Question for Anyone Who Had A Lithotripsy

[CatieC]

I had my first lithotripsy yesterday to remove a 5 mm kidney stone. I was told to strain my urine to collect any "gravel". Can anyone tell me how long after the procedure I will see any "gravel"? I am passing small blood clots but I don't see anything else. Do I save the small clots? How will the "gravel" look? Sorry for so many questions and thanks for any info.

[Stephakneexo]

I've had it done twice. You might see blood. I just had a 5mm done today. It could take a couple days or you might not see not see gravel at all.

[Arden1965]

If you have Calcium oxalate/uric acid stones you can take allopurinol 300 mg a day along with potassium citrate 10 Meq 2 tabs daily. This can also dissolve existing stones. I have been taking this for over a year and a recent CT scan showed that the stones from a year earlier were gone. This goes along with hydration and diet control. Lithotripsy is big business.

[Bishop411]

I've had 9 lisotripsys and sometimes it takes a few days for them to move. They sometimes also get "backed up" and cause horrible pain and spasms in the ureter which I've had to go back to the hospital for the pain. It takes a few days but I think it's weird that they had you have lisotripsy for one 5mm stone. I usually have them for numerous stones 7mm or more. I am a chronic kidney stone producer and usually have around 5-10 stones in each kidney at a time, passing 1-4 stones a month every month for the past 10 years now. Needless to say it's a horrible condition and for people that have never had a stone I wish they never do because it's not easy... You'll have that "gravel" out in no time. Good luck!

[Unclebuck257]

I'm glad to hear that you spoke to your Urologist's nurse and all is going as it should be for you, following your procedure. Good Luck and I hope your follow up shows you to be stone free, for now anyway.

[CatieC]

I spoke to my urologist nurse and she said the pieces of blood clot that I see is exactly that, blood. Just like hecsan said, the nurse told me that some people see gravel days after the procedure. I am using a strainer and I haven't see any gravel yet. I am scheduled for an x-ray and ultrasound and hopefully it will show I am "stone-free". Thanks for both of your replies.

[hecsan]

In my case, the colour of the gravel or stone which was broken into pieces is brownish and I had collected the urine in a clear liquid basin. You may observe the stone passing thru for about 3 days to 1 week and make sure you need to have post KUB x-ray and ultra-sound to declare that you are "stone free" anymore.

[Unclebuck257]

Sorry Catie but I've never had one so I don't know the answer, but is it possible that you are now passing some gravel but the bits of "gravel" are coated in blood and you're mistaking them for clots? I think that if it was me experiencing what you are, I'd put in a call to my Urologist just to check and make sure what's going on is normal. Please let us know what you find out.