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.
Having been diagnosed with stones in both kidneys, I was told a simple Ureteroscopy would clean out both kidneys, and would be off work for 2 days at most.
However, upon undertaking the Ureteroscopy, they found my urethera and both ureters constricted, and couldn’t get to the kidneys. The doctors decided in the OR to place a stent in the right ureter, and to call me back to complete the Ureteroscopy. This was back in mid-Dec.
My next procedure is booked for late Feb – here in London you have to wait for NHS appointments. The pain over the Xmas period has been horrendous. I’m generally in good health and being a bloke feel I have a very high threshold to pain.
But this thing has had me in tears despite being heavily dosed with painkillers. First few weeks constant bleeding, knock-out pain upon peeing, and a constant urge to go every 15 minutes. Worst aspect, having to wear a nappy to avoid the constant dribbling and soiling of my pants – very embarrassing!!!
Absolutely no chance of going back to work, and now feeling utterly depressed with the pain and being homebound since due to inability of not being further than 30 mins from the WC. And this is only one stent.
Really heartening to know there are others out there who’ve gone through similar experiences (some with stents in both ureters) but who have returned to normal upon removal of the stent(s). I just hope they dont keep the current one in any longer.
Horrible horrible experience which I would not wish on anyone – but alas a necessary one it would seem.
Question – has anyone actually passed a kidney stone with the stent in place?
Hi KS
Really feel for you as I’m going through the same and have been for the last 8 weeks. Having the rest of my kidney stone lasered again this week, then another stent putting back in. Can’t think of anything worse.
In answer to your question I understand from my urologist that stones won’t pass through stents because my stones are too large and my stent is only 3mm in width.
Hope that’s useful and you get yours sorted out very soon.
Have had and passed 6 kidney stones since December 23rd, 2015. Finally got in to see the uro today, going back on Monday for another appointment and he said probably 2 weeks after that stents will go in as I still have a few more stones in both kidneys. I just want to know, do they put you to sleep for this procedure? If so how long does it take? Also are there any good endings to this? Any help will be great. Thank you for reading
Hi Blake
Stents are placed under general anaesthetic and normally take about 30 minutes to an hour. I speak through experience as this is stent number 4 I’m going through. Having number 5 fitted this week.
The good ending is getting back to normal and being stent free and stone free.
Good luck.
Hey everyone, so I’ve never had kidney stones necessarily and this seems like the best place to seek the answer to my question so far, so any info is greatly appreciated.
Long story very short, my past 3 years have consisted of 4 major intestinal surgeries, numerous almost lethal complications, and the weirdest experience I’ve ever had, and that’s really saying alot. My last surgery a year ago was pretty bad and one of the extra helpings of complications involved having to put stents in both kidneys I guess.
Now, Ive read through comments trying to see if this has happened to anyone and I don’t recall seeing anything. Like some of you, I had terrible pain when attempting to urinate, everything went all brain fuzzy, and I only got drips. All of a sudden, I look down and I urinated what can only and precisely be compared to Strawberry Smuckers Jam. Obviously this wasn’t a kidney stone but that had no bearing on me freaking right the f*ck out upon seeing it. Apparently this was some sort of internal scabbing that came off, which happened about 3 more times.
Does anyone know, hopefully, what I’m describing? And if you made it this far, I GREATLY appreciate your time reading all of this. Thanks and hope I can finally get a clear answer.
that’s a blood clot.
These stents are no joke! In July of 2013, I went to see my PCP because I had back and side pain, a fever and dark urine. After he ran a urine test and determined I had an infection, he had me go to the ER from the office for more tests he ordered. Upon getting there and having a CT Scan, ultrasound, x-ray and another urine test, I was told that I had a double kidney infection and stones in both kidneys in which caused my ureters to be blocked. I had to go in for emergency surgery and have stents placed in both ureters to drain the urine from my kidneys. I was admitted to the hospital for 3 days given antibiotics. The urologists told me they could remove the stones until the infection cleared or I could’ve became septic. So not only did I have to endure more antibiotics and kidney stone/infection pain but I had to deal with the awful pain of having two stents. Three weeks later, they finally removed my stones and replaced my stents. I had to keep them in for two weeks. I don’t know what was worse, the pain from the kidney stones or having pain from the stents (for about 5 weeks). The spontaneous bladder contractions and/or moving a certain way that caused excruciating pain. This pain had me out of work for about 6 weeks. Thank goodness for pain medication! Unfortunately, now I have kidney stones again that has to be removed because it got stuck again. I’m not looking forward to this stent pain. Good luck to anyone having to experience the extreme discomfort and pain of having a stent.
