Pain after Ureter Stent removal

I had a stent for 1 week after my 1st stone was removed. Since the removal of the stent, I have had waves of severe back pain similar to the initial pain I had when I discovered the stone. I heard the ureter can spasm as it heals and this blocks the urine flow in the kidney causing the pain. How long should this last? What is the best way of managing the pain?

[Dr_Veena]

Hi,
      Thanks for writing in. Pain after stent removal can be due to recurrence of stones, stricture in the ureter or inflammation. I would suggest  that you get a ultrasound done to check the possibilities. In case of stricture immediate action needs to be taken to prevent scarring.
I would suggest that you visit your urologist and discuss the above mentioned possibilities for further advise.
Best.

[jellyfishguy]

I too have kidney stone like pain a year after stent removal. It is now unbearable and noone seems to believe me because I've been x-rayed for stones and there's nothing there. Has your pain subsided or did they find out what was wrong?
thanks!

[Auburn2000]

I too had a kidney stone removed, mine was  by blasting as it was stuck between the kidney and the baldder. 7mm  After they removed the stent ( after a week) I had pain that started in my back like a backache then it spread to my hip area then around to my front. I caused me such pain I had to take a pain pill.  I called the Dr and they said it was normal to have that after a stent removal.  Well about every month since then I have a reoccurance of the same pain.  It has been about a year and a half since my surgery. I have had three CT scans and 2 more MRI's and they don't see anything that would be causing this pain.  They said maybe it was from stress that when you have stress it goes to the place that has a weakness.  It is very annoying not to mention extremely painful.  If I catch it right when I start to get a backache and take medication I can handle it but spend most of the day on a heating pad. It would be nice to know if this is normal and from what I am reading, I am not the only one that is going through this type of thing.  Wish they could pinpoint a reason for it.

[sickofpain08]

I had surgery to remove kidney stones on 09/16/09 and a stent was placed. Stent was removed on 09/22/09.  I was pain free for about three weeks. On 10/19/09 started having some back pain. By 10/22/09 i ended up at the E.R. with excrutiating pain. Doctors ordered CT Scan, Ultra Sound and found nothing. They make you feel as if it's all in your head and you are making it all up.  they make me feel like i'm a pill popper/pills seeker. I don't know what else to do if i take pain killers i can't function and if i don't the pain is unbearable.  

[lmueth]

When was the 1st time you had the pain? Your story and mine are on the money identical and i am in pain as i type here. i dont know what to do. I had my stent removed this morning and had the burning/cramping initially then felt better through the evening. No pain for a couple of hours except urinating. Then I started to get a back ache and woke up about 4 am in severe pain. My pain progression and locations have been just like yours and i almost feel like i need to have a bowel movement. a lot of pressure. help!

[Mdaggs7106]

I have a stent in now. I am a 24'year old male that handles pain really well, but I all but cry every time I pee. I have sit down to pee cause the pain is so bad that my legs give out and I fall. The stent was part one of a two part precedure, but I was informed after stent placement that the lythotripsy was too much money and without insurance wouldn't be done. Now they won't even remove the stent. It's been at least two months and feels like a lifetime of cruel and unusual punishment. I HATE THIS. :-(

[hangern]

I'm getting a stent removed this week. Has ANYONE found it to be "not so bad" and has anyone NOT had problems afterwards? I could really use some encouragement!  

[jeffthebaptist]

I was admitted to the hospital on 3/14/10.  The CT scan showed no stones, but because of a history of gout, the urologist felt like it was uric acid stones which may not show up on the CT.  A couple of days later they did the cystoscope and put in a stent.  They still didn't find a stone.  I was passing large amounts of blood and having severe pain.   After 5 days they took out the stent and the pain got worse.  I was released from the hospital on 3/22/10, only to have to go back to the ER the same night due to even more severe pain than the original.  Today is 3/25/10 and this is the first day I've been reasonably comfortable.  My urologist still says it's bladder spasms.  He has now put me on a medicine to help with those spasms.  Hopefully I'm over this now.  I've been out of work 2 weeks, I have to get back to work.

[melyssa55]

i had a laser lithrotripsy surgery last thursday 4/22 and had the stent removed monday 4/26. after it was removed i had random back spasms and STILL pain when urinating, yesterday i began having unbarable pain about 2 minutes after urinating in my bladder area and it lasts up to 2 hours...is this normal...its only been 8days since the origional surgery so i feel as though i am still recovering but havnt felt this bad of pain since this all began
thanks

[Davulia]

I had a lithotripsy thur, April 29th. I have been in severe pain since then. I had a stone lodged in my ureter about the size of a quarter. My urologist had to go in 20 times to get the pieces of stone removed. Then he placed a stent in. I have called my Dr. office now 3 times because of the pain. 1st the nurse said all this pain was normal, so I decided to just deal with it and not be a "baby". After 3 days of pain and urinating blood clots, I called the exchange and the Dr. on call said my Dr. or the Hospital forgot to give me a script for bladder and kidney spasms. I got that script filled hoping for relief. NOTHING!!!!! I wanted to return to work on Monday (today) but I could not bare the pain. I also have an 8 month old that I have not been able to take care of due to the pain. I called the Dr's office again today and they said "ohhh the Dr is gone for the day so there's nothing we can do." That sent me over the edge so I asked her if anyone in the ER could remove my stent, she advised me if the stent doesnt have a string the ER cant remove it b/c it requires a special procedure to remove it. I've been waiting on a call back for an hour now from the Dr. to find out what I can do. I am very unhappy and cant believe nurses and Dr's would let their patients suffer like this. I pay alot of money for my insurance and this is my life they are messing with. FYI, my discharge papers say that urinating blood clots are a bad sign. It could mean you have a clot in your kidney. I will do whatever it takes to get this stent removed, thats how awful this is. I had a baby and it wasnt this bad.

[ray1953]

After much anxiety about having a stent removed a week after litho, I must say that my fears were totally unfounded. Minor discomfort, not pain and then it is over. A few hours later a sore back feeling kind of like being hit in the side. Initial urination was irritating, but tolerable. Pyridium (sp?) for a couple of days will help.

Do not fear removal. The apprehension is 10X worse than the actual procedure.

[Davulia]

I recently wrote about a lithotripsy and placement of a stent. I finally got to see my Dr. on Wed. May 5th. I had a KUB x-ray (kidney-ureter-bladder) that shows the placement of the stent and tries to pick up any kidney stones left behind. The x-ray takes about 3 minutes and then goes straight to the DR. to see results. My results called for another trip to the O.R. TODAY! My urologist had to remove the stone fragments as well as my stent. I was protesting having the stent any longer. My DR. was nice enough to remove the stent as requested but I now face a few risks. I had to have a steroid based anti-inflammitory injected into my ureter because it was so inflamed. I take a chance at my ureter closing off and needing another stent. I told the DR. no way will he hear from me unless the pain becomes so unbearable I can no longer take it. My back does hurt pretty bad and I still have a small sence of urgency but I can tell the stent is out. Maybe I have really good pain killers now, but I feel better already. Im sure the back pain will subside after a few days. I just have to be closely monitored due to the inflimation. Im not sure what to expect or how long the pain will actually last, so if anyone has been through this please share with me your experience. Oh and I never stopped passing blood clots, which the Dr said can be just as painful as passing a kidney stone itself.

[pat108]

I had a kidney stent removal today at about 1230, its now 1040pm and im in excruciating pain, taken demerol, will pain subside

[StaceRdz]

I had severe pain on my left side under my ribs for a day with fever and chills and feeling a bit disoriented so I headed to the ER. Once I was in the hospital I was told that I had to stay over night for observation. I ended up staying there for a week. I was told I had a severe intense kidney infection. Different studies, xrays, ct scan and even 2 mri's finally showed kidney stones. A double j spent was put in and that was  12 days ago. Every time I go to the restroom I am in immense pain. Is this normal? My next appointment is not until 6/23/10. I was not aware that this was going to be so painful.

[share44]

I had 2 stones removed from my left kidney 10 days ago...1 was 10m"m and the other 12m"m. The next day i was sent home with a "pigtail" stent in me. I was given 500m"g antibiotics pills to take (enough for 51/2 days) and 2 days ago i got it removed. Two days ago i went to the hospital to get it removed even though they insisted it could be done by myself at home.It did not hurt at all but i like to be safe than sorry. A few hours after, i had side pain and bladder pain (pretty severe at times). The first time i pissed it hurt a bit and at the end of the urine i pissed pure blood. I was scared. I drank lots of water and each time i pissed it got better...it's been two days since, and i feel and urinate fine and with no pain/blood. I hope i helped and keep healthy

[krowe3333]

Hope everyone gets better.  Yes stent removal is *ell.  External stents are far worse than internal.  And after 50 kidney stones I have a whole lot of answers or help.  Yes I have had spasms with internal and external stents in.  Yes stones DO hurt when they move in Kidney and Do hurt in Bladder when they move.  Yes I believe Radiologist are not accurate when reading IVPs, CTs, Ultrasounds, etc.  

This is exactly what I have been through since my 1st stone when I was 18yrs old and I am 34yrs old now.
Last week went to ER and in severe pain-yet say renal colic, no stone-although passed stone 2 days ago-looks like a 2mm.
Yet at ER or Urologist look at me like I am just wanting pain meds and they really have no clue.  
I get a CT Scan every 6 months and have 4 stones in left kidney and 2 in right kidney.

Please read my post about kidney stones (says something like Kidney Stone & this is my story) cause I need someone to talk too or someone that is or has gone through all this agony.  You will understand if you go to my post.  Thanks for listening/reading.

I have been through several urologist & they just don't know.  They say you can't feel them in your bladder or kidney--yes you can and have spasms from them.  I have passed over 50 kidney stones, had basket surgeries, had lipotripsy surgery, hundreds of IVP's and tons of CT scans----now a few times they say yes it is a stone, but 98% of time they say no stone.  Then I pass it later at home.  I even started putting my hand in any toilet that I have passed a stone and picked it out-brought home-put in plastic bag-had some sent to lapcorp-calcium oxolate--and I felt and feel like I still nee to do this (get out of Mc donalds toilet, walmart toilet, my toilet-) & put in ziploc bag to bring with me to show these "radiologist/doctors" that there is people like you and me that are not taken seriously.  Sorry I am so bitter-had a 1cm kidney stone blocked kidney while 4mths pregnant and duration of that pregnancy and both me and baby were almost lost.

[venkat77]

I have surgery and the stone was removed ,but stent was place tomorrow i am going to DR for remove of stent

Does it pain a lot while removing ?

[EnriqueM]

I had the stent surgery last week. The pain was hardly anything at all after the surgery. It was MUCH less than the stone itself. Mine was 7mm caught in the distal ureter. I pulled my stent out tonight as instructed. Pulling it out was not painful, it was just uncomfortable more than anything. It was a strange feeling but I would not classify it as painful per se. It was a piece of cake. I read so many stories on here of the surgery being horrible and the pain was horrible, but for me, it wasn't. I am taking Ibuprofen for pain as well as Dilaudid as needed. I will say this, I had not had any pain for three days other than the pain when I would urinate. But after the stent removal, I am having some dull pain in my right flank. I believe this to be normal. I am passing blood clots again in my urine, but that is to be expected.

Let me put it this way, I HATE pain. I am a medical student. I had the surgery done Thursday morning and was back in class Friday morning. Im just ready for all of it to be over so I can  move on and get back to normal. I hope I never get a stone again.

