Kidney Stones

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RegMolehusband

Original Poster:

3,963 posts

258 months

Monday 30th August 2021
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There doesn't seem to have been a thread on this topic for some time. I could see a couple from a couple of years ago, but treatment presumably moves on so I thought I'd start a new one, if that's OK.

I went for an ultrasound scan three weeks ago due to pain in the upper right quadrant of my abdomen i.e. gall bladder area. It was a very comprehensive scan. However, they could really find much going on in my gall bladder but spotted two stones in my left kidney of 10mm and 13mm diameter! yikes

I also have a large simple cyst on my right kidney but that doesn't warrant any attention it seems.

I decided to give the NHS a go but got an appointment with a urologist dated April 2022! So BUPA it is through my business. I was a very thorough consultant last Friday who is booking an urgent CT scan to take a detailed look. I WILL be having them lasered with a stent in place afterwards, something I'm not looking forward to. This is likely to take place very soon.

Our holiday in September has been postponed to October but that is probably over-optimistic, and Mrs Molehusband is now looking at November options.

I have had mild pains in my left kidney area for quite some time which I put down as muscular or "catching a chill" in a kidney. But now I am really aware of this mild discomfort, almost full time.

10mm and 13mm theoretically shouldn't pass I believe, so the procedure it is.

Does anybody have any recent experience please?

jeff666

2,323 posts

192 months

Monday 30th August 2021
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I can't really help too much OP,

However my brother in law was rushed in to hospital a few days ago, bent over doubled up in agony, they said it was a 6mm kidney stone, it has moved now and he is out of pain.

Anything over 5mm is classed as a large stone.

They have given him some tablets to take for the next couple of weeks, they are supposed to relax his tubes and they are hoping he can pass it naturally without intervention.(he will need another scan)

I did some Goggling and a stent is not something to look forward too so you have my sympathy.

On another note, my Father passed one naturally and said the pain was off the charts and unlike anything else he had ever experienced.

anonymous-user

55 months

Monday 30th August 2021
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I had one 13mm and it was f horrendous. I feel for you.

I started pissing blood at a wedding - mild discolouration so put it down to beetroot. Ended up the day after (Sunday) actually blood colour. Went to the hospital in the evening still without any pain. They did tests and saw a blockage. Sent me for an MRI on the Tuesday. Woke up at 5am on the Monday with the worst pain I’ve ever experienced in my life. Genuinely thought I was going to die. My wife rushed me to the hospital with our 6 week old in the back of the car. I was green and puking into a bucket. When we got to the hospital a nurse was standing outside the emergency room having a fag and she literally dropped her fag in shock as I rolled out of the car, green, with the bucket of sick following me.

After I’d been stabilised they sent me home with pain killers and I came back the next day for the sonic operation. That was also awful.

Anyway, my advice is don’t wait to have the op so go private if you can.

My first business had just gone bust, and we had just bought a house and had a baby. I put it down to a diet high in fat, lots of cigarettes, coffee, and alcohol. Not much sleep, not enough sports, lots of stress. I was only 25 so took that as my early wake up call.


egomeister

6,703 posts

264 months

Monday 30th August 2021
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That delay for an appointment is appalling.

I ended up going to A&E in agony around 4 weeks ago where a 5mm stone was discovered after a CT scan. My urology appointment was supposed to be this week, but we've cancelled as I have the info and medication I need through conversations with my GP and the Nurse at the urology dept. I have a follow up CT in a couple of week to see how things are progressing and they will consider what the next step is then.

I'm taking Tamsulosin which helps you move the stone through the system, and codeine for when I was in pain (it didn't make the slightest difference) and some anti nausea stuff as the pain meant I couldn't hold food down...

I'm not sure it's any consolation, but when I was speaking to the nurse she said her last patient had just passed a 14mm stone. I have no idea how that is even possible hehe

Speed1283

1,167 posts

96 months

Monday 30th August 2021
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Had a tiny stone less than 5mm about 13 years ago when i was mid 20s; even that was enough to get me into hospital one evening as I thought something was badly wrong with my kidney due to the pain. For a few days beforehand it was not painful at all but I felt desperate for a p#ss all of the time even immediately after I'd been, it made it difficult to sleep as you can imagine. Luckily I passed it the day after I visited hospital and touch wood I've not had a reoccurrence but it bothers me that I don't really know how it started and what the prevention is. I drink plenty of water so maybe that'll help.

