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PCNL Surgery...Any advice greatly recieved.

Posted , 32 users are following.

Steph9283
Steph9283

I am due to go in for this op shortly for 19mm(prob bigger now)stone.

I have had other surgery for stones but never this.

Obviously i know what they are going to do and that its far more invasive than other methods.

Have read so much conflicting advise about how long in hospital/recovery time/pain management.

Again im not daft and no if im in pain ill take meds..!!

Was just wondering if theres anyone out there thats had this done in the last year or so and how you got on.

Im self employed so not easy to take much time of work.

Ive always tended to plod on through the pain and hoping i can get back to work asap.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks..

2 likes, 173 replies

173 Replies

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  • carla45937
    carla45937 Steph9283

    Posted

    Never in my life I have been so grateful to hear of other people's suffering lol I honestly thought I was alone with cronic kidney stones, countless procedures and my hate for stents.. I'm 38 yrs old and after, what feels like, millions of operations to clear both kidneys, I still have 16 stones. Sigh* I'm in to get one lasered on the 29th and I'm dreading having a stent put back in, but like you guys, I'm resilient and life goes on.

    Thanks for giving me something to relate to. X

    • Steph9283
      Steph9283 carla45937

      Posted

      Goodness me 16 stones...arghhhh,i really feel for you.

      Hope the lasering goes well for you on the 29th.I can fully understand you dreading having a stent put in,fingers crossed this one will be ok.

      As i said ive had a fair few in over the years but it was just this last one that was truly horrible and painful.

      Good luck with it all and i hope that one day youll be stone free.

    • carla45937
      carla45937 Steph9283

      Posted

      Thanks hun. I've had lots of stents, some good, but some bloody awful lol. Here's hoping for a good one smile

      Thanks again for starting this thread. Us stonies should stick together lol

      Hope you stay well x

    • MandeS
      MandeS Steph9283

      Posted

      I just want to say thank you to all of you for your candor and willingness to discuss your experiences. I found out in January that I have 4 large stones in my right kidney (16 mm, 15mm, 13mm, and 9mm) as well as a couple smaller ones in the left (which I'm not focused on right now). PCNL on the right is scheduled for April 11. I spent weeks researching and reading articles and websites, but it was this thread that finally put me at ease. After I've been through it, I will share here as well. smile

      Melanie

    • carla45937
      carla45937 MandeS

      Posted

      Hi Melania,

      Good luck for the 11th. My own experience of PNCL was that it was a lot better than I ever imagined it was going to be. I woke up relatively pain free and although the tubes (the catheter and back tube) make it a bit tricky to get around, it's only for a few days. I am left with a little scar, but it isn't something that bothers me personally. Wishing you all the best xx

    • Steph9283
      Steph9283 MandeS

      Posted

      Best of luck to you for your surgery in April...Im sure all will go smoothly..
    • MandeS
      MandeS Steph9283

      Posted

      Thank you so much for the encouragement.  I'm hoping my experience matches those of the folks on this discussion thread.  I'll update everyone afterwards.  smile

    • MandeS
      MandeS carla45937

      Posted

      Thank you!  Glad your experience was better than expected.  I'm hoping for the same smile

  • kirs
    kirs Steph9283

    Posted

    My surgery is in 2 weeks. Just how bad is the pain the first couple of days?

    • carla45937
      carla45937 kirs

      Posted

      Hi Kris,

      For me, I was in very little pain.. the hospital will keep you topped with morphine if you start to feel uncomfortable and it's more of an ache than a pain, which codine usually takes care of. You will be pretty much bed ridden for 3 days which makes you a bit stiff and sore, but when they remove the tubes and you get moving again, you should be ok. Please keep us posted on how you get on.

      Carla

  • kirs
    kirs Steph9283

    Posted

    Has anyone had a breathing tube with PCNL? Thanks.
  • june84091
    june84091 Steph9283

    Posted

    hi im new on here ,im due to have pcnl early june,i have 12 mm left lower pole kidney stone,im terrified of having key hole surgery but this is my best option.been told no stent ,which im pleased about not sure how long im staying in for having it done ,darent valley hospital uk.any information gratefully appreciated,thanks
    • dina48865
      dina48865 june84091

      Posted

      Hi there, and welcome to the boards. I had my pcnl a little over a week ago. I think if you read thru the replies here you will find the stories vary according to personal differences. Overall, it's considered a minimally invasive surgery, and has the highest success rate of the 3 different types of kidney stone removal procedures/surgeries. Your stone sounds relatively small. My stone was huge and sat right in the center of my kidney.

      I'm In the states so can't help you as far as the hospital info, but I think there are a few on this board from the U.K.

      If you have any specific questions don't hesitate to ask.

      Best Wishes,

      Dina

    • MandeS
      MandeS june84091

      Posted

      Hello, june84091, and welcome.

      I agree with Dina, as experiences seem to vary widely based upon stone size and location, drainage methods, number of stones, and surgeon preferences.  I had my pcnl in April and posted on here shortly thereafter.  I ended up with a lung/pleural complication that is uncommon (about 1%) that slowed my recovery considerably.  Even with that, now a month out, I am back to pretty much all my normal activities, including exercise.  

      The process seems daunting when you first find out that you need it, but the more you learn (including reading through the posts on here), the more comforted you will (hopefully!) be.  

      Please let us know if you need any specific info.

      Best of luck to you!

      Melanie

    • kirs
      kirs june84091

      Posted

      I had PCNL on my left side at the end of April. I lost a bit more blood than they wanted so I couldn't get the right side done 2 days later as planned. I had surgery Wednesday and went home Friday. I only took Tylenol and honestly didn't need anything more. The Foley catheter was the most painful part in the hospital for me.

      I have a stent. It's annoying at times.

      I was back working in less than 2 weeks.

      I have the right side scheduled for July. I'm hoping it goes just as smooth.

      Best of luck to you.

    • KD123
      KD123 kirs

      Posted

      Thanks so much for sharing your experience. You are the first person aside from myself who I've "met" that is needing a PCNL on both kidneys. I'm sorry you have to go back and they couldn't do it all as planned, but am so glad to hear that your recovery went so well. 

      I'm scheduled for the same as you in a few weeks. Two procedures two days apart. Of course I have the option to opt out of the second round and reschedule for later if need be, so it's reassuring to know that it will all be playing it by ear. 

      Wishing you all the best for your procedure in July! Karen 

    • kirs
      kirs KD123

      Posted

      Hi Karen,

      How did your procedure (s) go? Hope all is well.

      My PCNL is two weeks from today. It's so far away and coming up too quick at the same time. Lol

      Kirs

    • KD123
      KD123 kirs

      Posted

      Hi Kirs, I'm so sorry for not replying sooner!! I must have missed seeing your post in my email, I was kind of overloaded with emails for a while. I imagine by now your procedure is long over and you've recovered. I hope all went well. I'm glad to report that everything went really smooth with my procedures and I bounced back quicker than I ever imagined. Very grateful! 

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