anybody had lithotripsy for kidney stone?.

[Greentriangle82]

I have a 4mm kidney stone that is not currently causing me any pain or symptoms. I have an appointment for lithotripsy next month. Has anybody had this? How was it afterwards? would it be better to leave it to pass without the lithotripsy?
Any advice appreciated thanks

I've had it a few times. I had to have one stone lasered when I was pregnant which was highly unpleasant. Lithotripsy was a joy in comparison. They basically aim to break as much as the stone as possible down and then let it pass. If they've recommended this I'd go with it as it might get bigger and block a kidney. I didn't find it uncomfortable I just use to chill out on the bed. Good luck.

Thank you queen. I'm not too bothered about the actual procedure it's the aftermath ( if any?) Was it painful passing the broken down stone? I passed a stone last year it was horrendous!

DH had it, said it was ok, bit like an elastic band being flicked on your back. So not exactly what you'd choose for a fun day out but not awful either.

He did call it an operation though . Mind you he described his vasectomy as being major surgery so he obviously has a skewed idea of what an operation actually is!

Haha Ellie it's been described to me as a 'non invasive procedure' so not quite as dramatic as an operation . Was he in pain afterwards?

No, not until it moved out of his kidney and down the tube.

Hi Green. I've not had kidney stones or lithotripsy myself but my DD has twice. The first time she had a couple of stones was when she was 18 (15 years ago).She had been in severe pain with it,had vomiting and felt very ill for a day. I took her to A and E on our GP's advice where she had an x-ray and kidney stones was diagnosed. Thankfully,the stone passed (which caused blood in her urine) but the hospital said that there was at least one other stone still in her kidney,which was probably too big to pass. They referred her for lithotripsy. She had to wait a couple of weeks for this,and had to go to a hospital in London for it as our local hospital didn't offer it. She was told to take some painkillers about half an hour before the treatment (ibuprofen or paracetamol) and that the treatment wouldn't really hurt,it would 'feel like an elastic band being repeatedly pinged on your skin'. Unfortunately,she said it was far more uncomfortable than that. She spoke to a couple of other women who had had it done on the same day,but they said it hadn't really hurt! On further investigation, it turned out that these women had been laying on their front,with the ultrasound machine aimed on their back,whereas my daughter had been laying on her back,with the machine aimed at her front. Not really sure why this was,she thinks it had to do with the positioning of the stone within the kidney,but I wondered whether it was a BMI issue,i.e. on how much body fat you have (my DD is rather overweight). I have heard that you can be given a sedative prior to treatment if you are worried about it being painful,although obviously you will need someone to drive you or accompany you home after. About 24 hours after the lithotripsy,my DD started getting pain and feeling sick again,and noticed blood in her urine. I phoned our GP and he said this was normal,it was the shattered stone(s) being passed and to drink plenty of water and take painkillers. She was fine within 12 hours. Hope this helps OP.

I've had some pass without me noticing and other with a teeny bit of pain but nothing major to be honest. Only hurts if they touch the tubes. I remember the stone rather than the aftermath of the treatment being awful to be honest.

Thank you for the responses. I think my main fear is going into renal colic afterwards as it's just so awful! Janey I will enquire about positioning thank you.