Even though different people respond to stents in different ways, I suspect anyone who’s ever lived with a ureteral stent remembers the experience. I have had two, and both were, indeed, memorable.
Prior to undergoing a pyeloplasty, (a surgical procedure to correct a urinary tract obstruction) I was informed that a stent would be in place for about seven weeks. I also recall being told, or perhaps reading, that such stents cause “discomfort” in some patients. In my mind the term “discomfort” equates to nothing more than an annoyance or a nuisance, so going into the surgery I was not overly concerned. For the first couple of days following surgery, perhaps because of post-surgical pain killers, it seemed the stent would be absolutely no problem. I could hardly feel it. “This will be a piece of cake,” I thought.
Then, shortly after going home, I became increasingly aware that some apparently sharp object was attempting to drill a hole through the wall of my bladder. In fact, the image of a shish-kabob skewer came to mind. At the same time, there was the sensation that something was tugging on my right kidney, trying to pull it down from its usual location. It was difficult to find comfortable positions…and it felt as though gravity was becoming my worst enemy. Urination was frequent and painful, and my urine continued to be bloody for the entire seven weeks. Involuntary tears came to my eyes and waves of nausea were common. Finally, I discovered that sitting in a recliner and tipping it back approximately half way seemed to relieve the worst of the pain, and that allowed me to get a little sleep at night.
After seven long weeks, I welcomed the removal of that first stent. A generous application of lidocaine made the procedure entirely tolerable, and I watched on the monitor as the stent was grabbed and the upper curly-cue began its descent down through the ureter. Once I was free of the stent, the relief I felt far surpassed the minor discomfort associated with its removal.
About a month later, I accepted a second stent with guarded optimism. This one was placed following lithotripsy for a 1+ cm stone in my left kidney. It seemed logical to me, since this ureter was not compromised or swollen, that this stent should not hurt nearly as much as the first. Unfortunately, I was wrong about that. Once again, the same familiar painful and distressing physical sensations returned. And once again I sought relief in the recliner. The stent allowed stone fragments to pass, but I was elated to be rid of it after only three weeks.
The second stent experience left me with a new determination to do everything I could to prevent future stone formation. If making a few adjustments, such as drinking much more water each day, can prevent new stones and another stent placement sometime down the road, then I was ready to change old habits. Accepting the inevitability of new stones, then treating them as they become problematic, is no longer acceptable. My new plan is to be well-informed and pro-active and do all I can to discourage new stone formation. In fact, it’s the vivid memory of previous painful stents that continues to be the most powerful motivator. In a way, then, those stents are still serving a most valuable purpose, and I should remain grateful for them.
Editors note: Bonnie writes about her experiences as a stone patient in her posts. If you have experiences as a patient you would like to share, feel free to add a comment or send her an email at: ask@kidneystoners.org
In my experience, a ureteric stent has meant a world of pain and I consider myself to have a high pain threshold. I had a stent inserted after a cystoscopy to remove a 3.5mm stone blocking the right ureter was unsuccessful, as the ureter was so narrow, they were unable to get the scope into it. The pain and discomfort from the stent, now in for 5 weeks, is in some ways worse than the renal colic itself; partly as it is constant and at a level that makes it difficult to function. Despite drinking plenty of fluids, I’d often have days and days of urinating considerable blood. The affected kidney aches constantly and the pain from it when urinating has at times taken my breath away. I have been away of the presence of this stent since it was inserted. As a previously fit and active person, the presence of the stent has left me exhausted; unable to sleep properly, constantly fatigued and having to sleep during the day. It has affected my physical and emotional health considerably, despite the surgeon informing me that I would not feel it and would have ‘no issue from it’. He did tell me that the most I would have would be a UTI and I have had several of those with the stent, only adding to the discomfort. There doesn’t seem to be a current alternative to stenting for ureteral obstruction, but I would be seeking a second opinion if I found myself in a similar situation.
