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by jv22222 1208 days ago
I opted for surgery on my 2nd stone and it was a terrible mistake IMHO I should have tried to let it pass. The first was painful but not THAT bad. Worst experience I've ever had.

Now when I get a tinge of pain I immediately take Chanca Piedra and it seems to have helped for past few years, no reoccurrence, but could just be anecdotal & conicendental.
3 comments
throwanem 1208 days ago
What procedure, and what was a mistake about it? I've had to have a 5mm stone removed endoscopically, and that didn't seem to do me any harm, although I was anesthetized for the procedure - if that's the difference, then say no more, as I'm sure it would have been fairly agonizing if I'd been aware of what was going on at the time.
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jv22222 1207 days ago
FYI I replied about the particulars of the surgery here https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35036735 . I post this because I don't think you would get notified otherwise.

It was super painful!

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kevinak 1208 days ago
Is blowing them up using ultrasound not an option where you’re from? Surgery sounds horrible. Would have probably also opted for passing the stones if that was an alternative… Also the procedure is pretty sci-fi - https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-t...
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sleepybrett 1208 days ago
I asked about this after I passed my first stone (went to my gp, they gave me flomax and a painkiller, the later of which I really only used to help me sleep, I didn't find the stone particularly 'painful' just very uncomfortable). My urologist said they really only use ultrasound for stones they consider large.
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kevinak 1208 days ago
TIL - I must’ve had huge ones then .

Maybe smaller stones don’t show up on the scans and there’s a much larger risk of collateral damage.

Kidney stones are the worst things I’ve ever experienced in my life. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. Ugh.

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pmarreck 1208 days ago
> Worst experience I've ever had.

wait... did you... have a surgery without anesthesia or something??

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jonhohle 1208 days ago
They consider it a surgery, but it’s not unlike a colonoscopy where there is no investing, just instruments entering orifices.

I’ve had two ureteroscopies while awake without any kind of anesthetic. It’s likely the worst experience I’ve had another human inflict on me. You’re in a very vulnerable position, it’s very painful, and it induces the sensation of urinating uncontrollably.

After my first, the doc decided he might as well do a prostate exam as well. I went in not knowing either was going to happen. I was shaken for about a week afterwards.

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pmarreck 1207 days ago
> two ureteroscopies while awake without any kind of anesthetic. It’s likely the worst experience I’ve had another human inflict on me

well, that makes me feel good, because there were trace amounts of urine in my blood not long ago and they wanted to do one of those to me, but instead I got a second opinion and test done and the trace blood had disappeared, so hopefully I dodged that bullet. it sounds terrifying

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jv22222 1207 days ago
FYI I replied about the particulars of the surgery here https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35036735 . I post this because I don't think you would get notified otherwise.

It was nothing like a colonoscopy!

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jonhohle 1207 days ago
s/investing/incision

Autocorrect!

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jv22222 1207 days ago
Oh no, I was fully asleep. I remember nothing of the surgery.

The bad experience was after I woke up. The pain was excruciating. They had first tried to zap it with ultrasound but it didn't work. Then they went in and did some kind of scraping of the urethra. I know this because there was a descent amount of discharge that I can only describe as skin scrapings. It was insanely painful to pass each of these and I think it was that painful because it was passing them through the raw skin that was scraped off itself (within the urethra).

To alleviate the pain I was put on some kind of opioid pain meds for 2.5 weeks that had an insidious effect on my personality. During that time I was (without realizing it) a total unhinged ass it had a terrible effect on my working and personal relationships.

Beforehand I asked the Dr. do I need the surgery? He said "Well we don't really know. You haven't passed it yet (2 weeks) and the only way we can be absolutely sure is with with surgery." There was no real explanation about the tradeoffs of how painful scrapings etc would be.

After the fact, the cynic in me wondered, was this guy gaming the system by tipping the scales in favor of surgery (since he was the one to do the surgery in private US medical healthcare system). FYI It was a 4-5mm stone.

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