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
I am 22 and have 2 stones, one 15mm one 11mm. I has the stent put in and am experiencing visable swelling of my low back, wrapping around the path of the ureter and in my bladder, sever pain (no pain killers or new positions are working) and a fair amount of blood. I have a fever of 100.7. I am not sure what to do as t is christmas eve and I dont know i my doctor is in. Also a nurse from recovery told me to get a new doctor because even with the vomiting and pain he wants it to stay 3 weeks and I don’t think I can do it. Any advice?
Hi….im sup to go n hve a stent put in today i hve a stone in my left kidney…but im so scared n aftr readin all d comments im not goin to do it…i will wait to hve d stone surgically removed
I had a stent put in today during lithotripsy an it isn’t that bad the stone pain was worse at times an now I don’t have to worry about my kidney failing the lithotripsy failed to break up the stone as well as Doctor hoped so going back in 2 weeks the worst part of stent is the feeling of having to pee all the time
After having my second bout of laser lithotripsy, and having both kidneys with a stent I can say my left side is far worse. I didn’t even know I had the one on the right. But the left side feels like a bamboo stick jabbing me in the side and bladder. Can’t wait to get this thing out of me!
I have had kidney stones since I was 19. I normally pass them and have great pain relief. Over the last few months, I have had irregular lab results. After fighting with insurance, they finally did a CT. The CT revealed an 18mm stone in my right ureter. My urologist couldn’t understand how I was at that time not in awful pain. She went in and broke up the stone and placed a stent. I was told it would feel like a uti. This feels to me like a stick about to poke through and drop out. It is so awkward. The spasm medication works well for me but then I am stuck at the house all day. I wish all of you well and will inform anyone else I hear of needing theses stents of the reality!
Hi,I had an 8mm stone removed last week I’ve had a stent I’m for one week and I’m getting it removed tomorrow,what should I be expecting? Is the pain going to come back after the stent it removed?
I am so glad I found this site. I’m going on my 10th surgery in a year and half on my kidneys. I have nephrocalcinosis.they are getting ready to scrape my kidneys for the 3rd time trying to prevent the blockages I have about every 2 months. Been having stones and lithos for 22 yrs.but this time I’m experiencing some very different symptoms, which matched ovarian cancer symptoms, but after reading your posts I see it is probably the stent. Have always had stent pain and a little nausea, but this time it’s nausea 24/7, abdominal and stomach pains, extreme fatigue, lost 17 lbs the 3 weeks this stent has been in. I’m dizzy, no balance, mind is foggy and I’m just useless. Never had these symptoms either at all or for so long ever before. Was getting really scared it’s something else also. Then after a week of the stent I got extremely ill and went to ER and found it then had a yeast infection in my kidneys so the antibiotics wouldn’t work. Guess stents and IVs can cause this. But I can go to sleep after reading your posts sharing your symptoms. May you all have speedy recoveries.
I got my kidney stone removed and stent placement on the 3rd Nov and I am so fed up with the constant pain from the stent. I can’t sleep, go out as every step I take I feel an electric shock going through me ( I think they call it a bladder spasm) pain medication doesn’t work. I can’t wait till I get it out. I need sleep lol. I have been using buscopan it helps a bit then it wears off. I have suffered from several stones in the past and never had a stent put in. This is the worst week ever. It’s made me look into what I can do to try and prevent future stones from forming the biggie being drink water water and more water lay off the sweet stuff (sugar ) and caffeinated fizzy drinks (cola)and whatever else I have to do. I cannot go through stent pain ever again (fingers and toes crossed). I had a pcnl op and that was a walk in the park compared to this. Hope you all feel better soon. Xx
I am on my second stent. I was extremely lucky and had zero pain with the first. This time I have had pain off and on (I really have a high pain tolerance), but after about a week I have had this agonizing nausea pretty close to all day, every day. Has anyone else has this? I had morning sickness with all three of my kids and it feels exactly the same. It’s horrible. No meds are helping with the nausea either. Doctor doesn’t seem real concerned. But is this normal?
