Please talk me down from the kidney stone ledge

January 26, 2019 11:47 AM

Six months ago I had my first kidney stone and it was a nightmare of being in and out of the emergency room, surgery and a stent that was all excruciating and traumatic. I have another one, and my GP has sent me home with Difene and Buscopan. So far this seems suspiciously okay, but I realise I have no idea what to expect. Please tell me your tales of kidney stone passing at home.

I've been at home for 24 hours and the pain seems okay, though it is slowly increasing, and well controlled by the NSAID. I also have bucketloads of opiods should I want them.

I should add that I do also have a "do not pass Go, do not collect $200, admit immediately" letter for the emergency department from my GP should I need to go into hospital.

posted by DarlingBri to Health & Fitness (11 answers total)

I guess I'm one of the "lucky" ones. I've passed four kidney stones, and while each required a visit to the ER during the "all is pain" phase, I only really ever had at most a day or so of pain after that. I usually passed them the next day (aaaahhhh) and they were small in the scheme of things when I saw them in the little filter funnel (if at all).

All I can say is I feel for you. I can say I try to avoid opiods if possible as they do a number on my digestive system (hello, colace). A strong NSAID can do wonders. Fingers crossed you have an easy time this go around!

Oh, and as an aside, I also had a couple gall stone attacks during this time as well before my gall bladder was removed. I was used to "fetal position pain = kidney stone". If the pain feels more in your chest than your flank, get thee to an ER. One because chest pain, but two because an ultrasound might show something new.
posted by Fortran at 12:04 PM on January 26, 2019 [2 favorites]

I’ve had 3...4? kidney stones and passed all of them without surgery. A couple happened quickly but the last one took a few days. It was largely uneventful - pain meds and then I actually ended up passing it the day I went back to work. Yes, I fished it out of the work toilet! No shame.

I hope it’s also uneventful for you and I’m SO sorry you’ve had to deal with them. Truly one of the worst pains imaginable.
posted by stefnet at 12:04 PM on January 26, 2019 [2 favorites]

Oh my goodness. My sincerest sympathies. I know what you've been through, what you're dreading.

The good news is that (for me at least) stones are all different. Been to the E.R. three times, passed one IN the E.R. and the others days or after. Had one busted up by sound waves. Passed some without E.R. visits and without severe pain. Bothersome, yes. Severe, no.

Now, anytime I feel the signs (urethral irritation, flank or testicular ache) however minor, I start guzzling water and moving about. I pace or bounce in place or pretend I know how to dance: whatever will help shift the dang rock. Remember: LOTS of water, if that's an option for you. The folk medicine phrase is, "pee gin-clear." Don't overhydrate if that's risky because of other medical conditions.

Good luck! I really hope this one resolves quickly.
posted by wjm at 12:46 PM on January 26, 2019 [2 favorites]

I passed a kidney stone. My mom helped hold me up as I hopped up and down for around four hours in the middle of the night and guzzled water to pass it. I was just so damn determined to get it out! I don't think I took any pain meds except a Tylenol maybe and that sucked because it hurt a ton - I am glad you got all those pain meds!
posted by yueliang at 1:10 PM on January 26, 2019

Is a roller coaster an option? There’s some science that suggests a moderate roller coaster can benefit small kidney stone passage. Sit in the back.

Medicine net write up of the 3D printed kidney and what was done. https://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=198414
posted by bilabial at 2:14 PM on January 26, 2019

Aw, so sorry to hear it. I've had three bouts of kidney stones. The first I passed in the ER without realizing it or catching it. The second I passed at home. The third time I couldn't pass it after about a month (!!!) of trying, so I had the ureteroscopy surgery. So in my experience it's just a crap shoot as to whether or not you'll have a quick resolution or not.

All of these instances occured in my early 30s, and then I've never had another occurance. The same for my dad and paternal grandfather -- a few instances in early 30s and never again. So this may be it for you? Good luck.
posted by BlahLaLa at 2:16 PM on January 26, 2019 [1 favorite]

I had one a few years ago, passed it in the ER while waiting for meds/CT scan/etc. Hang in there and try not to worry too much about it (easy for me to say, I know), you have a plan in place in case it gets worrisome to you.
posted by biscotti at 2:33 PM on January 26, 2019

No personal anecdata to share but as an aside, I work on the emergency care side in a US emergency department and I love the idea of a primary care doctor sending you home with the correct medicines for a trial of passage of a recurrent kidney stone. This is 100% Not A Thing That Happens in the United States, where basically any ureteral stones, even those in young and healthy people, are immediately bounced to the ED. Any reasonably-sized ureteral stone has a good chance of passing on its own with lots of hydration and pain and nausea control at home — good luck!
posted by killdevil at 3:02 PM on January 26, 2019 [2 favorites]

I've had a number of the things, one of which had me "circling the drain," in the words of Dr. Sensitive the urologist. It was 11 mm, and after the septicity subsided, I went home with a stent, which was later removed, along with the stone.

The important lesson I learned about painkillers came a couple of stones later, when a nurse told me that the opiates didn't actually do much for the pain; it was 800 mg of Ibuprofen that made it recede. Note that I said Ibuprofen, not Acetaminophen. Anyway, I have since been able to weather a few stones with big doses of Ibuprofen.

An ultrasound scan can identify any more stones growing in your kidneys, and a different kind of ultrasound, called lithotrypsy, can break them up if they threaten to be a problem.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 3:55 AM on January 27, 2019

Response by poster: Thanks everyone. So is this going to hurt when I pee or what? (Keep in mind I've never passed one of these without medical assistance including simultaneous morphine and oxy, so this is all a mystery to me.)

Tragically, a roller coaster is not an option, no.
posted by DarlingBri at 2:41 PM on January 27, 2019

Oh dear, I am so sorry. Hopefully you will pee the stone out, soon. You may notice the pain moving lower as the stone travels. The pain, in my case, is worst while the stone is in the ureter. There's a bit of a lull when it gets to the bladder, and a last teeth gritting pain when it passes through the urethra. (I have had a lot of kidney stones.) Keep drinking water, aim for as close to clear urine as possible. I frequently have blood in my pee, when I am passing a stone, so it may look pinkish. Let your doctor know, if that happens. A stuck stone is not a good thing. Try to keep moving. Walking is what I do. The pain makes it very difficult to stay still, and I like to think that gravity helps keep the stone moving. It is possible to pee out a stone without knowing that it happened. A dull backache was all the pain I had, until the stone arrived. That was an exception. Every other time was agony. I've had several stones that were too large to pass blasted, and had a stent inserted to help drain the fragments after the lithotripsy. I hope yours passes uneventfully. If you should find the pain unmanageable, or start feeling feverish or ill, get yourself to the hospital. I hope it all goes well for you, and you have my heartfelt sympathy. Stones scare the bejesus out of me, every time.
posted by LaBellaStella at 4:58 PM on January 27, 2019 [1 favorite]