[jillybean437138]

I had a large kidney stone removed on July 22, 2010.  I had the stent removed a week later.  I was fine for about a week after the stent was removed and then began to have pain in the kidney in which the stone was removed.  Since then the pain has gotten worse and worse.  It has now gotten to the point of where I am on the heating pad constantly when not at work and I am always taking pain pills.  What kind of a life is this.  The pain is CONSTANT whenever I lean down to pick something up off the floor or etc, so I avoid doing that.  When doing other things the pain lasts about 15 seconds, then goes away, only to return 15 to 20 minutes later.  It is a sharp pain, and stops me from whatever I am doing.  I just stand still and wait for it to pass.  The reason I haven't been back to the dr. is because I had no insurance with all the dr. appts prior to my surgery, and the surgery and hospitalization so I am making all kinds of monthly payments.  I am avoiding going back to the dr. for that reason, and honestly doubt they would let me come back until I am paid up.  Is this pain all normal and what I have to live with maybe cuz it takes a long long time for the kidney to heal up?  I hope this is the case but I hate living like this.  I handle pain very well.  Having the stent removed was a piece of cake...just like having a catheter put in, but these waves of pain I have now are really taking over.  Any help would be much appreciated.  Thanks.

[littlemama66]

I removed my stent at home myself.  I was so worked up about it hurting, that it really did not hurt.  I was fine until about 30 minutes later, then I started hurting just like having another stone.  It finally went away about an hour later.  Now I have pains in my side/back ever so often.  I removed the stent on a Thursday 2 days later still having pain. Does this sound normal?

[bigred777]

On 11-02-10 I had a stone removed, and a stent put in. I WAS MISERABLE  with that stent. Yesterday. I was so relieved to get the stent removed,,but by the time I got home I was in pain. The same pain like when I was trying to pass the stone! Then I look at this site and alot of people are going through the same thing. I don't know if I should stay home and suffer or go to the er

[tracey3409]

could you tell me your symptoms prior to having your stones removed please i have had numerous kidney infections this year  i have another now my back is really hurting but not like a stabbing pain plus it feels on fire it is also along the bottom of my back im fed up of taking antibiotics and the infection coming back about every 8 weeks

[kuhlst]

my kidney stone story is long.  but will try to make short.  wanted to comment bc i saw jellyfishguy from oct 3 2009.  my story is similar.
i have had three procedures.  two lithotripsy's and one laser lithotripsy. the last laser was 9 months ago.  and i am still having pain . have had ultrasounds , xrays, kub's. had a second opinion in sfo which was a waste of time (they basically said i looked constipated in my xrays and i should go home and poo and maybe the pain would go away!@ really?  also have gone to a gi dr and to my gynocologist. know one knows why i still have pain.
urologists make me feel like i am crazy. but i just keep taking tramadol everyday for the past 9 months.  non-narcotic works well but you have to eat with it.  sometimes i need to back it up with ibuprofin.  
was told by someone ligitimate that it could take up to 18 months to heal from a stent removal. told this to my doc and he said "ive never heard of that" but why would they.  stents stay in such a short period of time and there is no alertnative.  the terms of  4 days vs 18 months. people would freak right?  we are not crazy. hang in there anyone with long term pain.  i am counting down my months.  9 more to go.  

[AnthonyF75]

I am having my stent removed on Tuesday 11/30/10. I spoke with the medical assistant on the phone today in hopes of moving the date up, but they are only available Tuesday. The stint is uncomfortable. They taped the string to the shaft of my penis, but didnt leave enough slack. I gave myself some slack, but it still hurts when I walk as if like the string is cutting into me. My kidney spasms when I finish urinating most of the time. The blood is pretty much gone in my urine, but it still burns while urinating.

The medical assistant today told me that the stent removal may cause excruciating pain. If the pain is unbearable they may have to put another stent in. That didnt make sense to me. After reading these posts I am really nervous. I cant afford to take off of work, I just started a new job. I am miserable. I will post my stent removal experience next week. Hopefully I will be the one that brings a positive non painful post.

[ridthepain]

I had a stent on 11/18/10. this was after complictions of a hysterectomy and my ureter was kinked in sutered tissue. Due to not being able to get stent in initially 11/17/10 I underwent a nephrostomy tube. That at least helped the back pain. Went back to the OR on the 18th for the to reopen my hysterectomy wound to find why my ureter was kincked. they opened the suture that had mu ureter kinked and then they placed a stent that will remain in me for 6 weeks ugh. I ahve complained about the feeling that I have to urinate all the time like a UTI and not go very much and the pain in my ureter when I'm done. I was told this is a foreign body and that this is normal. I felt pissed with this answer since I am a registered nurse and knew this. I can deal with the on and off bladder discomfort and the back discomfort but the urethral discomfort is insane and hard to get sleep. All of your stories make me nervous since I have to endure this for 5 more weeks. I will try to see if he will order ther pyridium and see of this will work. Will I ever feel normal? Being a nurse you don't always have the time to urinate every half hour.

[lisastoltey]

Ok so on 11.19.10 I had a 10.2mm kidney stone removed using lipotripcy after caring the stone around for a month waiting on the procedure. I had a stent put in two weeks prior to removing the stone and had bleeding for about two days after it was put it and then during the procedure my dr. put in another stent and again I bled for about two days and then nothing now a week later and I am bleeding again lots of bleeding.Is this normal? I have had about 30 stones this years so my body and I have gotten used to the pain I mean I didnt even have that much pain with this big of a stone in me so I am not in a lot of pain now but I am worried when I get the stent removed I will be in a lot of pain... Is that true?

[BB85]

I had my stent  removed in December 2009. The procedure is very quick and only a little painful for half a second.  It wasn't near as bad as I anticipated.
Almost a year later I am still in pain after eating or drinking cold liquids.  For the first 6 months I would be dying to get home from work to get into a warm bath for pain relief, but every month gets a little better.  The only thing that helps is the warm baths and heating pads.  

[kmbic]

My 23 daughter just had her stent out this morning and has already experienced really bad pain.  Has anyone tried advil or Ibprofen to help with the pain from the spasms?  She has missed all week because of the stent and the pain I even had her in the ER 3 days after she had the stone removed and the stent put in with pain that couldn't be controled. She can't keep missing work with such pain that casues her to throw up.

[CMW1012]

im 19 years old and this is my 3 time having stones, only this time i had 4 at once, this is the first time i was unable to pass them on my own so they placed stints in saturday and i am scheduled to have them removed thursday. i cannot take pain pills because i am a recovering addict so reading all of your posts makes me very nervous for the removal because i do not handle pain well at all obviously. has anyone had their stints removed and had little or no problems at all? your comments would be greatly appreciated, thanks

[Stone_man]

I recently had a stone removed and a stent placed. Immediately after surgery I had severe discomfort ( I woke up from anesthesia dreaming that i needed to pee and could not) they gave me morphine and sent me home. the stent was mildly uncomfortable but whenever i had to pee it felt like I was pushing out a box of razor blades. That got a little better about 6 hrs post op. The key was to drink a lot of water. The more urine the less the pain. I had the stent in for 3 days and removed it myself per instructions via the exposed string. I was very nervous but the removal was actually not a real big deal at all. I had some spasming like pains for about 20 minutes which were very tolerable.....then all hell let loose. I started to get back pain in the same area as when I had the stone. Within an hour it was worse than the actual stone itself. I called the urologist and he told me to take 2 percocet  and 600mg of advil and it should help the pain. after 2 hrs of hell I finally went to the ER. The pain was so intense i felt like I was going to black out. The ER administered 3 shots of Diulidad within 30 minutes (told me it was enough to knock down a horse) and it basically brought the pain down from a severe 10 to a painful 9. They then gave me 30mg of tordol. Within 20 minutes the pain was very manageable. I know they use tordol for athletes to help manage inflammation. It has been 36 hrs since i left the ER and with the exception of some mild spasming everything seems to be better(knock on wood). My advise is dont be to proud to go in and seek pain treatment. I told my ER doctor that i felt like a big baby having to come in there but was at the end of my rope, he said that he wished the urologist would use less stents because he see's a lot of stent removal patients. His parting words were "Don't worry about it, we have far more pain medication than you have pain" :)

[paininthestent]

I had my stent removed today at 12:30pm. It is now 10:36 and the pain far exceeds any medication I am taking. From a scale from 1 to 10 is a 6. 10 being when I went to the ER with an impacted stone a week ago. Does this improve? What really helps?

[jcloke]

my story is almost identical to yours! i am a registered nurse too, has a complete hyst...but my ureter was stapld shut. had neph tube, abcess (abscess) drains..ureter reimplantation surgery...and now the horrible stent! i wish i knew your email so we could chat. mine is ***@****
i hope you are feeling better!

[shellzee212]

are you okay now?
That sounds awful to not be able to get your stent removed.

[stonecarrier]

I had my kidney stone removed 5 days ago. I too had a stent put in. 2 days later I went to the dr for removal. While it was a little uncomfortable it was certainly bearable. As far as recovery ...I had cramping for the first 24 hours after removal. I made sure I drank A Lot of water and rested with a heating pad on my side. For me this worked well. I still have occasional discomfort but I can function. Something I haven't been able to do for the last two weeks.
I feel so bad reading all the other posts of individuals who have endured terrible recoveries. If you are reading this to get an idea of what to expect than just know that each of us is different. Don't expect the worse. You will get through it!

[TJB0869]

Wow, I think you all have had the same experiences I am going through. I went to the ER on 4/24/2011 was admitted and had surgery for removal on 4/25/2011.  Stent was placed and removed on 4/28/2011. 2 hours later I was back in the ER where the doctor told me everything looked good. CT, Xrays, Blood work....  Back in the ER 4/29/2011 and looked at like I am crazy because Xrays, Urinalysis, blood work all came back normal. They mentioned Spasms, and that they saw swelling in the CT scans... However today is 5/2/2011 and I am still having the pain....  To many people experiencing this for it not to be a serious issue.

[ABH8605]

Wow, I'm super nervous now. I have passed 30+ kidney stones in the last 4 years (I'm a 24 year old female). On 3/10/11 I went to the ER again, and had a stone in the left ureter. After CT Scans, an IVP, an ultrasound, another ER visit, and my urologist going on vacation, it was not removed until 4/15/11. I've had this stint over 2 weeks now, and get it out tomorrow. I have been miserable for 2 months. Going from having the stuck stone, to having this stint, it's just one bad phase to another. I can't stand for long periods of time, I have to pee ALL the time, and as soon as I stand up I have to go. Peeing is still super painful, and it's gotten to the point where I can't sit flat on my bottom, especially in dining room chairs, in the floor, any hard surface. After reading all of this, I'm not so nervous to get the stint removed, but I'm really scared of the pain tomorrow evening. I'm hoping all goes well. Good luck to everyone else out there. Reading all the posts of how your doctor and ER visits have made you feel like no one cares is comforting to know I'm not alone, but disturbing that this is so common.

[LindsayLove]

I know thus is old but I am in ur identical situation, mdaggs7106, they placed my stent bc if a huge 2cm (20mm) stone. No insurance, the urologist said they'd prob do a litho, but I slacked off n didn't go to my local clinic n now 6 months later I have the stone, the stent (which got rid of stone pain but the stent itself is incredibly painful n bothersome at all times) AND a kidney infection that I just finished my cipro for,  only now Im nauseous n dizzy all over again (the exact symptoms I went to er with 2 wks ago when they investigated n diagnosed my infection). I was up every hour literally from 3am until 7am n haven't stopped throwing up since then.

I was hoping u could update me about ur situation If ud be so kind. I'm terrified to think that ill be stuck like this. I hope ur situation worked out n ur well. Thx for ur time

[Nannyoftwo]

I am home today, had the laser lithotripsy on Thursday, thought I had a DVT this morning, but turns out it's an side effect of the anesthesia.  All of this started with 9 stones on 2/15/11.  I started a new job 1/24/11, so my question to all of you......are you still employed?  I've blown through all of my sick and vacation time.....am having more surgery in about a month or two (unrelated), and am very worried I won't have a job when it's over.  thanks for any input!

[George1251]

Hi All, Just had a stent removed after 10 days following my ureteroscopy. I am fortunate that the removal was no as bad as I thought it would be after reading these forums. Dr. pulled it out while distracting me in less than 3 seconds. I had the thread sticking out. It was annoying to live with the thread but I guess better than having the Dr. go in an fish itout with a cystoscope. No pain on removal, just a strong feeling of your bladder about to burst with pee. The feeling lasted for a few hours after I got home from the hospital. Then I started feeling pain in my flank for another few hours. I took some oxycodone when I got home because I have read here that pain can come after stent removal so I think it helped. It is now 8 hours after the removal and I am almost fine now. I have been drinking lots and steady in the washroom. I was peeing blood for a while so I'm trying to flush my system out.

