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.
On tuesday i had a 17mm kidney stone removed and had a stent put in at the moment its just giving me mild discomfort,drinking about a 1lt a hour but my urine is still red in colour.going in again next week to have stent removed under a general.
I had a ureteroscpy and stent placed, yesterday, 7/31/13. I don’t have any pain, per se, from the stent itself. What I do have is a constant flow of urine. No urgency to go at all, it just runs out of me. Is this normal? I’m thinking “no”. I can’t get up from my bed. My stent has a string, and I have been instructed to remove it on, Monday, 8/5/13. I don’t think I can keep it in another second. Has a stent affected anyone else in this manner?
Hi Tiffany,
My father had one put in yesterday (he has had numerous ones). Yes, he has experienced the issue about not being able to control the urine coming out…it just comes out! I recall it does get better, you just have to heal from the insertion. Good luck to you!
I also have stent and drinking lots of water helps to minimize or nullify the pain during urination. On staurday evening the stent was inserted and sunday the pain was normal, I was also able to work from monday… I would only say, drink lots of water/ fluids to remove the pain.
Reading the above gives some comfort. After 7 years of recurrent urine infections was finally diagnosed with a large kidney stone. When into hospital in November 2012 had stent placed in left urethra, called back in February, 2013 for laser to blast stone. Surgeon unable to remove all of the stone, so a stent was fitted. This stent has caused me untold misery, up in the night 14 times plus to pee, pain and discomfort when peeing, using the toilet every 15 minutes during day with added pain.
Nobody has checked the stent since it was placed. Have not been able to leave the house since February, 2013 because of the constant urge to pee and not be able to control it, so afraid to show myself up in street by peeing myself. Have waited so long for operation to be finished, getting the run around from medical staff, who had a different story each time I rang. Called on the help of my M.P who wrote a week ago to the surgeon, low and behold received letter for admission this Saturday for August admission. I am extremely worried about this stent having been left in for so long without anyone checking it. I am dismayed to learn from reading your comments that I may still have to have a stent fitted after the operation and just pray to God that the operation is a success and peeing gets back to normal and I will be able to get a good nights sleep and be able to continue with my life by going out and meeting up with friends again. Good luck to you all and God bless.
My 87 y o mother has just had a stent inserted after a staghorn kidney stone obstructed her ureter. I had thought that the stent would have reduced the pain she’d previously been suffering due to the obstruction, but it has not abated and she has been released from hospital into my care. Her discharge medications for pain was one Endone tablet every four hours, but they only gave her four tablets. Stupidly, I thought that meant a fairly quick reduction in the pain level, but had to schedule an appointment with her GP to top up the painkillers. She’s been prescribed Oxycontin and I’m now concerned about how well she’ll wean off this medication when the time comes. Her urologist thinks she may be a candidate for lithotripsy but I can see no end of the pain for her. She’s a frail little lady. I’d be happy if she could find relief from paracetamol but, from what I’ve read here, that seems to be wishful thinking. I do thank other contributors here, though, for the hope they’ve given me that all may be well in the end for my little mum. When she cries, so do I and it’s not doing either of us any good!!
Try to keep her as comfortable as possible and have her drink as much fluids as she can. Plenty of water will help flush the gravel out and flush the stent. Stents and pain medication are definite necessities in treating kidney stones. It’s bad enough going through this at 40 yrs old. Stay positive and things will get better. I hope the pain eases for your mother and she has a fast recovery. God bless your mother.
Thank you, John. I’ve had to increase the pain medication (under medical instruction) and we seem to have reached a reasonable level of management. Fingers are crossed now for an early admission to hospital to have the stone dealt with. Thank you again for your advice and good wishes.
Hi guys, I had several kidney stones over the last few years, and I was admitted on Friday once again for a Ureteroscopy and laser treatment to break the bigger stones. They removed one stone and I left hospital yesterday with a stent. I can take the pain, but I am extremely nauseous and my whole body are swollen specially face, hands and abdomen. Did anyone experience similar symptoms? I didn’t experience these symptoms after previous kidney stone removals.
