Kidney stone removal questions.
October 14, 2015 3:42 PM Subscribe
Kidney stone removal and having a stent put in, will I be okay to work the next day?
Sorry I don't know the technical term for the procedure but they're basically going up inside me and chipping away at the 6mm kidney stone lodged in my kidney and then putting a stent in. I will be put under general anesthesia. This procedure is on a Monday and stent removal is on a Thursday. I plan on working Tuesday and Wednesday in between, I bartend. Will I be in agony or will it be no big deal? I can get help lifting things if that's a concern. The heaviest thing I'd have to lift is a bucket of ice or a box of beer.
Sorry I don't know the technical term for the procedure but they're basically going up inside me and chipping away at the 6mm kidney stone lodged in my kidney and then putting a stent in. I will be put under general anesthesia. This procedure is on a Monday and stent removal is on a Thursday. I plan on working Tuesday and Wednesday in between, I bartend. Will I be in agony or will it be no big deal? I can get help lifting things if that's a concern. The heaviest thing I'd have to lift is a bucket of ice or a box of beer.
General anesthesia can knock you around a fair bit - you may be dopey, tired and/or nauseated for a day or two afterwards just from that. While I know nothing about this procedure, if it's serious enough for a general anesthetic then you may also be on some fairly strong painkillers for a few days afterwards, which can also mess your system up. You might be fine, but if you do plan to work I'd have a plan B at all possible in case you're not up to it.
posted by une_heure_pleine at 3:59 PM on October 14, 2015
posted by une_heure_pleine at 3:59 PM on October 14, 2015
My dad had a ureteral stent in his kidney a few months ago (for a cytoscopy related to kidney cancer) and could not be without a close bathroom for longer than 20-30 minutes. He said the urgency was unlike anything he'd ever experienced and went back early to have it taken out because it was seriously putting a cramp in his lifestyle. So I'm not sure about being in agony, but you may be uncomfortable to be at work with it in there.
posted by cecic at 4:14 PM on October 14, 2015
posted by cecic at 4:14 PM on October 14, 2015
General will knock you about and you'll feel pretty ordinary for at least 24 hours. And the painkillers, as une_heure_pleine notes, won't help. On top of that, if they put you on antibiotics (which seems like a thing they'd do for this sort of procedure, with metal surgical instruments banging around inside you), that will kill off all your belly bacteria and clog you up but good (protip: loads of pear and prune juice, kefir, and psyllium husk).
Getting back to light duties at work on Wednesday seems much more realistic but you might have a better constitution than I. If they're punching a fresh hole for the stent you might as well write off your week, but if they're using prearranged thoroughfares I really don't know.
posted by turbid dahlia at 4:27 PM on October 14, 2015
Getting back to light duties at work on Wednesday seems much more realistic but you might have a better constitution than I. If they're punching a fresh hole for the stent you might as well write off your week, but if they're using prearranged thoroughfares I really don't know.
posted by turbid dahlia at 4:27 PM on October 14, 2015
Like cecic, my dad had this done over the summer. The stone removal was a bigger deal than the stent, FWIW, and he was pretty heavily medicated for the remainder of the day he had the procedure. The following day he was back to normal mentally, but still getting back on his feet physically. He's 75 and in otherwise good health, but a younger person would likely have an easier and quicker rebound time. Don't underestimate the lingering effects of the anesthesia.
posted by mosk at 4:31 PM on October 14, 2015
posted by mosk at 4:31 PM on October 14, 2015
It's going to be tough, in my opinion. I had this surgery when I was about 33 and then had to get on a plane for a one-hour flight the next day. Getting through the airport and onto the plane knocked. Me. Out. I ended up throwing up on the plane, and having to sit down for a while in the arrivals terminal to get my wits about me. I had a 1.5 hour drive ahead of me to my final destination but had to give that up, make it to a place where I could crash about 30 minutes away. Slept something like 14 hours, then got up the next day (second day after surgery) feeling much better.
Also, be aware that peeing is going to be extremely painful for several days. Like, pissing razors. You will need access to a bathroom where you can safely whimper and cry if necessary.
