We know that the prospect of needing to have a stent removed is a big source of anxiety for patients. While almost everyone can’t wait to have his or her stent out, not knowing what to expect during the removal procedure can be just as bad. To better prepare you for your procedure and perhaps relieve some of your concerns, we asked visitors to the website who have already gone through the process to share their experiences with you. The results of our stent removal survey follows. Thanks to everyone who replied and let us know what you think in the comments below.
How are people having their stents removed?
575 of you have responded to the survey over the last 3 months that it has been up. The most common method of stent removal was through the use of a flexible camera placed in the urethra (cystoscopy) in the doctor’s office, with almost half of respondents reporting this approach (45%). 17% instead had their stents removed using cystoscopy in the operating room. 12% removed their stents themselves by pulling on a stent string while the last remaining 26% had their stents removed by having their doctor’s office pull on the string. Our post on stent removal describes these techniques in more detail.
How much pain should I expect?
Out of a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the worst pain ever and 1 being no pain at all, the overall average amount of pain reported was 4.8 or a moderate amount of discomfort. However, it may surprise you to hear that the most common rating given was 1, or no pain at all, chosen by 18%. So while some patients do report a high amount of pain with their stent removal, many had no pain or only mild pain. If we look at pain by method of stent removal, average pain was relatively higher for those who had their stent removed by office cystoscopy (5.4 out of a scale of 1 to 10) followed by doctor’s office string removal (4.9), operating room cystoscopy (3.9), and self string removal which had the lowest reported amount of pain (3.8). However, these differences between method of removal are not dramatic given that the scale goes from 1 to 10.
Will I experience pain afterwards?
Most patients had no pain or only mild pain after their stent removal. Unfortunately, a third of patients (33%) did experience a severe attack of pain after their stent removal, including an unfortunate 9% who required a return trip to the emergency room for their pain. When comparing recurrent pain by method of stent removal, severe pain occurring after stent removal was more common in the self string removal group (43%) and less likely in the doctor’s office string removal group, office cystoscopy, and operating room cystoscopy groups (26%, 33%, and 33%, respectively). It’s not clear why those who pulled out their own stents were more likely to report a severe episode of pain afterwards. There is some evidence that taking a tablet of an NSAID medication (naproxen) before removing your stent can help reduce the chance of experiencing a severe episode of pain.
How did the experience compare to what you expected?
Overall, 35% felt the actual stent removal experience was not as bad or not nearly as bad as they expected. 27% reported that their experience was about what they expected. 15% felt it was a bit worse and 23% felt it was a much worse. Reporting the pain as much worse than expected occurred in 27% of those who underwent office cystoscopy, 24% of those who had their stents pulled out by the clinic, 20% of those who pulled out the stent themselves, and 15% of those who had a cystoscopy in the operating room.
If you had a choice, would you choose this option again?
Those who underwent operating room cystoscopy to remove their stents were most likely to choose the same technique again (65% replying probably or definitely would choose this method again) followed by self string removal (59%), doctor’s office string removal (55%), and office cystoscopy (50%).
While we asked respondents whether they would choose the same method for stent removal the next time, not all options for stent removal may always be available to you. For example, your doctor may choose not to use a string if he or she feels that your stent needs to remain in longer than a few days because the string can easily get snagged and the stent might accidentally be removed too early. Secondly, stent removal in the operating room is not always an option because: time in the operating room may not be available, the risk to you of undergoing anesthesia again may outweigh the benefit of having the procedure done in this fashion, the costs to you in terms of time and money involved in scheduling and preparing for an operating room procedure may not be worth it. We recommend that you talk to your doctor to go over the best option for stent removal in your particular case.
Priorities as a patient:
We asked respondents how much of a priority certain things were to them as a patient with a stent. Being informed why a stent was placed was the biggest priority for respondents (4.7 on an importance scale of 1-5). Being informed about what was actually involved in the stent removal procedure was also a high priority (4.5). Being able to have general anesthesia was a moderate priority (3.1) while being able to see a video/diagram of the process was a lower priority (2.9).
Okay, what’s the bottom line?