Regards, Lorraine
Hi. I had a stent fitted exactly one week ago. On reading all your comment I thought I would add a quick post as it may help if you are considering a stent, or just had one done.
I have a 7mm stone stuck near to my left kidney which has caused me almighty bouts of pain over the last 3 weeks. My consultant suggested a stent rather than removal of the stone because it was to high up the ureter to safely get to without causing any damage. The stent will be in for 8 weeks then the ureter should be wider to allow them to get to the stone or the stone may have moved south by its self.
The stent – day one, two, and 3 were awful. Needing the loo every 1-2 hours day and night, and the pain when emptying my bladder was just excruciating. I was seriously getting to the decision that I wanted the surgeon to remove it. I was taking pain killers that had little effect. I called the ward for advice and the staff nurse at Huddersfield Royal gave me great advice. Drink, drink, drink and flush the stent! This seemed like the last thing I wanted to do as using the loo was so painful. Take the advise as it works!!! I drank 3-4 litres of water day 3 and 4. The pain got easier and now 1 week post op I’m getting on really well. Very little pain when urinating. Just a little uncomfortable. I also managed to get through last night with only needing to get up 3 times which is a massive leap forward from every hour. I’m hoping to return to work in a few days and will write again when I’ve had the next op to hopefully have the stone removed. Hope this helps – your comment helped me knowing others were experiencing similar problems with stents. Regards. John
I’m posting a update on my kidney stone. I went into the outpatient services the morning of 7/24. I went into the OR at 8 a.m. and had the Ureteroscopy with the laser fiber. The surgery went well and I was into the recovery room in about 40 minutes. I spent about an hour in recovery and was taken back to the pre-op room for the remainder. They had me eat a pack of lance crackers and drink some fluids. They gave me a antibiotic and some pain medication. I had to pee one time before I could be released, which I did with some pain, mainly a burning sensation and had some blood in my urine. A stent was placed with a string attached. I was released about noon and returned home with pain medication. I’ve been drinking fluids and urinating with some pain and a little blood. I’m working with this string on the stent, but it’s not to bad and I’ll have it in for a week till it’s removed. I have to call my urologist in the a.m. for a appt. next week for my follow up and have the stent removed. Being my first stone this has been overwheling to say the least. My pain level was through the roof initially until they placed my first stent on 6/21. I said to my g/f on our way to the hospital today it’s amazing that a little stone, in my case 1.3 cm. could cause what they do. I at least know what to expect if I have any issues with these nasty buggers in the future. I just turned 40 and I told my g/f that this was my wake up call to make some changes with my diet and being more cautious to what I put into my body. Mainly high salt and high oxolate foods and drinking more fluids. I know I’m going to do whatever I can to prevent these. The downfall to this ordeal is the pain foremost, the downtime and the pain medication. I’ve been on pain medication for over a month and I know the side effects of weening away from them, but they are a definite necessity when dealing with kidney stones. I appreciate all the great info on this site and all the posts from all of you that are or have went through this ordeal. On a final note, things do get better and hopefully with research and discussing the issues on sites like this someone will come up with better and less evasive treatments. I wish everyone on here a safe & speedy recovery.
