PCNL Surgery...Any advice greatly recieved.

I felt the same way going in. Longest surgery I'd ever had prior was 30-45 mins. So I was petrified of the 2.5 hours under general anesthesia. Please try not to worry. It's very safe and totally controlled. You will wake up not even realizing you were out. They will give you something to relax you before they administrator the GA and it's a smooth ride. Before you know it you'll be in recovery thinking they hadn't started yet. You will have no concept of the time. Best wishes!!

Dina

Hi....

I think a month is a good estimate. Although I think it varies from person to person depending on individuals circumstances. You certainly won't be bedridden for a month but it definitely takes several weeks before you're back to your normal routine. If you're children are very young just know that you will not be able to pick them up for several weeks so you'll need to make provisions to have someone there to help you.

I did not have any stents so I'm sorry I can't help you with that. I'm sure you chose your surgeon wisely so have faith that he will take very good care of you. Wishing you all the best for a speedy recovery!!

Thankfully my kids are older so I won't have to worry much, but maybe needing help getting her to and from activities. 

I had a stent once before and it was horrible. I'm dreading that ??

Now just to get through the next month without driving myself crazy 😵

Yes I forgot about that. I had my husband (who fortunately works from home) take my youngest back and forth to school for the first 2 weeks.  Then I went back to driving and it was fine. 

I've heard so many different things about the stents. Maybe this time will be easier for you. Try not to make yourself

Crazy. I did the same and it wasn't worth the energy.  

Dina

I've had kidney stone issues for years. Long story short had a bout in May which landed me in the hospital for 5 days. I had 3 small stones on the left which lithotripsy was done on (twice) a small slither still in the lower pole which they are going to leave for now.

 I have a stone on the right which takes up my entire kidney and will take 3-5 pcnls to take care of. I have had constant infections as a result of the stone on the right. A constant toothache is how I describe the pain I feel on the right. My options weren't few.. removal of the kidney, do nothing and eventually have the kidney removed or PCNL.

 I am scheduled for my first the end of September. 

To say I am scared would be a understatement. My procedure like yours will be done as staged with the radiologist placing the guide wire first. I think that is what is causing most of my anxiety. Hoping you can tell me how that procedure went and how long after that procedure were you taken for the PCNL. Not looking forward to this at all....

Thanks,

Faith

Hi Faith....jeez I'm so sorry for your troubles hun. I remember my urologist telling me he's had patients where the stone had basically taken on the whole size and shape of the kidney.   I had a 3.5 cm stone on my right kidney that caused me the same problems as you.  Forgive me if I'm repeating but this post is a few months old now ....I was kept on daily antibiotics for 3 months prior to my surgery to combat the uti and then they upped them to much stronger doses the week before my surgery and for 2 weeks after.  I also was very aware of my stone when I moved.  It wasn't an acute pain, but a nagging, constant ache. 

Having the nephrostomy tube was done under a local.  I had taken a xanax when I got there to help keep me calm, but I was given the option of not taking it and being given a sedative before going in. Either way, their goal is for you to be relaxed and not worried and upset.  They really try to keep you as comfortable as possible. Naturally you will be positioned on your stomach and they'll give u a pillow. They instructed me to tell them if I feel any discomfort or pain and they'd up the local anesthetic.  I can't remember how long it took (maybe 20 mins?) but it wasn't long.  From there to surgery was about a half an hour.  I was very anxious about having the nephrostomy tube placed but it wasn't that bad at all.  I did start to feel a little pain shortly after but they immediately pushed some pain meds in my IV.  During the procedure you feel pressure while they're placing the tube but the area will be numb. 

I hope that helps a little. Wishing you all the best. How close together due they predict your surgeries to be?

Best Wishes,

Dina 

Thank you so much Dina...that makes me feel a lot better... I figure the pain can't be any worse than the ache I have now on a daily basis. I appreciate your input and hope you are doing better after your PCNL. The staged thing kind of caught me off guard... I knew it had been a few months since anyone had been on here talking so I was thankful for your reply... thanks for taking the time.

Faith

Faith, I did not have the staged procedure like Dina, however I did have 2 PCNLs back to back. I had a large stone in each kidney and a bunch of smaller ones in each and my kidney. So I had to have a separate procedure for each kidney. I was really nervous about the whole thing to begin with, but especially having two surgeries within 2 days of each other. I was pretty blown away at how smoothly everything went and how quickly I bounced back. I was in the hospital for 6 days total, which was planned ahead of time so I could have both procedures done while I was there. I imagine it may be a little different in your case, but I just want to give you some encouraging words from someone who is the biggest chicken ever and it all went better than I could have possibly imagined. Wishing you all the best and please keep us posted. Karen

Faith....something I just remembered while reading one of Karen's replies....regardless of how it's done, the tube is placed with the help of a radiological interventionist.  It's either done in stages, where it's placed under a local anesthetic, or it's done in the OR while under general.  Although I was very anxious about having it done while I was awake, I was grateful because it's my understanding that if it's done in the OR,  it could add up to an hour onto your surgery (and general anesthesia) time.   

My only recommendation would be to inquire if the radiologist has seen your CT scan.  I found out the day of my first procedure the radiologist never saw my case before and he wasn't confident he could lay the guidewires. 

Turns out he couldn't and I had a nephrostomy tube for a month, had a shot in the dark lithotripsy and then told by my urologist he wasn't comfortable with my case so I got a new AMAZING urologist who lays his own guidewires and got rid of my bilateral staghorn stones. 

Hi Faith, Good news I also had the two stages with then radiology first. I went to sleep, no pain, woke up waited about forty minutes then wheeled into the operating room. It all went so much better then expected. I am home got home only a couple of hours after the operation. I was also a basket case. I am home nobtubes, nonpain just very weak. Good Luck

Jeanne,

If you're not having a staged procedure like Dina or Faith, then you will be out the entire time while they place the tube and do the procedure. I had two procedures (one on each kidney) within 2 days of each other, so there were a few days in the hospital that I had a tube on each side and 2 urinary stents. I know it sounds pretty awful, but believe it or not I had minimal pain and was able to manage, sleep, eat, and even walk the halls fine. Granted i couldn't run a marathon, but it was way better than I could have imagined. Typically they leave the tube in for a I think 24-48 hours, so not long at all. Hope that helps

Jeanne....you do not have to stay on your side. They secure the tube and pack it well with bandages and padding so you're able to lay however you're comfortable.  I didn't find any real pain with the tube   You might have the slightest little ache right at the site but honestly I don't even remember having anything that left an impression.  As for how long...I think that varies a lot depending on your personal circumstances, how well you heal, how long you'll be in the hospital, if you have any complications, etc.   hope that helps. 

😊

I had my tube a month. For me it was quite painful and I developed a bad rash due to the tape that held the tube in place. 

Mine was in a month because of waiting for procedures. 

I couldn't lay comfortably on my back so I laid on my side most of the time when I was in bed. 

I had the pcnl seven months ago, much easier then I ever expected, I had the best dr, went home that evening, no pain. I did go home with stents, not the most comfortable, took two Advil and I was fine. My surgery was also a two part, radiologist first then the surgery. I went on this site before I had this surgery. Most said it was horrible, scared the ——out of me. Thankfully u can’t believe everything. I had an amazing dr. Good Luck