Most patients reported an average amount of discomfort with stent removal by any technique. Many patients actually reported no or minimal pain but about a third reported significant pain. Removal by office cystoscopy was associated with more pain on average and removing a stent yourself by pulling on the stent string was associated with less pain on average. A third of patients may experience a delayed attack of severe pain after their stent removal. Overall, about 62% reported that the experience was not as bad or about what they expected but 38% said it was a bit worse or much worse than they expected.
Editors note: Post updated on August 29th with additional survey results.
Having such urgency to pee with stent does that stop after it is removed need some good news had surgery to remove stone on Thursday under general anthesia stent placed peeing every five minutes ever since at home
After having a 6mm Kidney stone requiring ureteroscopy surgery, I got a urethral stent. The stent was uncomfortable because I felt like I had to be about every 10 minutes. I also had blood in my urine the entire time I had the stent.
I had the stent removed Tuesday 5/17 at the urologist’s office. After reading comments on this website and others, I was terrified to have the stent removed. It was uncomfortable and I wanted it out, but I was also very afraid of the pain discussed by some. A few websites discussed a study saying that Naproxen (Aleve) helps to relieve pain. In anticipation of extreme pain, I took 2 Aleve and one of my 5mg Norco pills.
Although the doc was running behind, the actual time I spent in the procedure room was quick. They put some numbing gel on the urethra (did not hurt), then the doc went in with his machine. I did not get to watch any type of screen like some others talked about; it was not offered. He filled my bladder with water so that he could see what he was doing. He asked if I was ready, then pulled it out. I was ready for extreme pain. It was not painful. I would compare it to removing a tampon that has been left in a bit too long. It took him only a few seconds to pull it out. He showed it to me, and that was that. I was embarrassed that I was so worried about such an easy procedure.
They set me up with a follow up appointment, and I went home. Now, on the way home I did start to feel some pain. The pain was not as bad as the kidney stone pain that sent me to the emergency room, but it was not comfortable. The pain continued to intensify and I took one of my stronger Norcos (10mg). The pain lasted for a few hours and eventually I feel asleep. I woke up feeling a bit nauseated, but no pain. I worked the next day. I felt fine. Today is day 2 post procedure. I feel great. It’s nice not to have the stent in and the kidney stone procedures done with.
If you are having the stent removed, and you are female. Don’t worry about it. The procedure does not hurt and the pain is over quickly. It’s worth it to get the stent out.
Dr. Nguyen thank you for this site.
It has been such a huge help to read all of the stories and learn from people who have experienced the same horrible pain that accompanies kidney stones and their treatment.
I just had 2 stents removed this morning in the doctors office. About 30 minutes prior, I took 2 tablets of oxbutinin aka ditropan 5mg each to help with the bladder spasms. I also took 5mg of Percoset and the antibiotic that the doctor prescribed after the stents were placed. The removal procedure was very quick and slightly painful. About 29 minutes after the removal I felt as if I were having labor pains! Ouch! It was difficult to walk. I’m glad that I had a driver to and from the doctors office. When I got home I took 800mg of ibuprofen. The other thing that I did was to place 2 stick on heat generating patches. The heat patches were by far the most effective method of pain relief both with the stents in and after they were removed. The heat patches provide the same comforting warmth that a heating pad does, without the cord and they last for up to 8 hours. Between the ibuprofen and the heat patches my pain is now a 2-3.
I hope that others will try this method and have the same amazing results; but please consult with your doctor before you try it. Heat patches are not recommended for elderly patients,pregnant women,children and anyone with circulatory or skin issues. Also, the little “rocks” that generate the heat are made of iron so you want to dispose of everything carefully and keep it far,far, away from pets and children.
All the best to my fellow kidneystoners!
Steph from VA
Per surgeon’s request, my stent remained inside me for 18 days. I had the stent removed in the doctor’s office with cystoscopy. It’s a procedure of a few seconds with a split second of insignificant pain. This was easy enough. If anyone opts to have this handled in hospital, it’s absolutely crazy!
