Patient journeyONGOING

7mm kidney stone for 2 years

Stone Fighter #F62B8EApr 12, 2026👁️ 1.3k❤️ 165

Strategy: Patient journey

Hi all. I guess i’m just posting for someone to ease my anxiety. I had a CT scan done 2 years ago for some lower back pain and they discovered a 7 mm kidney stone in my upper left pole. The pain went away and even now 2 years later i never felt that pain again except recently ever so often when i turn/bend a certain way i feel a slight discomfort. the urologist told me we could leave it since it wasn’t in a bad spot and wasn’t trying to actively move and it wasn’t affecting my bladder or giving me any infections. the issue is….i was supposed to follow up after 6 months and i never did. i know it’s terrible but i HATE the doctor. i know i need to see a urologist soon and have another scan done to see if it’s grown or moved. I did have blood work/check up done with my pcp exactly a year ago this month and everything was perfect healthy and normal including kidney function. I guess i’m looking to see if anyone on here has had a similar size stone in the similar area and just waited it out or what you did to remove/pass it? one of my fears is it randomly deciding to move and blocking my bladder. I know i need to go get it checked on soon because i think about it and worry about it every single day but im so scared of having surgery or any type of procedure for it so i just put it off. i recently made the mistake of looking up on google the effects of living with a kidney stone for 2 years and the AI overview basically told me i was going to suffer from kidney disease/failure so thats definitely not something me (a fellow hypochondriac) should have read. 😩 Any advice?

Comments (8)

Stone Fighter6 #8265BBApr 12, 2026

I had a 6mm for 9 years. My nephrologist monitored it yearly. It started to obstruct in November so I had it removed, then a month later, stones from the other kidney removed preventatively. As long as you get the full picture from your doctor and there’s no issues the stone can stay in your kidney for many years.

Stone Fighter #857783Apr 12, 2026

I had a 4.5cm (not a typo, not mm) staghorn kidney stone for at least a few years. The urologist straight up said it was “impressive” lol. I’m not a dr but was always told if it’s not moving or blocking or causing pain technically it’s okay. Take that with a grain of salt but also don’t listen to Dr. Google. It always takes the absolute worst case scenario. Follow up with your PCP as soon as you feel able just to put your mind at ease 💕

Stone Fighter #CF1570Apr 12, 2026

I just passed a 4.5x6.5mm stone last Saturday. I've passed multiple 8mm in the past as well. Mine took 8.5 days to pass, about 7 days to pass from the kidney to the bladder. I had FlowMax for the first time and that stuff rocks! At 8.5 days my stone literally fired out like a firehose, that was awesome! For me there was very little pain after it left the kidney. Oh, forgot to mention, I've had kidney stones for over 30 years, the scan of my most recent stone showed like 5 or so stones in each...

Stone Fighter #F48373Apr 12, 2026

I currently have stones hanging out in my kidneys. I won't go back to my urologist until they decide to move/cause pain/cause blockage.

Stone Fighter #5FDF1CApr 12, 2026

I can say as a urologist who has treated thousands of patients with kidney stones that you need follow up imaging to check the position and size of your stone. Not all stones require surgical intervention if they are not moving, growing, or symptomatic. If you don’t like or trust your urologist, then find one you do. You need an advisor you trust to recommend this best treatment option.

Stone Fighter #267B42Apr 12, 2026

I appreciate information like this. I understand this is Reddit and there is no medical advice here but as someone who has had a kidney stone for 4 years, my doctor said what others have repeated here... A stable stone in your kidney that is not causing any pain or obstruction is just monitored to ensure that there is no growth or movement. I've had a 6 to 7 mm sitting in my lower pole for 4 to 5 years now. I get the occasional twinge that more than likely has nothing to do with anything. ...

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