Sorry to lay it out like that, but that was my experience. Kidney stones suck.
posted by BlahLaLa at 4:46 PM on October 14, 2015
Also, be aware that peeing is going to be extremely painful for several days. Like, pissing razors. You will need access to a bathroom where you can safely whimper and cry if necessary.
Sorry to lay it out like that, but that was my experience. Kidney stones suck.
posted by BlahLaLa at 4:46 PM on October 14, 2015
I have had a stent put in for kidney stones (I'm female). The part they don't tell you is that the stent can be (often) completely agonizing to have in. I was on oxy for the entire month until I could be removed. I was working, but at a very diminished level. I wouldn't plan on working for a couple of days afterwards, just to be safe.
posted by anastasiav at 4:54 PM on October 14, 2015
posted by anastasiav at 4:54 PM on October 14, 2015
Any followup guide I've been given for general anesthesia says no driving for 24 to 48 hours. It's not safe to do so because you aren't sure how it will affect you and though you may feel okay, driving takes a lot of effort and energy and you may not have the mental clarity for it. Your post-anesthesia brain also likely can't make an accurate judgment call on if you're safe to drive.
On that basis alone, I wouldn't go to work, especially if you have to drive.
I don't know the ins and outs of that procedure but I suspect they'll give you lots of pain meds for you to take and you'll likely be in pain. Jumbling around your insides can be really painful and there will be internal swelling. Take the time to rest and heal. If you're unclear on the aftercare for the procedure I encourage you to talk to the surgeon's office.
posted by Crystalinne at 5:53 PM on October 14, 2015
On that basis alone, I wouldn't go to work, especially if you have to drive.
I don't know the ins and outs of that procedure but I suspect they'll give you lots of pain meds for you to take and you'll likely be in pain. Jumbling around your insides can be really painful and there will be internal swelling. Take the time to rest and heal. If you're unclear on the aftercare for the procedure I encourage you to talk to the surgeon's office.
posted by Crystalinne at 5:53 PM on October 14, 2015
Have you ever had anesthesia before? For a minor outpatient procedure, I found it gently erased large swathes of my vocabulary for a day or two, leaving only the knowledge of the root language of the word I wanted. Damnedest thing. Totally separate from any pain, but I'm not sure I could have answered work or drinks questions with any facility.
posted by tchemgrrl at 6:13 PM on October 14, 2015
posted by tchemgrrl at 6:13 PM on October 14, 2015
I've had this same procedure, it was painful and I had to take meds for a few days because of it....take off work one day at least. Your ureter will spasm from the stent a bit at first and especially when it's removed (in office), it's not fun.
posted by irish01 at 6:18 PM on October 14, 2015
posted by irish01 at 6:18 PM on October 14, 2015
Every body is different. Every surgery is different.
I don't think you'll be ready for work the next day. Nor work with the stent in.
And listen to this advice. This may be the best way to avoid discomfort. They're not going to let you go home from the surgery until you've urinated. Do not, under any circumstances, push. Urination with a stent in, is about relaxing, not pushing.
I had a bad kidney stone about a decade ago. Six months, high up in my diverticulum, about 2cm. Took about six months for them to try different techniques, etc. Even worked a convention on my feet for 5 days while on percocet.
Finally, they did what you're having done. Laser Lithotrpsy. When I woke up (outpatient, someone else had to get me home), nobody told me the pain of trying to urinate (push) would be painful with a stent in. The stent's job is to keep your ureatha tract open, so, among other things, it doesn't scar shut.
I was in agony until the stent was removed - every time I had to go to the bathroom. I couldn't have worked. At the time, I was about 36 and had a high resistance to pain.
posted by filmgeek at 5:41 AM on October 15, 2015
I don't think you'll be ready for work the next day. Nor work with the stent in.
And listen to this advice. This may be the best way to avoid discomfort. They're not going to let you go home from the surgery until you've urinated. Do not, under any circumstances, push. Urination with a stent in, is about relaxing, not pushing.
I had a bad kidney stone about a decade ago. Six months, high up in my diverticulum, about 2cm. Took about six months for them to try different techniques, etc. Even worked a convention on my feet for 5 days while on percocet.
