroscopy with Lithotripsy and stent procedure. My 5mm stone became lodged in my lower ureter after 10 hours of pure agony as it descended from my kidney. A CT scan in the emergency room confirmed the presence of the stone. Once it lodged, the pain disappeared and I had no indication of it's presence. I wanted to just live with it, but was told it could come back to haunt me later if nothing was done. Two months went by and I finally went in for the procedure. It all went smoothly and I felt fine until I had to urinate. Then, OMG, the burning pain associated with that was the worst pain I've ever experienced in my life, and I've had bilateral knee replacement. The pain had to have been like an 11 or 12 on a scale of 1 to 10. I was hoping it would get better after I went home; but no, it was excruciatingly painful every time I peed, and none of the meds I was given were of much help. The stent stayed in for two days, and I was dreading having to pull it out, but surprisingly it slid right out with a little tug on the attached string. What amazed me was that everything returned to normal almost immediately after the stent came out, no more pain, no blood! I had read online where some people had had their worst pain after removing the stent, so I was dreading that. But my experience was just the opposite, so I guess everybody's experience can be different. I just hope I never have to go through it again.
I have had the lithotripsy and did not get a stent. I was awake for the whole procedure, which was done in a special trailer that visits our area on certain days. I do remember peeing blood and small fragments of the stones when I first urinated. Overall I would describe my lithotripsy as easy compared to the ureteroscopy removal. That one they put me out for and I woke up with the stint and the little line come out of me. I think I had it in for a week. The night the doctor removed that stint was the worst pain of my life.
I found that pain medication does nothing for the worst kidney stone pain. The only thing that helped me was to stand in a hot show and let the hot water hit the area around the kidney. Heating pads also work because one cannot stay in the shower forever and the pain returns as soon as you get out.
If you ever can collect a stone as it passes, get your doctor to analyze it. Some stones, like the uric acid stones, can be dissolved with potassium citrate (that your doctor can prescribe).
There is a better one but I cannot find it right now. In the one I posted the man talks about passing a stone after a roller coaster ride; so it is not just limited to a trip to Disney World.
I had lithotripsy and got a stent, however when I woke up the nurse told me that when she removed my catheter she accidentally pulled my stent out with it. I went home a took a nap for a couple of hours, and after I woke up I felt a little nauseated, so I went to the bathroom to vomit and then the intense pain started. I ended up back in the ER and had to given dilaudid for the pain. Eventually the fragments passed.
It was a horrible experience that I hope I never have to go through again.
I had lithotripsy and got a stent, however when I woke up the nurse told me that when she removed my catheter she accidentally pulled my stent out with it. I went home a took a nap for a couple of hours, and after I woke up I felt a little nauseated, so I went to the bathroom to vomit and then the intense pain started. I ended up back in the ER and had to given dilaudid for the pain. Eventually the fragments passed.
It was a horrible experience that I hope I never have to go through again.
We have one very small woman at work that was out-of-work for two months. Apparently she was passing a stone for most of that time! Her doctor finally used the ureteroscopy to go in and then broke it up with a laser. I don't know how she suffered for such a long period of time! She did not know how she got the stone since she drinks lots of water. Her urologist told her they would act quicker next time; I would hope so!
Try a hot shower on your back or a heating pad for the pain the next time. Hopefully you will never have a next time!
We have one very small woman at work that was out-of-work for two months. Apparently she was passing a stone for most of that time! Her doctor finally used the ureteroscopy to go in and then broke it up with a laser. I don't know how she suffered for such a long period of time! She did not know how she got the stone since she drinks lots of water. Her urologist told her they would act quicker next time; I would hope so!
Try a hot shower on your back or a heating pad for the pain the next time. Hopefully you will never have a next time!
I try to stay away from high oxalate foods now. Certainly no beets or spinach. Found out recently I shouldn’t be taking turmeric either.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
