I had ESWL 8 days ago for a 1+cm stone and also got a stent placed. This is my first kidney stone so I’m new to all of this. I have not had pain the last 3 days but today I’m having quite a bit. Is this normal with a stent and the discomfort they cause that I could have some days with pain and some not? Also, I’ve not passed any stone fragments yet. Does this take awhile with a stent and do they hurt when passing with a stent in place?
Hi Hope2188,
I fortunately did not have to have a stint, so unable to tell you about that. I recently had my firs kidney stone and know I had some discomfort for several days, probably closer to a week or longer. After a couple of visits to doctors, just told it was a UTI and given antibiotics. A few days after finishing the antibiotics I had PAIN. Never felt anything like that before. It would hit for a few hours along with discomfort for a few hours after, then nothing for a couple or a few days. Then went on/off for a couple of weeks. Each time the pain would it, it was further down than previously. I didn't have a CT scan until 3 days after my last episode of pain, so of course it had already moved on. Luckily, I was able to get through it with extra strength tylenol. I have a friend that recently had one with a stint and it drove her crazy, she finally went back to the doctor one morning and told him to take it out. So I guess it could be either the stint or fragments. I hope you get through it quickly and the pain is tolerable.
I can only tell you my own experience.
In December last year I had multiple kidney stones removed by keyhole surgery and had a stent in for a week.
I was in hospital for that week.
I had 2 episodes of very bad stomach ache during that week.
The stones were large and there was no chance of me passing them.
What is ESWL?
Take care and keep in touch
Sarah
It’s an outpatient procedure called Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy. You lay on a table and they give you anesthesia and use shock waves to break your stone up into little pieces so it’s easier to pass. It last for 60-90 minutes and then you recover for an hour or so and they send you home. It’s not at all what I expected. It’s been waaaay worse. I don’t think that’s normal though. From what I read I should have been able to be up and moving the next day and it took over a whole weekend to be moving and even then I was sitting a lot. I did end up calling the dr this weekend and they gave me an antibiotic and the helped the pain tremendously but was still passing a lot of blood. So far today everything has been ok. I still don’t know when I’ll be getting my stent removed which I’m absolutely dreading. I have a follow up next Monday. Hopefully I will find out then! Thanks for replying!
I could not wait to get stent removed, it was so uncomfortable!!
Sarah