Back in 2006, I had found out that I had kidney stones and had to have them surgically removed under general anesthesia. Once the Dr. had removed them, I had a stent placed in for about a week and although the pain wasn’t nearly as bad as the stones were but it did cause me pain. I was given Percocet for the pain. On July 5, 2013, I started getting sharp pain in my lower abdomen and lower back and became nauseous. Over that weekend, my energy level was so low that it took all I could to walk from my room to the bathroom (which is across the hall) and started feeling hot and sweating even though I had my a/c and fan on. So on Monday, I called out and had my niece brought me to my PCP and found out that I had a fever of 101.2 and my urine was really dark. My doctor examined me and told me to go to the ER and he was going to order some tests. By the time I got to the ER about 1/2 hr later, I had a fever of 102. I had a ct scan, x-ray and ultrasound done and found out that I had a kidney infection and kidney stones in both kidneys which were blocking both ureters. I was admitted to the hospital and had to have 2 stents put in that evening but the surgeon was unable to remove the stones until the infection clears. I was in the hospital for 2 1/2 days and had 3 bags of IV antibiotics and sent home for a script for more antibiotics for 14 days. The pain I was having afterwards was horrible! I had to prepare myself mentally to use the bathroom because my whole back, sides and stomach would cramp up really bad and severe pain in my genitals. The fact that I had the urge to go to the bathroom every 10-15 minutes didn’t help either and may times I couldn’t finish urinating. I even had some incontinence. My surgery is on July 31st and I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to this procedure. I still have these stents in and they are causing enough pain for me to miss work. This is crazy!
i had a 1.8 stone removed two days ago (luckly they found the stone by accident so it never came to a point that it hurt so bad as heard here and in other places- saying the pain is labor-like pain) , and have a stent now, and it’s bad!!! every movment or even when i breath i feel it, not to mention peeing, it hurts bad. not fun! i walk around like hanchback all day, and trying not to move so much. i was wondering if any of you know what can help besides pain killers which i take all day long. there is actually a funny part to this- before i had the surgery many people told me that it’s very simple and i’ll be back to work in no time! on the release form i got from the hospital it says i need to rest for one week, not to exercise too much, and besides that the nurse told me i can do everything including work, but not a physical, and sex (yeah, right) . when i called the doctor today and told him about my severe pain, he said: “yeah, i know it’s painfull, it’s normal”. god. who can work with this thing inside of him? feels like i got an alien stuck in me (a bad kind of alien) and raking my insides. been reading your posts and got so much respect to those of you having to walk around with this thing for such a long time…hope all of you feel better soon!
I’ve had a stent in my left side since June 21. It hasn’t been as painful as some that I have been reading. I think it hits each person differently. I’ve been taking pain meds every 6 hours and they help to a point. I feel pain when I use the bathroom and if I move different ways. I will say the pain isn’t anything like the pain of the stone blocking your flow, it hit me hard out of blue and very excruciating. I don’t know of anything you can do to ease the pain, other than conferring with your urologist and pain meds. I go in for surgery next Wednesday to have my stone blasted, then another stent in for a week. This is my 1st stone and what i’ve read it is a pretty good possibility to get another. These nasty buggers are no fun at all. I hope that you have some relief soon and the pain eases. Keep your chin up and I wish you a quick recovery.
thanx 🙂 u2
I’m a 14 year old male and have a stent in my left side. I had surgery because I have a 6mm kidney stone and narrow tubing. Does anyone know what to do about the back pain?
Nothing really you can do, take advil and stay off your feet, 80% of pain is in your mind for guys because ours is kinda graphic n extra squeamish
I was given an ice pack to put on the side of my back where the kidney is that had the stone blasted by soundwaves a week ago. I was told to use the ice pack every hour for 15 minutes for the first 48 hours. I had my stent in for a week and get it out this afternoon. I used the ice pack everytime my back area started hurting (along with Rx pain pills) and found it very helpful.
A lot of fluids and controlled breathing helped me, I was drinking about 1L every hour or so and my 7mm stone gave me only a few bouts of pain. I may have been lucky however even during the pain the water helps and if you can’t stand the taste of plain water just grab one of those ‘Mio’ or ‘Crystal Light’ flavour additives as there isn’t anything in them that will complicate things.
u need 2 try to get it to move away from the kidney wall,my dr told me to bend over a arm of the couch and hang there.it works once away from the wall it will feel better,
I had a bilateral ureteroscopy three weeks ago after suffering two very painful attacks from stones in each ureter. I had two stents placed at that time. Following surgery, I was in terrible discomfort from the stents but was able to have one removed within a few days. My md recommended lithotripsy for three stones remaining in one kidney and so the other stent was left in. I had lithotripsy a week ago and learned today that I need to have a KUB in two weeks to determine the results. In the meantime I am nearly beside myself with the stent discomfort. I am going to work where sympathy is nonexistent. It gives me such encouragement to read of similar experiences!!