Nause is minor on me, haven’t needed any meds yet. From some reading at this thread, nause and vomiting are pretty common symptom. My best guess, it is probably caused by local reaction to non organic material in the body (stent). Our body have a natural mechanism to reject any foreign material (stent) in some ways including a spastic reaction that affect nearby organ(s). I would think that meds with more effect in relaxing the gastric motion might help. Try finding doctor that listen more to it.
In other cases, nause and vomiting accompanied by headache can be trigerred by high ureum blood level thad resulting from deteriorating kidney function. But it is ruled out if you have normal values in kidney function lab exam. That is what I can think as a nurse and also a “stent user”.
Get better soon, Jess.
Yes! Nausea is everyday all day long.
Oct 30th Lithotripsy for a 13mm stone and stent placed on right side.
I can’t describe where the pain is the worst as it seems to cause issues with everything. My bladder feels very sensitive when urinating, my back just feels a dull ache uncomfortable, abdomen is sore and bloated, my stomach has nausea and I am sensitive to all smells. I am exhausted and worn out from very little effort. Because of this I can’t concentrate very well on anything important. My mind is jelly. I feel weak. Worn out physically mentally. I give up. It’s only been 4 days! Can’t wait to get it removed. I take Tylenol 3x per day. Working is impossible but I have alternated work days with rest days. Still after 8 hours my body is shaking from the stress of the stent. Thanks for letting me vent.
I had lithotripsy last Tues Nov 10th I’m in a lot of abdominal pain and nausea all weekend. I see my urologist who inserted the second stent removed the first one placed in on Sun Sept 20 to relieve an excruciating painful kidney infection and stone 10mm, this Wednesday November 18 at 3:45 pm!
The first stent was not as painful and nauseating as this second one! I too have been drinking massive amounts of water and being on the toilet all day long! I hope that this stent hasn’t put any tears or holes on my ureter (the valve leading from the kidney and bladder) to remove the infection and allow the urine to flow around the stone and fragments!
This has been the worst pain I have ever experienced in my entire 57 years! The root canal I suffered from in Second Grade was the worst pain I first experienced! I think kidney stones are worse! Having three vaginal births with first one very painful and umbilical cord complications to my first baby, was a piece of cake compared to kidney and kidney stones and stent surgeries!
I will drink 10 gallons of water a day to never ever have to experience this misery again in my lifetime!
I am myself a nurse for almost 30 years. Had experienced renal colic about 7 times, mostly at right ureter. Underwent a ureteroscopy once in 2011 on the right side for stone removal. It was only 0.3 in size. So, the urologist decided no stent need to insert. two weeks ago I was admitted through ER for having another colic. USG indicated that there is mild hidronephrosis caused by right-distal-ureteral obstruction. Through ureteroscopy the urologist found a narrowing and insert a Double J Stent. I started to have all great discomfort on day 6 up to the moment. All are just similar to what’s been shared here. Painkiller at any kind won’t help much and makes me feel drowsy.
Learning from these written story, I have more positive attitude toward the situation. No more paranoid thought about having complication(s). I wonder, many-year experience showed me most of my patients with stent under my care just said “I have discomfort but it mostly tolerable”. I should say they were apparently holding up much stronger than me. Now. I am living with more acceptance to those discomfort and waiting for 20 more day to pass and have it removed.
Apparently kidney stones don’t relate to just older adults, I am sixteen and have been sick since August. With previous assumption that it was just an uti that a couple antibiotics would solve my problem well this last Sunday I woke to agonizing pain in my side and nausea with vomiting. I was sent to the e.r where they had me on morphine and some anti nausea meds which didn’t stop me from throwing up. I did end up in surgery yesterday and had the stone removed and a stent placed. Let me tell you if I didn’t know where my kidney was before I do now! Never felt so uncomfortable it honestly feels like a never ending tampon that causes pain and pressure. It sucks not knowing when I have to pee or its the stent giving me hell. All and all cannot wait till I get it out .
