Ureteral Stents: What You Need to Know - Urology Care Foundation
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- Опубліковано 2 тра 2021
- If you have a kidney stone, treatment options vary. If you and your doctor choose surgery as treatment for your stone, a ureteral stent may be used. For more information about kidney stones and ureteral stents, go to UrologyHealth.org. The Urology Care Foundation is the official foundation of the American Urological Association. This video is designed for adult patient education and was developed in collaboration with Michigan Urological Surgery Improvement Collaborative. MUSIC is sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. #Stents #UrologyCareFoundation #MUSIC
A ureteral stent is a plastic, flexible, hollow tube that helps the kidney drain urine after kidney stone surgery. When is a stent needed? A stent is placed if your doctor thinks the urine might not drain well after kidney stone surgery. Stents are often placed to stop pieces of stone or blood from blocking urine leaving the kidney and to prevent spasms in the ureter. Stents can be left with or without a string attached, which is used for stent removal.
It is very common for stents to cause symptoms after surgery. You may notice:
• an urgent need to pass urine
• the need to pass urine more often
• burning or pain in your lower back when passing urine
• blood in the urine
• feeling as if you are not able to empty your bladder all the way
• discomfort or pain in the bladder, lower abdomen, and/or lower back
There are a number of things you can do to help handle your stent symptoms. Providers suggest drinking plenty of fluids, taking a warm bath, using a heating pad and taking over-the-counter pain medication to help with pain or discomfort. Some doctors may prescribe medications to help you with stent discomfort.
In terms of physical activity, you may restart your normal physical routine the day after your surgery. But, if you see increased blood in your urine when being more active, you should get off your feet, rest, and drink plenty of fluids.
Having a stent should not change work, social life or travel. Your daily routine may change by simply having the need to use the bathroom more often. Having a stent should not change your sex life. However, if you have a stent with a string coming outside your body through the urethra, sex may be difficult. It is normal for patients to have some symptoms, but they typically go away after the stent is removed.
Your stent is typically removed within the first two weeks after surgery. If the stent was left with a string emerging from your urethra, you can remove it at home at the time recommended by your urologist. If the stent was left without a string, it will be removed in the urologist’s office by passing a camera through the urethra.
If removing a stent at home, wash your hands with soap and water and make sure you are relaxed. Taking a warm shower or bath while removing the stent, can help with this. After your hands are washed, lift the tape or stickers that may be holding the string to your body. Take hold of the string. Take a deep breath in and as you breathe out, pull the stent until it is all the way out with a firm, steady motion. The stent will be about 10-12 inches long with a curl on each end. Pulling the stent out may feel odd and perhaps uncomfortable. It should not be very painful.
Once the stent is removed, you may experience some pain in your back or bladder. It may also be painful the next few times you pass urine and you may notice blood. This is quite normal and it should pass. Make sure you drink enough fluid to keep your urine a clear yellow color.
When removing a stent from home, you should contact your doctor if:
• you feel you are unable to remove the stent by yourself
• there was a problem removing the entire stent
• any concerning problems occur afterwards, like fever (higher than 101.5 degrees Fahrenheit), chills or if you can’t pass urine
What should I expect after the stent is removed? While most patients do not experience any symptoms after the stent is removed, some patients experience cramping due to bladder or ureteral spasms which may lead to feelings of nausea or urinary urgency. These feelings are not unusual and typically go away after the first 24 hours. Continue to drink a lot of liquids and keep taking your pain medication as directed. Some doctors may prescribe medications to help alleviate these symptoms.
Remember, symptoms such as pain, discomfort, urinary frequency or urgency, burning or pain when you pass urine, blood in urine, sensation of incomplete emptying of the bladder are all common and do not require medical help. They should pass with time.
If you are feeling concerned about your symptoms, contact your doctor’s office before going to ER. Call your doctor if you have:
• Chills and a fever higher than 101.5˚F
• Nausea, vomiting and unable to drink or keep down liquids
• Severe pain that is not relieved by pain medication
• Difficulty or inability to pass urine
• Constant urine leaks
• Noticed the stent fell out
The stent is the worst pain ever! I can’t wait to get this bastard out of me😩
Only when you pee...like someone pushing their knuckle into your back for 20 to 30 seconds...ouch
I have had 8 stent removal/replacements since July 2022. Every stent has been extremely painful. Sometimes it's so painful I can't even walk much less have sex!! I would not recommend stent placement to my worst enemy if I had one and definitely wouldn't recommend to friends and loved ones. Stents have been like cruel and unusual punishment for me. I'll never allow this to be done to me again! Folks, I recommend exploring all other options available before believing when a doctor says how simple and painless a stent procedure is. Oh sure it's easy for the doctor to perform but my experience is that it extremely painful and at its best very uncomfortable!!