I think the pain that comes after is due to blood clots being dislodged. I think when the stent is pulled out it dislodges the blood clot formed inside the ureter like when a scab bleeds when you scratch it. once the pain stopped, the blood came.

I feel bad that som many folks here have not had great experiences but to anyone who is worried about the stent removal....it's not that bad. I had the thread so I can't speak about the cystoscopy. But after reading this forum, I am so glad my Dr. used the thread. Ask your doctor to have the thread!

Good luck all. This is my 5th stone but first time I needed surgery. I feel your pain!!

[friscodollie]

Omg I have been in pain for over 2 years now after my kidney stone removal. They think I am crazy. Its like the stoner x2 all over again ALL THE TIME! What do I tell them?

[jmein]

Feb 17 2011 awoke to unrinate pure blood.  No pain involved just blood.  Immediately called my Doc and went in.  Long story short after a battery of tests multiple times Urologist and Nyphrologist decided biopsys were needed.  April 22 hand biopsy on both kidneys, ureters, bladder and prostate.  Stents were placed in both kidneys at this time.  PAIN was unbarable for first 4 days after with pain killers.  Stents were removed May 6 2011.  Was on meds for pain, bladder spasms and avodart for prostate.  Now no blood never had stones but the pain in recurring.  Some days better than others.  My urologist is very nice guy, we are around the same age (39) and he said the pain may come and go for up to a year.  Hang in there all.  P.S.  Still no answer as to what caused this issue..

[Chanybaby501]

I had my kidney stone removed last Friday and took my stent out on Monday, and I have been having these terrible kindey spams . The pain is worse then before my stone is removed. It brought to tears. What can I do to make it go away and how long does this last. This is worse than labor =(  Please help and Ideas would be greatly appreciated. I feel like I have to over medicate myself to feel any relief.

[Aud288]

I had a stent removal today. it all started in June last year 2010, I was 9 weeks pregnant and had severe pain in my back and was constantly throwing up for 3 days, they thought I was losing the baby.. as they couldn't do x-rays I had an ultrasound but there wasn't anything clear, so Dr said I had a UTI ??? ( i knew it wasn't that as this pain was 100 x worse) anyway another 2 days had passed I went to ED and rushed through to another hospital where they put a stent in as they couldn't see what the blockage was... at 20 weeks they tried to take it out and it had become encrusted as it had been in too long so I now had to make a decision what I wanted to do as anything else that could be done would put me into pre-term labour. After going in a few times they decided to best wait until I had my baby so all up I had the same stent in for 11 months. It had got to the point where I couldn't do much as carrying a baby to full term and her wriggling and kicking around was very painful and everytime I went to the toilet there was lots of blood.. so I went in 10 days ago to get it removed under a General and it had taken them 2 hours to cut it away as it was completely stuck... when they investigated they had found a 10mm kidney stone so they blasted that and put in another stent, for about a week after that it was painful to go to the toilet but soon subsided and I just had a constant ache where my kidney is..... I had the other stent removed today and it was fine I even got to watch it on TV, was very interesting little bit uncomfortable but OK, feeling good now just a little bit of pain in my back and that's it so I am hoping that will be it :)  

[hitechhate]

ive had an on going issue with kidney stones for 3 months now on may 4th i had a stent placed then removed on the 12th of may the pain wasnt to bad when it was removed although now its been removed im still having pain in my lower back and groin almost 3 weeks later is this normal my urologist kinda seems to blow me off saying its normal but never giving me anything to help with the pain its becoming very frustrating any suggestions would be great

[gidgett54]

I had a 13mm stone removed and placed with a sent April 14th. When my Dr. visited me after the surgery he informed me of a minor complication, they tore my ureter while exiting so I had my stent in for six weeks. The pain was horrible and placed on many medications. There was A LOT of blood in my urine, I couldn't even take a shower without being in excruciating pain. Went to the ER due to extreme pain and copius amount of blood in the urine. They found nothing. Had the stent removed may 27th and its now the 29th and pain is returning. Anybody know what I should do? Please help  I'm a 24 year old mother that needs to get better for my daughter.

[kevin_r]

I've had several stents removed, and though it feels a little rough for a while, I guess I've been one of the lucky ones to have not suffered the long term renal colic that everyone here is talking about.   It is a known medical condition, that the DEA has scared all the urologists from treating properly.  I've had about 40 or so stones, with 9 documented lithotripsies, and 6 ureteroscopies, and a PCNL procedure.  It is always much better to do it without a stent as far as I'm concerned.  I have nothing but problems while they are in, and have the ureteral spasms that are the chief pain of kidney stones.  Some would tell you the hyrdronephrosis is the main cause of pain, and I'm here to tell you, I'm an expert.  It is the ureteral spasm which is the chief culprit for pain.  There is a new medication which seems to help a little for pain control and ureteral spasms.  Flowmax does help with ureteral spasm, and phenazopyridine seems to be a decent analgesic as well as an aid to spasm.  
As far as I can tell, a stent has been really useful in treating a patient, that when one is installed, the doctor doesn't view the pain in a way that it is an emergency requiring his presence in the middle of the night.   Without a stent, you could be suffering from a swollen kidney (hydrophrenosis) which can be a legitimate emergency which would require the doctor to actually have to go to the emergency room in the middle of the night, to alleviate the swelling, so that your kidney doesn't burst.   I've had both conditions, hydrophrenosis to the point of a kidney bursting, and it was somewhat painful, but for me the real pain has always been the spasming of the ureter that accompanies the bodies' attempt to eject the stone from the ureter.  

There has been a problem in years past, where heroin addicts have learned they can go to the hospital with a kidney stone they've had for years.  You can have one of these silent stones for a lifetime, without any symptoms.   These addicts have learned that they can "trick" doctors into providing pain meds, so they try and game the system.   The DEA has gone hysterical over this problem, and intends to stamp out prescription drug abuse, even though they admit it will cause legitimate pain patients some problems.  Their position from what I can tell is that nobody ever dies from pain, but we all know that's a crock.  Lifetime persistent, untreated, or poorly treated pain has indeed led to suicides, and other complications which have claimed peoples lives.  Its a moronic position they have staked out for themselves, but they have been able to successfully insert themselves between you and your doctor without so much as a protest.  Nobody really cares, until they have a problem with getting treated properly for pain.   Write your congressmen, even if you aren't currently in pain, and ask them to reign in the DEA on this issue.  After all, congress appropriates how much money the DEA can spend enforcing a particular law.   The DEA now has in place a computerized tracking system, which tracks patients visits to doctors, and any pain prescriptions that are written.  This system is connected to all pharmacies, doctor's offices, and hospitals so that they are able to identify drug seeking individuals, and how many of you knew it even existed?   If you fill two prescriptions for pain pills a little too soon for the DEA's liking, your doctor gets a nasty little letter from the DEA, naming you and warning the doctor that you are a drug seeker.  Once the doctor gets this letter, he is on notice, that providing you with continued pain medication can be viewed as being a drug dealer by the DEA.  This is when the doctor/patient relationship gets really weird, without you knowing why.   If you go to another doctor, he will get the letter within a week of writing you a prescription for pain medication.   Pharmacists are involved in this system as well, in that they are supposed to monitor the purchasing of pain pills, and report those they believe to be abusing the system to the DEA.  Once the DEA receives a report, they investigate whether you refilled a day early or not.  

Over time, the DEA screens this database of names, and now, the unique patient identification number, for patterns of abuse by individuals.   It is apparent they view drug abuse as a greater problem than being treated for pain properly.  It is their purpose to stop drug abuse, and they don't care to what lengths they have to go to, because they believe in their cause.  People like me, who disagree with them, are the enemy.  I have run into this problem over the years with the DEA and I guess they now have enough documented evidence that I am not a drug seeker, but someone who does develop large kidney stones, frequently.  I have the CT scans, IVP's, and MRI's to prove it.   I have had stones larger that 1 inch develop in me.  I have passed stones almost a half an inch around (11mm x 11 mm) which is a pretty big stone.   I have become paranoid about the relationship I have with my urologist, and ask him for pain pills very sparingly.  I believe after all the years of knowing me, and actually asking me to take his prescriptions, that I have convinced him I am not a drug seeker.  I suppose if he got one of the nasty letters, he might feel differently but for now, I have built a relationship with him, of trust.  It means I limit my pain medication use, such that I do have pain at times.  I have had him yell at me because I have done so, and it has boosted my blood pressure off the charts, being over 200mm HG, on the top number, and over 110 on the bottom.  I have learned to play the game by the DEA's rules, which means I have to limit my use of pain medications.  There are strong non-narcotic pain meds that do work, but for side effects reasons, they are reluctant to hand out.  The one that comes to mind is Toradol.  It is supposed to be as potent as morphine, though I don't think its quite that strong, it does take the edge off enough, to pass a stone sometimes.  Doctors are becoming more and more reluctant to hand it out, due to GI problems as well as some kidney problems.  

[lilymerc]

I have passed two stones about the size of two rice kernels stuck together.  But I was told I had one large one about to drop down on my right kidney, so I decided to have surgery.  Well, it turned out that my ureter was too small so my doctor had to insert a stent to stretch it out so she can get to the stone.  the stent itself is annoying painful.  I was on pain killers for a week and hated that kidney spasm I get when I urinate.  It feels like having a bad urinary tract infection which I am told is normal.  In two weeks I have to have surgery again this time to get the stone out.  The doctor says that the pain shouldn't be so bad this time, because the stent is in.  But I am scared.  I had such a bad experience with the first surgery because I am diabetic and was very weak after that surgery.  The first time I had to urinate it felt like urinating glass and felt I had to vomit at the same time and nearly passed out.   After that it gets slowly better, but then you have to deal with the stent which is very uncomfortable.  My doctor said that despite all this, it  was lucky I had the surgery because their was no way that stone was going to pass in my ureter.  Well, now I after reading about stent removal I want to be prepared. Are their any medications that worked for the pain you are all describing?

[Grexnix]

Here is my unfortunate kidney story to add to the misery in a timeline fashion.  At least I am feeling a lot better now (touch wood).

I had the laser lipotripsy surgery on Wednesday, June 22 for stones in the left kidney. The surgery went well and I had all 3 stones removed.  I am still in some pain but nothing like a few days back.  In sequence, this is how things played out with me:

1)  Went into hospital on Wednesday, June 22 @ 10:00am.  Surgery was scheduled at 1:00pm.  No problem here and the doctors just did the usual blood tests, heart checks, etc. prior to surgery and explained the procedure.  All the doctors were very nice.

2)  Woke up after surgery in the recovery room feeling groggy and sore.  I had the urge to go pee but couldn’t ( the nurse said that I had been emptied prior to the end of surgery).  I also had a stent installed during the surgery to prevent blockages while the swelling goes down in the kidney & ureter.  A stent is a flexible tube from bladder to kidney that holds the ureter open to prevent further blockages.

3)  While in the recovery room I was given lots of water, morphine, and other drugs (Percoset) to dull the pain.  If I didn’t move, it didn’t hurt too much (just a strong dull ache) but if I moved, I could feel that stent in my kidney and bladder giving me the urge to pee.  When I had to pee (and that was very frequently), that was the ungodly part as the stent caused the pee to back up in my kidney (in addition to coming out normally) and I could feel the kidney inflating like a balloon while peeing and causing excruciating pain.  I could only pee for 3 seconds before the pain was unbearable.  On top of that I was peeing lots of blood due to the surgery and the fact that as you move (i.e. gingerly walk to the toilet with the IV bag), the stent rubs against the inside of the kidney causing it to bleed more.

4)  I got out of hospital, all drugged up, at 8:30pm and could only hobble about.  At home, all I could do was lay on the couch as I was trying not to bend over due to the stent (no sitting).  That night I had to pee once every hour (the blood at least eased off as I wasn’t moving as much when trying to sleep) but still had the terrible pain of the kidney inflating.