Wow..everyone has my sympathy!.. Had my stent removed today..had a failed at Dr.office5 days ago….I have PTSD and may…military sexuall trauma.. So I bailed on him in his office the first attempt at removal….so we did it in the operating room at hospital with a twilight …wonderful Dr.. It worked it out without to much fear…..besides war worst 5 weeks of my life !….god bless you all…
I have always had a high tolerance for pain, I’m one of those who waits until the migraine is making your head explode to take a pain killer. I found out I had two large kidney stones on my right side, by then I was 6 weeks pregnant, come to find out, everytime I felt significant pain, that was the stone blocking the flow of urine, so like many of u I got a double j stent inserted at 14 weeks, lots of pain and discomfort after but a week later I was at work being a mail carrier, walking, moving, pushing, lifting…I was miserable, I had moderate work restrictions or else I would be told to stay home and our family needs the money, 2 weeks later I had clots coming out of the urinary trac and when I went for ultrasound to check the stent was ok, I was told no heartbeat was heard for my baby, went through a D &C a week later, symptoms of stent still bother me but now I’m worried because last ultrasound showed my 2 stones combined to make it one stone that’s 21 cm…I have read people who complain about 2cm or 3 and I’m feeling like a superhero after all this struggle. Doctor will be doing a laser lithotripsy with Holmium laser on my right kidney stone, taking my old stent that has been in there now for almost 6 weeks…she’s putting another for a shorter time to allow all pieces of broken stone to come out. I was told my stone is very dense and causing a lot of scraping against agent which explains a lot of bloody urine while working and I do notice that the more water, the less pain but I have to drink about 2 gallons, not exaggerating!! Just to get relief….wow this has been some road trip…my father is currently a home dyalisis patient 3 times a week for 8 hrs a day, strict diet, who produced stones all his life but never got them treated and he impaired both of his kidneys by the age of 52. I learned through his experience and if I have to drink water and have a strict diet, so be it… Without health we have nothing! As for a baby in the future… I will try 3-4 months from now when it’s all clear with this nightmare…
How terribly painful your journey has been! I’m praying you have a healthy easy pregnancy and precious baby soon!
hi guys. i had my second stent placed about a month ago and i have been experiencing the worst pain ever. i feel the stent all day everday. whenever i go to the bathroom i have to hit against the walls to take my mind slightly off the pain. it feels like the stent wants to push through my bladder whenever i empty my bladder. i take pain killers but all is does is make me sleepy during the day(at work). at night i lay awake for hours as i cannot find a comfortable position to sleep. my life at the moment is hell, all i know is pain. i cant even play with my kids. i am seriously thinking about having the stent removed, the only problem is i will be having tons of infections. i have a large kidney stone which they have to remove. here in south africa you are just a number if you using the public health system. my operation has been cancelled 3 times bacause of broken machinery, thats over a period of more then a year. decided to get medical aid, will be able to use it from November 2015 as i had a year waiting period due to my stone. hopefully i will have the operation next year january in a private hospital. for now im torn, to have the stent removed or not??? please advise
Tanya, I certainly can’t advise you on keeping the stent or not. I am not a doctor. But I have had a stent in place since September, 2015 and have also experienced the pain you describe. My urologist said it was due to bladder spasms and prescribed TROSPIUM which is an anti spasmodic drug. It helps a lot but not completely. I also found elevating my legs helps a lot (I have an electric bed which helps a lot) but of course at work it is out of the question. I hope you finally can receive the treatment you need.
Ive had a stent in now 11 days since removal of a kidney stone and it has been a nightmare….so sore, so painful. a need to pee constantly then the most intense pain, like l just don’t know what to do with myself…l hold my breath, l even sing ‘let it go, let it go’ to try and get through the burning sensation….and then a tiny trickle.
sleeping has also been non existent as l cannot get comfy and the intense pain feels like my belly is going to explode, strong painkillers dull the pain which allows me to fall asleep then after 2 hours need to pee and it starts all over again…
worst of all the urology dept haven’t a clue…”yeah l’ve heard they’re painful, l feel for you”…one nurse told me…..
i truly hope never ever ever to have this again and send big hugs to all out there suffering. xxx
lynne
How terribly painful your journey has been! I’m praying you have a healthy easy pregnancy and precious baby soon!
I ditto this comment! The comment above was supposed to be on another post! Sorry!
Iam in severe pain because of a stent in my left kidney, a stone was removed last week and ive slept very little since then i pee and burn and hurt all day iam in the care of st josephs health care in hamilton ontario canada the worst hospital on earth garbe doctores louzy nurses no care no support and i wish i was dead the pain is that bad now the hospital wants to remove the stent on thursday with no sedation and me wide awake dont ever go this hospital the cream of the crap!
