What is a stent?
Ureteral stents are soft, hollow, plastic tubes placed temporarily into the ureter to allow drainage around a stone or to speed healing after a stone surgery
When are they needed?
Stents are used for various reasons in patients with kidney stones. They may be placed in patients to help reduce pain from a stone, when infection is present to allow drainage, or when a stone is preventing a kidney from working adequately. Stents are also commonly placed after surgeries for stones, as in ureteroscopy, to allow healing and prevent swelling of the ureter.
How is a stent placed?
Stents are placed during surgery by sliding them over a soft “guidewire” which is placed up the ureter, which is the tube draining the kidney. See a video below of a stent being placed.
How is a stent removed?
Stents can be removed in two different ways. Sometimes, a string is left attached to the end of the stent. This string is allowed to come out of the patient’s urethra, the tube where he or she urinates. The string can be used to pull on the stent and remove it. In cases where a string is not left attached, a small camera called a cystoscope is inserted into the patient’s urethra after numbing medication has usually been administered. The cystoscope is then advanced into the bladder and the stent is grasped with an instrument and removed. See our post on stent removal for a video and more details.
How long can a stent stay in?
In general, most stents should only remain in for no longer than 3 or so months. If a stent is left in too long, it can form stones directly on it, making removal difficult.
What are the symptoms of having a stent?
While some patients with stents have minimal discomfort related to them, other patients will report symptoms that can range from being annoying to being severe enough that the stent has to be removed. These symptoms can include:
- Sensation of needing to urinate
- Seeing blood in the urine
- Bladder spasms
- Burning sensation during urination
- Pain in the back during urination or when moving
- Pain in the bladder
Is there anything that can help reduce the discomfort of a stent?
Different medications may be given to help reduce the discomfort of a stent. The most effective appears to be those from the alpha blocker class of medications including tamsulosin (Flomax) and Alfuzosin (Uroxatral). Other types of medications commonly given for stent discomfort, such as oxybutynin (Ditropan) or phenazopyridine (Pyridium), do not appear to be successful at reducing stent related discomfort in placebo controlled studies. Traditional pain medications are also less successful at reducing stent discomfort.
Hasn’t anyone come up with a better stent?
Research into improving stent designs will hopefully reduce the discomfort associated with them. Innovative stent designs currently being tested include stents embedded with medications to reduce discomfort and stents that dissolve by themselves.
my stone was just got stuck at uvj junction for about one month and yesterday I go to urologist and he placed stent in my bladder will it flash out stone as stone is 6mm and diameter of stent is 10mm
Probably not..your doctor had put stent to spare your kidneys from getting infected due to blockage. Mine was 5mm *4 mm.done with ureteroscopy and removed stent today ( everything done under general anesthetsia).
Please help me with advice!!! I had a stent put in yesterday in Germany…it was supposed to be a ureteroscopy to remove the stone but it turns out my uretea is too small and they had to put in a stent to dilatate my uretra. The doctor said the stent will have to stay in for 2 weeks. I have so much pain when I pee that I blackout. Does any one have any advice on how to make the pain less bothering in the kidney when I urinate ? I was told drink a lot of water but I am affraid to drink because the thought of having to pee makes me vomit of how much I am afraid to pee…
Cristina,
I have the same problem with my Ureter being to narrow to get a 4mm stone out. Urologist tried 2 times with no success.
I have a double J stent in for the last 2 weeks and I am waiting on a surgery time to have the stone removed by a Stone Specialist at a major Teaching Institution. They will try a third time through the Ureter and if they can’t reach it they will turn me on my stomach and get it Percutanously.
Stent does suck… I have constant blood in my urine and it is scary to see that every time you urinate.
Keep the faith! Get a good physician!
Tom…they removed my stone four days ago and they placed in another stent which I have to keep in for 2 months. I was in hospital for 4 days and I came home now because I am tired of the hospital environment.I am from germany.now that my ureter is scared on the inside the pain is amareble. Cant cry cant lsugh cant even sneeze wthout extreme pain.I have no strenght in my left leg and anything on my left side. Have to have my husband cary me out of the bed and put me back in…I can only lay on my back.I just pray for this to finish…I am just exhausted
Try peeing in the shower as hot as you can have the water on your stomach.