Well this site has truly helped. I am a kidney stone producer I have been since I had a tumor removed from my left ureter and left kidney. During the surgery the doctor did something kind of stupid when he reconnected my ureter and kidney he put my ureter on the side of my kidney instead of the bottom where it’s supposed to be. So now my kidney on drains partially. The fluid that’s left collects and builds stones. Well last Monday I had a removal of 10 stones from my kidney and 1 11×8 stone that was stuck in my ureter. I had a stint placed in as well. If it wasn’t for this site I wouldn’t have had the guts to remove it myself. I just removed it less than 5 minutes ago. Slow and steady while taking small breaks. I was also in a very hot bath when I did it. But there was little to no pain at all and I want to thank you all for your inputs. Because what my grandfather had told me had me scared to death. He described it as pulling barb wire through a hot dog. Lol
But thanks once again.
M/24
I recently had my first battle with a 5mm kidney stone. The pain from the stone the first night was the most excruciating pain I’ve ever felt. After calling 911 and getting to the ER and finally getting some pain meds pumped into me through IV, the pain was tolerable. After 3 days in the hospital I was sent home with the hopes of passing the stone on my own. Well 3 weeks later the stone had not moved at all, and after bouts of discomfort and pain off and on i decided to schedule the procedure to remove the stone. The surgery went relatively smooth as I was knocked out throughout, waking up after it was done with mild pain that was controlled by pain meds. When my doctor informed me he installed a stent I figured that was protocol and would be able to tolerate it with the pain meds. Well, 4 hours after being released I was back in the ambulance heading to the ER. Once again after getting pain meds through an Iv I was sent home feeling ok. 2 days later back up to the ER I went, all pin caused by this damn stent, as my doctor assured me the stone was completely gone and the stent was causing my pain. I pleased w my doctor to remove the stent sooner than the week later he had scheduled, so luckily he took mercy on me and scheduled for the next day. I was extremely nervous about getting it removed as any male would be, considering U don’t get knocked out and how hey have to remove it. After a little burning from the numbing he slips the tube into my peeshadele and grabs hold of the stent all while im watching on a TV..he says this will feel weird when I pull it out, so I clenched my fists and said do it. It took 5 second to pull the stent out and I felt instant relief. A little bit of burning the first few times I peed was all I felt. It’s the next morning and I feel like a new man, no pain at all and no burning when i pee. This was first and hopefully last experience w a kidney stone. I hope this helps and good luck.
same as you but im still getting the urgency to urinate , and at the very end i get guite a bit of pain through the penis. had it removed over ten hrs ago and also slight burning at the end of urination. did you expierience this at all with first day
I just had my first stent removed a week ago that was easy , but I have had an upset stomach ever since
how long did the upset stomach last? My husband stent he removed on Sunday and the last two days he has had a stomach ache.
Have had multiple stones over the last 10 years . Probably more prone to getting stones as I suffer from Chrones Disease. My last stone was 8mm in size and gave me incredible pain, so I had surgery to blast the stone with a lazer and break up the stone in smaller pieces. Also had a 10 inch stent put in for 5 days, went and had a nice warm relaxing shower ,no pain meds,and slowly and firmly pulled the string and removed the stent. No pain , it actually was a piece of cake. Just took me longer to get the courage to go ahead and pull the stent out myself. Huge relief because having the stent in made me urinate very shortly after drinking any type of fluid,I might of well worn a diaper the whole time. Now that it’s out , I drank right away 3 glasses of water and an hour later had pain 8 out of 10. Took 2 pain meds ,helped a little but not long ,so instead of waiting another 6 hours to take more pain meds only waited 3 hrs and took 1 more pill and finally my pain is under control. I hope things get better from here on.
Just wondering if any one else had pain an hour after stent was removed and after drinking fluids again. I’m a 53 year old male.
just had my 10th stone in 10 yrs broken up a few weeks ago. I, too, removed my stent at home in the shower. No pain at all when I removed it. About 20 minutes laters I had pain as bad as a stone. Throwing up too much to keep pain meds in me. Kidney spasms and passing blood clots. They really should have mentioned the pain afterwards and I could have been prepared. I am a 53 yr old female and SICK of these stones.