Also feel lucky compared to some of the worst experiences here. Have stent for 2 days now. It’s uncomfortable and the pain in the urethra when urinating is something else. But luckily my kidney seems ok for now. Have main op in a few days to remove 4mm stone that got stuck in the ureter. Fingers crossed things continue to go well. So if you are gonna have a stent.. It may not be as bad as some if the worst stories here. But full respect to everyone who posted here. Best medicine for my pain has been pethidine plus hot baths. Especilly the baths. First time i ever peed in the bath.. But hey you gotta fine some way to defeat the pain, lol. Good luck everyone.
I had my stent placed Tuesday and of course now it is Friday night. I have started to lower the pain meds and really have no knowledge the stent is there. The pain associated with urination is extreme in the kidney. If I bear down and start a steady stream it seems less painful. If I stop the flow for any reason the pain causes me to loose my breath and nearly pass out. I still passing large amounts of blood and I am ok with it. I have to sit to urinate. Standing up is not an option. My surgery is the 24th So I hope unination gets better.
Hi,
I’ve had a 10 mm stone removed last weekend. And ofcourse, it followed with a stent placement in my left ureter. Although I feel the constant discomfort or a bit more than just the discomfort, but I guess its not as bad as I see here everyone experiencing. Nevertheless, I can’t wait to get the stent removed which could be anytime in coming weeks. I agree that drinking more water results in clearer urine with lesser blood and lesser pain.
I have a question if someone can answer. With the stent in place, how do i know if and when i’m passing the other smaller stones that are there in my kidney? I read Angie mention below that she passed a 1 mm stone after stent placement, but just not sure how you would know? Will I clearly feel it without fail? Is it usually very painful WHILE you’re passing a stone?
Hi all
I recently got rushed in to A+E suffering from a long night of terrible burning pain in my right lower stomach, doctors did the usual blood test etc and I had to go through an x ray and Ct scan to find I had a kidney stone. A day later I was asked if it would be okay to have a stent put in due to the stone almost completely blocking my tube so I said yes no problems, the young lady said that some people have experienced pain after from the stent but it was such a low percentage, this point I was happy to proceed and felt safe as it seemed to be aminor operation. After the operation everything went very wrong for me I caught a UTI which isn’t uncommon from the research I’ve done, I’m 7 weeks in with not much in the way of pain relief working to battle the different types of pain from constant peeing when walking around to stomach cramps and major pain from a like back pressure feeling when I desperate. One consolation is my blood has got alot less but on the flip side this is possibly the stone has buried its way into the tube looking on the charts a stone of my size can take anywhete from 6-8 weeks to pass and only have a 30% chance of passing as its 11 mm by 8mm . I know the stent is necessary but I have another 4weeks until my check up at the hospital, this couldn’t come any faster, I’ve also heard that a tea spoon of cider vinegar helps to break down the stone can anyone here confirm this please. Good luck to everyone .
i had the exact surgery and have severe pain alot. i still have the stents in me becuase the doc keeps telling ER docs that if i want stents to be takin out i have to go to his office and have removed. well heres my problem. first i dont have insurance and i dont have much money either. And second im going on 3 and a half months with these stents. all becuase i dont have the money to go to his office. dont no what to do. ive been told i could lose a kidney if the stents arent taken out. send me an email if u can help me its summy696969@gmail.com
For all of you who are apprehensive about having a stent placed please know that not everyone has a bad experience. On 1 July I had a 14mm stone removed and a stent placed. On 10 July I had another stone removed and the stent replaced. It is now the 14th and I get the stent removed tomorrow. Other than an increased need to go to the bathroom I have had very little discomfort from the stent. Some bladder spasms, that is about it. I am very thankful that I did not have all the discomfort and pain that other people have reported. There is hope that your experience will be a “good” one.
Stent has been removed. No pain or discomfort.
Well I am glad that it is not just me. I had 2 stents inserted yesterday due to blockages on both kidneys caused by endometriosis. The discomfort defies description. There is no fun in constantly feeling that you are absolutely busting to go to the toilet. I have at least 3 months of this to look forward to. However the other option for me was dialysis if this did not work. I wish that I had only had a stone.
I have a stent in right now. Dr was afraid to take out my 6mm stone. I also have endometriosis stage 3, 3 different ovarian cysrs, and ny ivaries are stuck together and pressing down on my ureter/bladder/bowel etc.