I am going through this right now.
i had a 6 cm stone in my kidney.i had surgery to have it blasted last monday..they put a stint in..is it normal to have pain and pressure when you pee and blood in your water?im suppose to have it removed in two weeks
6 mm..not 6 cm
Yes Peggy. I still had the pain & pressure when I peed and blood. Apparently that is the norm until the stent comes out. You might even have tea like pee after the stent comes out.
I work in law enforcement and while on duty I had the worst pain I’ve EVER felt in my left side. I knew something was wrong and went to the ER and as soon as I described my pain they immediately knew what it was. After the CT they found two stones in my left kidney the biggest one was 4mm. I was sent home with meds and was told I would pass them. Two days later the pain was back with a vengeance accompanied with a fever. I went back and the Dr reviewed my CT and took blood. Well my kidney function was high and I was told the stone had my left kidney blocked. Two days later I had my stent put in. The Dr said I could probably get back to work in two days, but this is day three and I’m still hurting from the stent. Not terrible pain like I had before the stent but definitely too much pain to protect myself and my community. Does the pain of the stent go away after sometime or not?
Hate to tell you but the stent pain doesn’t go away. I’ve had mine in for 8 weeks and get it out in 2 days. As long as it’s in, plan on having pain, spasms, painful urination, and cramping. They are horrible!
Right when they remove them.
I have a friend who had a stent placed in him and the dr failed to inform the patient…he was supposed to have surgery done and then he got incarserated. everytime they scheduled a surgury for him he got transfered to another unit. THAT WAS three years ago. He never had it removed and he is pain. what should he do?
How long do a person have to stay in the hospital after stint surgery
It depends on whether there are any complications or other issues. It’s usually a day stay procedure.
I’ve had kidney stones often. And I’ve had stents 4 times now. It’s so painfull. I have 2 stents in right now, waiting till the infection is gone. But is it normal to have blood clots in my urine? And some of them are large. I get all the pain, blood, and spasms etc. The pain meds are not helping just making me sleepy.
If you have frequent kidney stones, you may want to have yourself checked for hyperparathyroidism. This has nothing to do w/ your thyroid… There are 4 glands behind the thyroid that control calcium levels. If you have access to old blood work, go back and see if any of your calcium has been high and if even if just one or 2 are high, get it checked for hyperparathyroidsm. Check out parathyroid.com for other symptoms.
I’m just dealing with my first stint and it is no joke that’s for sure, the dr gave me the impression that it would help the pain…. I’m finding out that’s not true. Before my stint I had some clots in my urine & some after too. Sorry you’re dealing with this! There is nothing fun about kidney stones.
I just had my stent placed yesterday, and as I was being released from the hospital yesterday, the pain was unreal, I too made the comment that natural childbirth was so much less pain. They gave me shots of 2 different pain shots, Demerol and another shot, that I don’t remember the name of, plus a Percocet in a 30 minute time frame and it didn’t touch or ease the pain. Today I am having a very hard time urinating, when I do, I get tunnel vision, and dizzy and feel like I am going to pass out from the pain. They have me on Norco 10mg and it is not helping. As the day had went on the pain has not eased and now when I try to pee, I feel like I have a full bladder but can only dribble a little at a time and it HURTS. I called the dr and they told me to add 500 mg of ibuprofen 3 times a day. And that it was normal to have a hard time urinating, but everything I read said that is a sign that I need to call the dr about….. I don’t know what to do, I am ready for a trip to the emergency room. I am in so much pain that my body seems to shake constantly from the pain. I am seriously resenting getting this stent and I don’t reccomend it to anyone unless it is absolutely the last resort
Hi Shannon. Completely understand your situation. This blog is awesome and is definitely worth reading through the comments – very comforting to know its not just you. My second stent has been in now since 4 Dec & probably won’t be out until March – long story but have to wait until my urologist is back. After 2 rounds of strong antibiotics & really drinking gallons & gallons of water after 5 months I actually feel like my brain is no longer in a fog, i don’t feel like im weeing razor blades & Ive stopping sprinting to the toilet every 5 minutes. I can still feel the stent. Feels like it is scrapping the insides of my bladder but it’s not unbearable like before. I thought I was going mad. My GP has been amazing and I’ve lost count of how many times Ive had my urine tested but I am certainly looking forward to having it removed.
