r/KidneyStones

70F I had a ureterscopy and lithotripsy on Aug. 14 for a 6mm stone. This is my first stone. The stone was found through a CT scan on a May 5 ER visit for pain. Spent the last three months on Flomax hoping it would pass. It never moved from the upper ureter. I had little to no pain during that time, but did develop a UTI which was treated with antibiotics.

I appreciate the posts on this Reddit thread so much. It helped me to know the right questions to ask and what prescriptions to request. I got through the procedure just fine.

First pee in recovery was a bit painful, but not that awful. It improved with each subsequent pee. I did have quite a bit of bladder spasming which was quite painful. That’s why I’m posting to let you know how my doctor handled it and made it manageable.

I took 600 mg of Ibuprofen and 1,000 mg of Acetaminophen every six hours as well as Azo. Once a day I took 50 mg of Mirabegron(thanks to the Canadian doctor on this thread who mentioned it) and Flomax. All of this helped tremendously. I also had OxyCodone 5 mg available for break through pain, which I did need a few times. This regime made my stent experience manageable.

I took my stent out today. It came out easily with no pain in the shower while I peed. The doctor had recommended that I pee while removing it. I am experiencing quite a bit of cramping now, but am still following my pain management routine until the cramping stops.

I just wanted to share my story to let you all know that having a plan and prescriptions in place made this doable. It’s not as awful as has been described in some posts here. It’s not easy, but with the right prescriptions and a positive attitude, you WILL get through. Good luck to all my fellow stoners. You got this!

I just had a KUB ultrasound yesterday and it was found out my right kidney has an unobstructing 9mm stone. I immediately went to a nephro and i was advised to do several labs. No pain, no infection whatsoever. Although it is unobstructing, I am concerned of what will happen over time. To those who have similar experience, what can I expect on how this stone is best managed/removed? Can i ask the doctor to just do surgery? I am so scared and worried. Pls respect post.

My urologist sent me for bloodwork, CT and wanted me to do a 24 hour urine analysis. I did all of those and my blood work came back normal. Originally I had an ultrasound that said I had a 7 mm stone, the CT corrected that and said that the stone was actually 2 mm and I did do a urine analysis and everything came back fine but My Doctor did say to drink water before I go to bed, include 4oz of lemon juice or raise my citrate level due to it being low. She was going to prescribe me citrate pills to take but because I’m on a weight loss shot, she said that she couldn’t due to my digestive system working slower. Are there any kind of items that y’all recommend that gives you more citrate in the body other than lemon, grapefruit, or orange? Open to trying new things to incorporate more citrate in my diet.

Unfortunately I hate lemonade and I hate lemon water but I will drink it if I have too :(

So, I currently have a 2 mm stone, I’ve KNOWN about it since may. It’s sitting in my kidney and I worry because I have a vacation to Disneyland in January. Im interested in everyone’s answers with the two questions I have

P.s- i do understand everyone’s experience is different.

1. how long were you aware of a stone/stones in your kidney?

2. how long did it take for you to pass the kidney stone from the moment it hit the ureter to the moment it left your body?

The worst pain i have ever experienced.

much worse than broken bones.

Went to ER. Given Tamsulosin and painkillers. Been told its a small stone that can pass on its own.

It feels like my kidney is about to burst 🥴

Should i just keep drinking water?

Anything else i can do to pass this thing faster? I don't know like jumping, massaging, etc?

I can use your kind advice.

