Thread: Kidney Stone - caught between a rock and a soft place

I spent yesterday at the local Base Hospital for my experience withe a kidney stone.

It was a very painful experience. I'll come straight to the point in asking those who have suffered this malady, about their experience when passing passing this stone.
Specifically how do you know when the stone is passed?

I have to say the staff at the emergency room and the short stay unit were absolutely marvelous. They were supportive and cheerful despite being pretty hard pressed by some of the other patients.Any way I had a trip through the big donut. I and out in 6 minutes.Its crazy the thoughts that go through your mind. Not long before I went to hospital before I saw a Utube doc on how the metal for them is obtained through pre world war 2 shipwrecks as the (presumably atomic)radiation from post ww2 sources is not sutable. Weird or not? maybe a misinformation hoax?

At nearly 24hrs later the pain is substantially reduced but I am still unsure if the stone is passed.I was told as the base hospital that the painful bit is when the stone is in the small kidney uretas tubes but lessens when it reaches the bladder.

I have had a radical prostatectomy I was concerned about the bladder neck scarring might cause painful problems.

Failing spotting the stone when it leaves the body, what are the other indicators you may have had.

I would be grateful if you indicate how you knew the stone was gone. Opinions and thoughts are must welcome.

Thanks in advance
Grahame

Hi Grahame,
From my experiences you will feel it leaving and possibly hear it hit the porcelain as well.
John

Depends on the size of the stone.... I passed one about 1mm across. Pretty unpleasant going down the urethra.... Great relief when it came out. I was surprised how sensitive the urethra lining is! That tiny bit of abrasive action was pretty obvious.
Coming down the ureter was actually 'breath taking' - Literally, I nearly fainted a couple of times. But it didn't take that long.
Sorry, but you asked, Graham....

Thanks John and Jim.

Its exactly what I need to know.
I am still sore and somewhat bilious so guessing the stone still may be in the bladder.

They said the stone was 3mm diameter.
Its like having a baby was the comment passed by two sisters.

I'm with Joe, mine was quite a few years ago but I remember it hurting like hell and being unable to find a comfortable position to lie in.
The treating doctor at the time told me that a "good" kidney stone is more painful than childbirth - my wife begged to differ...
They blasted it with ultrasound to break it up but the bits still made their presence felt on the way out later on.
In my case, the evidence of passing was blood in the urine and then a sense of relief once the pain subsided.

I've spoken to others since who have had very little pain on the way out, hopefully you fall in that latter camp.

Hi Gavin,
Tanks for the replies chaps.
Its exactly as you describe right now at 3.00 clock in the morning. I took an Endone Tablet to no effect.

I changed positions all over the place and not even the slightest relief.

The pain is as bad as it was in hospital yesterday.

Sounds very painful - hope you recover soon.

I've had 2, one probably 20 years ago after my leg operation and I didn't know and just seen it on the seat, which freaked me out as there was no pain, but was on morfine at the time.

The last was around 1 1/2 years ago and like you I went to the hospital in agony and I never go to hospital.
Diagnosed as a kidney stone I was sent home, somewhere within the next 24 hours I must have passed it but didn't see it, as the pain just seemed to go away slowly.

Sent from my 5007U using Tapatalk

Grahame, ask your doctor or urologist about having it smashed with ultrasound.
3mm sounds painful - I think I'd rather pass smaller gravel.
Btw, don't panic about some blood in your urine. Those stones can be very abrasive. The inside of your bladder and urethra are sterile, so they heal very quickly.

Originally Posted by jhovel

Grahame, ask your doctor or urologist about having it smashed with ultrasound.
3mm sounds painful - I think I'd rather pass smaller gravel.
Btw, don't panic about some blood in your urine. Those stones can be very abrasive. The inside of your bladder and urethra are sterile, so they heal very quickly.

Hi Jim,
This was discussed withe the resident medico in the Short stay unit.Her opinion that the 3mm stone was small enough to pass.

My family doctor had a slightly different view and said sometimes it hooks up in the kidney even 3 mmm size..
I highly suspect I will be back to the base hosptial by Friday if the stone has not moved.

Hi guys
I ended up returning to the base hospital after a weekend of waiting for the stone to pass.They admitted me on Monday morning straight to the wards this time around and after an hour and a half I was in the Cat Scan again.

This time they counted one 3mm stone and 2 smaller ones.The comment was made"all lined up like carriages on a track.

I had to to wait for already scheduled surgeries so that was 2 or three days parked in a patient bay with pain relief with nil by mouth.

The plan was to fit a stent to by bass the ureter and channel the stones into the bladder. They expect the small stone in the bladder to pass readily.

It seems that many in Mackay were having car accidents and emergency chilbirths so the rest of the time was on standby meaning nil by mouth.
Mid Sunday arvo I got my window of opportunity and op was done.They picked up one stone and say the small ones will flush.
Like I heard that one before ??????

Another day with a catheter in to clear the raspberry coloured blood and today I was out quicker than the lions leaving Taronga Park.

I hope to never see another canula or saline drip bag again.

I can't say enough about the hospital staff .All highly professional who were so supportive of me when I began to get down in the dumps, after so many days of missing a surgical spot.

I am back in ten days or so to have the stent removed.

Thanks everyone for your support.

Grahame

Good luck and speed recovery Grahame!

Get well soon Grahame.

You don't want to go back in there again . Keep a 5 km radius away from any hospitals

Originally Posted by kafie1980

Get well soon Grahame.

You don't want to go back in there again . Keep a 5 km radius away from any hospitals

Hi kafie,

You are so darn right, I do not really want to go back to the house of pain ,but I am compelled return to have the stent removed, if and when it does its job.
The staff I can't praise enough but the super bureaucracy is another thing. Trying to get pertinent information back to the hospital is near impossible via their phone system. Press 1 for this and 2 for that and we guarantee to make your precious info back to us , just disappear.

This is how bookings for two different Out Patients Specialists can be made on the same day and time for the same person.

There is only the phone message,no person to person connection. It may be, that I need to get in the car and go to the hospital for some face to face contact to positively engage them and know they have received and understood my message.

Ok moaning and bellyaching done with, I shall get on with having a lovely day.

Thanks for the kind thoughts
Grahame

Hi Grahame,

I know what you mean about the automated phone message system in the hospitals !

Though they have no difficulty contacting me !

Two weeks ago my doctor referred me for a hearing check up at a private clinic, a week later I got a letter with an appointment, last Tuesday I had the checkup and various hearing tests. I got a letter with a new appointment last Friday with an appointment for today.

I've never known the NHS to be so quick ! Though I've noticed that a number of private clinics are doing NHS work. Privatisation by the back door !!!