Jan 21 2009 Hanging by a THREAD

Monday turned into a seek and destroy mission with nothing shocking to speak of, correct, no shock waves occurred. An early arrival at the Bay Medical surgery center, general anesthesia and a ureteroscope. It was deemed necessary to pass a small fiber optic instrument called a ureteroscope through the urethra and bladder into the ureter then into the kidney. My urologist was unable to shock or remove the kidney stone due to it’s placement outside the collection area (and its encapsulation.) Apparently it is my 6mm stone to keep and will not be going anywhere.

When I woke from anesthesia I found that the doctor left me a gift, a thread, six inches hanging from the normal channel. "Doc where are you? You forgot something here!" I then learned that it was connected to a stent which was to remain in-place 3-4 days, a small hollow tube placed in to keep the channel open. The removal of said stent can be completed by just pulling the thread? "Are you kidding me? Hey doc you put it in, you’re taking it out."

This has been one of the most painful experiences to-date, it feels like my lower back (right kidney) has been bruised and battered. A lot of heat and a few Loritab are helpful, I can only imagine what the stone passing or the shock wave feels like. My analogy is compared to the "google earth" vehicle driving a street near you to capture images, well the doctor drove around my kidney doing the same thing, kind of like the "magic school bus."

Doctors do not always know what causes a stone to form. A person with a family history of kidney stones may be more likely to develop stones.

For more info:
http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/Kudiseases/pubs/stonesadults/