Just read up on the stent... Looks/sounds really uncomfortable, hope you get it sorted quickly!

rjfp1962

7,759 posts

74 months

Monday 30th August 2021
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Oh my... Where do I start..! I was first diagnosed with kidney stones back in 1987 (Aged 25).. Had 2 or 3 keyhole surgeries with very limited success then onto countless individual laser treatments (Lithotripsy) Passing fragments of kidney stone is very painful just as they can be in situ, and you have to be mindful of possible urinary tract infection.. If you get a stent put in, get it removed when it's due - Mine was supposed to be in for month or so - about 12 months later they removed it and let's say it wasn't pleasant, first trying to do it with local-anaaesthetic to full one..! yikescry
Treatments, x-rays, scans, lithotripsy continue until the early 2000's when I just decided that's it.. There were still multiple stones in both kidneys but as they weren't causing me great pain or discomfort I just decided to live with them.. Occasionally get some mild discomfort, especially on cold and/or damp days and I appreciate I have taken a "Let Sleeping Dogs Lie" attitude... and that's not going into a 15 year pain-killer addiction (Pethidine then Codeine and laterly Co-codamol, a 30mg/500 codeine paracetamol combination tablet.
So some 18 years after having my last scans and being reccomended for further treatment I'd had enough, but thankfully, all is still OK..!

steve2

1,773 posts

219 months

Monday 30th August 2021
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I can help you with this as I had mine finally sorted out in November last year.
History was that I had been in pain for the last 3 years and sometimes the pain was so bad I was on the floor crying, I also found it very difficult to sleep properly as I could not get comfortable.
I had a history of back problems ( had a spinal fusion in 2004) but as I had Bupa cover (operations and scans only) I ended paying out a small fortune out to various consultants who kept looking at my back and trying injections which did not work.
I finally ended up at Harley Street seeng Peter Hanley who after injecting me and found nothing wrong sent me to a colleague who specialises in internal organs who found I had a 15mm kidney stone in my left Kidney, so the idea was to have it lasered at a Bupa hospital but unfortunately this did not go well as the anaesthest gave me the wrong anaesthetic and they could not get the tube up to the stone.
This was the week before we went into lockdown and I was not allowed back to the hospital!!
I did have a stent in and it was meant to only be in for a maximum of 6 weeks but I ended up with it in for 6 months which caused infections where I had no control of my bladder.
Ended up going with the NHS who were brilliant and finally got it zapped at the end of last year, and another stent was put in, but was taken out after 4 weeks by 3 female nurses who just grabbed my junk, poured cold liquid down my eye and pulled out the stent which is about a foot long, talk about embarrassing but glad it’s all done and now am making sure I drink plenty of water and less coffee, red meats etc.

jeff666

2,323 posts

192 months

Monday 30th August 2021
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Yeah from my limited info water seems to come up time after time,

Drink plenty.


RegMolehusband

Original Poster:

3,963 posts

258 months

Monday 30th August 2021
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Thank you for all your detailed replies. Much appreciated. I must admit to being worried and apprehensive. However, I suppose many people have far more invasive and uncomfortable procedures.

RegMolehusband

Original Poster:

3,963 posts

258 months

Monday 30th August 2021
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As regards drinking plenty of water. I would have thought this might encourage one of them to become dislodged before the procedure. I’m sure I’ll be told to do so to flush out the debris once they been zapped .

CoupeKid

756 posts

66 months

Monday 30th August 2021
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I’ve had uroscopy (sp?), which is a laser down the jap eye (nature’s key hole) under full anaesthetic followed by a stent for a bit and lithotripsy which is ultrasound blasting while fully conscious.

Neither are pleasant but neither are anywhere near as bad as having another episode of stones!

You’ll be fine, if a little fragile feeling after uroscopy. It’s the pissing blood when you wake up that’s the uncomfortable part but that soon passes, so to speak.

Keep drinking water. My last consultant suggested squeezing a lemon into my water to slightly acidify my urine and help dissolve the stone but it sounded a bit quack to me and I haven’t followed his advice.

king arthur

6,572 posts

262 months

Monday 30th August 2021
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jeff666 said:
Yeah from my limited info water seems to come up time after time,

Drink plenty.
Water and lemon juice.