Im going to emerge tommorow and telling them to take the stent out, i cant deal with it! Im 22
Okay, I’m fifteen years old and have five millimeter stone.
I just got out of surgery today Monday July 8th. I had ureteric stone removal.
Except he didn’t get the stone out instead it fell more into my kidneys.
I now have two stents in me on both sides because of how narrow I was.
I’m really scared and am in severe pain.
I’m peeing blood and blood clots. I don’t know if this is normal or not.
Several weeks ago as I was walking into the gym early in the morning for my workout, I felt, “not right” twinging pains in my lower left abdomen, and a mild back ache. Despite that, I decided to go ahead with my work out: lifting heavy weight, and running on a treadmill. After I finished, I thought maybe I pulled something in my back and decided immediately to take a few days off to see if the muscle pull resolved. Two weeks later, it hadn’t, and worse, I woke up last Tuesday morning with the worst pain of my life in my lower left abdomen; I thought it could have possibly been a ruptured ovarian cyst. But after vomiting several times, I asked my boyfriend to take me to the ER.
The ER doctors assumption of a stone was confirmed with a CT: a 7mm stone blocking my ureter. This was at 10AM, it was 3PM before I was moved to a room, and 10PM before the urologist took me in for surgery to put in a stent. He said my kidney was completely blocked, and he was very surprised that I didn’t present with a fever.
Anyway… I went home the next day, and called the urology office to set up my next appt: 12 days away, where all they’ll be doing is scheduling the next procedure to remove the stone, while the stent remains in place. I was so out of it that night after surgery, I somehow thought that the stone was being removed. I’m stuck with it for several more weeks it seems, as well as this damn stent!
This alone makes me want to vomit, and I already feel like vomiting constantly. I’m in so much pain! I can feel the stent with every movement. I can barely walk, can’t sleep, using the bathroom is excruciating, I’ve run out of my three days of toradol, and I’m nearly out of Percocet. My urologist told me before I left the hospital that I should have “no pain” and only require tylenol or motrin. SERIOUSLY? He even told me that I could resume running if I felt up to it. WTF?? I’m back at work, and I just sit at a desk, but I can barely manage that (and I’m out of sick time!)
So, here’s just a hand up saying “me too”. If you hear a lot of whining coming from the direction of northeast Pennsylvania, it’s me crying in pain 🙁
I feel your pain. Due to no insurance (student) at the time of my kidney stone occurrence, I’ve been forced to deal with the same pain for over a month. I had it placed on May 30th, stone removal will be on July 17th and stent removal is supposed to be approximately a week later. FML. Doctors told me the same thing, but once I begin to get active, I find myself rushing to the bathroom ever 5 minutes with the most uncomfortable urge. It doesn’t go away until the next day. So I too sit around in misery. There are many times that I wish I could just be in the hospital, getting shots of dilaudid through my i.v…. Sounds like heaven actually.
Hi all
stones,stones and more stones, I have MSK and over the last 10 years have harvested quiet a few. Had 3 ops in 7 week’s and had the last stent out with local anesthetic, not a pleasant experience but it was over quickly.
had three lots of stents place, first 2 felt like weeing glass everytime I went to the loo, but the more you drink the lesser the pain even though you go more often.
had my last stent removed a week before I went on holiday, the 2nd day on holiday I was in agony and low and behold I passed 2 stones, one of which was about 1mm.
have my follow up appointment in July so will defo mention to the dr maybe ask for a scan to see if all is clear now.
still have pains in my right side but back at work now and at the gym
if i hear the word stent I cringe but its better that an alternative whatever that would have been.