This is what helped me when I had my stent in. Hope this helps you..
Try a warm massage pad in a recliner. Has made this stent thing tolerable. I get mine out tomorrow!!
They say that water is your best friend afterwards but I really don’t believe this. I’m on my 3rd stint in 2 months
Hello there..I just had my stent removed today after 2 weeks of ureteroscopy.i had a 5 mm big one which was stuck in the lower portion of my ureter. Beleive me the pain is gonna be so annoying but DO NOT STOP FLOODING URSELF WITH WATER..yes..the more you drink n pee..the less will b the pain intensity.limit your physical activities like running or standing for too long. Take proper sleep n don’t stress youself. Take care!
I also forgot to add the while I was under my Urologist after telling me lithotripsy was not usually successful for Ppl with horseshoe Kidneys he decided to do the lithotripsy anyway. Is there anybody on here that has this kidney abnormality?? What kind of treatment did you recieve? Was it successful?
So I thought maybe I was just being a big crybaby about this but my last three children I gave birth with no pa in Meds whatsoever so I’m not a sissy..
I found out I had a large stone 1.4 cm with a few small stones. Well I Was Born with a horseshoe kidney my Urologist told me that lithotripsy was usually not successful for Ppl Who have this abnormality. He also said I would more than likely have to see a specialist out of town and have it sugically removed. Well about a week after seeing him I was in so much pain I had to go in to the ER they said it was cause of the stone causing Hydronephrosis along With Darn Diverticulitis as Well. ER Doc wanted me to follow up with my Urologist and when I did he suggested getting the ureteral stent placed to relieve my pain caused by the swelling from the blockage the stone was causing I had it placed on the 28th of April and I have been uncomfortable and in pain since that day!! I feel I was better off Before. My right side feels like someone used me as a punching bag I have kidney pain still just like before along with abdominal pain and discomfort and when I have to pee which is literally every half hour I dred it because how painful it is. I am also getting constipated probably from the pain Meds antibiotics and bladder spasm medication they gave me and I had never been constipated in my life so that along with everything else this is a nightmare.
I am a 23 year old female and the first time I had a stent I was 16. I get kidney stones that are way to big to pass and they end causing an infection that can’t drain because of the blockage. They put a stent in, give antibiotics, break up the stone and take the stent out. I just had my fifth stent put in six days ago. Normally I pee a lot of blood for a few days after and have a lot of discomfort but this time I haven’t peed blood at all and I am only taking half a pain pill before bed. I can’t even feel the stent half the time and forget I have it. There are so many things you can do to help with the blood and discomfort one big one is water all day!!!
I just had two stones removed on Friday. A stent was put in as well. That evening when I for home and used the bathroom blood literally poured out of me. This wa a huge shock!! I took a mirror and looked and could see the tip of the stent. I had to change clothes and pit a sanitary pad on (super plus!). My boyfriend drove me straight to the ER. Once there the doctor could see it had slipped down and pushed it back up with a Foley catheter. The pain was excruciating !! Now since Friday my stomach is swollen and the pain is horrible. Not sure what to do anymore.
I had a stent place in my right kidney on March 30th. I’ve been in and out of the hospital since due to extreme pain, on top of being pregnant. It’s hard to determine if the bleeding is from the stents of from pregnancy issues.
Now I am going in Friday to have the stint removed and a drain tubed placed in my back with a drain bag. I wish you some relief.
I find some of this so funny. I just had three stones removed from my left Kidney. Now mind you yes it hurt after the surgery. And yes they left a stent in as well. The first couple of day were unsatisfying. But I guess I have a high tolerance for pain. I do go to the restroom more than I did as the stream isn’t the same either. I think I pissed better before the stones were removed. I didn’t even have complications before the surgery. They found my stones after an x-ray of my back. They were pretty big, but the urologist said, it would be better to remove them before they caused problems. Now waiting on the 13 of May to have the stent removed. Good luck to you all have so much discomfort and pain.