I have had three stents now and each time is not fun. If any doctor tells you that you will probably feel discomfort is lying. True there may be times where it’s fine for some but I think the majority feel more than “slight pressure” It is extremely uncomfortable to me and forces me to stay in the house and go to the bathroom ten times a day because it feels like I’m going to pee my pants.
Now, I don’t know about you all, but for me the removal is a very stressfull event for me. They keep putting the “lidocane” lube in there to make it not feel bad but, for me, I can feel that tube go into my bladder with great discomfort. I don’t know what to do because there is no way around it. I currently have a large stone in my kidney and am putting off the lithotripsy just because of the stent and removal thereof.
Gerald I sure feel your pain…. but don’t hold it off. I have suffered with multiple kidney stones, painful stents and procedures on both kidneys since I was 16, I am now 47. The last stone I had was in my kidney as well. It was large and trying to get out, but too big to come through. I put off having it taken care of because I felt the same way you did. I held it off for 6 months. Then my husband was diagnosed with cancer and the outcome was not going to be good. So, I held it off for another full year because I felt I had no time to take care of it. I would just deal with the pain, blood and occassional er trip. I finally had the lithotripsy done because I just couldnt take it anymore. Of course…you know it…. a stent was placed for 3 weeks. It was more painful than any of the other stents I have had before, with the pain lasting for a longer duration than the others. Within 2 months of completing the lithotripsy I was feeling pain again. This time it was not a stone. I ended up with damage in my ureter at the renal pelvic juncture. I had to have ureter pyeloplasty in June to try and fix the damage, as it causes swelling in your kidney and urine back up…just like a stone. With that surgery another stent was placed….this time the stent pain was so severe, and hands down the worse stent I have EVER had. I could only walk around for 10 min at a time for MOST of the six weeks it was in , along with quite a bit of blood the whole time…. it was TERRIBLE. I was praying all would be well after the surgery and the stent nightmare, BUT here I sit 3 months after the surgery that was supposed to correct the issue and it is not fixed. Kidney is swelling and ureter has narrowed again in the same area. Stent was placed today. Docs are talking about another surgery but going up with a laser now instead of the through abdomen again like before. They are also suggesting that even after trying to fix it again, It may not work. The kidney may have been damaged too much from prior stones, but in particular, prolonging treatment of my last stone. Believe me, I really hate the stents. They are the worst part of the procedures, but I can tell you that you don’t want to prolong it. If you damage your kidney and ureter you will end up with MORE problems and then MORE stents. I definitely sympathize with you. Sending good wishes your way and hoping everything goes better for you?
Currently 6 months pregnant, and I’ve just come home today with my first stent./
Although uncomfortable and I still feel intense pain when peeing.. This pain is so much more manageable than what I was feeling yesterday. I honestly thought I was dying. Hoping for the best.i have to have my stents replaced every 3-4 weeks until I have my son.
That is exactly what I am going through. In the end of August I was sent to the Er for 4 days. I was running a fever of 103.8 and at first we didn’t know what was going on. Found out my son was laying on my right kidney blocking fluid. As I’m really tiny so he doesn’t have much room for hisself. I got a stent placed in August 30th, and got my 2nd one replaced on September 28th. My 3rd one will be on October 26th. And I go all the way until my son is due on December 23rd. It’s very painful for me everyday as it makes me miss a week of my college classes. I never got to enjoy my pregnancy because of the pain. I’m so excited for my son to get here and for this stent to get out.
Ok I just had my stent removed today after an agonizing 3 weeks. I too am pregnant first found out I had a stone at 8 weeks tolerated it until 12 wks when all the sudden I was doubled over in pain and vomiting from it. Went to the er and they placed the stent the next day… while on pain meds and just laying in the hospital bed I had erythromycin little pain so they sent me home… well I have 6 other kids and I can’t just lay around every time I would bend over, walk more than 5 min go up and down stairs it stabbed me and urination was dreaded… I begged em to follow up sooner and at that appointment asked for them to take it out cause I can’t live like that. Not to mention the pain medication I was having to take was stressing me out cause of the baby. At first they wanted to leave it in the rest of the pregnancy but that isn’t an option. And for about 12 hrs after they took it out I passed several large clots. And the pain was just dull now it is starting to get worse again. Please oh please I would love if anyone had to have another stent placed is there any better ones or are they all horrible. Cause he said the only other option is a nephrostomy tube.