I had one about three years ago, woke up with a bit of pain in my side which got worse and so by lunchtime I ended up in hospital it was so painful. That one found its way out by the end of the day but the scan revealed there were one or two more. These were dealt with in following months by an ultrasound procedure (lithotripsy) which isn't painful exactly but it's uncomfortable and the first time you pee afterwards it's red from the bleeding it causes in your kidney. After three sessions of that another scan showed everything to be okay. I try to drink more water these days!

JoeRRS

137 posts

159 months

Tuesday 31st August 2021
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I feel you pain, I had what was described in broken English "Multiple Small Stones" in 2010, woke up in agony in the middle of the night in a dump of a desert camp in Iraq, camp doctor filled me full of Morphine for the next two days before I could get to hospital in Basra... Basically given a A4 paper box full of medicine including about 20 vials of morphine... pain went away 2/3 days later and luckily I've never had any issues since. Funnily enough it was explained to me that it was likely the bad bacteria in the food we were being served on camp...

anonymous-user

55 months

Tuesday 31st August 2021
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RegMolehusband said:
As regards drinking plenty of water. I would have thought this might encourage one of them to become dislodged before the procedure. I’m sure I’ll be told to do so to flush out the debris once they been zapped .
You won’t be able to dislodge a 10-13mm stone.

RegMolehusband

Original Poster:

3,963 posts

258 months

Monday 11th October 2021
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Well I’m off to have the stones lasered under GA on Thursday. Mrs Molehusband has to get me there for 07.00 after an hour’s drive. Then it’s an overnight stay following the “ procedure”.

I think the old todger is going to take a bashing with various devices going back and forth for a couple of hours. I’m wondering how the ureteral stent will feel in place, for 4 to 6 weeks apparently.

Still, better out than in.


jeff666

2,323 posts

192 months

Monday 11th October 2021
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RegMolehusband said:
Well I’m off to have the stones lasered under GA on Thursday. Mrs Molehusband has to get me there for 07.00 after an hour’s drive. Then it’s an overnight stay following the “ procedure”.

I think the old todger is going to take a bashing with various devices going back and forth for a couple of hours. I’m wondering how the ureteral stent will feel in place, for 4 to 6 weeks apparently.

Still, better out than in.
If it helps Reg ?

My brother in law had his one removed by going thru his todger, he also had a stent fitted but it was only in for a few days.

He said having it pulled out wasn't pleasant at all, he had suffered with back pain for years before they found the stone, been on loads of different tabs and feels great now.

Best of luck with it.

rjfp1962

7,759 posts

74 months

Monday 11th October 2021
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Best of luck with the procedure.. And don't let them leave the stent in for too long.....!

RegMolehusband

Original Poster:

3,963 posts

258 months

Thursday 14th October 2021
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My procedure has been cancelled this morning with 10 minutes to go. They discovered their laser is bust.

Bloody upsetting after the preparation, build up and anticipation.

rjfp1962

7,759 posts

74 months

Thursday 14th October 2021
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Really sorry to hear that.. The procedure is never something you look forward to, but you do prepare yourself to the best of your ability for it..
Hoping it happens soon for you.

mistermatty

21 posts

34 months

Sunday 16th January 2022
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Will share my recent Kidney stone adventures ......

For the last 2 years i have been suffering with UTI infections and have not been able to sleep on my side and have woken up every day with flank pain which had been suggested as muscle/back pain by doctors .... Infections have been very stubborn prolly due to me being diabetic and have played havoc with my sugar levels.

About 8 weeks ago i had an infection and a large bruise/blood blister on my japs eye and a stuck stone which i managed to pass the NHS 111 out of hours doctor said it was nothing to worry about !!!

My regular GP referred me to my local Urology Dept where they booked me in for a Ultrasound and CT SCAN which both came up clear so a rigid Cystoscopy under a GA was needed on DEC 9 firstly to stretch my water pipe as i have suffered with strictures in the past and a stone was located below my kidney stuck in my water pipe so a 20 cm stent was fitted for 4 weeks which was hell as my wee went cherryade in colour and was really uncomfortable just doing everyday tasks .

My surgeon had me back just 2 days ago on Jan 14 for Laser Lithotripsy where he completely fragmented the stone and has refitted a temporary stent for a period of 3 weeks to aid any particles to pass and than remove the stent under a local anaesthetic at a clinic appointment .

Amazingly the flank pain has vanished almost overnight, and I already feel much better, seems highly likely the stone has been the root cause of my Uti`s ....

All this has been done under our wonderful NHS during these trying Covid times in a timely manner all within 8 weeks .