good luck all xx
Hi. My names Marc I’m 20 years old and I’ve had a kidney stone 6m that was blocking my left kidney so I was admitted to the hospital and had surgery the next day and my urologist placed a stent in me and its really not as bad as I thought it would be its my 5th day and getting it removed next weekend. BOOYAHH! 🙂
I have had stones for over 30 years, and just yesterday had my very first laser surgery to remove the 7×7 and 1.5×2 stones in my left side. I may have to go back in the near future for the 5×6 and 6×6 in my right side. These are the first ones I’ve ever had to go in after, and I swear I will never do another stent. I was made aware of the “slight” burning sensation and blood when I pee, so that is no problem. What nobody ever said was it’s not the burning sensation you have to worry about; it’s the OMG I want to die pain in the kidney when I pee. I had the laser surgery and stent put in yesterday morning, and the first time I peed when I got home, I wanted to die cuz of the kidney pain. The burning and slight pain in the bladder was tolerable. The pain in the kidney has me swearing that I will never have another one. Of course I will if I really need too, but man….I agree with what someone earlier said…it would bring tears to my eyes, just walking in to the bathroom, knowing the excruciating pain I was about to feel and there was nothing I could do about it. This morning, about 24hrs after the surgery, I was very surprised and pleased to not have so much kidney pain when I pee. Still blood and burning sensation, but kidney pain is much more bearable this morning. I also have found that I need to lay around more. walking around and doing just minimal things was causing a lot of discomfort. Hope the pain subsides more before I have to go back to work on Monday.
Hello
You made me laugh, which made me have to go to the little girls room. So with tears in my eyes I bravely took the short walk to my bathroom and got ready for my hourly OMG pain in my kidney. It was worth it and I feel so much better knowing others have also have to drink tons of water and then go want to die in the bathroom trying to get rid of it. Thanks and hope work went well. If you see this please let me know how soon to go back to work after I get through surgery, and another 10 days of crying in the bathroom.
This almost brought tears to my eyes as well but unfortunately not of the laughing variety.
I have cystinuria (read: I get a lot of kidney stones). I currently have a 1cm stone on the right side and I’m booked for surgery in September. My “usual” is urteroscopy with laser lithotripsy – no biggie. It’s what comes afterwards that brings the tears. That &**$&%#& stent!!! I have had several stents placed over the last decade and only once did I have “discomfort”; every other time the pain has been worse than I get with the freaking kidney stones! And of course, because my body’s reaction to absolutely everything negative is nausea, I get the debilitating urge to vomit all of the nothing that’s in my stomach. Seriously, I will dry heave only air after the water and bile are gone. The stent is one of the cruelest things I’ve ever had to endure and in my quest to avoid that experience for the umpteenth time, I Googled “ureteral stent pain relief” and came across this website.
Thank you so very much for sharing!! Cystine stones are a little more rare than the calcium ones and often, as a patient with cystinuria, I feel very alone in my struggles. I found a Facebook group for people dealing with cystinuria which has been life changing for me because I finally have people I can relate to on a different level but it always swells my heart in a Grinch-style way when I come across even more people who understand what stoners go through. Rick, you hit the nail directly on the head when you said “it would bring tears to my eyes, just walking in to the bathroom, knowing the excruciating pain I was about to feel and there was nothing I could do about it”. Oh my God, I get it!!! I SO get it. I hate that feeling with a fiery passion – knowing I have to pee but being terrified to go because I know what happens once I get to the end of that stream. That pain has almost knocked me off the toilet and onto my knees (sorry for all the vivid imagery here) because it’s so excruciating. As a fellow sufferer I just wanted to say that I understand and that I’m grateful to those of you who share your stories like this so we can at least take a little bit of comfort in feeling less alone.
Hi there my name is Lyndsay. I’m 28 years old and I’ve had kidney stones since I was 15. Back in May I had a kidney stone attack and it was blocked so they had to put a stent in. Also at the time of this I was 5 months pregnant. When I came home I couldn’t believe the pain in my kidney and the burning sensation. I wanted to cry. It’s been 3 months since I’ve had the stent in and everyday it’s a challenge. There’s not as much pain in my kidney now because I consume so much water on a daily basis. My only problem is that I can’t stand the burning sensation anymore and it’s constant. I also can’t stand the feeling like a sharp object is about to puncture my bladder wall all the time. It doesn’t help that I’m 8 months pregnant. My doctors don’t want to take it out because they are afraid I will have another blockage from the baby because they see no stones I have passed them all. I want to take the stent out so I can have a little bit on comfortableness before the baby comes. Let me tell you I will never get a stent put back in again. I am now trying everything I can to not have to ever have a stent back in. Drink lots of water!