It breaks my heart to read the comments on this site – and I don’t doubt any of them. I’ve had two stents fitted and removed over the last 6 weeks for stones in both kidneys (started with renal colic).
Once the stents were in for the first time I bled dreadfully and urinating powdered glass was the closest analogy I could come up with. The pain was staggering as you guys can empathise – BUT about 70% of this pain came from other internal works cystoscopy, laser treatment and so on – but also related to the size of my urethra (rare genetic thing means its 50% of normal diameter, so they had to stretch it (!!) first) and once this had calmed down after 3-4 days I could only feel a periodic dull ache from both sides and a much milder burning in bladder and pipes, sharper ache in the kidneys – but this lasted just during urination and disappeared straight after.
As the first stent came out (under a general anaesthetic I might add!) the aching went away after a day or so on that side. Yes I did have an urgent burning need to urinate frequently – and 4-5 times a night easily – so it wasn’t all roses as I still had one stent in – but my point is that the initial pain after surgery dropped off very sharply – such that codeine was enough most of the time. I’m writing from the UK (obviously from my ‘name’) so after reading the horror stories here I was wondering if there could be a difference in the equipment or items used. Your dreadful stories are SO far removed from my experience – that even with my bad luck – its still a million miles from where you guys are. BTW walking does make it worse.
Any possible disparity that could be researched your end maybe? Last stent came out this afternoon (they weren’t in long at all compared to folks here) – and just the left-over ache to bear with for a day or so now I hope…that I only feel when I lay down. Something seems amiss when you compare us.
It may sound daft but could you guys travel over here? The private hospital I use charges about $4500 for renting the theatre, then another $1200 or so for the procedure and aneasthesia (I have the bills). Surgeon consultations are about $130 a pop, and scans between $250 (ultrasound) so CT($400 I think). So far I’ve had 3 operations, 2 consultations and 3 sets of surgery plus aneasthesia. It not cheap but we in the UK do read about some of the horror stories on costs in the US for hospital treatment. I can provide the hospital details if you wanted to research. Its about 90 mins from London Heathrow airport.
Good luck all – you’re stronger folks than I to tolerate your pain.
Steve
who ever invented the stent is a sadist!!! had one put in a week before the stone removal the scope hurt like hell but made it through that went to bathroom in drs office and almost passed out between the burning of my dink the cramping of my kidney and the ripping pain in my bladder went back told the dr. and he said ow you’ll be alright and sent me home after 4 days the burning in my dink was better but let me tell you what for seven days every time i pissed the pain in my kidney and bladder was so intense and lasted for about 20 minutes i could hardly stand it. i had my stone removed today and they put another stent back in and am having the exact pain as before wondering if i even needed the stent after stone removal dr. does not know what the pain is like having one of these in. have talked to 7 people who have had stones removed and they never heard of a stent i do know that drs. make about 1400 hundred dollars every time they go in with a scope for about 10 minutes worth of work makes me wonder??? well i could bitch all night so good luck to everyone i think i will let my vet take this frigging thing out i think their bullshit
I agree 100 percent I was in the process of passing a 6 mm stone through my left ureter after 3 weeks I decided to have a ureteroscopy with laser to remove it plus two smaller ones in my left kidney.To my surprise and the doctors I passed the stone the morning before my surgery.Being i had the surgery lined up I agreed to let the doctor go after an 8 mm stone in my right kidney that was not giving me any trouble so he blasted it with the laser and put a stent in the ureter what a mistake that has been I would have rather tried to pass the stone on my own!!!!!!!!!!
