[haylee_beutler]

I have a 1" staghorn stone in my upper quadrant of my right kidney. I was scheduled for a PCNL on Nov 6th but i do have a few questions that i did not ask my doctor. I basically know how the procedure is done, but i dont know some of the critical details.
1. How long does the procedure last
2. How long do you usually have to stay in the hospital
3. How long before I can get back to work and back to my normal life
4. Does this surgery typically involve a cathader and a stent? If so when do they remove the stent or cathader?
5. How common are these surgeries.

I am curious for any information for this procedure or stories of this procedure.
Please Reply!
--Haylee--

[mctripat]

Normally you do not have a catheter and nephrstomy tube at the same time.
The tube is in your side or back and will drain urine like a catheter. When I had mine I did not have a stent, but this web site says you may have one. Stent or no stent... and nephrostomy tube or not (occassionaly there is not one left in) depends on: how invasive was the procedure, risk of infection, size stone or amount of stones removed and other factors. Usually the neph. tube is in a day or two to maybe a week. The stent can be in a day or two or longer, probably not longer than 2 weeks... although it could be left in a month.

If you are lucky and don't have a nephrostomy tube left in, you will have a regular Foley catheter for a few days to a week. Your doctor has to estimate how fast your kidney and ureters will heal based on his experience, clinical recommondations, and your personal circumstances and any other health problems you have that may effect this. By personal circumstances I mean what I said about what kind of stones are they, how many were removed, where were the stones in the kidney or ureterer.... upper pole, mid or lower, proximal or distal.

I had my PCNL outpatient in 1997 with no complications. This article said you may stay in the hospital.. where I am going now for treatment, a university they require you to stay in the hospital for 2 days... they want to take x rays that night. Normally you will be hospitalized for pain control, infection or risk of infection , you have a fever, or if there is too much blood loss. I think the last thing I said is rare... But the doctor or hospital may have there own rules, like the univ does. Now I have no acute infection... just too many stones so my kidneys are being debulked. In 1997 I did have an infection which was cleared up. Also if you have allergies to antibiotics or drug resistance that enters into all this too.

trish

go http://www.smithintituteforurology.org/patient_common_kidney.html

[megphx]

Hi Haylee,

I just had a pcnl last week actually and am still healing. I was in the hospital for 2 nights three days. I had so many questions and wanted to prepare myself for the real deal when I went in but could find noone that had done it with the true answers. I went in Thursday morning. They put the guide wire in, before your surgery, which I freaked out about, but they gave me a twilight drug and pain meds and I dont remember a thing. I then went in to surgery which was about an hour to hour and half. When I woke up I was taken to a room with a catheter in my bladder and the catheter tube in my kidney. They kept me full of liquids and pain meds, but I could not find a comfortable way to lay and diffently felt some pain. It is a tough surgery to go through I think, I have had over a dozen lithos and they are nothing compared to this. I go in on Thurs to have my stitch removed. I have a horrible time with stents, they are so uncomfortable to me, but luckily i did not have to have one. You have to drink a laxative the day before surgery, i suggest you do that earlier in the day cuz i was up all night and that was miserable running to the bathroom all the time. You will be happy to come home when the time comes, but i am on very limited activity until my kidney heals. When they took the tube out of my back before i came home, it is painful, but feels better once its out. My back then leaked for the rest of the day and some of the next day. My back has closed up now and I feel better but still very achy and not much energy. Any other questions you can email me at [moderator note: e-mail address has been removed].
Hope that helps.