5)  Thursday, June 23, wasn’t a great day.  I was peeing blood all day again and could feel that stent moving and kidney inflation pain (spasms??) while peeing.  I was drinking lots of water and taking Toradol now every 6 hours (helped a bit with the pain).  I didn’t sit all day and got constipated from the drugs.  At least Thursday night I got more sleep and only had to go to pee every 2 hours or so.  However, this night I was peeing blood again which had me concerned.

6)  I had the stent in until June 24 (Friday) when it was removed at 11:00am at the clinic.  That wasn’t too painful at least, just a very weird and very uncomfortable sliding pressure feeling as the stent was pulled out (no drugs for that but at least it only took 5 seconds to pull it out).  I felt much better afterwards.  However, the doctor should have told me to immediately take some pain killers as I found out afterwards (from the internet) that the ureter gets inflamed and goes into spasm after removing the stent.  I didn’t know this and was in excruciating pain in about one hour after stent removal as the ureter got blocked (temporarily) from the inflammation and the kidney backed up with pee again.  This pain is the same pain you get when the stone is blocking this tube and leaves you breathless on the floor in agony.  I had that occur about 5 times that day at different times (each time lasted about 20-40 minutes).  It was also occurring due to mini blockages caused by blood clots passing from the kidney and getting somewhat stuck in the ureter.  Horrible pressure feeling and only relievable with lots of water & drugs (the water causes more pain initially but the additional pee pressure caused by drinking the water forces the clot down the ureter and out of the body).  Once the spasms die down and the clot exits the body, things feel almost back to normal, just sore (a hot water bottle over the kidney helped me also).  With the stent out, at least I was no longer peeing blood and the pee was no longer inflating my kidney while peeing.  I could also bend over easily again.  It was a whole lot better  but I still had to contend with the (frequent) ureter spasms and blood clots coming out (not fun at all).

7)  That night I had a big clot that passed through and even with the drugs and hot water bottle, I couldn’t get rid of the pain.  It started at 4:00am Saturday morning (June 25) and I was rolling about in agony.  By 6:30am, my mom called the ambulance and I was in hospital ER again with more morphine and more potent pills.  The clot passed in hospital and the doctors checked for infection (which was negative) and blood in my pee (invisible to the naked eye but positive).  I got out at 10:30am on Saturday morning.  I had a few more clots passing / spasms on Saturday but things were finally getting much better.  Saturday night I only had to get up to pee twice (still drinking lots of water to keep things moving).  Sunday morning I had one more small spasm (hopefully no more) and I took my pain killers.

Now I just need to survive all Sunday (day and night) and consider if I want to try to go into work for Monday.  I am still fearful of more clots passing as I can feel fine one minute and 15 minutes later be on the floor in agony until the clot passes.  I guess I'll keep taking the pain killers but so far things are at least improving.

8)  Sunday evening and I still have a dull back ache but nothing too painful (yet...).  Hopefully I'll make it out of this yet.

[GregS210]

    A little nervous of course. But, I read comments of what people went through and thought of a process.
    A few days before the procedure I thought of some of the worst pain that I could think of. My first kidney stone in 1979. Crawling on floor in the mens room waiting for a spot in the emergency room.
    So, by reading comments I prepared myself mentally. I took a pyridium about 7 am for the 11:30 am removal. Then at 9:30 I took a vicoden.
     My urologist was great. Talked me through the procedure while he was doing it. Told me what I should feel. While it was a bit of a discomfort he was done in about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes not much pain. It took about a hour for my bladder to simmer down. Drank a glass of water per hour for 4 hours and used a heating pad on my back 20 min on 20 off for about 2 hours. By 7 pm I was as good as new.

[hornzup]

Tell your doctor to give you a shot of Tormadol.  It works within 15mins and you will be pain free.  I too had a stent removed and 18 days later I still have some burning, blood and kidney spasms.  The pain can be so severe I feel as though I am going to die.  My doctor gave me a nasel spray of tormadol to take at home.  It works just as good as the shot, howvever it is very expensive, I have very good insurance and I still have to pay $50 a vial and there are 5 vials per box. My pain is getting somewhat better, but I am still on Uribel for the spasms.  That too works pretty good.  Good luck and I wish you well.

[britt486]

I Had a stent put in almost a month ago and i am in so much pain. When I do lost of walking i bleed like crazy down at the end of my vagina it feels like the string cuts in and makes you clench onto something and it might sound bad but i have to put pressure on it.  I have 2 kidney stones and I was in so much pain from that and now in pain bc of the stent. I have surgery on the 9th can the pain be any worse after then Im having now?

[tiffanyk0517]

I had surgery last Wed. to remove 2 kidney stones on top of one another, lodged in my ureter. They placed a stent afterwards. Yesterday, I had the stent removed and let me tell ya, it wasn't comfortable. It might not've been so bad if the doctor would've been a little easier on me. Definitely worried now after reading all the posts about their experiences after removal. The immediate pain and urge to defacate after the removal was very aggravating. I didn't have problems with the stent while it was in. ''/

[tiffanyk0517]

I just had surgery last week with two stones. There's no pain comparable. I'm not sure why they placed a stent with the stones still intact. I had the laser surgery to blast them then a stent was placed. It burned to pee the first couple times after surgery, but later that evening, it wasn't bad at all. I still have alot of nausea and if I walk alot or do too much, my lower back really hurts. After seeing what all these other people are saying about their experience, it may be due to that stent. I had it removed yesterday, but mine didn't have the string. The doctor had to go through my urethra with this metal rod about the side of your pinky finger, took a scope and put it inside and pulled the stent out! I thought I was gonna come out of that bed...it was the insertion of that rod that hurt the most. Good luck though. Hopefully you get some relief.

[kindey1234]

After reading all of this I couldn't wait to reply with my results since everyone made this seem so negative.   I had a 6mm stone and severe scar tissue in the Ureter.  It had to be dilated just to get to the stone.  None the less, a stent was placed 10 days ago after an operation.  It had a string.  Today, after much anxiety, I went to the office to get it removed.  Wow was I nervous.  I took 600mg Ibuprofen 1 hr before hand and 2 percocets 325mg.  I went to the office, went back, doctor said ok, pants down, take a deep breath, now you are going to feel a little discomfort, are you ready...I said, well, what do you consider discomfort and he said "that" and within 1-2 seconds, the entire cord and stint was out and he was taking off a glove.
It had a small burn on the penis, didnt hurt, just a little sensation.  I immediately felt relief in my kidney!  the Stent was starting to hurt.  it is now 4:25pm, stent was removed at 2pm and I have cramping.  He said I would.  Its not excruciating, but its just a kidney cramp.  He recommended a heating pad and more ibuprofen.  He also gave me Uribel to take which would help if there was any discomfort during urination.  I havent gone yet.  Overall, its ok, not a big deal, just bearable pain which should go away by tomorrow.

[forexample]

Just had my first kidney stone experience and would like to add it to all the extremely useful accounts on this page.  I carried 2 stones, 7-9mm for 5 weeks, starting with terrific ab pain.  Made it to the ER about 2am, got IV pain killers, hydration, CT scan and sent home w/diagnosis of 2 stones.  A week later -- needing narcotics daily -- I finally saw a urologist.  The stones had moved a lot, he said we should monitor them & then went on vacation.  After another week pain subsided, stones reached distal ureter and stopped moving.   After 3 more weeks DR returned, scheduled OR & removed both stones under gen. anesth, and left a stent in.  Had intense burning pain for 2 days and a lot of discomfort with stent.  Having stent removed was very uncomfortable but not too painful (loc anesthesia - lidocaine - applied).  There is a lot of evidence that a stent does nothing in the case of routine stone removal, see e.g. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11956421.  I'm 53 and anticipate recurrence and will next time request no stent.   After initial week of pain, worst part of whole experience was a) been left in limbo for 3-4 weeks with no plan of how to proceed if stone did not pass and b) having stent.  Most complete explanation of why stent used:  "that's the way we always do it".

[pcothran]

After reading some of the comments here, I wanted to add my GOOD experience about having my stent removed (3 days ago).  

The nurse used some type of spray to help numb the area and then the doc inserted a scope and pulled it out.  I felt some pressure, but it was not bad at all.  I felt just a little uncomfortable for about an hour afterwards, but since then I have felt WONDERFUL!!!  No bleeding, no discomfort.  I feel completely normal again!  Although I still have to drink plenty of water, I am no longer having to run to the bathroom every 5 mins or constantly having the urge to pee.  My stent was in for 4 1/2 weeks and i would compare it to being 9 months pregnant, with the baby sitting on my bladder.  The "baby" has been delivered and now I feel wonderful!

[godmudder]

Great! Not looking forward to my stent removal tomorrow.. I went to the Er about 2wks ago to find a 5mm stone on my left side & a 2mm stone on the right(no big deal there) well I followed up with the urologist & he took another xray and confirmed the 5mm stone was in the exact same position it was in 10days prior and it was an obstructing stone.So i had a surgery sched for lith-etc..come to find out when they went in they could not locate the stone?? So my dr still put a stent in...What they don't twll you is the horrific pain your going to be in, I can take alot of pain, but this was-is ridiculous..painkillers(no help) other than upsetting my stomache..Detrol la probably is helping a bit..The biggest upset is, THEY DO NOT TELL YOU WHAT TO EXPECT! Pain is one thing, but its a whole different story when you are expecting it..I never would have got the procedure done, especially when the stone disappeared..As I was told if I would have passed it, there would be no mistaking it..Now I read the horror stories of the removal..CANNOT WAIT...

[Intrepid1]

Thank you sooo much for your post.  I had a stent inserted on 9/14 after stone removal, and the discomfort is more than unpleasant. It's PAIN!!   Vicodin every three hours helps as does drinking tons of water.  However, after reading most of these posts about stent removal, I am quite concerned.  Due to have it removed on 9/22.  While I look forward to being rid of the pain caused by the stent itself, now I'm worried about what comes after.  Yikes.  

[jc0411]

I had 3 stent placements and removals last year. I had an artery sitting on top of my kidney and didn't know it. Apparently I was born with this and it finally decided to cause me pain a few months after my 21st birthday. The stents were by far the most painful part. I had to have them before and after each surgery. When I got my last stent removed I made them put me under anestestia. When I got my second stent removed I was put into the hospital less than 24 hours later. I couldn't keep anything in my stomach (not even water) and was in excrutiating pain that not even hydrocodone would help. Little did I know I had an infection in blood stream that took over my whole body. During this entire time the hospital didn't let me eat or drink. It totaled 13 days of no food or water. I lost almost 30 pounds and I wasn't very big to begin with. So i say if your having pain after a stent removal to see your doctor IMMEDIATELY...the e.r. doctor couldn't believe I had lasted almost 24 hours without seeing anyone in that much pain. I could've died. So please please if you have pain in your kidneys go to the e.r. or your urologist. They will do test it is nothing to mess around with...it is an extremely painful thing to have to go through.

[supersmk]

I can definitely relate. I am a 15 year old girl...this a kidney stone the size of 1inch almost. (20mm by 13mm). also have one 7mm by 8mm. I had a stent put in 9/15/11 and I am getting my stones blasted next week, 9/26/11. but the blasting might not work because the stone is just too big. then they will have to go up my ureter with a laser and physically touch the stones to break em up. NOW KEEP IN MIND...I am 15 years old. oh, did I mention I have 2 smaller stones, as well? so 4 total. I am having bladder spasms and it hurts. but my god..I'm going to be in pain after this?

[SarahL2491]

thats far out........I take dilaudid every day and although am sure am on somebody's list somewhere but I carry CT andX-ray reports showing my stone blocking my ureter.  I cannot take tylenol and codeine so am left with few choices.

I carry a black notebook with dividers for every ER visit and surgery and doctor I encounter with this stone problem.  If I go to an ER, I make sure they look at the CT before prescribing pain meds, so they are aware that I am not drug seeking.

I think that if you have these reports, it backs up your rationale for wanting meds.

