Source
r/KidneyStones•
cdMMM

Need stent advice

Stents

Hello All,

Long story short, I had testicular cancer last year and due to the RPLND surgery, the scaring is pressing against my ureter which is causing my left kidney to drain sluggishly. Urologist said its typical to have a stent in for 12 months due to my situation with exchanges every 3-4 months.

At the moment, I'm taking Flomax and Ditropan. Its been a week since the stent procedure. I'm afraid that I'm one of the few who will have a hard time with this since the meds don't seem to be helping that much. I can't exercise or walk the dogs without the urge of wanting to pee. I would be extremely thankful for any advice or insight on how to make this more comfortable.

  1. Any tricks to help with the stinging/burning sensation when peeing?
  2. Any over the counter meds to help combat the urge to pee?
  3. Does the body over time get use to this or will I be feeling this every day until this is over?

Posted Aug 12, 2021, 1:00 AM UTC

17
Adventurous-Paint-24•

Heating pad, keep up on fluids, mine hurt more when I needed water. I’ve heard, if you can get them, edibles can help. I had 2mg THC mints the helped take the edge off. Wishing you luck. Mine was in for 3 months, they are a challenge

2
cdMMMOP•

Thanks, yeah I got to keep up on the fluids.

2
theotherlebkuchen•

I don’t know much about your situation since I’ve only had stones and not cancer - but stent wise an electric heating pad and Azo helped me (I’m US based). Azo isn’t great - but it takes the edge off the urgency and stinging. It’s sold in the womens tampon aisle often next to pregnancy tests and feminine cleaning supplies. The heating pad was my best friend. I use a Sunbeam one I bought on Amazon for about $14.

I haven’t had a stent in for as long as you - I once had one in for a few months but it wasn’t supposed to be in there that long, it just didn’t bother me so I didn’t get it removed in a timely manner. The second was in for five weeks and I was miserable the entire time. The third was in for two weeks and again it was not fun but slightly better than the second time.

1
cdMMMOP•

Copy that, thanks. I'll look for Azo in CVS and look into a heating pad.

2
mhopkirk•

Hey, I also don't have stones , but have scarring from a hysterectomy. I just wanted to commiserate. What happens with me is my ureter closes off , I get a stent and get opened up under anesthesia, then I keep the stent for a week or two and then take it out and do it again 2 years later. Probably for the rest of my life.

I also have one sluggish kidney that will never be as good as it was before. I have to get routine Mag 3 scans to make sure it isn't getting worse.

Staying hydrated and heat along with Toradol for pain helps me the most, but you can't take Toradol (prescription) routinely. I just wanted you to know you are not alone.

I hope you find some relief. I feel like every Urologist should have to have a stent in for a week. They really don't seem to get it.

1
cdMMMOP•

Thanks for the post, it does help. And yeah, I'll be having renal scans every 2-3 months to see if my hydronephrosis is going away.

If I do need to get stent exchanges, ill be going under anesthesia as well. I don't think I'd be able to stay awake while they placed a stent in.

Ha, and I was thinking the same today.. Every Urologist should have a stent in for a week.

2
PopeSilliusBillius•

Hiya, wanted to say I am also in stent misery and was also doing some googling for quick relief for everything you’ve mentioned. Not found much that hasn’t been said here already but wanted to add that I was just reading that being constipated can also trigger stent irritation. I am currently testing this theory out. Will let you know if it helps lol

Update: idk, there’s still some discomfort but there is a pretty decent difference in discomfort. It could also be a combination of rx meds, otc meds (azo and a decent dose of naproxen), heating pad along with the pooping too though.

1