Kidney stones and stents

[Mistee]

Hey guys,

It's been a while since my last post.

I ended up in a&e on Sunday night with the worst pain I have ever experienced on my right side, front and back, and some pretty nasty vomiting. I knew something wasn't right so had to drag my hubby and little girl to the hospital.

CT scans showed kidney stones. Apparently my local hospital don't have a urology department (despite the fact I was treat there last year for my urethral stricture?!) So I was transferred to another nearby hospital to be admitted for treatment.

So, on Monday afternoon I went for a lithotripsy treatment. For those of you not familiar with this treatment, they basically pummel your Kidney, ureter as well as the stone. I feel like I've been repeatedly kicked in the back by someone wearing steel toe capped boots on one foot and ankle pickers on the other.

Tuesday was recovery day, Wednesday was supposed to be x ray day to see if the lithotripsy had worked or not and decide what to do next. Well, I was xrayed st 9am and then pretty much forgotten about until I was finally able to get face to face with the on call Dr at 7.30pm - having been nil by mouth for almost 20hrs at this point. The on call Dr was super apologetic, it was not his fault at all and really is a topic all of its own, anyway, I got the results on Thursday. The treatment hasn't worked and due to the level of pain I was in, the decided to fit a stent.

The stent has been in place for around 30hrs now and boy oh boy does it hurt?!

I've managed to cut back from peeing every 30mins or so to once an hour but I still feel like I've got like 5 litres in my bladder despite scans showing that it's definitely empty. The stent is causing renal reflux, which means every time I per, a little urine kicks back up to my kidney. Ouchies.

As if that wasn't enough, I feel like I'm having the heaviest menstrual cramps and bleeding known to man - I'm not, my period isn't even nearly due so I'm guessing maybe swelling!

This is my first night back at home, everything hurts, everyone else is asleep and I can't get can't get comfortable enough to sleep!

Those of you who have experienced this kind of pain before - how did you cope? What tricks do you Have?

How long was your recovery time and when were you able to go back to work?

The stent is due to be removed along with the stone in 4 weeks.

Thanks!! Xx

[ssdw1958]

I have had as maybe as 4 stones zapped I have passed a number of stones and I may have 10 or so stones in my kidneys right now. If your stent hurts that bad you need to go to a urologist and have a ultrasound done to find out what is going on with it. I say this because it might be not in the right place and it sounds like it’s Poking you. Also it might have moved when I have had stents in it I had one move. I never had a stent in as long as 4 weeks. the pain ranks of a kidney stone is right up there with having a baby. Have they given you pain meds, I am not a person to take pain meds but this would be the time to do so. I've also taken Tylenol to dull the pain don't take aspirin or ibuprofen not to be use because of the bleeding factor.

Question have you past the stones yet, I say this because when they zap the stone it is only broken up but still inside you. You need to pass it and you should have a strainer to collect it to find out what kind of stone it is mine are sodium and calcium.

You know how they say drink cranberryjuice well you can but it doesn't really work WATER, WATER is what will help. One other thing after you get the stone zapped they want you to go to the bathroom before you leave the hospital a nurse told me the drink to have is a diet drink like gingerale it works the best.

I hope your stone pass quickly and your pain goes away soon.

Good luck

ssdw1958

[Mistee in reply to ssdw1958]

Thanks for your reply,

The stone is still there, the lithotripsy didn't work it is still in one piece and is too high up for extraction. The plan is to leave the stent in place for 4 weeks while the internal swelling and bruising heals then they will go in with a laser to break up and remove the stone and the stent. I'm guessing they're hoping the stone will move to a better position during that time maybe?

As for the pain, apparently I was due to have a period after all...i have pcos which means I generally go a year or 2 between them and my last one was only 3 weeks ago but low and behold, the next one has just shown up (apologies if this is tmi!) I've not had any of the usual tell tale signs and it's odd for the cramping to begin a week beforehand which is why I didn't believe I was due.

Although that will account for a lot of the pain in having, I'm still worried about the pain from the stone though, how long was your longest stent in? Was your pain just as bad when the stones moved? I need as much advice as I can get with regards to how the next 4 weeks is likely to go - 5wks even if we take the removal into consideration!

Thanks again

[ssdw1958 in reply to Mistee]

Hi Mistee I hope your feeling better today because as you know kidney stones are so very painful. The longest I have had a stent in has been one week.

I know that they have been a pain but like I said in my last post how that one stent had moved and at first the doctor had to take it out. I will tell you after he took it out and I stood up I realize I had a build up of urine and it was like a damn breaking loose. I know that is disgusting but I want you to know this if as my urologist said to me when I had a large stone in me if the flow is not strong when you urinate I needed to get to the hospital right away. I know your situation is that you have a stent. But you should keep an eye on that. I don’t want to sound overdramatic but you don’t want something going wrong. You need to drink lots of water so that darn kidney stone moves as I was told by my urologist the in side of a kidney is like a sponge it isn’t smooth so your stone is probably stuck in stuck on the side let me know how it goes. I hope it moves for you.