[Laura067]

I know every story is different, so I thought I'd share mine. I had my first kidney stone when I was 12 years old. I am now 26 and have passed over 400 now. Honestly, most have passed with no problem and minimal pain. Of course some have been severe putting me in the ER doubled over in unimaginable pain. I've only had to have lithrotrispy once so far and 2 basket extractions. The first extraction I didn't have a stent and ended up with a kidney infection. Most recent surgery was Wed 9/14/11 where I had the stone removed and a stent placed. The stent was worse than having the stone. I couldn't sit comfortably (had the string), The back pain was HORRIBLE! I was sent home with 7.5 lortab that didn't even touch the pain. The doc then gave me 10mg and I took that every 4 hours on the hour, If I waited even an extra 15 minutes the pain was too much. I def peed blood the entire time the stent was in, including clots. This didn't bother me bc the dr had told me this would happen until the stent was removed. The first couple days it was really hard to pee bc the burning and pain was awful, but it did start to ease up after a couple days. I had the stent removed in the mds office on Mon, 9/19/11. It took 1 sec and sure it was a bit uncomfortable but so fast I hardly noticed. Right away I felt relief. It's now been 3 days since stent was removed. I'm still having some pain, but not enough to even take meds for. Still having some urgency as well. Doctor said this was normal. My concern now is that yesterday I started feeling really nauseous and vomiting. I took a phenergan around 2pm and slept till 7am today. Now I'm feeling weak, having hot flashes, feel nauseous and weak. My biggest concern now is that there is too much edema. The last thing I want is another stent!!!!

[debfershin]

HI EVERYONE, I SYMPATHISE, THIS IS ALL VERY TERRIBLE,  terrible, my experience same as everyone elses... was in the hos. for a week, stent put in, removed a week later and i feel like my bladder is going to blow up! feel bloated all the time, i'm afraid to like drink from a used glass, or germy things, are running thru my mind, and who knows,my bladder, i spent that week in the hos. , the dr. who removed the stent, was vicious and crude, and could not tell me what was wrong. altho, this is gross, he showed me a pic of my ureder, and one end was inflammed and nasty the other end, ALL CLEAR, what gives.   i'm still sick.... never EVER had this problem and i've had weigtloss surgery, and three knee replacements, staph, 'sigh', can't wait for death,, just kidding. i'm only 54!

[laurelinthegolden]

I had a lithotripsy last Thurs. for a 5mm stone. My ureter is small so the stone was stuck. They had to do a cytoscopy and insert a stent. I woke up in intense pain and a massive urge to pee. I was told it was bladder spasms. Got doped up and went home. Burning while peeing was bad, as well as blood. Had spasms for 24 hours then both the burning and spasms diminished. Had some pain in my kidney and lady parts due to the stent. Took pain pills when that happened. Also peed blood. Stent was majorly uncomfortable! Got the stent out today. Not a pleasant experience. It was a little painful, not gonna lie. Dr. said I might have some pain in the next 24 hours so I immediately popped a pain pill to catch it before it started. So far, so good. It feels WONDERFUL to have the stent out! Hopefully the pain will be minimal. We'll see.

[stentman1967]

Had a stent placed on Oct 5, 2011 and was susposed to have it removed 2 weeks later. Long story short, appointment got changed until Nov 3, 2011 (tomorrow).  I have been urinating bright red blood everyday since, I am so tired all the time I can barely work.  Life as been *ell since.  I have to take 1000mg of Tylenol 3x a day, making sure not to go over  4000mg a day because of liver toxicity, and 600 mg of Advil just to get through a day at work.  Urologist told me to go back to work the day after the stone removal surgery.  Yeah right. I was off a week and could have stayed home the full month because of all the pain I had.  After reading all the comments, I will definately be taking pain meds before the removal tomorrow.  Will keep you posted.........

[Chevy68]

I went to the ER on Oct 19 because of severe pain. Found out I had a kidney stone and they scheduled surgery the next day. I dont know what pain meds they gave me but they really worked unfortunately it only worked for 4 hours and then I needed another pick-me-up.They went in and got it (4-6mm) and placed a stent. I just remember waking up in recovery and having the urge to pee. I had never seen so much blood come out of me. Just like the OP and many others on here, I had pain while the stent was in. It felt as if I was getting kicked in the kidney every time I went. It only lasted maybe 15 minutes but it was painful. Well, I had the stent removed on Oct 24 and let me tell you, it was a unique experience, one of which I would not like to have again. The pain during urination stopped but a constant pain replaced it. I was still taking my pain pills just to get through the day and I slowly started to ween myself off of them after a week. I feel much better today and I am completely off the pain meds. I just wanted to add my experience since this thread helped me understand that this pain was fairly normal and that with most people, the pain goes away. To those who still have pain, I hope that you will soon be pain free.

[SarahL2491]

I had the blasting and then a stent for 3 weeks.  It was very uncomfortable but doc gave me bladder spasm medications and pain medications and I found sitting on a heating pad really helped.  

After the stent was removed, I was nauseated and had bladder pain when passing stone particles (they DO have to come out after blasting, they don't disappear - so if you are looking for instant relief, sorry) which got better and better as time went on.

I go back next week for my 3 months check up and x-rays and have not passed particles in a week and my appetite is coming back.......so STAY HYDRATED........that's important, even when passing particles.

[Debrenee]

Thank you for your answer cause I am about to go thru it all.  Had a stent put in in the er over the weekend.  When my fever subsides for a week, I will have lithotripsy.  I have a 17 x 12mm stone that was blocking my kidney.  You just made me feel better with your stent removal story!  

[hae1732]

wow am I glad I found this site.. will try to sum this up as quickly as possibly... 33 days ago I started getting a back ache.. very active so thought it was so big deal maybe just lifted wrong... next day progressively got worse.. by Monday evening i was in excruciating pain.. (worse then child birth) next morning not wanting to wait in emergnecy room for hours as I was in so much pain went to my drs sat in parking lot ... when they opened I called they couldnt see me fours hours no can do .. I went in they say my condition (how i looked) and immediately brought me in.. they thought it was a kidney infection an highly dehydrated they gave me an IV 4 bags of saline later sent me home with meds My dr called the next morning to ssee how I was i was getting worse he had me come in 4 bags of saline with IV again... and still not better ... set up an appt for ct scan for next day... ct scan revealed almost a 2 inch kidney stone..and they did emergency surgery following day and put a stent in.. since then I have barely function .... I cant stand for more the 3 -4 mins at a time... i cant walk far at all... I go to work sitting is hard ... but i have to go to work ... do i suffer through the day... leave work come directly home as I am in to much pain to do ANYTHING and too exhasted as this really wears on you and your body (takes a toll physically and mentally) mind you I am a extremly active person normally walk/jog 5 miles a day go to the gym and normally have a HIGH tollerance for pain..and just all around active til bedtime ... when I cant stand for more the a few mins at at time and cant walk more then 2 grocey isles before having to leave ... and the dr really seems to not care... oh gee got distracted... 2.5 weeks after stent was put in... they finally did lithotripsy... (dr was  going to wait a month...however I demanded the lithotripsy as soon as the machine was available..2 times a month machine is available at the hospital and is booked... i demanded  ... and they put me in at the bottom of the list for the next time lithotripsy (ESWOL)  was available... that was last tuesday... yesterday in so much pain i called the dr and said he needed to see me that this isnt normally to be in this much pain... (mycheck up appt wasnt suppose to be until the 28th... ) she said she wouldnt remove it... not asking that ... but see me sooner to schdule another lithotripsy again... they think because my stone is so large that it is going to take numerous lithotripsy to break the stone completely..not sure if I understand the dr and his train of thought several lithotripsy but you want to schdeule them every 5 weeks... knowing im in this much pain... and cant walk sit stand nothing... i see him Thursday... i will see what he says and take it from there i guesss... any suggestions ? Oh he also said in the beginning of all this that surguery was an option ... but then changed his mind the following day ,,,but did not give an explantion as to why... it wasnt until expressing my displeasure with him to the nurses at the hospital was i given the explantion as to why they do NOT stypically do surgery any longer and lithotrisy is the best way and safest way to go... nurses said they would have to make an incision in my back (3-4 inches) put a foreign object into my body ( when they do that ... it is the bodies automatic reaction to fight it and will imeediately start forming scar tissue when ever the foreign object is going... mind you they would have to go to my ureter (this is where the amost 2 inch stone is) once you have scar tissue you are just looking at even more porblems then just a kidney stone... and could possibly end up with a stent for ever if scar tissue is so bad... (so with the nurse explaining all this ... I know understand why he doesnt want to do surgery ) and hearing all that would not want it... but i would like a dr my dr to at least do more lithotripsy then evey 5 weeks... especially since i have to have this stent in til stone is gone... i have never felt so much pain... and it is really taking a toll on me...

[berkeleybob]

I went 11 years in between my first round of stones and my second. The first ones happened when I was 34 and after several missed signs by my doctor, I was able to pass them at home with all of the normal symptoms, back pain, a feeling of "internal heaviness", painful urination and finally the burning and tearing pain of actually passing the stones. The 3 stones were small 3 - 5mm but they hurt just the same.

Round 2 last month. 12mm stone, went in for lithotripsy and got an internal stent. The lithotripsy makes you sore, but no big deal, lots of discomfort and pain for me from the stent. Blood while urinating for a week or so, dilaudid for the pain. I made it 8 days with the stent before I was about to lose my mind. Getting the stent pulled out is a brief but unpleasant experience, I got a small infection, a month later I still have a little bit of discomfort, but have my energy back.

Several people have now told me that they use Apple Cider vinegar mixed with water and a little bit of honey as a stone breaker and as a preventative cure. Google it, apparently it's a folk remedy that's been used for at least a century. (It sounds worse than it is to drink). There is also an Ayurvedic Herb - Pashanbhed that is supposed to work pretty well when trying to break down the stones. I'm trying to stay really aware of how much water I drink and making sure my urine is always close to clear (very diluted) and that seems to help the most.

[SarahL2491]

just to let you know, I went back for my x-ray last thursday and am stone FREE, no more particles.........yeah.......................now to keep them at bay!

[saki001]

One way of getting rid of kidney stones in 3 days with a natural remedy, i just did it and it worked , you need to drink 1 glass of radish juice (long white vegetable that looks like a carrot) first thing in the morning for 3 mornings, ok this sounds easy, the juice burns its bitter and vile, try rinsing ur mouth in mouthwash several times and during drinking the radish , i also have a stent in and im in pain because of it called my dr 3 times this week without getting any reply i want it out, i will get another cat scan done to make sure there gone, u can tell the radish juice works because you see dust looking particles in ur pee all day for many days this is the break down of the stone.

[SarahL2491]

if it were THAT easy saki-001, every doctor in town would be prescribing it.

[southwesterner]

Following successful laparoscopic kidney surgery, I had a urethral stent in place for 6 weeks.  I had symptoms as from a mild bladder infection, including urgent urination. In order to go back to work (requires air travel) I had to get an external catheter (very convenient for men, guess women have to use pads).  My main problem was not knowing what to expect and worrying about these symptoms.  Removal of the stent was psychologically challenging, but the actual discomfort was modest.  I had no subsequent pain or symptoms either immediately or during later months.

[mitch1102]

I just had a stint removed and my back spasm are bad. I been using a heating pad and toridol which is an anti inflamation (inflammation) narcotic. You can pull a stint out yourself if you can. I been going through this for several long years now. Good luck to all that hurt welcome to the party

[richsmeds]

Appreciate your compassion for all of us that they think are drug addicts because we are trying to get our normal life back. Going through a whole day with no area's of discomfort would be heaven. I was radiated and had 61 seed implants in the same area of urether that stone was blocking 95% of flow. As pain was getting worse - the M.D.'s said it was side effects of cancer treatment. My onocologist noticed after 6 months that my pain was not normal - he asked urologist to put scope up urether - after emergency surgery size 8mm - actually growing into wall of urether. I have 5 months since surgery -  still hurts when walk. At night they have put me on ambien to sleep and hydro-codeine for the pain. It works. I am walking in pain during day - as work eliminates any medication as communication can be distorted. I can't wait to be normal again.