I am a 61 year old female who had a colostomy of the 23rd of October 2012, and I was in Clark Memorial Hospital on antibiotics for 12 days before the procedure. In order to help visualize the left ureter, thus avoiding surgical damage while the ostomy was performed a stent was inserted a couple of days prior to surgery. Don’t remember it, but short-term retrograde amnesia is common with many general anesthetics.. Didn’t ever remember it being done and no one mentioned it. Was in the hospital a while longer, 3 weeks total, and still no one mentioned this. After discharge I saw my surgeon about once a month for several months, and from the outset I mentioned lower left quadrant deep pain, problems with urination, etc. In all fairness to my surgeon, by Feb. he wanted me to have a CT scan, but I didn’t have the co-pay for the procedure. That said, he also did not check my records to see if the stent had been removed, or if there were any further notes from the urologist who placed it. And, as the lead on this operation, it was his duty to make sure that everyone else involved did their job. Over the last 9 months the pain has increased from painful to excruciating and my MD2U people ordered a CT scan (I now have coverage). When the results came back they asked me about the stent. My reply was, “I have no idea what you’re talking about, I don’t have a stent.” But, according to the CT I do. Since it was placed there to help visualization of the left ureter during surgery it should have been removed after the surgery. In other words, a few days. Stents are never left in for more than three months, certainly not nine months. I am going in next week to have the colostomy reversed and I am trying to find a surgeon to remove the stent while I’m cut open anyway. Turns out that among a host of other problems that can be caused by a stent being left in this long, there is the real possibility that ‘kidney stones’ can actually form on and attached to the stent itself, making the removal of the stent a whole different ballgame. I’ve had 9 months of doctors and home healthcare professionals looking at me like I’m just into it because I’m a drama addict, a hypochondriac, or med-seeking. Now, I take pain medication every day of my life for musculoskeletal problems pursuant to being struck by a vehicle doing 50+ mph while working on a freeway 28 yrs ago. I have no problems looking a doctor in the eye and saying, “I’m med-seeking.”;and, I have done just that more than once. But, as I am sure many of you visiting this site are personally aware of, there is nothing so demeaning and embarrassing and belittling and anger-making than to tell a physician what is happening and have them roll their eyes and pat you on the head. Like you’re an idiot or a drama queen or ‘med-seeking’, after which they go back to thinking whatever they thought before you brought it up. If only one person had taken my complaint seriously, really listened I could have avoided months of pain. They ought to make listening a required course in med-school. Anyhow, that’s my stent story…still on-going.