Hello again, this is Christopher, I had to go see the doctor today but first I have to say a out some people here not agreeing about the stent placement, I agree that it is necessary to have one placed be because it opens the ureter to pass a stone, yes it’s not comfortable but it’s there for our health, not our comfort. I just found out today that I have a 4mm stone in my RT ureter which I’m hoping don’t go back into my kidney. I have an appt/surgery to go in and get it with a scope/basket on tues, I do not know if I have to keep the stent in or not as I have many more stones in my kidney. But I have had post-op pain since last thurs, a lot of blood and pain which can be expected the past weekend and around mon-tues my urine started clearing up, still a little pain and discomfort which can be expected to as I have something in my body that’s not supposed to be there. Early weds. morning I started feeling pain that wouldn’t go away so I knew this was not post-op pain this is full on kidney stone attack, the pain was all night-all day kind of pain, started seeing blood in the urine again which brings me to the operating table next tues. so we will see what the next chapter brings me. P.S. I agree with a stent placement if it is needed to be placed
Hello, I had my first kidney stone attack in December of 2009 At first I did not know what the problem was as it was my first kidney stone attack. I thought I was going to die and the doctor was sending me out for surgery for an appendix problem because the morphine was not helping at all. Until another doctor stepped in and susgested toradol and the both helped my pain, so I got sent home and got told plenty of fluids and you’ll pass them. Well never passed anything and had no problems until February of 2012. I had pain on my right flank down to my testicles, had a kub x-ray done and had stones in both kidneys and right ureter. I got an appt. for a lithotripsy for sept.2012 and between that feb. 2012, it took until aug.2012 to pass the one stone in my ureter. Had the lithotripsy done in sept.2012 and passes stones til dec. I thought it was done and over for me then i had an attack in may of this year. So here I am with another lithotripsy under my belt ( twice in 7 months) and a ct scan showing I got stones in both kidneys, blood in my urine and a right ureter stent, it’s painful and it still hurts, here I am a 32 year old male Wildland firefighter being told I might not get to go out this fire season.
My urologist referred to me as a “first-time stoner”, and I appreciate his sense of humor. I had a 7mm stone lasered away on 4/29, and a stent placed. Really no problem except for an occasional “twinge”. Stent was removed yesterday; not fun but easier than I anticipated.
I, too, have vowed to increase my water intake and do anything else I can to prevent this from happening again. The urologist said he never wants to see me again and told him the feeling was mutual.
hi,
just over a year ago i started with a dull ache around the left side of my torso, after a few hours this became alot worse and I was rushed to A + E to have tests done. After a CT scan they found my left kidney and ureter had swelled up so they presumed there was some kind of blockage and I was in need of an operation. After spending the week in hospital waiting for the operation and several more CT scans and blood tests, I was told I no longer needed to be operated on and could return home. The doctor said that the pain was probably caused by stones and i have passed them. But im sure I would know if I did pas any stones! After this I had a mild pain in my side and around my back that i wthought would just go away but it didnt. 6 months later i went to see a urologist who sent my for more CT scans, ultrasound and eventually i had a ureterscope. The doctor found a narrowing of my ureter and has said that I need to come back in and have a stent put in for 8 weeks. I am still waiting to hear back from the hospital with a date to come in.
I am not convinced that anyone really knows what the problem is as its been going on for over 12 months now and I get told a different thing everytime i go and see someone.
I am very fit and healthy, go to the gym 5 times a week, have a good diet, no problems urinating and have no other health problems but I have had enough of this constant pain! The pain is mainly around the middle of my back on the left side of my spine, just below my shoulder blade, but sometimes it spreads futher down my left side.
Has anyone experienced any of these symptoms or know what the problem could be?
Any info would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Andy
Sorry for the essay!!
YES. I am currently admitted in the hospital because of the same thing. They put a stent in at 3am this morning because the narrowing of my ureter caused such an infection I was rushed to surgery. I’ve been told for the last 13 years I’m passing stones but they are “invisible” stones. When who actually knows if it was that or the narrowing that has caused my issues for so many years. The stent has been in for 15 hours so far and my pain is being managed but I can still feel the pressure and major discomfort when I urinate that I wonder if both sides needed to be done. I say this because on a previous renogram it showed both sides were narrowed, which makes me wonder why they didn’t do both sides. So there’s my like issue, I wish u luck with yours. I will let u know if the stent helped with the narrowing. In a week I’m suppose to get it out and see if the narrowing constricts or stays open. If it constricts then I have to have urterer surgery.