[SarahL2491]

Could someone "bump" this conversation, its thread is so long it takes forever to get to the bottom and the new conversations.

Also, women can have external catheters too!  A bit trickier, but can be done

[Briandor1]

I had a 8mm stone that moved out of my kidney into my utere. Went to the ER Nov. 13 with severe pain in left side. They did a ct scan and a gave me Keterolac for pain, worked well. They performed Lyptotripsy Dec 2. The stone was to hard to get it all. The following Sunday back at the hospital for laser-scope surgery . They got it this time with a few particles that I passed on my own with no pain.The Dr. did put a stent in for three days. Was a little worried about getting it out but it was a piece of cake, he had strings tied to the stent in the bladder threw the penis. He just pulled it out with no pain, just felt different. Also no pain since.

[SarahL2491]

sombody needs to "bump" this thread up, its way too long....

[angiegirl99]

I'm getting nervous reading all of these posts. I'm going to get my stent removed tomorrow morning, and I don't see a string so I'm pretty sure they will do the cystoscopy. But I am not going under anethesia for this part. Up until now, I've been looking forward to getting the stent removed because of the horrible pain I've been in. But from reading this, it almost seems like the worst pain comes after the stent removal.

For almost two years, I've been complaining of horrible flank/lower back pain. I passed kidney stones back when I was 13 (11 years ago) and I had told my doctor over and over that it feels like a kidney stone and asked to be sent for a CT scan. After over a year of begging, he finally sent me for the test. And what do you know, I had a 15 mm kidney stone stuck in my ureter just below my right kidney. My urologist said he thinks it's been stuck there atleast a year because it was actually embedded into my ureter and he had to "dig it out". Fluids were built up all around my kidney causing swelling. He said I may end up with permanent kidney damage because of the work he had to do on my ureter. So far, I've had 2 laser lithotripsy's done to remove the stone (where they go in with a scope through the uretha and bladder, and crush up the stone with lasers). The first was on 12/7/11. They told me it wouldn't be very painful and that I would be fine to go back to work the next day. They said some people have "minor" pain with the stent in but that most people don't even realize it's there. BOY were they wrong. In the past 3 weeks since my first surgery, I've missed 8 and a half days of work from the pain and nausea. I was in HORRIBLE pain after the first surgery. The stent was causing muscle spasms and really bad burning pain all the time.

The doctor wasn't able to get all of the stone the first time, so I had another laser lithotripsy done on 12/19/11, where they removed the first stent, and placed another one after surgery. The pain wasn't as bad this time because they were able to get the whole stone out of my ureter. But the burning pain was still there from the stent, and for some reason I've had horrible nausea for about 6-7 days (kinda ruined the holidays..). Unfortunately, some of the pieces fell back into my kidney and the doc said they're too big to pass. So I have to have another surgery next month to break up what's in the kidney using ultrasound waves (they say this next one won't be as bad, but I still have to go under anesthesia).

Anyway, I am now ready to get the stent removed from my second surgery. I go tomorrow morning and I'm so worried that the muscle spasms and back pain will come back again. I have some dilaudid left so I plan to take some of that before my appointment. Hopefully everything will go as smooth as the doctors seem to think it will. They DEFINITELY make you think that none of this will cause much pain; but in reality it's just as painful as passing the stone/having it stuck in your ureter.

I will write back after the stent is removed tomorrow, and update on how my pain is.

[angiegirl99]

Hi all,
I wrote in two days ago and said I'd update. I had a cysto stent removal yesterday morning, and I'm happy to report..... SO FAR SO GOOD :) So for those of you reading this, there are some cases where everything goes smoothly.
The actual removal was pretty painful. But it only lasted about 60 seconds and then everything was done. Had some slight burning when I would urinate the first few hours. But other than that I've had NO pain at all. And I have so much relief now that the stent is gone. The only thing is that I'm having a little nausea. But I have no idea if this is related or if it's just my body's way of saying STOP feeding me all this medicine!!
Luckily, I'm done with the meds. Haven't taken anything since yesterday morning other than a pill for nausea. The urologist said in a few months he's going to have me do a 24-hour urine sample so that he can try to find out what's causing these stones. Hoping the pain stays away and that this is the last I will see of any stones (probably not, but one can hope!)

[kidneykris]

Had SW lithotripsy surgery to remove a large stone on 12/13.  This is my 4th time having SWL done in 8 years.  In the past the stone has busted up and I was able to pass all fragments.  Not so lucky this time.  I went back 1 week later for stent removal and always have a KUB done prior.  KUB showed 5 fragments were in my kidney - 2 showed up rather large on KUB.  Told me to drink more water and try to pass in 2 weeks then come back.  Went back on 1/4.  KUB still showed 2 large fragments in kidney.  Doctor insisted on removing stent and to try to pass the 2 stones w/o the stent.  I was in outpatient surgery for about 3.5 hours total - Bill arrived and was $35,000 - thank god for insurance! Problem is I travel alot for my job and my anxiety level is super high because I know I have 2 stones to pass.  Doctor said he may repeat SWL in a month or 2 if they don't pass. As for stents - I have had both types - with string (1X) and without (3x).  The stent with the string is virtually painless to remove.  The stent without uses a scope to go up through your urethea, bladder to remove.  Good news is the procedure is fast 1-2 minutes.  It is uncomfortable but once the stent is out that part feels good.  Usually there are fragments that need to come out after stent removal and that is just like passing a stone - so the day of stent removal usually come with a fair amount of pain until you pass the fragments.  Also my stent was removed about 30 hours ago and I still have a strong burning sensation when I pee.  Also some discomfort in penis.  Your back may spasm for awhile after stent removal.  I usually take a oxycodone 1 hour before stent removal and then again when I get home.  Good luck to everyone.  Maybe medical science will improve on removal and find a way where we can prevent us from getting these awful stones!

[urmig]

hi this is kiran here I need Help from u Guys PlZZZZZZzz
PLz Read this carefully im in trouble
My mom operated 3 to 4 months before for stones & had stent for 2 month almost but after removal of stent my moms condition become critical & she felt a lot of pain & get admitted again. In ultrasound there was a minor stone but doctor said there is no stone in kidney. Doctor said that stent have to place again in kidney for relief becaue she felt pain after removing stent. I Admited my mom & when doctor started operation ther was no stone he showed me in operation theater & Doctor Said that never need to place stent in kidney again.
But my mom was feeling continuously pain and lot of pain .doctor said that you mom perhaps feeling appendix pain so took her for operate .so took my mother to other hospital for appendix operation but in that hospital after doctors treatment they came to the point that it was not appendix pain but the veins etc Swelled due to she suffered in a lot of pain .
But Dr that operated my mom was stick to his point that she has appendix so he agreed all doctor  for appendix operation. After operation my mom come in faint after one day n she felt a lot of pain again. I m too much worried Because my father is not with me(dead) I m alone & elder. After that operation her digestion system was effected N what she ate never digest & become gas & his belley is swell.

Now what I have to do I m in a lot of tension because no doctor can understand my mothers diseases  .one disease end other started .my mother is in a lot of pain, plz Guys help me I need you doctor
Now I cant take my mother anywhere because I don’t know what I have to do for my mom
I just find this way to solve my problem
Who will read my comment plz reply me at my email plzzzzzzzzzz & God Sake
***@****

[Markandbrandy]

I'm a 30 yr old female who had a stent placed 2days ago. I was admitted through the E.R. when I went in with left side pain. They did a CT Scan and found I had one 4mm stone in my left kidney. The stent is giving me discomfort an pain. I've been feeling very sick to my stomach and also constipated like you wouldn't believe. I dont handle pain meds well so I have only been taking Tylenol. The did send me home with something to take for spasms. Seems like it gets worse at night. Does anyo else experience pain like this? I'm extremely nervous about getting it removed. I hear the pain is so much worse after removal.

[kathyfont]

I had a kidney stone that was a  9 cm in size This was Nov 2011..I had this pain and   frequent urinary tract infections, At least 4 UTI in 2 months.So my Dr did a cat scan and found a  stone, he removed the stone and then placed a stent in my ureter. The next day he took the stent out while, I was in the hospital. The pain was so excruitating, I thought I was having another baby. Like natural childbirth. The pain finally went away after 3 weeks and  pyredium, Then I go to Fla in DEc. I HAVE PAIN AGAIN . I went to Er there and they did a catscan and the catscan showed I had another stone, on the left side, this time it was 6 cm.So unfortunetly,,My insurance was not going to pay a bill in fla. These Drs told me to go home right away, so My insurance will pay for this procedure  in NY. I had to leave Fla. and pray that this stone wasn't going to tryto come out while, I was driving home. Thank God everything was ok, I went back to my Dr immediately, he put me in the hospital and took the stone out. This time he left a stent in there, I have to go back March 23 and have this stent taken out.He also said that when I come back he is going to do a metabolic screening, to see why Im getting stones now.Im not looking forward the removal of the stone. So goodluck to everybody.

[waggie91]

after reading your posti feela lot more positive about my stent removal nextweek ive read somany horror stories i was getting scared , cantwait for the removal the stenthas been in for 6 miserable uncomfortable weeks cant wait to have it gone now

[chalis66]

I have had the same issues; going on 3 years now...I've been to GI, Chiropractors, massage therapist, Urologist, neurologists and orthopaedics.  This has all resulted in a hysterectomy, probably unecesary, b/c the pain is still here.  I've had so many scans, MRI'S, X-ray and colonoscopies that I glow in the dark...going to new orthopaedic dr. next week...did they ever find out what the cause was?  Are you still suffering...totally living on vicodin, flexerill and tramadol....would love to be back to my normal self....

[truckerbilly]

had stent placed back around march of 09 because of stones blocking function of right kidney and found out at that time my left kidney was atrophic so was in renal failure. I didn't have insurance so it took me over ten months( and many trips to the er for infections) till i got the stent removed. never was able to have anything done about the multible stones as the dr's always tell me that they are not blocking anything. it is now july,2012 and im still in pain mostly after being active ie...exorcising,mowing lawn,washing car or even running the vacum. i take rapaflow , naproxen everyday and when in extream pain vicodan. the dr's look at me as if i were some kind of cook just looking for attention! im sick of it and almost wish i would go back into renal failure to get something done or at least validate my pain. god bless

[Bozewell]

I know it has been awhile since you had the stent but they legally have no choice but to remove the stent.  I am not a lawyer but I do know alot about law.  I was told that about 3 months is the limit for a stent; otherwise, you risk the body attaching to the stent.  As it is a foreign object to the body, you risk some major issues.

[laura5678]

I was at arobics came home had a pain in my back for 6hours,finally went to hosp,had a stone they broke it up and put a stent in,after they took the tube out from my bag,I went to the bathroom on my own,the first time I passed urine I had a pain in my kidney that brought me to my knees,no one told me that was going to happen,I am home now with the stent and everytime I pee it hurts soooo bad in my lower back,I am not looking forward to the pain after the stent is out if its worse then this,I had 2 babies this is much worse!!!!!!

[turtleluv10]

Im a 24 year old female that has been dealing with severe pain in my right side for about two years. I have been in the er numerous times for the problem no one believed me. Was told i had an uti a few times, was told its just "flank pain" had a few cat scans until last year, A doctor told me I had hydronephrosis aka "water on my right kidney". So they gave me an antibotic (antibiotic) and sent me home. Now this was Nov of last year, A month later I was back in the er. Was told the same thing and they gave me another  antibiotic. Now at this point I was so confused. Come March of this year I was in and out of the hospital at least 6 times. I finally had a doctor tell me i need to see a urologist. I did and I was told I had an upj obstruction. I had a stent placed which was the worse pain wouldnt wish that pain on my worse enemy.  I also had robotic pyeloplasty back in May. A month later same pain. Had another renal scan and another cat scan was told things looked better than before. Three weeks ago my urologist told me I needed to have a balloon dilation and another stent due to a small blockage that was still there. I had my stent removed two days ago. Im in the worse pain. I do not know what to do anymore. Does it get better? What else could be wrong?