Hi Shannon: Love this blog…I learned more here than what my doctor didn’t tell me. I was in ER & Urgent Care 5 times and the week they took out the stent I ended up back in ER with contractions from the urethra. I was at work & I also work in the hospital where the stint was put in. I was admitted Nov 30, stint put in Dec 1st, sent home on Dec 2nd and stint came out Jan 19th. My doctor was away so it was suppose to come out within 3 to 4 weeks. That never happened. Don’t go crazy….get your self to ER.
I just had my first ureteroscopy a week ago.
I had both kidneys cleaned out (I had multiple small stones and one biggie in each kidney). I also had stents in both sides- I have never been this debilitated in my life. I’m an active female in my 30s, have had two babies via c-section.. And nothing has compared to this experience. I’ve pretty much been in bed or on the couch for 7 days. I was told I could pull my stents today (day 8) and I was very anxious about this, but knew I had to do it- so I did. It was a non-event.. Strange feeling, but not painful. I felt GREAT after that, back to my old self sooo relieved!! … Then the bladder spasms started. It feels like a constant menstral cramp x’s 100. I was not prepared for this level of toe curling and hold my breath pain! I’m back in bed with the heating pad on high, took a pain pill 3 hours ago so I can’t take another yet. Does anyone have ANY suggestions?!
Stent was a great solution! Don’t read all of these negative comments and decide that’s what will happen to you! I was hit with severe back pain suddenly at 9pm one night. Went to dr first thing next morning. He didn’t think it was a stone but some kind of kidney infection. Sent me home with antibiotics. (his office was closed next day) I suffered another day. On 3rd day, called his office and was told to go to ER. A urologist examined me, I had a 6mm stone sitting at top of tube in bladder and it couldn’t go anywhere. Had surgery (to blast stone and remove most of it) a couple of hours later and stent put in. Today is my 11th day afterwards and I have to say, the urologist was wonderful! No problem with stent at all and immediate lessening of pain. Thank God for the stent as infection kept coming out until yesterday. Today, I’m almost back to normal and my urine is almost completely clear. Go for the stent!
Hi,
I just had ureterscopy procedure on January 27th. My first kidney stone experience. I started to have symptoms on New Year’s Eve but thought it was a UTI infection I went to my general Dr. who put me on Cipro for 10 days. I then ended in the ER with severe back pain. After a CT scan, it was discovered that I had a 4mm in my distal ureter. I was released with pain meds and told to drink as much as possible. I tried lemonade, Flomax, but nothing helped.
After dealing with this for 27 days, my pain was getting worse and the Dr. felt I needed to have surgery. I was so freaked out over the stent and the whole procedure.
I was in alot of pain yesterday, bad cramping and it felt like fire burning when I went to the bathroom.
I have been given Cipro, Perocet, Ditropan and prydium. Today so far, I’m not doing terrible. Although I have this string hanging out that keeps catching on my pants, etc. Scared me to death.
I can’t wait for this experience to be behind me. My stent is supposed to be removed next Wednesday…5 more days with this thing.
Really glad I found this website so I knew what to expect.
Hello all. I got bilateral stents from a ureteroscopy today. Thankfully the procedure found the sources of my almost month long battle with pain from stones. But oh my are these stents awful. No position is comfortable to sit or lay in. I slept only a few hours since procedure and the dilaudid barely helps. Percocet didnt even touch the pain. Stents are being removed in 3 more days and im praying for some relief both now and then. Thank you for listening.
