Practical Tips & Details for Kidney Stones/Lithotripsy

[codeb87]

Thank you so much for taking the time to write so much about your experience, Caladium. It was really comforting to read someone else's experience, and also incredibly informative. I have a 12mmx9mm stone for which I am getting lithotripsy in a week. I talked to two different urologists and decided to go with the one who suggested the stent. It doesn't sound fun but better safe than sorry. I am also going to ask my urologist about getting a smaller stent to minimize the awfulness I've read too much about! Anyway, I just wanted to thank you all for writing about your experiences. I will certainly update this thread with my own when I am able. Until then, I'm off to drink some lemonade!

[Rose217]

Everything I have read this has been a big help as I travel this road.
I had a 7 mm, a 6 mm, and a 3 mm stones in my right kidney that landed me in the ER becase the 3 mm was actually two stones together making a figure 8 and was stuck in the urethra. I had a failed uteroscopy and my kidney stones were pushed back into the kidney with the scope. The doctor put in a stent which was really uncomfortable. Four days later I had a Lithotripsy and the stoens that were formerly stuck were blasted. They then got stuck in the opening of the kidney and the stent could not be removed as previously planned. This past Thursday I was scheduled for another uteroscopy and laser treatment but the doctor tells me that when he went in and took the stent out, the stones got unstuck. I was released from the hospital in awful pain. Percocet every six hours was prescribed but did nothing and I was up all night in dire pain, as bad as the pain that landed me in the ER the first time. I was not told to strain my urine but did any way. Later on Friday, I passed a 3 mm, a 5 mm, and a 7 mm stones and Saturday passed two smaller ones, 1 mm and 2 mm. Today is Sunday and I am still uncomfortable. I was told to call if I vomited and had a fever. I have had neither but do have a backache and discomfit in my lower abdomen. I can’t imagine there are any more stones but am guessing that the stent opened up my ureter to allow the stones to pass which is totally amazing me. Hopefully I am done with this situation but now have to deal with finding how to avoid them in the future.

Moderator cut: not allowed

[hpilgrim3]

I am new here in this forum, and also new to the wonderful world of kidney stones... I am scheduled to have lithotripsy in four weeks (this was as soon as I could get someone to drive me)... and I just began my internet search about this very scary sounding procedure when I ran across your wonderful and enlightening post. My "tripsy" will be on Oct 11, 2012.

I hope it goes as well for me as it seemed to for you - my stone is 8 mm. The doctor thought I would have to have only one treament. I hope she was right.

One of my concerns is that I have degenerative disk disease and arthritis in my back, and am scared that the impact of the shock waves will affect the already considerable back pain that I have.

Your story answered a lot of questions for me (I know how easy it is to scare yourself reading anything medical online!) Thank you so much for a balanced and detailed account....

Holly Pilgrim

[sylviavoli]

Very very good information! My lith' is in 3 hours..thank you for all the "heads up" info!!! 13mm..hope it works with just 1 visit!

[hpilgrim3]

Just wanted to post an update following my lithotripsy... I can't tell you how surprised I was that there was NOTHING to it! I was prepped, put to sleep, woken up, sent home, -- in my mind, braced for pain, nausea, etc. But I had very little pain, about the same soreness as if I had taken a fall. No nausea at all. My stone was pulverized to dust, and I never even felt the passing of anything. I drank lots of lemon-water. The urologist said there was residual "dust" in my kidney, and someday there might be a stone created around the dust, but that might never happen. For now, I am fine :-) I hope and pray everybody has such an easy time getting rid of their stone as I did.
Holly