Mommy's Favorite Things: Lithotripsy



Saturday, March 21, 2015

Lithotripsy



I have been having a lot of nausea for years now and I'm finally trying to figure out what it is.

The first test I had was an ultrasound to check all my organs and see if there was anything serious going on. Everything was normal except 1 left kidney stone of 8mm. I was actually shocked as I have no pain or infections whatsoever. Nothing that pointed to a stone. So my doctor sent me to a urologist and he scheduled me for an x-ray and CT scan. Both showed 2 stones. One 4mm and one 8mm.

Since the 8mm is quite large and couldn't pass on its own they are having me go in for a lithotripsy. This uses shock waves to break up the stones into sand like pieces so they easily pass with no pain.

It's non invasive, but still requires sedation. I'm nervous, but know I should be fine.

I go in Monday. I can't eat/drink after midnight and my procedure is at Noon on Monday.

Basically I will be sedated and they will use x-ray to find the stones and use this machine to push waves into my kidney to break them up. They constantly update the x-ray to make sure they're breaking it all up and get it all. The procedure is 85% effective so not 100%. I'm just hoping it works for me.

I read that it can feel like you got kicked and will be pretty bruised for a few days. So I'm hoping it's not too bad and I can still get on with life fairly easily, you know, besides peeing out blood and a bunch of small stones.

I just hope it's all over soon.

So I wanted to let you know, you may not see much of me next week.

2 comments:


Sandy Cain said...

(((((((((HEATHER)))))))) Don't worry too much, my friend (36 years old) had this done, with very little discomfort. Hopefully this will clear up the problems you've been having. Sending prayers & good vibes your way! <3


Tiffany Schmidt said...

Heather,
My Mother in Law has had this done TWICE! Although it isn't 100%, it is better than not trying and letting the stones go. She did pretty well through both procedures a few years apart. She just said the next day she was a little more tired than usual (but that could also be from the sedation). Best of luck lady!