I’ve been reading everyones comments and I appreciate all the information that is being shared. It has definitely made my experience so far at least a bit bearable. Reading all the stories of people that are going through what i’m going through. But heres my story with these nasty buggers. On June 18th I got severe chills out of nowhere, I went to bed and slept pretty good through the night. The next day I went to work, I work 2nd shift. At about 8 p.m. I started feeling some pain in my left side but it subsided after about 30 min. but I was sweating and feeling quite lousy. When I got home I emailed my boss and let him know that I wouldn’t be in the next day. I had all intentions on going to my family Dr. to get checked out the next day. It was about 4 a.m. and this pain returned only much worse and didn’t let up. I went from the bathroom toilet, to the sink, to laying on the steps. The pain got so severe I couldn’t bare it any longer. I had my g/f take me to the ER. After a round of tests, urine sample, blood tests, CT scan and chest x-ray, the ER doctor came to my room with the not so good news. They found that I had pneumonia in my left lung and I had 2 kidney stones in my left kidney. There is a small stone and one that is 1.3 cm. that is causing the pain due to blocking my kidney from draining. I was given some pain medication and admitted. I was treated for the pneumonia and they placed a stent in my left kidney/ureter to relieve the pain, which it has relieved the pain. The pain is nothing compared to what it was when I went into the ER. I was in the hospital from June 20th to July 4th, no fireworks for me. I was released on the 4th and went to my family Dr. on the July 12th for my follow up visit. The pneumonia has cleared up. I still have the stent in and I have a appt. this Thursday at 9:30 at a local urologist. I’m not sure what is involved and exactly what the procedure will be. I’m praying for the best and I am off work for at least another month, possibly two. Thankfully I have a short term disability plan through my work that I can collect on. I also have another issue that I’m a bit flustered about. Last night I went to bed and I started sweating pretty good, I began to feel some not really pain but something in my right side. They didn’t say anything when they gave me a CT scan about my right side, I’m just hoping that I don’t have any issues with my right side. This has all been overwhelming and I turned 40 yrs. old on July 9th. This wasn’t what I was looking for on my 40th birthday. This does make me feel better to share my story with all of you. I’m glad I came across this website, there is alot of great info and great comments. I wish all of you a speedy recovery and all of you are in my prayers. And thank you for reading my story.
I had a stent placed 5 days ago. Today, I started experiencing extremely uncomfortable urethral itching. There is no string attached to the stent that could cause the itching. I’m on antibiotics so its not the UTI and I’m not allergic to the plastic used to make the stent. My guess is that it’s just my urethra healing from the trauma of the stent placement, but just wondering of anyone has any other ideas for what the cause may be or if anyone else has experienced this?
Jamie,
It could still be the UTI. Unless your infection was cultured and the bacteria was identified, the choice of antibiotic is just an educated guess by the doctor. Tell your doctor and they’ll probably order another urine test. This is what happened to me (yesterday). And yes, I’m having terrible itching in the urethra and pain urinating.
I have a stent in due to a 8mm stone stuck and too close to my kidney to operate .The stent causes me pain and discomfort sore when i pass urine esp at the end .I have been caught out a few times not makin the toilet have bn scared to go out now because of thid .I go on monday for my shock treatment and pray its successful n get stent removed soon ….i sympathise with anyone havin a stone and stent my confidence has took a battering i feel awful
Wee update guys shock treatment was unsuccessful 1st time round however 2nd blast done the trick …..waiting to get the stent removed in sheer agony with stent have had to go to a&e few times as pain unbearable
I had a huge kidney stone laser done 3 weeks ago… I have 2 stents in now.They are to be removed at 4 weeks.. Then the renal flow test will show if I have to have kidney removed. I have congenital hydronephrosis on my left ureter and before surgery the kidney had zero flow.. I am dreading having the stents removed. My doctor did not give me any pain meds when I left the hospital. I forgot to ask him at my 2 week post op why…. I will see what the future holds..
Hi guys.. beckie here, 22 from uk… ive had my stent in for five days now after emergancy surgery because of a blocked pipe due to a 1cm stone.when I woke up from surgery I thought i was never going to live with this stent for two months but today it does feel marginally better…I was just wondering whether its possible for all symptoms of the stent to dissapear within the two months…, especially going to the toilet part? And also they are planning to blast my stone in two months….will the stent come out then? Thankyou guys ♥♡♥
I had huge discomfort in the first couple of days living with my stent. I’m sure you’ve found this as it’s been almost 3 weeks since your post but it does dissipate and more-so if you do not restrict your movement completely. Walking around and sitting for short periods seemed to alleviate most of my symptoms within a matter of days (stent inserted Friday and by Tuesday I could carry on standard living)
Had a urteral stent put in at 35 weeks pregnant. It was an emergency surgery since I only have one kidney left after donating a few years ago. After reading some of the comments here, I feel better about some of my side effects. I didnt use pain medication and just bore it all. The added pressure of a big baby (he was 8 lbs 3 oz) didnt really help, at all. The last 2 weeks of my 40 week pregnancy were the worst. I had to wear a diaper if I left the house. If I went from sitting to standing I would pee wherever I stood. I had blood come out every time I went, but did notice the more water I drank, the less blood there was. Nights were unbearable with the back pain, and it seemed like the baby laid directly on top of my kidney.
