I saw my urologist today and thank goodness he decided that I have suffered enough and it is time to get rid of these stones himself.  However, he is very abrupt in his bedside manner so he didn't really explain much about the procedure or give me a chance to ask many questions (not that I really thought of any until after I left the office anyway).

So, I am wondering is this procedure done under general anethesia or sedation.  The dr said it was an outpatient procedure, but will I be feeling up to going back to work the next day?  What is the recover like?  Should I expect a lot of pain?  Any advice or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks in advance.

 I had lithotripsy to break mine up its like sonic sound waves. They put you to sleep for it and you have to lay on this round dounut thing,. Since your asleep it doesnt hurt at all.. Not sure if thats what he is going to do though...

Lithotripsy

Lithotripsy is a medical procedure that uses shock waves to break up stones in the kidney, bladder, or ureter (tube that carries urine from your kidneys to your bladder). After the procedure, the tiny pieces of stones pass out of your body in your urine.

Description

Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) is the most common type of lithotripsy. "Extracorporeal" means outside the body.

You will wear a medical gown and lie on an exam table on top of a sof****er-filled cushion. You will be given a mild sedative or pain medicine before the procedure starts. You will also be given antibiotics before the procedure starts to prevent infection.

High-energy shock waves, also called sound waves, will pass through your body until they hit the kidney stones. You may feel a tapping sensation when this starts. The waves break the stones into tiny pieces.

The lithotripsy procedure generally takes 45 minutes to 1 hour.

 

I had this procedure a year ago.  I was under general anesthesia and didnt feel a thing.  Doc went in and used a laser to break up the stone... it was stuck inthe middle of my ureter.  Actually, I have 2 ureters on that side that combine into one and it was lodged just before they spot where they combine.  They put a stent in to keep the uterer open for a week.  It didnt hurt but was very uncomfortable and I was glad to get it out.  It didnt hurt to remove at all but I could tell when it was gone!!  I went home the same day of the procedure (driven by a friend) and was off only a couple days of work.  I AM GLAD I HAD IT DONE!!!  Actually, they originally thought I had a tumor but it turned out to be stone so then I had the procedure.  I didnt even know I had the stone except I began to have blood in my urine which led to thinking I had a tumor.  Other tests indicated a possible cancerous tumor but I was so glad to find out it was am 8 mm kidney stone!   Good luck and you will be glad when its done and out!!!

 I had the ureteroscopy and was fine the next day. I had spinal anesthesia because I was 33 wks pregnant. I also had stent placement which was more of a pain than the procedure!

I am sorry I don't know what the standard of care for anesthesia is for this procedure. You can check online thru many reputable websites. I would recommend uptodate.com. 

Good luck. You will feel great to get those stones out of there!

I had this done.  I had a stint placed with a spinal epidural.  They left it in place for a month because I had a severe infection.  They removed the stone under general anesthesia.  The anesthesiologist told me that they would normally do it with an epidural, but because my stone was fairly high up it would be better to do it under general.  Once the anesthesia wore off I was fine.  I had a little minor irritation, but no real pain.

I had the lithotripsy  done as well.  It painless...I was given a sedative and then local.  I did feel some minor pain as the broken up stones were passing (I had 2 that were broken up).  I would suggest calling the doctor's office and speaking with a nurse...they should be able to tell you exactly what procedure he performs so you can research it.

Good Luck.

I went to the ER twice in two days...the first time the hospital did little to help me and after 8 hours sent me home....the next day unbearable pain and I was taken by ambulance to another hospital that I requested-what a difference in care....kidney stones are the worst pain I have ever had and I have given birth...mine are small so they are hoping they pass, but thank good for strong drugs....I don't want this again, but they told me could happen, if fact likely to once I have had one. Best of luck I wouldn't wish this pain on anyone....

S

Thanks for the info everyone.  I actually did speak with a nurse today since she called me to schedule the procedure.  There are doing it tomorrow already!!  I guess the doctor wanted to do it right away.  Anyway, I will be under general anesthesia and he will not know if I need a stent until he gets in there to look.  She also said the pain should be minimal afterwards so I am really, really hoping that I can go right back to work the next day.  That is my biggest concern at this point since I don't have paid time off left.

When I have to get procedures and don't have time off, I try to alway schedule them for Friday.  That way...I can work 10 hours M-Th and take Friday off w/o any leave.  At the most, you just have to take off Friday and you have to weekend to recover before going back to work.  I'm sure it's too late to try and reschedule this procdure, but it's something to keep in mind for the future. 

Good Luck tomorrow.