I had my stent ( placed offer kidney stone removal) removed 3 weeks ago. It was pain free and very easy. My question is, is it normal to start having urethra spasms after the cysto? I never had them before and I’ve had a urine culture done that we completely clear except for blood. I can see blood clots in my urine but no visible ” free” blood. It doesn’t hurt when I start to urinate. Only at the end. I’ve never even had a uti so I’m. It sure what’s going on. Could the dr have damaged my urethra during the cysto? And what are the signs of structure or should I even be worried about that? Thanks!
I just had my ureter stent removal 30 mins before. I was so nervous bcoz of my experience of all horrible posts on this website. But believe me guys it so easy with a light pain you can easily tolerate if your surgeon is good like my. Thanks Dr. Rajesh Arora.
Thanks for sharing ur xperience.m goonna have my stent removal tmrw,was scared a lot.
but feeling good afer ur replies.
Hey Amir, How you feeling now? how many days we have to take rest after stent removal? how much you spent for UPJ surgery and DJ stent removal?
I just had my stent removed this morning after it had been in for six weeks after UPJ surgery. After reading some of the stories on here I was a bit nervous to get it out. However, the worst part was the numbing shot they gave me first. After it was slightly uncomfortable when they first inserted the scope, but I didn’t feel anything else, I didn’t feel it go up or come down at all. When my doctor said it was out I couldn’t believe it! It probably took 45 seconds total. It was much better than I had been anticipating, and I think consciously trying to relax helped the process as well. Overall, if you have a stent removal (obviously it’s not the same for everyone), I would not worry about it too much, especially because worrying about it won’t make it any better 🙂
I had my stent removed yesterday in Dr surgery using ureteroscopy, one week after it was put in. Having read some of the posts I was extremely anxious and was already thinking of the painful spasms that will come after the stent is removed. The procedure took a coupla minutes using local anaesthetic. I did experience some pain going in, like a needle shot, but it was manageable. Once the stent was grabbed, it came out with no pain. Afterwards, I was given a Voltarin injection and went home. First visit to the toilet felt some kidney pain and there was lots blood in urine. An hour later I did get pain in my flank (5/10) but was manageable without further painkillers. This lasted for 90 minutes and slowly disappeared. I am now in my second day stent free and without any recurring pain. My biggest advise to anyone unfortunate enough to have to do this is not to be overly apprehensive, chose your Doctor carefully and to relax totally during the stent removal. The more tense the more painful. Also drinking 1.5L of water daily really does help. I hope the above is of some comfort.
Just had my stent removed in the doctors office . I layer flat on my back on the exam table with my pants down below my knees and hands behind my head. He injected the numbing medicine inside my pee hole , which hurt for a couple of seconds. He let the numbing meds take affect for about a minute before he and the nurse went in to find and grab the stent . It took maybe a few minutes before the stent was entirely removed . I would say overall the pain level was about a 6. He than said ahead and clean up and use the bathroom if you need to. The burning sensation is rather severe with me , I don’t know how other people are after the removal? It does get better as time goes on but I still feel it an hour and a half later.
M/27 …Ok so this post is for someone that will be having to take out their own stent. Now first off I had 5×8 stone stuck between my kidney and bladder. The options weren’t very vast but me any urologist came laser lithoscopylithoscopy, or what ever you call it. Never had any pain from the stone before the surgury, but I had spool much had from my insides constricting. The survey was fine never felt any pain the whole time after. Now as far as this stent goes… Blah…I had that damn string hanging out for 3 says and I know that’s not much compared to some people. But it felt like a wire was constantly pulling at the insides of my ding dong. Could bearly move because I hated the feeling and thought of it so much. So taking it out…. I took flowmax, anti bladder spasmatics, that. little orange pill that changes the color of your pee, and took 2 perk 5 325’s. I took a got shower and got some towels and put them down.I got my phone and played a video. Took me about 30 min to convince myself I have to do this because I’m going on a cruise in 2 days. When i first started pulling I was shaking so much in fear because I thought I had the smallest most sensitive pee hole. Well good news folks. After about 5 times being too afraid, I finally started very very slow. And noticed if I took little breaks and just kept a germ tension on it, it started slowly but surly coming out. If you go slow and take your time you can manage the discomfort while avoiding spasms. The thing slides a lot easier than you would think. Just feels really weird and a little pinching. I never felt the stent in my kidneys or the tube that goes from there to your bladder. Just calm down and be as comfortable as possible. Your will get through this and you come out a stronger person.
