preventing renal colic after stent removal

[dbadalam]

I'm having a 4mm stone removed and will have a stent for 4 days.  My biggest fear is severe pain when the stent is removed due to swelling and blood clots.  I will be on a alpha blocker (rapaflo, similar to flomax) for several days prior to stent removal.  It is supposed to relax the ureter.  

Will rapaflo prevent the severe pain or just not make it last as long?  Not sure what expectations are for this medication.

[dbadalam]

thank you shannon, I did read some people have no problems at all.  It does make me feel better to know that.  

[shannon220]

Having the stent removed was NOTHING! I read all that mess too and was terrified for NOTHING!  I'm not on Flomax., the stent being removed and after it was removed was fine.

[dbadalam]

thanks for your reply.  No I never had a stent, but read up on it.  Here is an site of the kind of stent pain i'm talking about.

http://www.kidneystoners.org/information/severe-pain-after-stent-removal-how-often-does-it-happen-and-can-anything-prevent-it/

  It's the same pain as when a kidney stone gets caught and the ureter starts to spasm.  After the stent is removed inflammation and blood clots can do the same thing.  It's the kind of pain that sends people to the ER screaming.  Renal Colic.  

If your on flomax it maybe kept the stone moving and you never experienced that kind of pain.  But I don't presume to know what you went through.

I guess my question was the likelihood of a ureter spasm while on rapaflo.

[Unclebuck257]

I'm not sure where you're getting the info that stent removal has all this pain attached to it. Have you had a stent before and had severe pain when it was removed? I've had a stent and there was discomfort when it was removed but not the severe pain you are indicating. There may be a burning sensation for a day or two afterwards when urinating, and even then the amount of that burning sensation differs from person to person and male to female. I don't believe your medication will reduce any actual discomfort you'll feel, as it's not a pain killer. I take Flomax daily now and have for about 1 1/2 years, and it sure doesn't do anything for lessening kidney stone pain. It does, as I understand it, make it easier to pass a stone though and through that may therefore make the length of your pain less. Good Luck and please let us know.