My stent hurts…what should I do?

80% of patients will have discomfort from their stent.  Often this is cramping in the bladder or in the kidney; at times worse with urinating.  A variety of medications can be tried to help with this:

1.  Alpha-blockers (flomax, uroxatral, cardura etc)  – helps primarily with kidney pain from stents

2.  Anticholinergics (detrol, ditropan, sanctura etc) – helps primarily with bladder spasms

3.  Ketorolac – a non-steroidal pain medication that can be very helpful (sometimes better than narcotics)

The main other thing is to have your stent removed as soon as possible.  After an uncomplicated ureteroscopy, one should be able to have the stent removed in 7-10 days.  Exceptions would be if there was an inordinate amount of swelling in the ureter, scarring in the ureter or other complicating factors. 

Lastly if the pain is severe, often a foley (urethral) catheter will help alleviate some of that pain.

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Sheila

My stent has been in 13 months next week it’s really sore and hurts when I sit or walk . I am in the process of being handed to another trust for further treatment and I don’t know who to talk to about this

Anonymous

Has anyone with the stent feel pain in the Nuts!!

Janet

I have ureteral obstruction for which I have had a stent since July 9th. The first urologist did 2 ureteroscopies to try to find out what it is, but results were inconclusive. I asked him to remove the tumor so he can look at it, but he was reluctant to remove healthy tissue if it turned out to be benign. Turns out, he was reluctant because he wasn’t confident he could do it! I waited another 6 weeks to find that out. Then he referred me to a colleague for robotic surgery. He says he is booked ‘a ways out’, and the stent has to remain until surgery. After surgery, it stays for 4-6 weeks.It’s been 1 week since his consultation, and I have heard nothing. I have already had 2 different stents now for a total of 3 months. My quality of life is poor, since I can’t walk more than 10 minutes without too much pain. If I do any work for say, half an hour light work, I suffer severe pain for the remainder of the day in my bladder, and it keeps me from sleeping at night. I am so frustrated by the snails pace of waiting for this to be resolved and the depressing thought that this will go on indefinitely. I am at my wits end! My wish is that every urologist should be required to have a stent for at LEAST 2 weeks before he ever tries one on a patient. The literature tells them it is ‘discomfort’. DISCOMFORT? I feel burning at all times, strong bladder spasms, sharp poking, urgency with frequency, occasional leakage, unbearable tickling, and even movement of the stent when I am not moving. There is never a time when I don’t feel it. It is life-altering, sleep depriving, unrelenting misery! And there is no relief in sight.

D maginn

After I had a stent removed after 8 weeks, the last week approaching unbearable, I felt such joy just to be able to empty my bladder properly. I have never taken that feeling for granted since, in fact I still think about when I urinate now.

Sheila

Ooh can’t wait I’ve almost forgotten how to wee with no pain

I had surgery on February 27 to remove a stone in my right pelvis kidney. My urologist put a stent in a week before hoping he would be able to remove it after he already tried once and fail!! The stent is totally driving me INSANE!!Plus the dr told me I would only have the stent for a week after surgery WELL it turns out he is on vacation and I have to wait and I’m stuck with it for 2weeks!!!! I will go nuts by then!! I’m looking for any ADVICE!!😭😭😭😭

Sheila

I’ve had mine in 13 months

Jess

This is so helpful, thanks

Shirley Green

does any one one know if ill be off work when i get my stent out its been in 6 months everyday has been very painful. will i need more recovery time as ive been off work now since November 2016

BomberBladder

I have had a stent for a month while I wait for my next operation. Why do I always feel like a need to urinate every 2 hours. If I walk for more than 20mins, I feel like my bladder is full??????

VA

I feel the same, I also will have this ureteral stent in for more than a month but I also urinate when asleep I don’t even feel it come out, this is torture I can’t even walk for 10minutes I’m just so tired and frustrated, work oh I couldn’t even work like this!!!!

Kara Martin

There is an article on this site about post stent removal pain and ideas on how to avoid such. If you do a search for stent pain it should pop up. This is something I’m also very nervous about

joseph masters

have stent for stone[10-11 mm]was given dilaudid in hospital which really helped.Why no pain meds until stent is removed.My balls feel like there in a vice slowly tightning

Kathy

I don’t have balls but I know exactly what you mean. Everything down there feels like it’s in a vice. My stone over a centimeter. He only got half. Now, 7 millimeter left. Have to Uretrascooy all over again.

SC

Could anyone tell me how they are feeling after having the stent removed? And if there were any side effects. Thanks

Anonymous

It feels just the way it felt when you urinated before you got the stent