Man, those wretched things can be so wicked.

I've had two, years ago now, a year apart from one another. Torturous.

Good luck...

I was like you ARman, at least 2-3 a year if not more. Eventually a urologist convinced me to let him go in through my back to clean out one kidney at a time and start fresh with meds and diet. Unfortunately he knocked the renal artery enough to keep hemorrhaging inside over a week of recovery and I keep bleeding out with my bladder full of coagulated blood the size of a canteen, bags of the same from the tube through my back into my kidney and the bag from a catheter. Long stay in ICU and many surgeries later I have the bleeding stopped with 20% of that kidney left. Eight to nine years later it’s gone downhill enough to remove it. Started on potassium citrate then and the stone production decreased radically. Fortunately for me I only produce the calcium oxalate stones. A few months after the ICU stay (in which I also developed pneumonia), I had the worst gall stone attack I’d ever had. Lasted two days until I hit the ER where they had to do an emergency removal of the stone ridden gall bladder. What’s next, brain stones? Someone above said the stint is worse or something to that effect. Not worse in intensity of pain but worse in the constant pain, discomfort, and urge to pee with very little movement. During one episode of stones, after surgery they left a stint in. I had a backpacking trip planned and wasn’t going to be denied so hiking up the Cohutta River we go. I literally had to stop every 100 ft or so and try to piss cats and blood. I hadn’t been that miserable in a long, long time and all from a stint. Pain meds didn’t do squat. I assure you I’ve never made that mistake again. Oh, let’s not forget to mention the deal with stints. You either get the kind with a string coming out of you twig hanging down to your giggle berries or the kind without. When it’s time to take the stint out (picture a wire clothes hanger looking device that goes from your kidney to your bladder. One end has a hook shape and the other a curly Q pig tail. The one with the string is removed by a quick, painful jerk in the Drs office with no pain meds, anesthesia, or dignity. The other without the string requires a snake with a light, video, and a claw going into the front of your twig (also in the Dr office with no pain meds or anesthesia) up into your bladder, fishing for the end of the stint. When they have it, they rip the camera/light/claw rig and stint out through the front with a slower tug. Folks, drink more water. No, it won’t cure you but you will decrease the concentrated chemicals in your kidneys that the stones form from in the first place. It’s a small price to pay in the long run. Less concentrate in the kidneys equals less opportunity for those hell giving, malicious, firey/crushed glass sons of bitches to take hold of your very soul and make you wish for a quick death!

Urologist is how I found out early. He gave me 2 options, blast it or retrieve it. Think I'm going to have him blast it. Retrieval sounds much more painful.

quote:

Originally posted by wreckdiver:
Urologist is how I found out early. He gave me 2 options, blast it or retrieve it. Think I'm going to have him blast it. Retrieval sounds much more painful.

One person that I know got lithotripsy for kidney stones and he mentioned that it caused high blood pressure requiring medication. I don't know that surgery would be different but talk to the doctor about it.

There are different lithotripsy methods. One is a device that reminds you of an X-ray/CT Scan. The other is a lithotriptor that the surgeon uses to break the stones apart from up inside of you. Might be a good idea to make sure to inquire which he intends to use. Having only one kidney, I can no longer use the Extra Corporal Shockwave Lithotripsy outside of my body. The early machines were brutal compared to today’s standards. Now you lay still on a table, sometimes with headphones and music, while it blasts them almost imperceptibly. Some times it might feel like a rubber band lightly snapping against your skin. Usually you’re medicated during the process. The other usually requires you to be knocked out fully. Either way, you’re going to have to pee out the fragments unless the Dr can pull some out while he’s up there. Whichever you choose, it’ll speed recovery. Word of warning, and I’m not trying to scare you, the little paper you sign telling you that there are risks, it’s no joke. Once in awhile those things happen. Happened to me. Also happened to one of my first cousins. The surgeon punched a hole in his ureter while operating. Those are the exception rather than the rule but it’s worth consideration even though you really don’t have a choice when you’re dying of kidney stone pain.

First, I'm assuming it's 6-7 mm, not cm. 6-7 mm is pretty small, 6-7 cm is fucking huge.
I've had ESWL. The stones are broken up but then the little diamond-like shards can clog up the ureter--as they did in my case--and the pain is horrendous. Plus I almost died from too much pain medication.
I've also had ureteroscopy, the second time. I prefer the latter; it was done and gone (done under anesthesia) and I had no pain or follow-up problems.
If the urologist is good at ureteroscopy, that's what I'd recommend.

I'm grateful I had my kidney stone; the cystoscopy after the ESWL revealed a very early bladder tumor, which would not have been found had it not been for the procedure.

I drink a gallon of water a day, measured, if I am not exerting, then more than that. I do not drink more than a quart at a time.
When I feel a stone, I will drink a supplemental quart of water, put on the hardest heel street shoes I have and go walk 3 miles on a hard surface, sometimes 6 miles.
It has made a difference for me. I passed an 8mm stone doing this. I hope it will work for you.

I had one that I know of about 15 years ago, thought I was going to die. Didn't really change anything except I drink lemon water whenever possible. According to my Google degree in medicine, it's supposed to help stop the crystals from forming

I get them often, calcium based and about the size of a strawberry or even a dill seed.

Drinking lemon juice in my water helps dissolve them as the acid from the lemon dissolves the calcium.

I try to drink at least a gallon of water a day.

Yes they have brought me to my knees very suddenly.

I am unable to take the pain medicine the docs want to provide as Percocet makes me mean and looking for a physical fight...

If I am in pain I take 1000mg of Ibuprofen every four hours until the pain stops.

I hope yours passes soon and you are pain free.

I had a Urologist go in and grab one, and then he put a stint from my bladder all the way out my penis. that stint stayed in for over a week.... it was not fun when his nurse removed it with one pull, and every time the stint rubbed the pee pad I had to wear to absorb any dribbles it shot a zinger through my whole body.

Dave

quote:

Originally posted by wreckdiver:
Found out yesterday that I have a 6-7cm kidney stone. Looking for some of you that have gone through this for some advise. Thanks!!

Any stone that big needs a name. Maybe Bertha....

You guys are correct about the size, I looked at my test results on my phone.

Did the urologist say you might pass this on your own? Not so big as to be unpassable, and the pain probably no worse than you might get with a procedure.