Andy,
This sounds very much like my situation. For me it turned out that a CT scan revealed that I had a blood vessel pressing on my ureter. It would cause my kidney to back up and swell to more than 3x the size of my other kidney. The pain would last for a few days and then subside for up to a month. The doc did a pyeplasty and moved the ureter over away from the blood vessel. The surgery was about a week ago, and the kidney pain seems gone. The stent is a bugger, but it should come out soon. Best wishes to ya.
Andy, surprisingly you may not realize you are passing stones. As a male with stones you probably have experienced a mid stream deflection of your stream with no explanation. That would probably be a small stone being passed. I had noticed this on occasion but didn’t attribute to kidney stones until I caught mine!
I had a stent placed 2 weeks ago because I have an abdominal mass obstructing my ureter. The mass has probably been there about two years and is attached to my bladder and uterus. That is how long I was having intermittent flank pain from the hydronephrosis (fluid backing up into my kidney). I am 33 years old and was in nursing school so I had no time to think about a little flank pain. Three surgeons and a robot will be removing the mass in a couple weeks and they will leave the stent in for a total of 6 weeks. I had similar symptoms at first but now I have little to no pain. I can work and I don’t have to take the meds anymore for the bladder spasms.The only thing that really bothers me is jumping or running. I can feel the stent in there causing irritation and then my bladder starts to spasm.
Thank you for sharing your experiences. I can’t wait til this nightmare is over.
I just got released from hospital after 5 days in ICU from stuck kidney stone that progress to septic shock. I have a stent installed that is scheduled to be removed next week.
As the others above, I have the burning sensation & frequent urination.
I also feel dog-tired and constantly nauseous. I think the fatigue is recovering from the septic shock, but I think the constant “car sick” feeling is from the stent.
I read that patients with stents are aware of them all the time. I can feel that tugging Bonnie writes about that only goes away in certain positions and complete stillness, and I think the pulling is what is making me queasy. It’s putting me off any food.
I don’t want to take any meds against nausea as my poor body has been through enough. But would love to hear if anyone else experienced the nausea and how they handled it.
I live in Canada, (male, 39 years old) where it’s a bit cold in the winter, so we all gain a bit of weight at this time. 9 weeks ago I decided to start blending vegetables and fruits and drinking them to combat weight gain. Presto! Within two weeks I had lost 14 pounds and was going strong…..but the last few nights I had woken up extremely thirsty which is odd because I do drink quite a bit of water.
I woke up with a strange tingling in my bladder which I attributed to my diet, and went to work. After a few hours and researching online the pain started in my right flank.
I rushed myself to the hospital (20 minute drive) and by this time the pain was very strong! I was admitted almost immediately and of course, they had located a 6 mm kidney stone that was passing into my ureter. I have to tell you that at one point I pondered how long it would be until I would pass out from the pain (which I did not do) Morphine took the pain from a 9 to a 5 and the stone went into my bladder with a good chance that I would pee it out.
That night I was fine. After 4 weeks, the stone had not passed my bladder so I went in for surgery. They were going to laser it which I was fairly happy about. I awoke and was told to call the doctor the next day as he had placed a stent from my kidney to my bladder through the ureter, so I didn’t know how the surgery went (I was put under). I did some work that night and the pain started. Holy smokes. Incredible pain that got worse. I was urinating dark red blood and clots. The Percocets weren’t doing anything! I was drinking up to 17 glasses of water a day and urinating up to 30 times and every time was excruciating. I called the doctor the next day and he told me that they couldn’t laser the stone because there was scarring and they need to fix it and when they did, the stone went right back up deep into my kidney!!! The pain was in my kidney, ureter and bladder. I doubled my pain meds which did make it somewhat tolerable. But the blood continued. I saw my urologist after 5 days and he told me that things should start to get better but if they didn’t, he would remove the stent in a few days. Somehow, the pain just stopped the next day. No more blood. But after a few days the pain came back a bit whenever I peed. That’s where I am right now. The stone is still in my kidney. It’s still 6mm. The stent comes out in 3 days and I’m quite nervous about it…
Oh what I forgot to mention was the cause of my stone – TOO MUCH KALE, AND BERRIES!!! What? That’s right. Too much oxalate can create stones. I was drinking a mix of kale, broccoli, spinach, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries chia seeds, avocado, parsley amongst other things. 2 full glasses a day, sometimes 3.