Finally, they did what you're having done. Laser Lithotrpsy. When I woke up (outpatient, someone else had to get me home), nobody told me the pain of trying to urinate (push) would be painful with a stent in. The stent's job is to keep your ureatha tract open, so, among other things, it doesn't scar shut.
I was in agony until the stent was removed - every time I had to go to the bathroom. I couldn't have worked. At the time, I was about 36 and had a high resistance to pain.
posted by filmgeek at 5:41 AM on October 15, 2015
Kidney doctor here (not a urologist but I have plenty of patients having urethral stents in and out under my care). You should assume you won't be up to working on the Tuesday. You might be - I personally am full of beans after GAs, one of the drugs makes me hyperactive - but the vast majority of people aren't. And even though I'm feeling great, my stamina is not back to normal and I tire very quickly. If your job is in a quiet neighborhood bar with two regulars and a dog, fine. If this is some busy cocktail place, forget it.
You will be told not to work, drive or operate machinery for 48hrs anyway (that's just standard advice) and your employer may not want you working against medical advice for insurance/legal reasons. Aside from the after-effects of the GA itself you will have the urinary frequency and urgency that people have mentioned, and pain and bleeding from the stone fragments passing.
Like I say, it may be a complete breeze, but if you've never had a GA before, or this kind of surgery before, it's completely unpredictable. You absolutely must not go to work and then spend all day avoiding peeing when you need to, not drinking anything to avoid peeing, and generally not looking after yourself - you will get an infection or end up in urinary retention.
posted by tinkletown at 9:31 AM on October 15, 2015
You will be told not to work, drive or operate machinery for 48hrs anyway (that's just standard advice) and your employer may not want you working against medical advice for insurance/legal reasons. Aside from the after-effects of the GA itself you will have the urinary frequency and urgency that people have mentioned, and pain and bleeding from the stone fragments passing.
Like I say, it may be a complete breeze, but if you've never had a GA before, or this kind of surgery before, it's completely unpredictable. You absolutely must not go to work and then spend all day avoiding peeing when you need to, not drinking anything to avoid peeing, and generally not looking after yourself - you will get an infection or end up in urinary retention.
posted by tinkletown at 9:31 AM on October 15, 2015
I had this procedure last year as well. Like other folks have said, every body and every surgery is different, but I wouldn't plan on working the next day and maybe not the day after. Peeing was pretty painful for the first couple of days (I had the stent in for two weeks) but then gradually got better as I healed. You will probably need to pee a lot, and it will be incredibly urgent. If you aren't prepared to drop everything and run to the bathroom a couple of times an hour, don't go to work.
I would also say that having the stent removed was the most painful thing of my entire life, and that's really saying something given the stupid things I've done to myself. I get the impression that having the stent in is the uncomfortable part for most folks, but for me it was tolerable. If I ever have this again, I won't let them take the stent out without properly knocking me out. On the other hand, half an hour later I was feeling great.
My sympathies. Everything about having kidney stones is terrible.
posted by GodricVT at 9:48 AM on October 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
I would also say that having the stent removed was the most painful thing of my entire life, and that's really saying something given the stupid things I've done to myself. I get the impression that having the stent in is the uncomfortable part for most folks, but for me it was tolerable. If I ever have this again, I won't let them take the stent out without properly knocking me out. On the other hand, half an hour later I was feeling great.
My sympathies. Everything about having kidney stones is terrible.
posted by GodricVT at 9:48 AM on October 15, 2015 [1 favorite]
I have had this procedure (I'm female) and I would not have been able to work in the 48 hours following, particularly not on my feet. Part of the problem was a bad reaction to the GA, so if you already know that you don't respond badly to that, you might be ahead of where I was. But I was still in intense pain for several days following the surgery, and had to take pretty much the biggest dose of Percocet that I was allowed to keep ahead of it. The drugs alone would have unfit me for any work that required even a small amount of concentration, leaving aside the severe discomfort I was in.
It was the only kidney stone I ever had, thank goodness. Wishing you a smooth recovery!
posted by merriment at 4:51 PM on October 15, 2015
It was the only kidney stone I ever had, thank goodness. Wishing you a smooth recovery!
posted by merriment at 4:51 PM on October 15, 2015
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posted by mgrrl at 3:56 PM on October 14, 2015