Man… all that anxiety about surgery for the last 2 months since this all started and it turned out ok lol some users here helped me reading their experience and some made anxiety worse lol I went in today at noon and woke up around 3pm. 8mm sitting in my kidney. Surgery was quick and easy. The urologist got it broken up no problem. The peeing aspect sucks and random pains in my bladder and penis (26M). The pain on my side is barely worse than the pain I’ve had for 2 months from the stone which is nice. 10 days of having the stent in then they’ll remove it. Can’t really get comfortable which also sucks but I’ll get my life back in about 10 days. I’m hoping the pain and burning gets better over the next few days. Nothing really THAT bad so far. I read how bad the peeing was the first few times after treatment and it’s definitely crappy but not as bad as I was thinking. Definitely tired of it and want to have a normal piss but not as bad as my anxiety imagined reading like every post in Reddit I could find lol no anxiety seeing the blood which is nice because I was told I would have blood, the blood before was a concerning surprise lol I don’t get any good pills, I’m taking Tylenol, ibuprofen, I do have a bladder relaxant and then AZO pills. I’d love a heating pad like I’ve read helps but the doctor said to avoid it because it can cause more bleeding because of dilating blood vessels. Trying to stay positive and think, I’ve dealt with 2 months of pain, random blood in urine, anxious to move and be too active because I don’t want this stone to try to pass or cause bleeding. 2 months. I can deal with 10 more days of a little more pain and discomfort to get back to normal. Idk if this will make anyone else feel better or not. 100% honesty for how I feel but everyone is different. For anyone who’s gonna have to go through with this, you got this! You can do it. Anxiety sucks and worry sucks but they try to convince you of the worse.

I’m scheduled for ureteroscopy/laser lithotripsy for an 8mm stone just outside my kidney.

I found out many days late that my PCP prescribed flomax for me - before I was scheduled for this procedure. My urologist said it was up to me if I wanted to take it, knowing there’s a very small likelihood of passing the stone before Friday.

Should I take it tomorrow and Thursday? Is it worth it? I’m assuming they’d prescribe it for after the procedure too.

Thanks

I got my stent out (29F) I just want to reassure you. It doesn’t hurt, I read many horror stories and I was so scared, I can only speak for females of course. Because I imagine it’s worse for men. If you’ve had a baby it’s no where near the pain. Good luck!

Just got diagnosed with a <2mm kidney stone after I had to be rushed to the ER in the morning. Also slight hydronephrosis. Today was PAINFUL. what should I expect pain wise as I try to pass it in the next few weeks? Also how can I help reduce the pain?

I make kidney stones. It's my thing. Eight stones that I know of, over 15 years. Have always passed them without surgery. A couple of brief hospital stays. Some over 5mm.

Got my first one in five years on 7/12. Intense, near vomit-like pain. Thankfully have lots of left over meds. Popped one 5mg Oxy a day for like three days then....nothing. Two weeks later....some more pain and another Oxy, then nothing again.

Got a CT last week and I have a 5x7mm stone mid-ureter...L4.

Urologist is giving me until 9/15 to pass it, then going for surgery.

I'm planning 80 oz of liquid per day, Tamsulosin, Stone Breaker supplement (CP) and 15 minutes per day of the massage gun.

What else have others done in similar situations to jar this thing loose? I'm not necessarily scared of pain, because I have the meds. I'd much rather that than a stent and a string...

Hey! So I just had surgery this morning (the laser type) and they said I gotta pull this stent out at home in 5 days… any advice???? I heard it will be uncomfortable by the doc but also heard it will hurt real bad by others who had to do it, even at the hospital some said they hurt real bad with numbing so I’m real nervous. Thank you for any advice.

hi!! throwaway bc i never post on here lol. i’ve had an insane amount of stones in the past few months, starting around march of this year. finally one grew big enough (about 6mm) for my urologist to schedule me for a lithotripsy. i saw the urologist on 7/27, and my lithotripsy is scheduled for 8/20. he gave me a 15 pill prescription of 5mg oxycodone for this time period. i’ve ran out of meds over the past week, and nothing else (aleve, tylenol, pyridium, toradol, etc) is touching the pain. i called the urologist office last thursday asking if i could get a refill on the oxy and have yet to receive a call back. did anyone who had a lithotripsy get another prescription for pain meds after the procedure? i’d hate to call again bc i’ve already been called drug seeking by my primary care physician back when all of this started, and i really don’t want to deal with that again. let me know, i appreciate it !!

6mm, last CT says it's near bladder but still in ureter. Using tamsulosin almost for a month.

Question:

Will the things be easy for me since it's near the junction?

Any chance I will get over with it without stent?

Should I ask painkillers via IV before I go to first peeing?

https://preview.redd.it/1qdkte8apyjh1.png?width=736&format=png&auto=webp&s=7001f3f7ab848ffdbaacdc3debcb97177530c2c9