I am going in tomorrow to hopefully have the stent removed for good without needing a replacement. Im 2 weeks post baby, still really sore from delivering. I can say that the stent side effects are not as intense as they were while pregnant. The discomfort while urinating is still the same but I havent peed on myself since delivery. Yay.
On a positive note for everyone here, The stent does it’s job and although we have major pain/discomfort; we live another day.
Vanessa- I had a stent put in over the 4th at 27 wks pregnant. They’re leaving it in until the baby comes and I honestly don’t know how I’m going to get through this pregnancy. I’m still here now after a day of horrible discomfort and bleeding, just wanting to cry. Reading your story gives me a little courage that I can handle it but also makes me more nervous. My OB already agreed to inducing me at 39 wks but it feels like forever away. 🙁
I had a stent placed in the right ureter about 2 weeks ago to allow the kidney to drain. There are two stones in the Right kidney the one blocking the ureter is >8mm. I hope to have the stent taken out when the stones are removed this Thursday.
My biggest problem is that pain medication knocks me out and I cannot function. i am down to taking one pain pill/day at bedtime. I notice most of my discomfort is over the kidney region (in the back) and in the right groin at night.
My back aches constantly, but I can use divisional activity for the most part, but at night when I lay down is when my back and right groin ache the most.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news but they probably won’t remove the stent as they remove the stones. I’ve had 15+ stones in 9 years. 2 ureteroscopies, and I had stent placement today for a 7mm stone. They will probably leave the stent in for roughly a week in the event that there are any fragments left from the stone. When they do something like breaking up stones via laser or just grabbing the stone and pulling it out, it causes trauma and swelling. Keeping the stent in will prevent your ureter from swelling shut. Unfortunately I will probably have this stent for a while before they can go in and get the stone and then at least a week after. So I’m in the same boat as you. It sucks but the pain is minimal compared to the pain when the stone is moving or blocking urine flow.
I am suffering from almost the same issue. my stent causes so much pain that i went to the Dr today to beg him to remove it. i have an abstraction at the junction of the kidney that has caused my canal to blow out i wish that they would have removed the mass but i guess the kidneys are very fussy about what they will adjust too. so, if anyone has any advice for me regarding what not to do please let me know the right side had been cut out only at the junction and now there is scare tissue. I wish they would have just put a stent in and stretched it out as they are wanting to do now . I haven’t even addressed the left side that is draining at a better rate than the right 53%as to 48% that’s probably on a good day. The stent is soooo painful after surgery it didn’t bother me but now the 2nd time doing a stent it does now should i even attempt the 3rd , to stretch it out for 5 wks grrr. i am so scared and stressed and my Dr. wont prescribe any pain meds. I wonder if there is a way to just remove the whole blown out canal and replace with a new one lol. though i probably cant handle that either.
They will most likely leave the stent in. I had my 8mm stone removed July 6, 2013. They removed the stent this morning, I just want to warn you, it was one of the most painful experiences…afterward, it felt like I was having another stone attack. Had 4 attacks in 5 days prior to surgery. The procedure didn’t take very long, but made me ill immediately. I’m sitting here on the computer now, free of pain and free of the discomfort caused by the stent. While wearing the stent, I didn’t experience much pain when sitting, but standing and walking, I felt like I needed to use the bathroom all the time and my lower back would hurt quite often. I think Lithotripsy would have been a better choice for removal, but they may insert stents after that procedure also.
