friendly_one

Hi...I've had over 30 ureteroscopies done (you can read my story titled "newbie here---but extremely familiar with kidney stones"...it's on this page). You will be under a general anesthetic so you won't feel anything until you wake up. More than likely, you will be nauseated from the general anesthetic. Don't hesitate to ask the nurse for some medicine to help with that feeling. It's a little hard to describe, but I'll try my best to tell you what you will experience. Just remember, everyone is different and will interpret things differently. But, here's a generel ideal of what will happen. It's very uncomfortable just from the instruments being used. The doc will scope your entire ureter from the bladder all the way up to the kidney. Is the doc doing both sides? If so, double the pain.

You will definitely feel a great deal of pressure and urgency, like you have to urinate extremely badly and you cannot fully empty your bladder. It's very frustrating. You will also have pain, especially due to the stent. I cannot tolerate a stent at all. It doesn't bother some people and they can have their stent left in for months at a time, due to certain conditions. Yours will probably only need to be left in for 4-5 days and then the doc will put the stent out in his office. It only takes about 5 seconds and it's not that bad coming out. Just take a pain pill before you go to the office for the stent removal. I always have to tell the doc to pull my stent after 24 hrs. because it is so painful! So, you may or may not feel pain from the stent. Don't be alarmed when you first urinate after the procedure. It will be pure blood. The blood will continue for about a day or so, but it will lessen in the amount of blood present.

Don't be afraid to ask for pain meds while you are in the recovery room. You will need them!! They will be given to you through your I.V. and then you will be discharged home with some oral pain meds. You should be cleared to go back to work within a week or so. Just don't push yourself. If the doc clears you for work and you don't feel up to it, please, do yourself a favor, and stay home and rest!! You will just make yourself miserable if you attempt to go back to work too soon. Feel free to ask my anymore questions and I will do my best to answer them. Good luck and please post after your procedure (whenever you feel up to it) ok??