A bunch of kidney stone questions plus bilateral renal kidney disease
Stone Fighter #72299FSep 9, 2026👁️ 2.3k❤️ 107- Strategy
- Patient journey
I got my CT scan today and it says I have bilateral renal stone disease. This is the first time a CT scan of mine has come back with that. I've passed a lot of stones, and I've also had 3 kidney stone surgeries with the laser to clear out my left kidney. Now I've got 7 stones in my left kidney and 1 in my right. They're all 6mm or bigger. The results just came back today, so I'm waiting on my urologist to get back to me. With 7 stones, can they still do the laser, or do they have to cut it out? I ask because I'm immune compromised from my biologic infusions. I've only ever had the laser, and last time it took 3 tries before all the stones came out. Has anyone else had this many stones grow this fast, and which surgery did they do for you? My doctor works at the ER I go to. How often do they admit people ahead of their operation? The pain from these 7 on the left side has been unbearable, and I don't know how many more days I can handle this pain.
Comments (2)
Stone Fighter #8B892CSep 9, 2026Sorry to hear that, I'm sure it's a shock. That's a pretty significant stone burden. They may well suggest a PCNL, which like you say involves a very small incision in the back. I've had a lot of these, and each time the tech gets better the recovery seems faster. You're way more likely to be stone free after that one procedure, whereas if they try it with ureteroscopy and laser lithotripsy they'll need more than one go, and that may well not do it. As for your immune status and the biolo...
Stone Fighter #9CC827Sep 9, 2026I forget what kind they are, I just know they said they're the type you can't prevent. I'm pretty sure I'm getting so many because of the absorption issues from my Crohn's disease. I have to watch how often I go on antibiotics, since I've had C diff before and I've been on them 3 times recently. How was your PCNL, and was the recovery rough? Last time I got the laser done it took 3 surgeries to clear all 3. Now that I've got 7 I'm worried, I've never had that many at once
Stone Fighter #8B892CSep 9, 2026Ok, most likely calcium oxalate stones, the kind that come with Crohns. Recovery on the more recent ones has been pretty quick, not that different from ureteroscopy. A few of mine needed dual access ports, meaning two small incisions to reach different parts of the kidney. You usually stay overnight and get discharged after a post op CT the next day. As for antibiotics, the ones they'd give you to prevent urosepsis aren't the kind that typically, if ever, cause C.Diff. They usually give a s...
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