So, on Friday I went to the ER due to a massive kidney stone in my ureter. I apparently have some sort of metabolic disorder where I form stones, because I also have another, smaller one in my kidney. My urologist wants to put in a stent; but I keep hearing horror stories about infections and pain worse than stones themselves. I'm debating about asking not to have the stent put in Anyone have any experience with this?
What are your other options? Surgical resection? That would be way more painful. If they do a lithotripsy, I'd think your doc would still want the stents in...
If your kidney is obstructed by a stone, you're at risk for developing a systemic infection, along with excruciating pain secondary to the stone. The easiest/safest/fastest way to decompress the kidney is with a stent. Its usually done as a temporizing measure (in case of emergency) in advance of a definitive procedure to treat the stone. You also could have a stent placed after said treatment in order to allow the stone fragments to pass safely (if one of the fragments gets "stuck", you'll be right back at square one and will have to get an emergent stent placed). Yes, stents can be uncomfortable... but again, they're usually placed in order to prevent things that would be worse than simple stent pain. Hope this helped... drink more water.
the benefits of stent placement far outweigh the risks in your case...especially if you have a chronic metabolic cause for your disorder. I think the urologist is making a tough but necessary call for you. Best of luck bro
I had a stent, they are not that bad. The worst part is the string that hangs out of your penis and taped to the side of your penis. They use the string to pull out the stint when it's time for it to come out. It's blinding pain for a split second and then it's completely over. No big deal. Just don't get to exited around girls while it's in since you can't do anything about it. By the way, I have had several kidney stones. The worst one was 13 mm which is the one I had a stint for.
THIS I've had stones a few times, but this is the first time I've heard of stents as an option. So I can't comment on your main question. Some stones pass on their own. One landed me in the ER and I got lithotripsy to break it up. My urologist was recommending all kinds of dietary changes and meds for the rest of my life to prevent them in the future. He admitted it was all guesswork, though, because the science was not conclusive. I decided to just carry a bottle of water around with me everywhere I go and drink all day long (and pee all day long - inconvenient, but worth it). I figure if I just keep flushing my system all the time, the stones won't be able to grow big enough to get lodged. So far, so good... I haven't had one in 10 years or more. I'm no doctor, and everyone is different, but thought I'd share my experience in case it helps.
I'm cringing just reading this thread. Never had a kidney stone and hope I never do so I have nothing substantive to add but hope you pass your stones soon. I'm going to go have two more cups of tea.