I’m so sorry to hear you are in so much pain and I wish you the best of luck!! I had one put in about 48 hours ago and it has helped relive the pain of the stones. I have another 2 weeks still to have this in before the doctors go back in for a 2nd time and try to blast out the stones. I first went to my local ER (Little Hospital) and was told it was about 3mm and I should pass it fine!! Two days later the pain in left testical, back / kidney on left side and stomach hurt like NOTHING IVE FELT BEFORE!!! It was the worst 6 hours of my 38 years!! I then went to OKC Hospital and they took better C/T and did an ultra sound. This times they believed there was blockage!! Also told it was 4mm. I got ready for surgery, had hour 1/2 and when I woke , I was told it was 5mm and the laser couldn’t break it up, and to top it off they found even more stones in my kidney. I JUST CANT WSIT UNITL THIS IS OVER!! It has stopped my life, and taken so much time from my family!! Your not alone out there!! I’ve watched many clips and read many blogs!!! This is terrible pain I never want to go through again!!! Hope you have s speedy recovery and the pain subsides for you!! Kingfisher , OK. lvtrooper2007@yahoo.com if you wish to email during this awful time!! We are all here for the same reason.. Best wishes
Omg I thought I was the only one!! This stent in clearly the worst thing ever!! I will take all day cramps over this pain!! I can’t do anything but consistently go to the bathroom which hurts like hell. I’ve had it for 2 weeks now and they say it can be taken out this week if there aren’t any signs of stones but at this point I don’t care either way it has to go and if the dr won’t take it out I’m going to the ER.
I had a robotic hysterectomy on 12-22-15 and was home recovering when i felt my back pain. I was 2 weeks into recovery and thought something was seriously wrong. The ER found an 8mm stone stuck in the ureter on my right side. I was admitted to the hospital for 4 days, they inserted a stent and used a laser to zap the stone. The surgeon said that a lot of it went back in my kidney. I’ve been home with the stent for a week, bright blood for the first 3 days and no more til yesterday. I’ve been spotting brown blood. Is this possibly some more of the stone passing? My side is painful as well. I have an appointment with my Uro on the 29th. What should I expect?
Really wanting this to be over,
Lynn
Finally got my stent/stint out. What a relief. I am not going to sugar coat this, as the procedure was very uncomfortable. It could have been the length of time that I had the stint as well. Put in Dec 1st. Removed Jan 19th. To be honest, child birth was easier than this. I also lost work time as well, glad I had some savings to tie us over on our rent. In the time that I had the stint, the worse had to be where it was on my bladder. I had 5 trips in total to ER & one to Urgent Care from start to finish. Good Luck to those going through this and hope your procedure goes better than mine did. Thank you to this group. I got tons of answers to questions that I could not as the Urologist (he was on vacation!)
I have 2 stents in now for 1 week and omg I am in a lot of pain it is constant they have me taking oxy 5 times a day, a once a day pill to make my bladder stop contracting and a muscle relaxer.. N I get no relief. I go back on the 26th and because my stones are both a 10+ in size one was broken up but the other they couldn’t brake up so they think that doing a procedure that shakes you will help. I sure hope so can’t miss anymore work or take the pain much longer.
I hope you others get relief and heal fast.
Thanks for letting me vent.
Suzanne
Oh Suzanne, I know your pain. I also lots time from work during this. I can not imagine having 2 stents at all. I was given Tylenol 3’s with codiene. I felt like I was stoned all the time. And I tried working, housekeeping in a hospital is my job. Vent anytime. There is always someone out there that understands what you are going through. Hang in there!!
HANG IN THERE Suzanne!! Yes, it’s soooo frustrating!!! If I was you I would ask for a different pain medication, even know you said you felt high. I was given Tylonal 3 @ first but it did touch the pain!! The oxycodone has helped much more!! I still have 2 weeks to go before I go back to get my stones blasted. Laser couldn’t break them up due to being to hard!! I thought this was going to be a cake walk from what I was told, but AWFUL EVER IN MY LIFE!! Pain comes on at a 9 for hours, then goes away for a bit. Good luck!!!
Hi Colleen,
In answer to you question, I have had 5 different stents fitted, none of them pleasant, but none of them have come out because of straining on the loo. I have to take a lot of painkillers which cause constipation so have the same problem and had the same thoughts as you with my first stent. Hope this is useful for you. Regards.
Hi Debby,
Good luck for the 19th. I’m sure it will be such a relief for you. As soon as I had my stent removed everything returned back to normal straight away. I had no need for any incontinence pads so hope it’s the same for you. I had a slight irritation in my bladder for a few days but this was because the stent had been in for 4 months and made a sore spot in the bladder. Will be interested to know how you get on. All the best.