My lesson? Everything in moderation….and drink even more water!
Have you researched using potassium citrate crystals food grade dissolving in water to help pass stone? It dissolves the stones measure with a teaspoon, you can get it on amazon! Also I have had 6 stents all of which stones & stone granules passed after stent was removed!
I am a police officer and have felt alot of pain in my career, but nothing compares to a kidney stone. Had my first kidney stone 3 years ago at the young age of 34. Went to the er the first time and they sent me home after pushing fluids. Went back two days later for increased pain and agian they pushed fliuds on the chance that i would pass it..two days later I fell to the ground in so much pain. I just could not take it. Got to the er and finally the resident admitted me and had surgery 3 hrs later. Turns out this stone had a very sharp point and shredded my kidney causing infection from puss and blood. .I became septic and spent the next 7 days in the hosptial doped up on morphine. first stint was to small so another one was placed in and after 5 days in the hospital i started feeling better. the stint stayed in for 4 weeks and I must say I did not even know it was in. I returned to work two days after getting out of the hospital. Even with wearing all my gear I had no signs of pain or disomfort….4 weeks later and the stint came out and I was good has new…changed my diet for about the next year and then slipped back into my old bad habits with working thirds…
Now lets fast forward to 3 years later and again that same feeling I had with the last one I new what was going to happen only this time when I went to the er when they tried to send me home I refused and told them to call my urologist…thanks god he is top notch. I was admmitted immediately and had surgery the next morning. This time tho it was a 4mm and got stuck in my ureter so it was a good thing they admitted me…the doc tried to take it out but as unable too, so he had to use the lazer. The stint was placed and it is a totallly different experience….its been in 2 weeks and is coming out on tues…I havent stopped peeing blood and I have a burning sensation almost all the time , but is worse when i am active. Try not to do too much at work, but its difficult because of my occupation. The last stint I only peed blood for 2 days, but this time it has not stopped along with the discharge of clots. Also it feels like something is poking me in my bladder….the pain is not too bad but is uncomfortable. Can’t wait till this comes out….
Not all stents are terrible! I feel like I need to take a few moments to share a positive experience. I was beyond freaked out when I read these forums prior to having my stent put in yesterday afternoon. I had a urteroscopy and a stent inserted for a 1cm stone blocking my right ureter. Since I have been out of the hospital I have had only MINOR discomfort. I had a stent 2.5 years ago that was much worse than this one. The first one was a real pain, but my doc told me it all depends on the placement and one’s pain tolerance. Trust me, this stent is not bad at all!!! I am actually so pleased with how I am feeling overall. I am aware that it is there but the pain is minimal. All that really bothers me is the feeling like I have to urinate more than usual, but when I do I feel better and there is barely any pain when going. So to all of those who may need a ureteral stent, please keep in mind that every experience is different and they are definitely not all horrible! Good luck!
Thank goodness, I have to have one put in tomorrow and I am terrified of the pain that it will be causing. I don’t have stones, but a mass causing a blockage on the ureter. All of this sounds worse than the back and side pain I am in now. Thanks for sharing a positive one. I guess it’s like childbirth, everyone’s is a bit different of an experience.
Scared out of my mind anyway.
I have had a stent in for a few weeks, following the removal of a kidney stone. I have to say I was TERRIFIED of having this stent, as all of my internet “research” said it was going to be miserable and painful. I literally couldn’t find ONE article that said it wasn’t bad. I had a few days of pain (which was managed by pain medication like folks in these articles have said) and that other than those few days, I am barely aware that it is in there. I have been taking it easy, because I find that if I am doing too much running around with errands etc. or moving around cleaning too much, I start to feel a bit sore on that side. I know every stent is different and every person is different, but for those out there like me, who just wanted to hear form ONE person it wasn’t so bad, I wanted to say it’s not so bad. I’d rather not have it at all, but considering it was necessary, it could have been worse. Good luck!