I agree... I have had 15 stent replacements/removals over the course of 20 yrs and they are the most horrible things anyone can have inserted especially if youre prone to infections and kidney stone fragments after a ureteroscopy. In my experience ive had stone fragment get stuck in the stent which cause urine to flow back up into the kidney causing flank pain. Also if they crystalize you could get urosepsis or worse renal failure... They dont tell you that and makeout these stents arnt as problematic as they are.. Bullshit. Im betting most of these doctors have never had these experiences so dont know shit! They have the worst attitudes too... Once youve had your op and stent fitted, the duty of care they SHOULD still offer goes out the window and youre basically forgotten about unless you chase them down or write to PALS to complain when they say its going to be removed in 2 weeks and leave you with it for months. These stents are NOT bio identical so our bodies have symptoms because its trying to tell us we have these foreign bodies inside of us we need to get out. Back in 2019 my surgeon was only supposed to do a ureteroscopy on my left kidney as no stones showed up on the scan in my right one but while in surgery and after having a spinal tap over anesthetic, my surgeon decided to go for a look in my right kidney, caught it and because it was bleeding put a stent in there but failed to tell me that nor was it mentioned on my discharge letfer. 3 days later i end up in my local hospital with urosepsis abd the doctors asked me why i had a stent in right kidney. I said i dont know as they never told me and i only knew id had a stent because it said that on my discharge letter but not why. I was in hospital for 2 weeks, kidney function down to 37%and me not having a clue if i was having renal failure or if id have to go on dialysis. I was told to drink 3/4 litres of water and take celtic salt for lost electrolytes and slowly my function went to above 40 and i was allowed home. Blood tests weeks n weeks after showed kidney function climb to 63%. October 2023 and i had another stone op and stent inserted and told itd be removed 2 weeks after op.. Still waiting, ive complained again to pals and ive just had an app for end of December. Not happy so demanded they take it out sooner (ie ASAP).. I wait with baited breath!... Thats how much they give a stuff... ive never met a bunch of arrogant brainwashed psychopaths in my life. Imagine being elderly and nt daring to say anything because too scared to or they get fobbed off. Im angry because my partners grandad died 2 weeks ago because basically district nurses killed him. He lived at home with his wife but was bedridden, had dementia and had a catheter in and the district nurse tried to insert a new one without using numbing cream and because he was screaming in pain rang 2 other district nurses to come help. His poor wife was hysterical telling them to stop trying to insert it without numbing gel and the nurse said they didnt always need it nowadays. So while 2 nurses held him down so she could insert this catheter without numbing cream and while he was screaming in pain he litterally had a stroke. One week later he died. My partners mum demanded an autopsy and wanted them to say cause of death was because of the trauma he suffered which resulted in the stroke and then his death but they close ranks and said cause of death was natural and his body giving up! When he was moved, his skin on his back had stuck to the sheet of his bed and litterally came away like paper 😔Im sorry but many of these doctors and nurses are souless, nasty and should never be in a caring job.
If it were not so painful, it would be comical, listening to her cheerful voice talk about a ureteral stent like she was talking about a cake recipe. Granted, patient experience this differently but for many if not most it is a horrible life altering experience especially for males due to the anatomical differences. After a fairly recent surgery, I was informed two days later that I had a stent. It would’ve been nice to have been warned about that ahead of time. I had a cystoscopy over 20 years before that so at least I knew enough to seek out a urologist who would, remove the stent other general anesthesia which was the only way I would ever do it again. I even had to go outside that particular healthcare system to find the doctor.
I know this is a few months past but you are so right. Talk about pain, and get told we can control the spasms with meds. Oh, but wait, you don’t get any because of reduced kidney function. Go home and suffer like you have never suffered before. Cant even walk the dogs, and sex? Are you kidding me! I wish these docs who think they know everything, should get one inserted, let alone two. And then tell us that is can be slightly uncomfortable. That will be $15,000.00 thank you. They suck and like you they will never do this again.
Thank you I am currently experiencing pain
@@PeteHob I hear ya, I had a stint in each uter tube and after a month I couldn’t take it anymore, plus couldn’t take the anti spasm crap. I think they got hooked in there and holy shit! The infamous ‘it will only be two seconds per side’ line turned into like two minutes which as you know seemed like an hour, and the joy of going back in to get the other side. I’m with you, never again unless I’m knocked out. I think all those docs need to get one put in and experience it. Maybe a bit more compassion.
Great Explanation
Thank you
I had a double-J stent last January. Doctor said it could be removed in 4 days. Mine came partway out after two and had to be removed by an ER doc.
I wish I could schedule an appointment with you.
Thanks. Nice video
The worst pain , extreme pain while peeing and the pain last and lingers for 4-5 minutes.. omg.
I noticed you mentioned that the stent is placed after kidney stone surgery?
Feels like a UTI at times dont hold urine lucky i was by a bathroom mostly I couldn’t sit for very long drink water i limited walking around till removal day
Feels like you need a toilet strapped to your back constantly doesnt it. Ive had bad stent experiences where i litterally would pee myself as there was no time for the toilet when your bladder squeezes
After surgery and within a day my stent come out while nurse removing urine bag 😢
I'm getting a 4 mm kidney stone removed this week. I hope I don't need a stent.
You shouldnt but they might because its easier for them to insert one than to spend time lasering them to dust. My stone was 12mm and had to have stent but they usually do a ureteroscopy before they put one in. In my case they put stent in and said for just 8 weeks then theyd do the op. Never had this way before and then they left me for 5months.in between, i had 3 cancelled ops untill October 17th 2023 when i finally had my op. As im typing this, my stents still in even though they promised me itd be out in 10 days to 2 weeks... Insist they break stone up and even if you have fragments, dont have stent in.. Flush them out yourself by hydrating lots and holding your bladder for as long as you can then peeing out with force x
It's been 3 days and I'm still having spasms. How long can this last?
The stents can irritate so spasms can last longer. Drink plenty of lemon water, herbal tea (these are diuretics and will flush your kidneys better) nettle tea and quebra pedra are really good for flushing kidneys and kidney health. Dont take anti inflammatory pills like ibroprufen because these will damage your kidneys, just hydrate hydrate hydrate with fruit juices, herbals..... If you must have pain meds, opt for diclofenic suppositories because they are the lesser of 2 evils but stop the spasms within 10-20 mins and last for up to 16 hrs so you dont need too many 👍🙏