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Removing My Kidney Stent

Stone Fighter #D338D6Sep 28, 2026👁️ 2.2k❤️ 128

Strategy: Patient journey

Hey everyone.

I had laser surgery for my kidney stones and they left another kidney stent in. Everything went well, thankfully.

But after my surgery, they told me I could take the stent out myself by pulling on the string that’s basically just hanging in there (sorry if that’s too much info) sometime in the next five days. My deadline is this coming Monday.

I don’t know much about removing a stent, but the last time this happened to me I had to get admitted and be taken into a surgery room to have it taken out by a specialist.

Now they’re telling me I can do it myself. Has this happened to any of you, or is this common? I’m lowkey panicking, and I called my GP and he said it’s not something a practitioner can do, a urologist has to do it under standard practice.

Any advice, or maybe some videos on how to do this, would really be appreciated.

Thanks so much !

Comments (9)

Stone Fighter #F48373Sep 28, 2026

My procedure was 6 weeks ago, and I was booked in to see the nurse 2 weeks ago to have the stent taken out. So it had been in for 4 weeks total, and a healthcare professional removed it. Given what you said about your last experience with the surgery room and the specialist, I wouldn't suggest doing it yourself. Please ask your GP for a urology referral, or see a nurse.

Stone Fighter #D39453Sep 28, 2026

I dealt with this on my last lithotripsy. It freaked me out, but actually pulling it out wasn’t bad at all. I just laid back in the bathtub and did it there. Fair warning, it’s probably longer than you’re thinking. I swear it felt like I kept pulling forever. One other thing that happened to me: right after I pulled the stent, my ureter must have swollen shut or spasmed for a bit, so I did have some pain. I’d check with your doctor about that and ask whether you should take some Tamsulosin b...

Stone Fighter #5FDF1CSep 28, 2026

Some stents don’t have a string and need to be taken out by a professional. If yours has a string, it’s really easy to do yourself. I’ve had both kinds. The anxiety about removing it is very real, but once it’s done you’ll see how easy it actually was. Hop in the shower to remove it. Let the warm water relax you and pull gently. It’ll feel a bit weird but that only lasts a few seconds. Good luck!

Stone Fighter #09BEDBSep 28, 2026

I chose to have the urologist do it. It took, literally 12 seconds. That way if there were any complications, I was already right there at the doctor.

Stone Fighter #761060Sep 28, 2026

I’ve actually had mine taken out both in the office and at home. When I did it at home, I had my spouse pull it for me. Like the other person mentioned, it’s way longer than you’d expect, and it felt like a ton was coming out, but the whole thing was quick.

Stone Fighter #14E681Sep 28, 2026

Just be sure to do it in the shower, because it ends up being way more uncomfortable than you'd expect. Pop a couple ibuprofen first, and try not to overthink it while you're pulling.

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