Has anyone had kidney stones removed?
I had a severe episode on Wednesday and would up
in the ER, one on both side and they are big ones .8 & 1.0 mm
Saw a urologist today and he recommends ureteroscopy, holmium laser
lithotripsy with stents.
Need your input and expertise.

I had kidney stones in 1994. They did a "basket extraction". There was no laser option then. They put a little "basket" up there and scooped up the stones and pulled them out. They were blocking my duct to my kidney. It was horrible. They did cut me when they were pulling out and it made it really hurt to potty for a while afterward. No problem since then.

I can't really advise on anything - other than to say Good Luck and I hope you recover quickly.

Also, I ended up with gallbladder problems in 1999 and had to have my gallbladder removed. Don't know if they are tied together in some way or not but just thought I'd mention it.

My dad had kidney stones in 96, he too had surgery but everything went well. Hope all goes well with you too.

My DH had kidney stones. He went thru the terrible pain as you did and ended up in the ER, too. I can't help you, though, as far as surgery for them. He came home and his BIL told him to drink a couple of beers and they'd pass, so that's what he did. It worked.

I think now the doctors sort of blast them out, if I'm not mistaken, by laser. You could go to WebMD - Better information. Better health. and type in the procedure you named and it will tell you all about it.

Good luck with it and I hope it goes well. You might want to try the beers first, though, and see if it works!

I had kidney stones removed by laser a couple years ago. I had went to the er over the weekend but by the time they seen me the stones moved and had no pain. So they sent me home to try to pass them. Monday morning it moved again and was in terrible pain. Any fluid couldn't go any where. I was vomitting. I had laser surgery by that afternoon and went home that night. Next day I was back to normal even back on the treadmill. The surgery was so easy. The stent they left in hurt a little when sitting on the hard floor. But not unbearable. Good luck.

My DH had them 2 years ago and suffered horribly. The dr. put a stent in for 4-6 weeks and it was painful the whole time. They wouldn't pass so they did the lithrotripsy and a couple of weeks later removed the stent. The stones then passed with alot of pain. Dr said to drink alot of citrus (lemonade) and cut back on animal protein. He goes through lots of cartons of Minute Maid lemonade in the carton.

Gosh I haven't seen anyone with the kidney stone subject in awhile here so haven't been able to give my expertise which is getting quite rusty I might add. I have a metabolic disease Primary Hyperoxaluria Type 1 (Oxalosis and Hyperoxaluria Foundation (OHF) - Home to learn more) my stones are calcium oxalate we have lost count over the last 22 years since I started suffering with them at one point I was close to 400 stones passed or a combo of passed and floating around in my kidney.

I will say I have never heard of a holmium laser lithotripsy, I have had lithotripsy done and it has always failed for me because my stones are hard, stubborn (like me) and very large I have had stones the size of my thumb nail so the .8 mm and I assume its actually 1.0 cm isnt all too big they can be passed without surgical intervention if you give it time, lots of pain medication and lots of fluids. I personally now get second opinions on surgical intervention as I find they tend to want to go in too soon to remove them or poke a hole in my back to insert a nephrostomy tube to unblock me and then remove them that way.

Stents have come a long way since I first had my first experience with them, but they can still cause horrible renal colic that is worse than kidney stone pain, it all depends on the surgeon and the expertise and your own bodys reaction to something foreign in it, mine fights it because of my lupus. I have had them where I forgot I had surgery even to remove a stone, like in 1996 I met Jon Bon Jovi 3 days after surgery to remove a stone and had double stents in me, not a problem one.

Do insist they test your stones make up and if they are calcium oxalate based visit the site I posted up above ohf.org for diet modifications to prevent them. By all means drink lots of fluids, if they are citric acid or staghorn stones lay off the lemonade. I drink Crystal light by the gallons and I drink dacaf tea by the gallons too. Beer its not a proven fact that it helps, but my Doctor says it cant hurt and he used to say you could tell when it was Kidney stone season because all the golfers came in dehydrated from not drinking on the course with stones and then drinking beer after the game so its all kind of a wifes tale so to speak.

Also with the stents you will have bladder spasms ask them for Detrol LA it will give you ravenous thirst but it will keep you of the pott every five seconds too. Good luck whatever you decide to do.

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~ Christine ~
Grammie to Trinity Lorayne Jean Keens Born June 9, 2011 Loving my awesome guitar picking 100% Country Boy boyfriend Kenny !
RIP Daddy~ 01/24/1930-06/01/2007 I miss you !
Dont Think you Can .. know you can ~ Jeff Hardy

I hope the Drs. have you straining your urine to see if you pass these by yourself.
And definitely push the fluids--water specifically. Unless the stones block things, you should be able to pass them.

My dad has had more kidney stones than I care to think about--and God love him, he passed that genetic trait down to his children (me and my sister--and even my 8 y/o DS!)

He's has surgery, they've done the basket removal, he's had stents and the lithotripsy as well. Lithotripsy just breaks down the stone into smaller pieces--sometimes it literally pulverizes them, other times it just makes tinier pieces for you to pass.

Good luck! They hurt like the dickens....

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Mental that one, I'm telling you. ---Ron Weasley, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"

I had a friend who had Kindney stones and I helped her research options. THis may sound crazy but it worked for her- one person told us that she should drink evian water. Search on google for "evian water and Kidney stones" She drank tons and it worked she passed the stones on her own. Now she drinks at least one bottle a week.
Good Luck!!