Hi Christine: Once the stent was removed, I felt pretty good. I didn’t go back to work until the next day, which was Wed. Went back to my regular job in housekeeping. Friday and got stopped doing my job with the similar pain one experiences with stint pain on ones bladder. Got an co-worker to wheel me down to ER (I work in a hospital) Seems the procedure of getting the stint out, the urethra was not happy with being disturbed, hence the same feeling of the stint on my bladder. Received IV pain killer and sent home with my 5th prescription of antibiotics within a month & half. So far the weekend has been good. Crosses fingers! I have an Ultra sound for Feb 2nd before I go back to see the Urologist. I felt that the Urologist removed the stint very roughly. I am even wondering if he even used a topical pain killer at all. Good luck to those that are having issues with their stints. Will check back in again.
Hi Debby,
Sorry to hear what happened to you after the stent was removed. Last time I had mine taken out I was advised to rest and take it easy for a few days because the bladder had become irritated and I experienced some pain and cramping but painkillers did the trick.
I’ve got this stent for a further two weeks, then having the stones lasered and yet another stent fitted. It seems never ending. I don’t move off the sofa once I find a comfortable spot.
Hope everything goes ok and will watch out for your comments.
Hello! Anyone else had a stent while pregnant? I was on my way home from a road trip with my 2 young kids when the pain hit, knew it was a stone (I’m 26, have had them off/on for over 20 years-have never been able to figure out why!) However, ER discovered I was pregnant and they first needed to make sure it wasn’t an etopi pregnancy which of course it wasnt. Long story short 16 stones in the right kidney, 5-12mm. I passed almost all of them with the Stent except for the very large one. The Stent is fine with the exception of feeling like I am not able to empty all the way. This has only come on now 5 days post op. I was thinking maybe it’s the stone right there about to come out or stuck (no Flomax for some reason-maybe due to pg?) My void (since this feeling/last day or so) is very limited, bloody and now somewhat painful. When I called the on call this evening worried that the stone might be blocking he insisted it was just irritation from the stent, and then took pity saying since pregnant I will have the Stent for some time, possibly needing to have it changed partway through. Is this for real? How long does it typically take for the stone to pass with the stent? This is by far the longest it’s ever taken (also the worst seeing as in over a decade this is the first time they’ve had to do this.) Any insight? Thanks in advance!
Was supposed to say 10 years not 20!!! Darn fat fingers!
Im pregnant (34weeks) and had a stent put in on Christmas. The baby was pushing on my ureter (leads to kidney) which pinched it off and caused a UTI and bad kidney infection, so they put in a stent to open it back up. The stent is AWFUL but 100x better than the kidney pain. I have to have mine in until after I give birth and cannot work due to the urgency of having to go to the bathroom from the stent and the more I walk the more it makes me bleed:( if you’re not far along I would get it taken out when you’re allowed to and not choose to keep it until after you give birth if that’s what they suggest.
will the stent come out if you strain to make a bowel movement?
My mom was supposed to have her stent removed tomorrow, but DR had an emergency and planned on having it removed on Monday. Well it came out while she was going pee. Happened just now.
Update: Getting close to seeing the Urologist next week (Jan 19) Nobody from the doctor/staff point of view has informed me of anything or what to expect afterwards. Will I still experience a big flow of urine once the stint is removed. Keeping a supply of Depend pads just in case. I finally got a break on the weekend where I didn’t have to take med’s for my bladder discomfort. But that was short lived and the discomfort came back when I had to go to work. Thanks to those who have answered my questions. This has been a very valuable site for me. Hope everyone else has had positive results after your stint removal.
As per my post below, finally have relief from the constant need to pee. My GP gave me a script for Varicare 5mg daily – has changed my life from being miserable to being able to have a resonable life whilst the stent is in. It’s an anti cholinergic. Can still feel the stent in my bladder if I’m too active but at least I don’t feel like peeing constantly & wetting myself when I couldn’t get to the toilet in time. Hopefully my stent will be out next month, never to be revisited. My urologist didnt help me, it was my Physio & GP who finally came to my rescue.