I also had the robotic pyeloplasty about a month ago. With many complications including severe bleeding from every orifice in my body. I lost my job due to having so many stent placements, Nephrostomy tubes and so on. It has been a whole year of surgeries and a 10 mm stone. Now they don’t even know if my kidney is going to make it. This has been one of the most difficult times of my life. I have no insurance and need a IVP done prior to them removing this last stent if at all possible. My kidney swells constantly, I now after this last surgery have severe pain in my urethra and what looks like an incision that I know was not suppose to be there. I cannot hang on much longer financially this is my last month I can sustain. Who would have thought a kidney stone???? I have a very long history of stones.
There may be a way for you to get insurance coverage.
My life is being ruined by a stent placed after the removal of a 15mm stone.
Lost my job because of urinating on myself whilst serving a customer.
I cannot lift anything without crippling pain. If I had the means I would not move at all until this has healed. Mentally unbalanced becouse of the strain this has caused me to put myself under.
if it is only for a month then things could get better i have such pain too. i am only 30 yrs old and have to deal with this stuff sooooo wish it didn’t have to happen to me. I do know that vitmin c and e help heal and fix scare tissue. to much vit. c is bad so little every day is good
@teryy, get more info before changing your diet. Most (~75% of) kidney stones are calcium oxalate, and for those, having available calcium in your diet can *help* by binding w dietary oxalate before it leaves the gut and gets to your kidneys. If you didn’t catch a stone for direct analysis, urine analysis may help determine the kind of stones you form. If yours are calcium oxalate, dietary treatment would focus on avoiding oxalate, NOT calcium, which you need. But it is tricky, since lots of high-oxalate foods are healthy in other ways. I’ve been told #1 priority for reducing kidney stone formation is avoiding dehydration. #2 is avoiding excess salt. Other diet adjustments and meds (potassium citrate most likely) are less sure to help, though now that I have “too many to count,” I’m going to try those more seriously as well.
Stone blocking ureter – resulted in septic shock. Emergency surgery saved my life. 17 stents in 3 years. Changed surgeon and expected implant. Received a stent with a string for removal with the “chance” that ureter will stay open. Removed yesterday (one week later) by the family doctor – painless removal. Now, I’m drinking like crazy, but not urinating much. Worried.
Wow — I can kind of relate. I have had bilateral stents done 3 times in the past 3 years, with my 4th stent procedure scheduled for the end of this month. I don’t have stones — I have a birth defect through which, long story short, my left kidney is all but entirely blocked at this point. I have had nonstop flank pain/pressure for over a month now. I am also nauseated a lot, tired, itchy, and have frequent headaches. I am expecting to have a robotic pyeloplasty done this fall (to cut out bad part of ureter and reattach). Problem is that the “bad part” is literally right up against the base of the kidney, making repair difficult for even the best surgeons. I am hopeful that they can do this, though. I can’t bear to keep getting the stents — having them in, especially bilateral stents, is unbearable.
I had just got that done last year and now i have to get stents because of the (a given, does happen ) scare tissue. so now its blocked even more ! and i have a hard time w the pain of stents they want to expand the stent the 3rd time around do to the kidney junction that has a narrowing i may have been born with. Im scared and going to get a second opinion and the stent taken out early because its just to much to bare
I have one put in a few weeks ago not a big deal except at night I seem to have to go to the bathroom a lot which is normal so I have read will add to this as time goes on
I guess different people tolerate stents differently. The doc put a couple in April and will swap them in July but so far the only discomfort I feel is when I have to pee. The back pain starts as I’m about to go and doesn’t ease up till I’m finished. I hate having the stents but I need them right now. The doc is thinking of just removing them without replacing them. I can only hope
yeah
exacltly same here.
pain killers no good. only caused constipation. stayed off them and bore the pain. Like you said they are needed.
I did a little research into how kidney stones form and there are various theories. One of them is too much calcium in diet. And i was eating loads of figs . . . later to be told figs have a very high content of calcium..
beware.
I hope you don’t have to replace the stent i hope it did the stretch it was suppose to do good luck