I, too, have had kidney stones and a stent and they’re certainly no fun but I guess I don’t understand those that say they’ll never allow a stent placement again. If you need a stent in the first place it means a stone is too big to pass on its own. Thus, without a stent you run the risk of inability to clear urine, hence severe kidney/bladder infection/damage, possible loss of kidney function and loss of kidney, possible sepsis and possible death ! I can understand not WANTING a stent but, as they say about aging, ‘it beats the alternative.’
Having a stent in is definitely a better alternative to death by sepsis. That being said there is a very long list of terrible things I would rather endure than another stent. Its a different experience for everyone and for every stent but what I have learned is that its important to be prepared for the worst, I try not to anticipate it but I atleast want to be ready for it. Before my my first stent I was under the impression that the worst case scenario would be some mild “discomfort” like Bonnie says in the article. So I only arranged to clear my schedule for a day or two after my surgery, which is when the surgeon said I would be alright return. By the time I realized that it was going to be far worse than planned it was time for me to go back to work and school. I don’t believe the pain would have been so bad had I been able to take more time off and rest. My biggest issue with having a stent wasn’t the pain cause it still hurt less than the kidney infection it was helping to remove. What bothered me is that I wasn’t given the full truth by my urologist before the procedure. I ended up thinking there was something terribly wrong with me and having to work to and exacerbate my pain when if i had been warned beforehand i would have taken it easy and probably would have been in less pain for a shorter amount of time.
Last July I was diagnosed with kidney stones that were too large to pass and had a procedure done where they used a laser to break up the stones and then placed a stent from my kidney through my ureter. I had the stent in for a lil over a month and it was the worst experience ever. Not only was I in constant pain but I urinated blood for that whole month. The only relief I got was the day they removed.
I just had a stent placed this morning. Long story short, in 2009 I was diagnosed with a birth defect where my right jester was hardly opennear the kidney. I developed tons of stones. In 4 years I have been put out 14 times. FIrst time to fix jester and every other time to remove stones I make all the time. My story could last pages, but I will just dive quick into the agents. After my first surgery a stent was placed for 2 months. They took it out at the office and that did not feel good! I was completly awake and aware. I loaded up on Percocet before getting it removed 🙂 During those 2 months I would bleed sometimes if I was to active. I never really had any pain, just “uncomfortable” I did have a problem having a Bowel movment though. It felt like the stent was pushing on something?? Anyhow…..overall the stent was not to bad. Now today it SUCKS!! I had a stone stuck in my jester so they removed it with the lazor and placed a stent I have to keep in for a week. With this stent it is bad!! You about cry every time you go to the bathroom. It does seem to be not as hiring stabbing etc now (it is midnight now/had surgery at 8:00am). I have a string hanging out of my penis. Needless to say any person (man or woman) can probably imagine this is not a fun nor pleasant feeling. Every time I have to pee, the urine follows the string. I have had to use a few lysol wipes here and there as you never know where it may go 🙂 Pain pills help. Hard to sleep. I am excited to get this stent out in a week. Just hope I can build enough courage to do it (String is left cuz I pull it out). I think anyone reading about Kidney stents needs to know (this form is proof) that they suck!! They will help your kidney in the future but the feeling of peeing glass that first day is not a positivie memory you want to hold on to. Best of luck to everyone! Perhaps there should be a new Facebook page “surviving the murmur stent”
Hi, I will soon be having my third stent, I have had stones on and off for a number of years now,I have also had bowel cancer at the age of 36, I am now 53.
As for the stent, I do not find it a rewarding experience. After having it replaced all seems well for a few weeks,its after then I get the problems. Pains in my back and abdomen at the same time, frequent and painful urination. I would rather not have it but am told it could be worse if I do not. I have to keep taking pain killers and always feel tired and worn out after a bout of it.