Hello Debby,
When I had my stent removed it was done with local anaesthetic. The urologist applied a cold gel to the area and I was able to watch it being removed on screen, although I tried not to watch. It was a bit of a weird sensation and a bit uncomfortable for a few minutes. I was given some pain relief but it wasn’t as bad as what I expected. I read some horror stories before and even watched a clip on youtube so I expected the worst. It was such a relief to get rid of it. Can’t wait to get rid of this one but will be a month or two before that happens. What keeps me going is knowing that others are going through very similar problems. Good luck with it.
Thanks Christine. I am not even sure that the stint is being removed, as my Urologist was very evasive about giving me information about after having a stint put in. I just wanted relief from my kidney stone pain. I am guess the size of it is was caused him to blast and put in a stint. Anyways, I’ll see what happens on the 19. I have had to take extra non paid days off of work. Something I can’t afford to do, but working as a housekeeper in a hospital I have lots of walking to do and sometimes I am working with the pain. I do have pain killers for it and thank god I have many washrooms available while I do my work. Thanks again. It’s very much appreciated.
My body produces too much uric acid and i regularly have kidney stones. I have just returned from a major hospital where they told me that i have 5cm stones. Ouch.
My question is this, i am continually peeing blood. It change in colour from the bright red, to purple and beetroot red. Ho long can i expect this to last? Should i be concerned about the blood, as it is a side effect. Though i must say the pain is slowly deteriorating and becoming manageable. I have all the classic effects of pain wanting to constantly pee and chunks are coming out in the toilet.
Hello All. Posted a few days ago and I have a few questions. To the women who have had this stint/stent put in, how was the removal of it? I’ve been working cause the bills won’t get paid if I don’t work while having this stent/stint in. I have used up all my sick time that work will allow me, plus some. I work at Housekeeper in a hospital. I do a lot of walking plus drinking all the water that the doctor requested. Still a bit uncomfortable at times. Once it gets removed, what should I expect? Thanks to anyone who can give more insight to this.
It doesn’t hurt to have it removed! The bladder spasms should ease off too
Very sad. Kids marriage life and job – everything’s on line. Is there anybody who should and could understand the human sufferings ?
State must do something in the situations like this.
Exactly. How does anyone expect you to be able to all of these OUTRAGEOUS hospital bills while you’re having to take time off from work? I wait tables and haven’t been able to work for 4 weeks. I have a 1 year old at home and my husband works full time supporting a family of 4, but these bills are killing me and I haven’t even received the big ones yet
So three years ago I was given the blessing of a kidney stent when I was hospitalized for a 9.5 mm stone, and after treatment for infection and dehydration I was released to go home, but no lithotripsy, just me, my stone, n my straw inside my back, I went to my follow up appointment with my uroligist, by the hospital refused to admit me for treatment , meaning anaesthesia so doc can catheter n get the stent n stone
, 3 years later my life is teetering on ruin financially, my marriage is poisoned and being ruined by my constant pain and issues stemming from infections and I’m pretty confident at 34 yrs old I can’t live another 34 this way, the hospital gives me a shot of Dilaudid, bottle of antibiotics. Pain pills and shows me the door every time, saying to see my uroligist, my uroligist can’t do his thing without anaesthesia, that I can’t get without admission to the hospital, who won’t admit with out insurance or cash, I’m at my end, my kids wife and everyone close are suffering too much at this point. Thanks for listening, or reading, god bless
Hi Rick, I don’t know what state you live in that deny you medical treatment because of no insurance. Also, you’re only suppose to have a stent for 3 months. Try going to a state with more free, public hospitals for poor people.
I am in a similar situation. I need surgery but do not have insurance. I do not qualify for obama care, but my state does not offer help for adults without insurance unless you’re pregnant, over 65, or disabled. . It’s a very difficult situation. I’m not sure where you live, or if you have a county hospital, but sometimes they will help you when all other hospitals are refusing to treat you the way you need. I hope everything works it for you. I know exactly how you feel on all aspects.
Go and get insurance . It will be worth it to get better in the long run !!
Cut back on everything and anything at all , drinking , smoking , fav foods , hair appointment .
Get insurance to fix the problem . You can always cancel the insurance in the future !!!!
I’m so sorry for all you are going through. Of all the posts I’ve read yours touched me the most. It’s 4.30 in the am and I can’t sleep. I can feel my stent. Just worried. I will keep you in my prayers and offer up my pain to Jesus for yours, so you can get some relief. I believe in this practice. I can better bear my pain if I know it may help another. God loves you. Things will get better.