Thanks… good luck everyone!
I’m so ready to have my stent removed tomorrow. I cry everytime I have to use the washroom. I’m Currently 6 months pregnant and the baby is constantly pushing on my bladder making it worse I assume. I had a 6+mm kidney stone 2 weeks ago and after a week in hospital on morphine they finally agreed to remove the stone. After the removal they put the stent in and I hate it. The string pulls constantly and causes more irritation and it’s now 0730 (been up since 0600) and I’ve peed 10 times. Yes 10 times and it burns every time. I don’t know how people work and function with a stent in. I’m on sick leave due to my pregnancy and have the ability to sit and not move all day. Props to all of you that can put in a full work day. Fingers crossed the pain is relieved tomorrow. I don’t care how much it hurts to remove!
Sara, I hope you feel better. and trust me it is so hard to walk all day at work. I feel like I am peeing all the time and it sucks. I have had mine for a month and I cant wait until they take them out. I wish I could sit all day it is much easier when sitting than walking. I do housekeeping and on my feet all day.
Hi sara hope ur feeling better!
How did they remove the stone when ur pregnant?!
Becuase im also six months pregnant and have a 7mm stone in my right kidney but i have been told they cant remove it until i give birth in jan. They doc suggested puttin a stent, but im too scared from all the feedbacks im reading
I HATE the stents. they are very uncomfortable and I feel like I am peeing all the time. I had them for 3 weeks now and I have another 2 weeks to go and sometimes I feel like crying cause I really don’t want them. I am on my feet all day at work and it is so bad. it might not be bad if I didn’t have to walk all day, but I have to work. it really sucks.
I am experiencing my second bout with kidney stones too large to pass. A few years ago my first stent experience after laser break-up of the stone was uncomfortable, but the greater horror was sudden onset of complete incontinence after a few days. I had received no information about how the stent would feel or warning about the possibility of incontinence, nor did I get any sympathy or offer of medication when I called the urologist’s office in a panic, and I was MAD. Thankfully, removal of the stent resolved the problem immediately, but I lived in fear of a repeat for the next few years. The stent I have now was placed in the hospital after a stone push-back last week due to bad infection. I am scheduled for lithotripsy next week. This time I have received medication to control the bladder spasms, first oxybutynin and now flomax. The oxybutynin made my mouth so dry I could barely talk. I teach junior high school and cannot relax in a recliner, but I am doing most of my teaching while seated, which definitely cramps my style. Any time on my feet leads to increasing discomfort — pinching, cramping and burning, and urinary urge, not in the side or kidney, but definitely in the lower bladder, where the stent is not even supposed to be. The best way I can describe it is that it feels like a tampon that is misplaced with no possibility of adjustment, and most women understand that immediately. Seated or lying down I can be comfortable, but certainly negative effect on quality of life. Can’t wait to get it out!
I had a stent for 9 days post-op ureteroscopy to remove a 5 mm stone in my right distal ureter. Thankfully, I didn’t have kidney pain as a result of the stone, only the other urinary symptoms of a kidney stone – urgency, bladder irritation, burning, etc. By the time I had surgery, my symptoms were annoying but manageable. I didn’t experience real pain until a few hours after the surgery (after the pain meds from the surgery wore off). I have to say I felt worse post-stent and pre-stent. Most of the pain felt localized in the bladder and urethra, and I managed it with Vicodin and AZO. Thank God for AZO. The stent pain and discomfort greatly subsided by day 3, however, and by the time of my stent removal on day 9 I was doing totally fine. My body seemed to adjust to the stent, and I only felt some pressure in the bladder making me feel like I had to go to the bathroom, but the pressure wasn’t severe. By the way, the stent removal procedure was a piece of cake. It was fast and didn’t hurt. About 4 hours after the removal, I got painful kidney spasms and it burned when I went to the bathroom, but I felt much better after taking Vicodin, and by morning, I was totally fine and back to pre-stone normal.