I can definitely confirm all the pain of having the stint. I have had 4 kidney stones in my life and 3 have passed with pain and my drinking lots of water. This last stone wasn’t moving. It was stuck between kidney and bladder. I went through lithotripsy with no success. The stone didn’t move. I had the cystoscope, laser break up, and basket removal last week. Once they completed the procedure, the doctor placed a stent. The stent is far worse than the stone. Every time I walk, it hurts. I can’t stretch in one direction….and using abdominal muscle to sit up is out of the question. I had a ton of blood at first, but this went away since I drank so much water. The pain after i urinate is severe…..it feels like a stone…..that cramping, colic feeling. I urinate constantly. About every 1-2 hours, so I haven’t had a good nights sleep in so long. The doctor gave me pain meds……they help, but make me too drowsy to function like a normal person. I get the stent removed in the morning. I am totally scared to go to this appointment.
Does the pain go away after removal???
no, the pain doesn’t go away with removal of the stent. You will feel like you have a UTI for about 1 1/2-2wks after!
Oh no I just want to feel normal again…this feeling unwell is really getting old I feel as though my life has been turned upside down!!! I have a husband and grand kids and I have had to put my life on hold because I have been feeling bad since I have had the stent put in….please tell me ain’t so Carrie …..I just want it all to be over!!!!!
I got my stent out today!! I do feel better but where the stent was it is sore the Dr said it would be for the next couple of days!!The pressure is gone the urge to pee is gone ….I am not 100% but I am closer than I was!! Good Luck everyone else that are having trouble!!! Hope everything turns out for ya and to those that don’t have pain you are LUCKY!!!!!
My pain normally goes away a day or two later
I had my stent put in on the 23rd of April I don’t go back to the Dr. Until May 4th 2015 I would not wish this pain on any body ….I can only imagine the affects it has on some of you men going through this. I have not had a good day since the day I have had it put in!!!! The pain is so unbearable!!! I usually can with hold pain but this has got to be worse than labor…….the stone itself wasn’t as bad as this pain is….hopefully when I go back to the Dr. I can get this pain in my side out cause I can not go any longer the pain meds don’t even help any more….ibuprofen don’t help any more or the oxybuttinin ….hydrocodone……nothing seems to help ……..and going to the bathroom is another story!!! Especially when you get constipated from taking all those pain medicines!!! And the burning sensation you get when you drink all those liquids ….its just so unbearable!!! I haven’t eaten or drinking much cause my motto Is” what goes in must come out!!!'” Sorry for more bad news but nothing hurts worse than this!!!!
I know how you feel mid April of 2015 i had a stint placed and it was placed wrong and i bleed so much i was emptying my bag every hour of pure blood i called the doctors office and they told me in was normal….bull shit is what i said and i was in so much pain so w the next week i went in hospital to have my stone removed and when i woke up they told me they had to stop and didn’t get the stone my 02 dropped to 30 and bp to 86/44 and they said they will need to give me a blood transfusion of 2 units and also put 2 stints in and stayed in the hospital for 4 days and during my stay had to go back into surgery and they removed 1 of the stints and they sent me home when i got stable with one stint a week later went back to the hospital where the removed the stint and replaced it with 2 more 1 to the kidney and 1 to the kidney to the bladder this has been the worse pain in my life they did these stints using ct scan went back to the doctor on May 1 2015 and she told me that everything looks good now and the stints are in the right place so i go back on the 5th for surgery to have the stone removed i have not been able to pee for days but she said it is all going into a bag but still the pain is really bad i hope and pray they can get it right this time…she said if not she would need to send me to Stanford calif where they have the best for me.
Oh my that’s awful ……..I go back tomorrow and hopefully get my stent removed I just can’t take feeling unwell any longer …..hopefully they get it right for you Wendy it sounds like you have been through the ringer!!!
Cindy Quantz did you have your stint taken out yet and if so how was it? was it painful and did they give you something to help with the removable?