Sorry phones auto correct is garbage. Sooo much gas* that’s the reason I went to the er because I couldnt pass gas and it was sop bad I was laying on the floor praying to fart lol.
I am having that exact problem right now! What did the ER do? I have exhausted most of the at home remedies I can find. I’m wondering if this is caused by the procedure or the narcotic pain meds…
Your comment post made me laugh as I lay in hospital checking out all the horror stories people tell I found a site that lists all the different ways a stent can be removed like doc office or DIY and the DIY was listed as having the least amount of people saying it was worse then they though and was actually not bad at all. Then I read your post and you explain so well your preparing for it and facing your fear etc and when I read it took you 30 min to start the process I laid here and laughed out loud for several minutes.
I’m not sure how old you are but my guess is young although a older man can learn the same thing. I’m talking about facing fear and doing what HAS TO be done. This is part of whst makes a man a man and you are right it makes a person stronger to face it even though it may be painful and then get it done anyway.
Thanks for the honesty
I’m glad you recognized the personal growth
I have to do the same in about 4 days but I learned the truth 25 years ago and every since in ways many will never have to
God Bless
I really appreciate your personal story. I had to laugh when you were praying to fart. The opioids (Oxycode, Hydrocodone, etc) will certainly constipate you. I found that if you drink 3 full glasses of prune juice, everything will break free in about 2 hours and give you a ton of relief. Constipation adds to the pain when Ureteral Stents are present.
I have to take out my stent tomorrow morning and I’m dreading it. After reading the stories here, I’m finding that those with strings to pull have the least pain. After reading your story, I think I know have the courage to do it. My wife wanted to tie it to the dog, then ring the door bell.
Had kidney stones blasted three times over seven years. After the first time a stent was left in me with no string, so they had to go find it. It was a teaching hospital so the doctor asked if two students could assist on finding the stent and I said yes. They first used a turkey baster to numb my penis while insert pee the probe. The doctor said I’d feel pressure when he went over my prostate, which is similar to a NFL lineman standing on your groin. He proceeded to get into my blatter and then had the students play find the stent. Well, they couldn’t find it and after 5-10 minutes, which seem like forever, he came over to help. It appears they never plugged the chord in all the way for the light.
Needless to say, henceforth I switched to another hospital, which uses the string method.
Had mine removed 10 minutes ago via scope and grabber. Going in was more uncomfortable than coming out. Kept it as a souvenir, the little bastard. Worse part now are the urethral spams which light me up. Pain meds? None. Can’t wait to take some this sucks. But, nothing is better than having this thing out of me, pain or not!
I just got done 30 minutes ago removing a stent that was put in a week ago from a 6 mm kidney stone. The best advice was from a blogger that posted easy to remove on your own and with minor if you can relax. I took my prescription 45 minutes before for pain my Xanax for anxiety and muscle relaxers all I have perceptions for, and it very very much helped. Also the shower is the place to do it and ( that’s what he said) also it takes slow and steady pressure on the pull separate mind from body and minor pain is the only that you feel. Shower, you prescribed meds and the courage and if you do it your self the courage. The worst is the first try and then relax and pull and keep pulling and then the string is moved and small deep breaths and before you know it you can feel the stent close to exit and then your there, it’s long and both hands need to pull straight out and you done. Minor craps after right now but but in pain
I had my Stent removed recently with no pain at all.
