Kidney Stones Support Group

Kidney Stones are solid crystals of dissolved minerals in urine found inside the kidneys or ureters. They vary in size from as small as a grain of sand to as large as a golf ball. Kidney stones typically leave the body in the urine stream; if they grow relatively large before passing, obstruction of a ureter and distention with urine can cause severe pain most commonly...

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Kidneys & Bladder
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lithotripsy experience

jennyct10
jennyct10

Can someone please share their experience? I am scheduled this week. Argh.


I don't understand why in Great Britain they don't use anything but an NSAID for pain, and here in the USA they force a huge cocktail of drugs. I personally don't want ANY drugs. I've had procedures done without them (once even a tooth pulled because the local wore off), and yeah it hurts, but I am sure this isn't as bad. 


So, how much pain can I expect after? Nausea? Will I be able to move around as normal afterwards or have to sleep all day? How long before I feel normal?


Thanks

OlderCPer
OlderCPer
You'll feel like someone used your Kidney area for a punching bag for a lil bit and probably have quite a bit of bruising. It depends on how many stones and how big they are. If you don't want the drugs post op, then don't feel the Scripts and just use Tylenol or Advil, if the Dr. allows an NSAID, there may be a bleeding issue with the NSAID.

Nobody's forcing you to take pain meds post op. And I highly doubt in Great Britain they do Lithotripsy with just an NSAID and no Anesthesia, unless they strap you to the table and just enjoy torturing you, it's not something you'd want to be fully conscious for.
jennyct10
jennyct10
OK, so here is the evidence for the difference in anesthesia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxljIkb9t7M
https://www.baus.org.uk/_userfiles/pages/files/Patients/Leaflets/ESWL.pdf

I know about the bleeding, hence I didn't understand why they offer diclofenac!
jennyct10
jennyct10
Well, I did go through with it, but my ureter was so inflamed that it bent or kinked up and I need another procedure to straighten it out. It didn't help that no one was available all weekend and the hospitals could not do pyelograms until this morning. So yeah, I had a pyelogram this AM. I still have the kidney stone too.

If I had to describe it, it was like having the renal colic non-stop. When it did calm down, I would stand up and feel the shifting of the kidney (due to gravity) move the ureter and cause severe nonstop burning. I cannot find this complication anywhere online and it's probably not common so I thought I should post it.

Thanks for feedback.
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