[elphie20]

I have had stents the times, the first two times thee was no string so I had to have a cystoscopy to get it removed. I just had surgery on Tuesday and have the strings this time. I figure if I can handle a cystoscopy without any pain medicine or sedatives, I can handle the strings bring pulled out

[Mekdad]

many comments here scare me of the complications that I might face after removing my stent... About one month ago, I woke up with severe pain on the right side of my abdomen. I tried to handle it but it lasted for hours and so I went to the ER. After blood tests and urine tests (the urine was too red), the doctor told me that it is just a little stone and I just need to drink water and everything will be fine. He only gave me pain killers...

3 days later, the pain has moved to my back also and I had fever for two days with continuous vomiting every time i drink or eat something I kept vomiting. I also was sweating a lot; especially on the area where I have the pain.

For some reason, I had the feeling that the stone has blocked the flow of urine, so I prepared myself for a surgery and went to the ER. And Yes! after CT scans, ultrasound, blood and urine tests, the urologist came and the doctor who examined me was whispering to him that my case is an interesting one because the function of the right kidney was normal 4 days ago and now it has fallen dramatically.

The urologist came to me and told me not to worry much and that I dont have kidney failure, but the flow of urine is blocked on my right side ureter and this might damage the kidney. Therefore I had to have a cytoscopy on the next day.

They placed a stent for me and when I woke up, the doctor said that they found too much infection and lot of pass came out, so they had to stop and they did not fragment the stone. He said that this pass and infection is most probably caused by the blockage of urine in the last 2 days.

After the cytoscopy, I had lots of blood clots and I had so painful and burning sensation when I urinate. It was like I am forcing the urine to flow out of my urethra (because of the clots). This lasted only for few hours and then I was able to urinate normally, but the urine was still red...

The doctor prescribed antibiotic for me and I had to take it for 14 days. Until this moment, I have sometimes burning sensation when I urinate and I frequently go to the toilet. Lately, I started to pass little blood clots and mucus-like white color clots, but this does not happen all day long and not every day. I sometimes see small residuals at the bottom of the bottle where I urinate and today a very tiny hard piece came out (part of the stone I guess..). It has a dark brown/olive color.

Is this all normal? They are planning to remove the stent and try to fragment the stone after 10 days. Will I have severe pain and complications after removing the stent??

[Shazzieboo2]

Oh my god I'm so happy to find you all I've been of work for 10weeks no dosed up on morphine and codeine my stone was 13mm it was zapped on the 23/5/12 and next Wednesday I'm having the stent removed its been hell I'm not sleeping well at all I've got spasim pills but gee I so want it all to stop I can't be leave you all had your stents out after a week! Guess England just want there patients to suffer longer oh we'll my thoughts and sympathy to all us stone suffers

[traveler64]

I have had numerous kidney stones and have always been able to pass them.  Some only required over the counter pain relievers while others require a trip to the E/R.  I usually drive myself to and from the E/R.

This year, we decided to take a road trip and drive from Illinois to Florida. In the morning I had pain and took over the counter meds. When we reached Nashville I needed pain relief and visited an E/R.  The next morning I passed the stone (4mm) but still had pain. We continued to Orlando and the pain increased despite Rx pain killers to 8 scale of 1 to 10.

E/R visit in Orlando, CT Scan revealed another stone; 7mm which would not pass. The right kidney has 3 stones (someday).   Surgery was ordered and the doctor was able to break stone but it went back into kidney before he could grab it.  A stent was installed.

After the stent was installed there was discomfort starting and stopping urination along with varying amount of blood in the urine.  

The stent will increase the frequency and urgency to urinate.  Stopping and starting will be uncomfortable.  Then, after a week or so only stopping will be uncomfortable. Not painful mind you.

For about a week I urinated less and less blood.  Then, in the afternoon pain and blood returned and went away in the evenings.  

Three weeks later (during weekend) had an increase in discomort (3 on scale 1 to 10) pain and blood in urine (no fever).  Yes, it freaked me out but I had left over pain meds and used them.  

This is what I have learned.  Stents can be more bothersome than the stones.  The discomfort reminds me of the approaching pain of a kidney stone attack.  So, it becomes tiresome.  Then, the discomfort will turn to pain and then back again. A stone is just painful for the day and you can go to the E/R for pain relief.   Yo cant go to the E/R every evening with a stent.   Best to get Stent removed as soon as possible.

Stent Removal:  Arrive at apointment and  taken to XRay.
Then back to proceedure room.

The nurse injects numbing gell into urethra; its not painful but does feel wierd since it is swelling your penis.   Then she clamps the penis. Not a very stong clamp but it was cold.  

A few minutes later the doctorcomes in to remove the stent.
You lay back and will fell something being inserted. It is NOT painful. The feeling is a strong urge to urinate with a slight stinging. Proceedure takes less than 2 minutes and only 5 seconds in and 5 seconds out is there the increased discomfort.  I would rate the discomfort a 2 on a scale from 1 to 10.  Mind you its only for a total of 10 seconds. Nothing like a kidney stone attack.  I looked at the ceiling because I wasnt sure how I would react to seeing a tube shove up my junk. I had a good looking female doctor so I could have gotten aroused.

Note: it is possible for some of the fragments to become lodged in with the stent making removal painful.  

After the proceedure you will have a strong urge to urinate for the next few hours.   There is slight pain when starting to urinate.  You may have some cramps in the kidney.

All in all, the proceedure was less traumatic than expected.  I'm glad I had a female doctor as she put me at ease before, during and after the proceedure.
  

[tman2727]

Are you kidding me? perhaps you should check your medical texts and then answer the question again.

I just had two stents removed following the removal of kidney stones from both kidneys. The take home rhetoric specifically identifies the pain felt following the removal of the stents in the kidney area as if you were suffering from the kidney stones again. Any Urologist will advise you through xrays or a CTscan whether more are present.

The pain you felt is normal as I too had gone through it (has been about 55 hours since stent removal) and the pain has started to subside again The pain felt was similar if not identicle to having the stones in the first place, but it was mor in tune to  long spasms in the kidneys. This is normal from the literature I received and will pass in a few days. Hopefully you received Ketorolac and Tamsulosin to help you try to mange the pain (it brought the pain down from a 9 or 10 to a 4 or 5 at best. You can also take Xtra strength tylenol with these meds to help.

[Stonestentpain]

I had a stent placed in ER in Florida, I live in NY and had no insurance. This was in no way my first stone I have DI a condition that causes me to dehydrate twice a day a complication after pituitary surgery. Never had a stone before the surgery but they say its not related. Common sense leads me to believe it is anyway. Anyway this stone was over 7 mm and they insisted I needed the stent and I shouldn't be concerned as it could removed in the office next morning. The pain was less than stone but still constant and worse when I had my period. I know this because it was in for over a year and a half. I was hospitalized for 4 days 9 months later septic from the stent and 2 urologists came in my room told me it should have been removed a long time ago and refused to do it   I still had no insurance. Eventually after dealing with a new issue if opiate addiction just to be able to work I finally had it removed and that was a fiasco as well. They put another stent in, original stone was finally removed and I had the same annoying pain . About a week later went to office and still the person that made appointment for removal failed to tell me I needed a KUB so again I was pushed another 3 weeks. Finally I showed up, he took it out and I left office happy. Empty and immediately feeling no pain. However, here I am 3 months later and that pain hits pretty much daily but comes and goes its still bad when I get period. I am so over it. I refuse to go back to same office I can't sit through drawings of the urinary system and lame excuses and generic answers.  Good luck to all and I welcome any advice from anyone who has been through this and feels this pain.

[dshaw329]

Where the heck do you live?Because its no hard to see kidney stone with a good abdominal ex ray or the best way is with a cat-scan and if you had this done the doctors and the radiologist should have seen them unless your in some 3rd world country or a friend stole to equipment and operating them out of a garage?
if they do a cat-scan make sure they use the die as well its fool prof  !!

[stonemykidney]

Hello all,

I thought I would write my experience down here as I found reading the ones already here helpful in understanding what to expect for myself.

I am in the UK and went to A&E on the 17/12/12 with severe right sided abdominal pains. I have previously had surgery to remove stones from the right side so knew what it was as I was being looked at by the admissions nurse.

I was admitted into hopsital only to be released on the 18/12/12. I was prescribed ibruprofen, diclofenac sodium and tumolisin to be taken daily.

I returned to the A&E department in absolute agony a 10 out of 10 in pain terms on the 19/12/12. was kept over the next 2 night to be monitored and given morphine and cocodamol to manage the pain.

on 21/12/12 I had an operation to fit a stent and during this procedure the majority of the 8mm stone was removed as well.

I was allowed home and told to return for an outpatient visit on 24/12/12 to have the stent removed or i could do it myself at home.

I returned to the hospital to have it removed today at 11am and after researching stent removal online al night last night I was prepared for about 2 minutes of agony.......... this didnt come, the stent removal was painless and was more of a weird is that it feeling instead. I went to the bathroom straight away and passed a small amount of urine with blood and some small clots in it. I had no pain until about 30 minutes later when my right side felt just as bad as it did prior to the stones removal.  sort of like being punched in the kidney.

it is now 4.20pm and i am only now beginning to lose the painful feeling. I have manged by using ibruprofen 1000mg every 3 hours. I found it difficult to urinate anything over a thimbul full since the first time after the operation.  I have also recently (about 30 minutes ago) taken some of the the left over  diclofenac sodium and tumolisin from my previous visit to the hospital and this has helped a great deal. the pain is manageable after the initial few hours of discomfort.

[Taylor_hinkley]

Sometimes pain can differentiate from the skill of the surgeon, size of the stent and the amount of inflammation already present before placement. I have had stent placement with stone removal 4 times, both kidneys. The first two times were wonderful. I woke up from surgery feeling great, ready to go baby shower shopping (I was pregnant) the third time I woke up and I felt worse than before I had the stone removed. It was terrible I had hematuria for 2 weeks, extreme flank pain and random bladder spasms. After the birth of my fourth child this August I always felt like I had a UTI. I would go to the doctor and they always treated me like I just wanted Narcotics. I even tried going to the ER one Saturday morning 3 weeks ago. Everyone kept telling me my pain and bladder spasms was r/t delivering my child. I actaully had a doctor tell me I had diverticulitis, even though I have no GI complaints and my symptoms do not fit that disorder. Then another doctor told me I was constipated. Yes that really did happen. I'm like did you not read in my H&P that my bowel movements are almost 100% predictable?!? Not one of those doctors checked my urine for RBC's. I'm a new grad and start my career as an RN next month so money was tight and couldn't afford to see my urologist. I prayed to God to lead me through this and the next day I called Central Texas Urology to see if we could PLEASE work out a payment plan. I was in the next day with a CT scheduled. When reviewing the CT with my urologist he showed me a 5mm stone in my LFT ureter and a 3-4mm stone lodged in the bladder epithelium. He said that's what has been causing my pain these last few weeks. All it took was for a doctor to care enough about his patients to find an actual cause. I tried passing the stones on my own with help from a few medications, but Christmas Eve we were at a Christmas party and I collapsed from the pain. I called my doctor and without hesitation he told me where to go and the hospital (which I'm now working at) got consents and pre-op procedures done so fast I was being wheeled into the OR before my doctor could scrub in. I woke up feeling much better, I have kidney and bladder spasms during and after urination an I have moderate pain most of the day, but I know it's just stent pain. I take sits baths 3-4 times per day, I take norco 5/325 q6hours to stay on top of the pain, that also allows me to take an additional norco at the 4hr mark if needed. Stent carriers know its impossible to get comfortable at night, I take 5mg Ambien before going to bed. If you don't have RX sleeping meds OTC zzzquil is good too. Just remember if you take pain meds with Tylenol always keep track of the Tylenol in your other meds. I am so thankful for Dr. Pinkstaff and Poteet at Central Texas Urology. They actually treated me like a person and not someone faking pain to get narcotic pain meds. If any of you are in the Central Texas area I highly reccomend their office. The entire staff including receptionist, CNA's and Nurses are all wonderful. I wish all of you the best of luck and I will pray to God for minimal suffering and ultimate healing. Through this journey over the years with stones and stents relying on God and prayer have made a big difference. I hope you all have speedy recoveries and a blessed new year :)))

[Bomb29]

i just had stent removed today, took about a minute but horrific pain. Still feel the sensation of having to pee. i hope i heal. And dont have further problems.