I have to let you know the first stone I had zapped the doctor said to me was that it’s done in a van and I’m thinking 🤔 WHAT IS HE TALKING ABOUT??? Then he said we need to do it on December 23 oh great now my children were at the time 18 months old and 8 years old and Christmas was two days later that’s one way to get your shopping done. Everyone was asking me what are you going to do well I told everyone my cut off date was the 21st if it wasn’t bought and wrapped it wasn’t going to be done well the only thing that wasn’t good on Christmas Eve was because of the pain killers I had fellen asleep but thank goodness I woke up at 3 a.m. and got it all done

Oh I had to wake up my husband and put him to work doing double time.

That was the first time getting a stone zapped it was about 18 years ago and it was not a bane it was one of those 18 wheelers trucks.

[morphalot]

I had a kidney stone which stuck across the ureter. They operated by putting a pair of tweezers down the ureter and grabbing the stone. Unfortunately they tore the ureter and urine started leaking into my abdomen - this was in CREDibly painful. I had to drink gallons of water to keep the urine as diluted as possible. Once I got out of hospital and the stone had gone - no pain. Yay! I really wish you luck with this. When I was in severe pain the night that started I was injected with voltarol as apparently it is very effective on kidney pain - worth asking your doctor?

[Mistee in reply to morphalot]

Ouch!!! That sounds horrific! I hope you're ok now?

I've been worried about it getting as far as my urethra as I have a urethral stricture! These are pretty rare in women, it's basically a scar running along the urethra which causes narrowing. If the stone reaches it, it's either going cause a nasty blockage or it's going to tear the tube! I'm a bit concerned that the stent is going to stay in place for so long now though!

As it happens, one of the medications I was sent home with were voltarol suppositories lol! They're definitely effective for this kind of pain though, they were administered to me in a&e when the morphine wasn't helping and also while having a particularly bad night on the ward! Virtually killed all pain pretty quickly!!

[lilian68]

my husband had some kidney stones he could not pass they lasered broke them up then put stents in came home with baerly any padding despite bleeding and was peeing almost non stop and almost pure blood rang consultants secretary ended up back at hospital moved the date for removal of stents earlier when he got then out it was instant relief he was told a lot of people don't get on with the stents we both feel for you as you must be suffering a great deal .sending you a large hug

[Mistee in reply to lilian68]

Goodness that sounds terrible! I was bleeding after the lithotripsy and after the stent. I'm supposed to be having laser treatment in 4 weeks when they remove the stent. I'm a bit worried about what could happen in the next 4 weeks though! How long did your husband initially expect to wait to get his out and by how much was it moved forward?

I don't really know at this point if the pain and discomfort is from the stent or my period - typical, only I could have that kind of rotten luck! Thanks for the big hug, it's definitely needed!

I'm also worried by the possibility of getting kidney stones again in future!

I hope your husband is well on the mend and is luck enough to never get stones again! Xx

[lilian68 in reply to Mistee]

they move date of stent removal a couple of days they should have have lasered the stones then put the stents in as you cannot pass the stones while the stents are in as they make the pipes smaller so the pain is off the stents and the bleeding you want to ring consultants secretary and tell her how you are as they only like to leave the stents in for two weeks,when they take the stones out the will be analysed to see what they are. good luck xx

[vicki_27]

Hi, I have a stent in my urethra due to kidney stones this is the second time now in which I have had to have a stent. I am due to have the stent taken out & treatment for the kidney stones at the end of feb. In a lot of pain atm been to the doctors, out of hours and they don’t seem to know what’s causing it and I keep being given antibiotics. I know how uncomfortable it can be I have had mine since New Year’s Day 🙁 I hope you get some relief soon x

[Mistee in reply to vicki_27]

Oh wow!! That's a long time!

Has the pain been bad the whole time or does it come and go? I hope it's not been too bad for you! What pain killers have they given you to help you cope?

I'm due back at work tomorrow but won't be going. I'm undecided as to how long to get a sick note for though.

Urgh it's awful, I really feel for you x

[vicki_27 in reply to Mistee]

No the pain hasn’t been bad the whole time only for the last week or so they seem to think I have a urine infection on second lot of antibiotics and nothing has helped 😕 I have tried co-codamol, tramadol nothing touches the pain tho very uncomfortable can’t wait to have the stent out now.

I have been signed off for a week due to the pain if you don’t feel up to it worth getting a note until you feel well enough to go back 🙂 xx

[ssdw1958 in reply to vicki_27]

I want to let you know I had a stent in it had shifted I found this out two ways by ultra sound and it felt so bad and the doctor wanted to wait till Monday and it was Friday he atually said you can go to the ER I said to him I not doing that I want it out now. And he did it for me.

If you have an infection you should get that stent out so you can get rid of that infection.

[vicki_27 in reply to ssdw1958]

Thank you. I have made a doctors appointment for Tuesday. ended up going to out of hours tonight & been given another lot of antibiotics. by Tuesday I should know if they have helped but I definitely think the stent isn’t helping or something is wrong with it for the pain I have been getting.

[ssdw1958 in reply to vicki_27]

I am glad you are going to the doctors because I don’t think you should be feeling that bad.

Good luck to you.

[kamille]

Hi Mister,

I've been there with the stents. Couldn't sit up the whole time in a recline. I had a nasty blockage from the stones. The doctor told me later that my urethras were very small. I asked if a pediatric stent would work. Apparently not an option. I had to just tuff it out. It really messed up my whole system. Good luck to you.