When you're convinced nothing could be worse than a kidney stone...
Stone Fighter #B1A014Sep 8, 2026👁️ 1.1k❤️ 172- Strategy
- Patient journey
Last year a 1 cm kidney stone landed me in trouble. Shockwave flat out didn't work, so the laser with ureteroscopy was the fallback. I figured nothing could possibly hurt more than the stone itself, and then they gave me a stent. For the entire time it was in, and 3 days beyond that, I had 24/7 kidney and bladder spasms going off simultaneously. Nothing else comes close to that pain. I basically lived in a hot bath crying nonstop.
Now there's a 5-6 mm one. I managed to get it out of the kidney and it's sitting in my ureter. It's been parked there 5 weeks, and now the pain has stepped up to the point where I need the strong meds.
So my question goes to anyone whose first stent experience was HORRIBLE: was round two just as bad? I mostly want this whole thing behind me, but I'd really like to hear what the second time was like for you all.
(My urologist told me the location is too difficult for shockwave to reach, so that's off the table)
Comments (10)
Stone Fighter #8B892CMay 12, 2026ugh, I’m really sorry. Just wanted to say I’ve got my first stent in for one more week and I’ve spent most of it in bed. Bladder spasms 24/7, and I’m 20 weeks pregnant on top of it. Awful flank pain and just general misery the whole time. Really hoping this round goes better for you 🤞🏼
Stone Fighter #B1DB2BMay 12, 2026Oh my gosh, I am so sorry!! I can't even imagine being pregnant and dealing with a stone plus all that pain/spasms at once. It's wild how much severe pain and spasming stents trigger for a lot of people when others get off with barely any discomfort. Keep hanging in there!! I hate that you're stuck in such an awful spot!
Stone Fighter #C514EEMay 12, 2026I've been through several stents over the years, and just had one put in yesterday ahead of a ureteroscopy. Not one of mine has been pleasant or symptom-free. They suck big fat donkey balls, and surgeons love pushing the line that “most patients tolerate stent placements just fine”. Only they don’t. I dug up a 2009 paper showing 80% of stent patients reported pain and discomfort from them.
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