[Bomb29]

i just had stent removed today, took about a minute but horrific pain. Still feel the sensation of having to pee. i hope i heal. And dont have further problems.

[jrtrims]

lilymerc - how did this work out for you long term? my doc had to stretch my ureter too to get in there to laser the stone and then put in a stent for a week - its now 10 days post stent removal and i am still having a little blood in urine every other day and a relatively constant urge to pee - question is: will this heal and go away eventually or do these situations turn into chronic problems? thank you!

[fastrack73]

II am a 40 year old female and have my second stent in place now.  After 36 months of constant kidney infection & much pain I underwent an open pyeloplasty late 2012 after I was diagnosed with a PUJ obstruction that was congenital. This has been a major op to overcome. The stent has been in now for 8 weeks post surgery & in this time I've had several severe infections that have resulted in hospitalization. Regardless of the op I'm still suffering constant infection and bleeding,
incontinence & terrible nerve pain in lower ribs & across 15 cm incission. I'm hoping that when the stent comes out that all this suffering will subside. Has anyone had this procedure and if so did recovery improve dramatically after stent removal ?

[jrtrims]

So I read all of these posts and overall they were very helpful to me knowing others were dealing with many of the worries and questions that I had - but i was also struck by what a wide range of stone experiences (number and size) and before and after surgery issues that people dealt with - it seems there is no single common experience that you can look at and say 'this is what is likely to happen to me' -maybe that is part of the reason for so much frustration with our doctors - ie they didn't tell us enough about what to expect before and after surgery (ie  ureteroscopy) and often it seems that what they did tell us was wrong - obviously a recipe for a lot of uncertainty and unhappiness - one thing that frustrated me a little about many of these posts is that they all seemed to end mid story eg 'I just had my stent out and the pain is horrible' and that was end!  See my last post above - I wish more folks would tell their whole story so that readers newly afflicted might get a better sense of what their potential future could look like - so while I am not finished yet here is an abbreviated view of my story maybe it will help somebody early in similar circumstances:  it's been 3 months since I peed blood (around Hallowe'en) and first find out I had to deal with a 5-7mm stone - a few days after first seeing the blood i began to get a regular cramping pain in left lower abdomen that typically was a 7 on 10 scale and lasted 30 minutes and occurred 3-4 times a day- I never did get the real bad 'giving birth' pain that others have described-my doc said he could go in and get it but it was high in the ureter and we decided that I would try to pass it - why go thru general anesthesia and ureteroscopy if there is a chance I could pass it!? I read somewhere later that a 5mm stone has a 50% chance of passing and that it reduces by 10% for each mm increase in stone size - so I drank and drank and drank and also jogged daily hoping to help it pass the good news was that the pains subsided bad news was it did not pass - my pains had lasted about 3 weeks (from time i first noticed blood) and then they stopped a little after the time I started drinking more water daily - I hoped I had passed it but sort of knew that a 6mm stone would not come out without my noticing (and yes the doc gave me a screened cup to pee in which I used most but not all of the time) - so I was pain free for about 3 weeks and during that time doc did kub X-ray and ultrasound which doc said did not definitively show the stone (it seems a CT scan is best way to see stones but they are expensive and expose you to higher radiation so docs prefer not to do too often) but then i had a recurrence of the pain just befor Christmas - went back to doc he confirmed stone was there and lower in my ureter and given about 2 months had passed it seemed unlikely I would ever pass it - as pain was about an 8 this time ( tho it only lasted about 5 hours on that one day) I reluctantly agreed it was time to go in there and get it - so doc did the ureteroscopy dec 28 and told me after that ureter was too tight so he had to stretch it with a balloon to get in there but that when he did he lasered it and got most/all of the pieces out - he put in stent with the string and told me he would take it out in a week - the week with the stent was pretty miserable - as others have noted, it really burned to pee for the first day or two and you feel like you have to pee all the time plus lots of blood in your pee - you also get a kidney cramp if you try to hold back a pee as the stent pushes that urine right back up the stent to the kidney - these problems subside some over the week with the stent but don't completely go away - I got the stent out after 6 days - the doc just pulled the string and it came out in 5 seconds - as others have said it didn't hurt but it did feel weird - doc warned me that I was a candidate for severe cramping pains after stent removal given the stretching of the ureter that he did - its been 3+ weeks since removal and I have not had any real bad pains and it's mostly been just a big relief to get that horrible stent out - I have had symptoms however: a frequent urge to pee almost to the point of cramping is the single biggest issue xand I had blood in my pee almost daily for the first week post removal - and while the urge to pee has lessened over 3 weeks it has not gone away - its almost as if the stone or fragments of it are still in there and want to come out - and maybe that's it - I go back to the doc for a follow up feb 3 and I will let you know what doc tells me and how I'm feeling 5 weeks post surgery - hope this helps somebody.

[Mmerrell]

May 2010 I had a kidney stone that became lodged and I went into septic shock. Fortunately, the surgeon was in the hospital and did an emergency surgery. I was in intensive care several days, surviving only because of prayer warriors. Coming up on 3 years and I have had 16 surgeries - 14 of them stent replacements. Next step is to do a ureter "implant" and hope that eleiminates the need for stents. Tired, no stamina, and of couse if I overdo, then I also have blood in the urine. I take muscle relaxers and pain medication several times a day. Pain, pain, pain. I am SO tired of this pain.

[jailnurse03]

Instead of fishing around in the toilet, why don't you go buy onw of those little fish nets you use in an aquarium. Maybe you could cut the handle off, put it in a little zip loc bag, and put it in your wallet. Then you could pee through that intead of "fishing".
I know your posts are years old, but I just read them, as my friend has a stent she is to remove in a couple of days.

[steeserp]

The evening of 02/20/13 I felt uncomfortable but thought it was menstrual cramps since I haven't really known anyone who had a kidney stone before. I took some Ibuprofren and tried sleeping but couldn't get comfortable and it just felt worse and worse.  I had to get up to throw up a few times and couldn't even keep down sips of water.

Finally about 2 am I got up because lying down was agony.  But sitting was worse and walking wasn't much better but it seemed help.  I saw that a friend of mine who is a nurse was online.  She told me it was probably a kidney stone and to get to the ER.

They gave me some morphine and then did a CT scan within an hour or two of my arrival.  After about 4 or 5 hours, I finally felt relief from pain and got an hour of sleep. I think I talked to a few doctors throughout but don't really remember much of that.

When I woke up they were ready to discharge me.  I had a 7.5 mm stone. The nurse told me my discharge orders were to get a prescription for 800-mg ibuprofren, norco and flowmax, then watch for the stone.  She gave me a collection kit to pee into and grab the stone if it emerged. I was supposed to make an appointment with the urologist the next day. The nurse then told me she didn't agree with the orders because she had never seen anyone pass naturally a stone larger than 5 mm. She told me that if the pain got too much so the pain killers couldn't control it and if I started vomiting a lot then I needed to get back to the ER.

I managed to be seen by the urologist's PA later that day. She said she thought 6 mm was the largest a person could pass on their own and set me up with a surgery later that day.  The urologist broke the kidney stone up with a laser, pulled out the larger chunks and inserted a stent.

That was all on a Thursday, so Friday, Saturday and Sunday, I just drank a lot of water and took my meds - a flowmax each morning with an ibuprofren and norco every 6 hours. I was not in any pain, but there was a lot of discomfort.  I noticed if I didn't drink regularly and pee regularly, then I saw a lot more blood in my urine and was much more uncomfortable.  So I tried to pee every 20-30 minutes and just sipped water almost continuously.

Monday (02/25) I went in to have the stent removed.  It was not pleasant, and it was intensely uncomfortable but the discomfort last less than a second and it was out.  I felt immediate relief and could tell right away that it was not in my body, even though my bladder was still cramping and feeling urgent.

I went home and about an hour later was in incredible pain - it felt like the kidney stone was back or something. I called the office and talked to a PA. She said that could be for many reasons that were all temporary so if the pain pills would control the pain then they wouldn't have to put the stent back in.  She said it could be: that the ureter was swollen, or that there were blood clots in the kidney that were acting like kidney stones and needed to pass, or that there were small fragments of kidney stone trying to pass.  She said it probably wasn't serious and to just let them know whether the pain pills were working.

I have a follow-up appointment on Monday March 3.  I haven't taken a pain pill since last night, and so far I feel fine.  There is a fair amount of blood in my urine and tiny clots.  Based on reading this forum, I will try to take it easy and drink a lot of water and hope that helps the bleeding.  I'll give a follow-up report next week.

Overall the experience was fairly traumatic, but the kindness of all the medical staff has really helped me.  They have mostly taken the time to explain what's going on.  The variety of experiences in this forum has helped me see that the doctor can't be less vague when telling me what to expect since it seems like the experience could be all over the map. That kind of makes me feel better.

[steeserp]

Just as a follow-up... The stent was removed four days after I had the kidney stone out. After that, I felt intense pain just the day the stent was removed. Then I was peeing blood for about 10 days after the stent was removed - this included a lot of blood clots. In fact, I had to get up at night every hour or so when a clot popped out. During the day, it was sort of like having a light period - blood flow throughout the day even when I wasn't peeing.
Then the 10th day it just stopped and everything was fine.
Now I'm on a low-oxalate diet and also the doctor recommends low salt and low protein so I'm trying to merge the low-oxalate diet with the dash diet (http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/dash/new_dash.pdf)

[Evelyn747]

Came across this site looking for info on stent removal and am blown away at all the comments of severe pain afterwards.  I had the laser lithotripsy yesterday for an 11 mm and a 4 mm stone that was imbedded right where the kidney exits to the ureter.
Anyway, I'm going to follow the advice of several others here that said they took pain meds before the stent removal.  I have one of those arrogant urologists that's too busy to talk to his patients and in fact forgot to write a script for pain meds when I was released from the hospital yesterday.  The nurses had to find another doctor for that.  
I will let you all know on Monday how the stent removal (no string) goes.  Which I wonder, why doesn't everyone get a string which sure sounds a lot easier.

[Evelyn747]

Had my stent removed today and it was a piece of cake.  One tiny pinch for a second was all I felt.  I timed the doctor and it took 40 seconds altogether.  He laughed and said it usually just takes him 30 seconds but since I was taking Pyridium, the urine in my bladder was cloudy and it took a few extra seconds to find the end of the stent.

To prepare for the pain everyone seems to have after stent removal, I took two Aleves 90 minute beforehand. The nurse gave me some pills that she said are similiar to Pyridium which she said both would help a lot.  Then when I got home an hour after the stent removal I could start feeling some mild kidney pain so I took an Oxybutynin which is supposed to help with spasms.  Three hours after the stent removal the pain started getting pretty bad so I also took a Tramadol.  I laid on the couch for 3 more hours and then the pain stopped completely.  I hope it doesn't come back.  It was pretty bad but not as bad as a kidney stone attack.  Has never hurt to pee like with other people.

After the doctor removed the stent he informed me that I also have an 8 mm stone in the other kidney and I will be scheduled for the shock wave procedure very soon.  I hope like anything this stone doesn't drop into the ureter before then because I never want another stent again.

[byDave]

Auburn2000, I've had all kinds of different pains including kidney stones, and it sounds like you're having Sciatica problems resulting from the procedure to remove the kidney stones. Your sciatic nerve was probably pinched during the procedure -- there was nothing anyone could have done to prevent it, so don't blame anyone. What you need to do is exactly the opposite of what you're doing. Instead of resting with a heating pad, try stretching and walking it out the next time it flares up. You'll probably find that this approach will get rid of it forever.