Well up date i went back in the hospital May 5th and had the stones removed she able to get all but 2 very very small ones out she said i wouldn’t feel them pass they took out one of the stints and implanted the other to the kidney i have been in the worse pain of my life i will never have this done again…NEVER!!!!!they should out law this…my bladder is killing me and where the stint is i have the worse pain ever i go back to have the stint taken out on the 19th in her office and i sure in the hell she gives me something before removing it not sure how much more pain i can take today is the 13th of May and my pain level is a 8…..been on norco and don’t help any more and i cant soak in a hot tub yet because of the stitches. I have pain in my kidney and front side of my kidney. I cant wait for this to be all over
I had a 18mm x 13mm kidney stone. Stent placed on March 24, 2015 with surgery on April 17, 2015. They had to go thru my back to get at the stone due to the size. I had 2 tubes coming out of my back (still have one due to a sliver of the stone remaining and another sx scheduled for May 12, 2015). My stent was removed on April 20, 2015 along with the larger tube and pee bag. It is now 9 days later and I still hurt when I pee. I was told by the drs office that this would only last about 3 days! I was also told that after my sx and the removal of the pee tube/bag I would be able to go back to work the very next day. WTF! I don’t know who decides this stuff because I peed out my back for a week! Bandages were changed every 1 1/2-2hrs and I had no skin left on my back. I was in tears for a week. They never bothered to tell us to get paper tape. They never bothered to tell us there is a barrier spray you can get from Medical Supply Stores to protect your skin from constant tape removal.
At present I am still having to change a dressing once a day because of this other tube and very light leakage. I am not looking forward to another stent being put in right when my lady parts will probably finally be feeling better. I have not been able to have intercourse with my husband for 2 mths now and that is getting real old!
Don’t listen when the drs/nurses say you will be better in a few days becuase it is a crock.
I am still having the edge to go every time I stand up……its not hurting any more just a nagging need to go pee feeling!!! I can’t wait until Monday …….I have been trying to whin myself off of the meds but at times the only thing that helps is being still in a vegetable state.
I have learned a valuable lesson… I had a Urologist try at getting a 4mm stone out of my Ureter 2 times!!! No luck! Lots of pain and aggravation with a Double J Stent still in.
Now I am going to a Major Teaching Institution where they do over 400 Difficult Stones a year. And my only problem is my Ureter is narrow!!!!
All Docs are not created equal. Should have searched out a Specialist before the 2nd Ureteroscopy.
I feel your pain as i have so much pain myself…if i had to do it all over again i would not have this done i too was mislead saying this was the best way to go and i would not have any pain….well let me tell you something i have had these stints in for almost 2 months now and the pain is always on a pain level of 8 i will be getting the stint out that they implanted in my left kidney on the 19th of may and i’m really hoping for a lot of relief….They really need to outlaw this type of surgery….. good luck with your hun
I’m having some major issues with my stent.
I have a 25 mm stone on my right side. Yes. It’s a big one, so I’m one session in on a series of surgeries to blast it.
What is the deal with the pain related. I am consistently told I shouldn’t even notice it in there, so I stop the medication, and inevitably within 6 – 8 hours I can’t even sit down due to the pressure/pain.
My first stent I had for 5 weeks. This one is 1 week old. Am I incorrect to assume they actually do friggin hurt and these nurses are full of it? Evey single person I’ve talked to INCLUDING an urgent care doctor said it was miserable.
I had a uroscopy with stent placement yesterday to remove an 8mm stone. 12 hours later the string got caught in toilet paper and the stent came out. Owwwwwww! Now I’m just waiting to see what happens next. Lots of colicky pain and dr says come in when pain is unbearable. It would take a lot to get me to go back in. I’m worried about having a swollen ureter though. Not sure what to do.
I had stones removed with a laser April 10th. I also had two different stents inserted since mid Feb. It was removed on April 17.On 4-19-15. I had my psa tested and it went from 4 to 8 on the psa scale. Is this the norm????
J.Day
I was going to have the stint put in later this afternoon but after reading how bad the symptoms you all are going through I have cancelled my app and see what other approaches I have. This sounds like more pain than the actual kidney stones are.
Drink lots of cranberry juice……………….if you have to watch your sugar………….they have one with splenda
The stent did wonders for me! i have some of the milder symptoms but nothing like what some people on this website are experiencing. i’ve have the stent in for 4 weeks with a stone that just doesn’t want to pass so now i’ll have surgery next Friday but i’m so glad my doctor talked me into it. before, i thought i was having another child!