Knowing that I’m not alone is just great. I have no family members that i could turn to for advice on how to deal the pain or whats normal and not. I had this stent since 31st may this year and they are going to remove it somewhere in september or october 31st. It isn’t easy for me as i am also 5 months pregnant now. The pressure from the baby makes everything much more worser. I have anxiety attack every now and then when it comes to going out. I just lock myself at home now cause i can’t handle the pain outside furthermore i have a 10 month old baby to look after too since my husband has been busy working for us. When they say they remove the stent, are they not going to insert anymore stents later on? Cause i can’t live with this 1 cm stone. And those with stent, can we give birth normally?
After reading about your situation, I feel like a whiner. My prayers are with you as you deal with this long-term situation. Wishing you all the best during the remainder of your pregnancy.
Being a chronic ain sufferer myself, I cann inform you very first hand thaat chronic
pain sufferers are greatly victimized. Being among countless Americans who struggle with chronic pain eveery day, I caan also also
affirm tthat chgronic pain goes grossly under-treated and
countless Americans suffer needlessly in pain everyday.
With today’s medication, and the resources that wwe are privileged
to have in this nation, not a bachelor ought to ever suffer out of overlook from chronic pain.
Due too nymerous scenarios, government regulations, and other elements, doctors as a whole in the meedical neighborhood are
doubtful and rather hesitant whe treating individuuals in chronic pain. Somme medicaal professionals flat out refuse to deal
with indivviduals with chronic pain, which is a shame. Some doctors will hardly trewat people in chronic paikn which is also
a shame. If your fortunate like I was, a chronic
discomfort patient who dicovered a thoughtful medical professional that believes in dealing
with chronic discomfort efficiently, properly and effectively on a drug therapy program.
Hi I have two stents because my tubes are closing due to past radiation so stents are needed lifetime. This has been going on for three years. Yes there is pain and you are tired but I push through it as I have no choice. I do lie down on and off during the day but still walk the park work for n the yard and volunteer at the Reagan library. It’s not the best situation it also is uncomfortable but I stay positive and know that this is lifetime for me. Dont put a limit on the amount of comfort you can bare.
Eileen-
I was wondering what sort of radiation you’re referring to. This is not for me, but for my wife. She’s 36 and had thyroid cancer years ago. She’s undergone radiation treatments in the past and is currently dealing with weak urination. We are trying to identify the cause of this and are looking at IC and other possible causes. She had a stent during pregnancy, but that was over 8 years ago. Wondering if complications from that could cause ureter constriction?
Since March I have had 4 OP surgeries for what started as a very small stone in my right ureter that was obstructing the ureter and causing right kidney to be swollen – all this according to CT done in ER. The stone was lazered the first time but continued to have pain after stent removed so KUB showed a stricture in ureter caused by scar tissue. OP surgery #3 resulted in displaced stent so it had to be reinserted. The 4th surgery done June 1 with 6 week post OP stent. I have about another week but not sure if I can stand it. This has been the most painful, debilitating experience. I have not been able to work since the 3rd surgery when an incision was made for stricture. I have had anxiety and palpitations that has probably been afib at times. Like others have commented, my urologist did not prepare me for these symptoms and has seemed so unconcerned about situation. I think the fact that it took 4 surgeries to correct made me feel the urologist was more about quantity rather than quality. Do others experience anxiety with stents and how do you manage it?
I understand your anxiety….the only way I could manage the stress was to deal head-on with the pain knowing it was only short term. I have had five stents placed within the last three years due to stones and a right UPJ obstruction. I went through laser and pyeloplasty procedures to ultimately having a robotic surgery to cut away the obstruction. The urologist re-attached the healthy tissue in the ureter. Unfortunately, that surgery has not hold so, I am heading down that road again to try to preserve my kidney function for as long as I can.
I am a nurse and have to be on my feet all day long. I could barely manage the day walking and pushing patients on stretchers. The spasms were awful and medications to minimize the spasms did not help. I am becoming anxious about repeating these procedures but I am more fearful of losing my kidney which my urologist told me will eventually happen. I just try to keep a positive attitude knowing there is nothing else that can be done.