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Pain Management - Ureteroscopy and Foley Stent Placement
Good day all. I am scheduled to have a ureteroscopy for multiple stones in both my left and right kidneys, the largest at 8MM. A foley stent will most likely need to be placed in both ureters. Two days later, I am scheduled to fly home from Minnesota. I have had a ureteroscopy before, and have also had lithotripsy four times. I'm not overly concerned. Primarily because the doctors have always given me sufficient pain medication. For this procedure, I am more nervous, as I don't want to have unbearable pain while I'm 20,000 feet in the air.
Does anyone know what will be given to me for pain medication? I asked the urologist, and his response was that "they would work with me". While that is generally an acceptable answer (in my opinion) it really didn't fully answer my question.
Sadly, in today's age, it seems like everyone is a drug seeker in the eyes of the doctors. That is a bit of an exaggeration, but I think you know what I mean. The opiod crisis has turned the whole pain management world upside down. I actually support the changes, but at the same time, I see providers more and more hesitant to prescribe opiods.
During my time here at Mayo, I have been told that I cannot take NSAIDS because of a multitude of gastro, uro, and cardiac issues.
So my question for those of you who have had a ureteroscopy at Mayo, what were you given? Do you feel the staff were attentive to your pain management needs? I have had an AMAZING experience at Mayo thus far, but this procedure is making me a bit nervous.
I thank you all in advance.
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Hi @jeggy74 and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I can imagine that you're nervous about pain when flying home 2 days after ureteroscopy procedure. However, I am confident that the Mayo team will be sure to be attentive to your pain management needs, especially when you tell them your pain levels and travel arrangements.
I'm tagging fellow members @remaghdia @lagrange5 @rosemarya and @trishanna who have experience with kidney stones, although I'm not sure if they've had ureteroscopy.
Jeggy, what was your pain level like with previous ureteroscopies? What did you take to manage the pain then?
Hello Colleen, and thank you so much for your response. I am also confident that I will be taken care of, but I’m still a little bit nervous. Your question regarding my pain level is a good one. It definitely varied based on whether a stent was placed during the procedure. The stent always seems to cause pain in my flank. I’ve had much better luck pain wise when a stent was not used. However I firmly understand why they need to do so this time.
I would say on average my pain is about a seven normally for a day or two, and then it subsides to maybe at five or four. Within a week I’m usually down to like a two. My pain has normally been controlled with 7.5 Percocet tablets. After about a week, I can start using NSAIDS. As I previously mentioned however, the doctors are telling me that I cannot take them. So I also have questions about what other pain management options there are besides opioids or NSAIDS.
The urologist informed me that it will probably be a long procedure because of the number of stones and their sizes. From what I have read online, it generally appears that the longer this procedure takes, the more pain the patient will experience afterwards.
Thank you once again and be blessed!