Had my Stent put in on Wednesday 15th, April 2015, after having several Kidney Stones removed, since then passed a lot of Blood Plus, burning sensation when I pee, (very painful) Walking I have found makes it worse.
Should have Stent removed next Wednesday 29th, April 2015, I just hope that is the end of the Pain etc.
While the stent stays inside me, can I have sexual intercourse like normal? Forgot to ask my doctor about it. I feel all the symptoms listed above especially when pass urine, so I can’t imagine what will happen during ejaculation.
It says you can have sex as usual but the stent makes you feel so bad that that’s the furtherest from your mind from all the pain you will be having!!!
I have stent in at the moment, have had it in for 2 months now, waiting for the hospital to remove it. It is by far the worse pain ever, it must be hitting or cathing a nerve, the end of my penis when I pass urine is so painful, I can hardly walk and have not had a decent nights sleep for ages. The hospital have left this in far too long.
Amen to that I had mine’s in for a month all they keep doing is taking it out and put it back in and then say well most ppl don’t even know it there.Well I told them I guess I’m like most ppl I feel like I’m Dining of a slow death This Is Not Okay They Need to FIx this rule I’ll pass on this s*** now I have to get surgery next week and get it taken out and I hope when I wake up I’m Stent Free I’m pray on that
I have a 4 mm stone diagnosed In march and after a uv exam got reports of being somewhere in ureter with ureteral hydronephrosis. Dr. Asked for a ct and found it at mid ureter. Got admitted and underwent hydrotherapy that didn’t work. Now I m stented pain was high as local anesthesia takes time on me and dr just went on and on to place the stent. Post that I am wondering whether in a month the stone is not out then will the stent straighten the 90 degree curve in ureter for stone to come out
I just had put stent in my urine place. The doc say he never put until kidney and course pain. So in 2 weeks only will go again to hospital for stone removal. I have 1 question here. Since there is stent inside, if I drink a lot water can the stone move outside easily through stent? If there is traditional drinking which can remove or melt the stone, will be it dangerous since I have stent inside?
no, stent is put in place before a stone removal so its easier to get out when they operate. Make sure you are knocked out when the stent is removed too.
OMG they will be taking my stint out in the doctors office and i areally have so much pain as it is…they will do this on the 19th it is under my skin in my kidney…will they give me something when taking this thing out????????
Just had 2 stones removed last Thurs. Stent will be in for 2 weeks. This is the third kidney stone removal I have had. Usually I don’t need the pain meds afterwards because I seem to have a high pain tolerance. Not this time! Sometimes I just shudder when I urinate. My brother said when he finally gets rid of his stones he’s going to a hypnotist to erase the memory of going through this. Hang in there everyone. There’s lots of us sharing your pain.
I feel for you word for word went through the same thing , surgery on the 16th , now have a uti on top of it, want this Stent out of me…
I’m 18, and had a ureteral stent put in after having a ureteroscopy to remove a 2mm kidney stone. I have three more in the same kidney that aren’t moving, and I had a ton of scar tissue from a bunch of other stones I didn’t know I had. Im getting really tired of constantly feeling incredible pain after every time I use the restroom. Does the pain from the stent ever stop? I get it out in five days and can hardly wait. Also, my urologist is taking it out in office and giving me Valium and lidocaine for the procedure. Does this mean it won’t hurt at all or will it just be uncomfortable?
The pain from the stent doesnt go Im afraid, make sure you drink around 2 litres of water a day.
I found a huge relief to have my first stent removed, that was about 5 months ago had it for 3 weeks after damage from removing a 6mm stone…on 04/16/15 had two more removed and am so anxiety ridden about having this stent removed, I think it’s just uncomfortable but quick, still a bit scary too
I can not believe how many of us are going through this. My stone dropped out of my kidney on Easter. Since then I have been in the ER three times and now have a stent. I can’t do anything. Walking makes everything worse. I am trying not to take anything for the pain, but the nights are horrible. I get the later Friday. Can’t wait for the stone to be gone.