I have had 22 kidney stone removal surgeries and procedures. 18 of those have been by ureteroscopy. I have had 16 stents total. Only 2 times have I gotten away without a stent. My very first stent ever went well back in 2012. It was slightly uncomfortable when pulling it out myself but not excruciating and I felt 10 x better after it was out. This means I’ve had 16 stents. I’ve removed 14 of those by a string and once it’s been done in the office. I prefer removing it myself because it allows me to control the speed. Also, the medicine in the doctor’s office they used to numb me caused my urethra to burn like it was on fire. This was worse than stent removal itself. With all of this said its not terrible to pull it out or extremely painful. What is though is when you remove it and you have a stone piece fall down and block the kidney or you begin passing stone after stone. The disease I have (cystinuria) I can make stones in just a 24 hour period. Because of this my doctor has me pull stents before 24 hours. People with cystinuria actually aren’t suppose to have a stent for more than one week because we can actually crystallize the stent with cystine crystals which can tear the ureter in less than a week. We are fast stone producers. In my opinion, the stent itself is more uncomfortable than the removing of it. Just a tip on removing: Do it in the shower. I learned the hard way my first time. Take some medication to help with pain before removal and it will go smoothly.
Im 34 weeks pregnant and Im having my stent removed today in office. Im ready to have it out since it’s causing a lot of pain and blood in my urine. They’ve been giving me percs for the pain but I don’t want to harm my baby by taking a bunch of natcotics! Im pretty nervous about the removal but anxious at the same time. Surely the discomfort of removal is better than the pain from my baby girl pushing on the stent!!
Just had my stent removed this morning by clinic cytoscopy. I am 20 years old and had my 3rd kidney stone removed on the 29th via ureteroscopy with lithotripsy (6mm x 8mm). I had my first kidney stone at 6 years old. I am in so much pain and wishing this would all go away. I had a lot of pain when then urologist removed my stent this morning. I cried while I held my mom’s hand and she told me a nice story to distract me. This is coming from someone who has a high pain tolerance level (3 tattoos). Anyways, I was scared to death but I just want to serve as an example that it is OK to be scared and that you will get through this. Soon the pain will go away for you too, stay strong.
Kidney stones and stents suck, no doubt about it. Had my stent removed today, following removal of 5.7mm stone. This stone/stent and stent removal has been my 4th episode with stone removals and lithotripsy and stents. I feel great relief to have stents removed, which was relatively pain free (all four times), and glad to have pain meds such as Norco to get thru the discomfort associated with all of it. Unfortunately, once you produce stones, you’re likely to continue to do so if it’s not diet related. I am just thankful that I’m mostly pain free…for now. Thank God for FMLA. Couldn’t be at work thru all the stone pain. Stent removal was a great ending to a miserable health experience.
Dis you remove the stenr yourself? I will be removing mine tomorrow at home. Any recommendations? How have you felt afterwards? Did you have any bad spasms. Has urinating been normal?
Stop taking the narcotic pain Med and take 800mg ibuprofin every 4 hours…I was hurting bad too then the nurse told me the narcotic weakins the kidney and actually degrades healing…hense why the pain doesn’t stop…may take a day for it to stop hurting bad but it worked for me hope this helps….
I have found Percocet works great for kidney stone pain but not for the cramping while its in. Tomorrow I get the stent out. Wish I had looked for this forum when released from hospital. Lifelong, genetically prone for stones all my life. Thanks Dad and all his side of the family back three generations that we know of. Had right kidney removed 7 years ago. Now every stone usually means trip to the hospital.
I had my Sergey Nov 2 I came home with a cather just discomfort with bag hanging then on had sergury again the 17th went back cause stone fell in tube and was blocked so this time had to get a Stent …little discomfort but tolerate to knowing it’s there…had a wonderful urinologist dr… saved my kindney for sure…I been taken Tylenol for pain
I had kidney stone removed on Monday then they left my stent in so yesterday, left the hospital fine with no pain. Came home later that with a strong pain not even pain medicine was taking away. Called my doctor but no luck I’m still in pain an Percocet not helping.. Please I need help this pain is going to drive me to the Er ..
Same just happened to me,bilateral ureteroscopy with laser lithotripsy on 4 stones and stents placed. Pain level in pacu was 0 , but at home became unbearable even with meds which I vomited up anyway. Not sure if it was meds or pain that made me sick. Doc says stents stay in at least a week, maybe more. Don’t know how people stand the spasms and cramps a week or more! Can not wait to get the stents out and this is only my first post- op day! Long road ahead,I guess.