Kidney Stones
This was written over a few sessions across a few weeks, so the dates might feel a little off. Sorry, but it’d been a hell of a start to 2025.
Well, this is a first, and hopefully after the three weeks I’ve just had, most of which was spent in bed, the last time I’ll be blogging about kidney stones!
I’d heard of kidney stones, but didn’t have any idea what they were, what caused them and quite how painfully they are if you’re unfortunate enough to get one. I also had no clue that’s what might be causing the excruciating pain I suffered late on the 27th of January. I’d been out to play badminton for the first time in 2025 after spending the end of 2024 with a thigh injury. It went OK and wasn’t too strenuous, and I felt quite good when I got home. I went to bed at the usual time, read a little of my book on the Kindle, and then tried to get to sleep. I had an aching pain in my side and struggled to fall asleep, and after about 30-45 minutes, I got up to get some paracetamol. I just thought perhaps I’d pulled or twisted something playing badminton, but over the next hour or so the pain intensified and I eventually ended up calling the NHS24 number, a 24 hour service where they can advise on any health issues, and generally a better place to start when the GP surgery is closed and you don’t want to bother the local A&E department.
I got through quickly and explained my situation but was placed on hold while a nurse was available to discuss my problem. After about 30 minutes the pain was unbearable, and I told my partner I just needed to go to A&E. It was about 1 am at this point and my 12yo daughter was fast asleep in her room, so after some discussion and calls, my partner managed to get me a taxi to the hospital, which is about a 20-minute drive away. I continued to hold with NHS24, and did eventually speak to a nurse enroute to A&E. She advised that they would have probably referred this to an out-of-hour services, and not recommended A&E, but as I was on my way suggested I just continue, but they couldn’t tell me how long I might need to wait. They did say they would update my record to say they had suggested going to A&E, which might speed things up, but there were no guarantees how busy St. Johns in Livingston might be. She also mentioned kidney stones as a potential diagnosis, although I wasn’t paying too much attention at this point.
When I arrived, I checked in and sat close to the reception, trying to keep out of the way of the other people waiting. I was clearly in pain and went to the toilet and was quite violently sick, which I think was down to the pain. I only waited about 20 minutes before my name was called, and I saw a triage nurse to whom I explained the situation. Again, they could see I was in lot of pain, and after some questions, I was given a syringe full of medicine to ease the pain. They also found me a hospital trolly in a curtained room so I could lie down while I waited to see a doctor.
I lost track of time a little at the hospital, in part due to the liquid morphine (oramorph) I found out they’d been giving me, but it did take away the pain even if it did make me somewhat out of it! I think I saw a doctor between 5-6 am, and she asked a nurse to take an ultrasound scan of my bladder before and after I’d been to the toilet. They also asked me for a sample (after I’d emptied my bladder, but I’d been drinking lots of water, so I went again not long after. The blood in my urine (nothing visible) was what pointed them toward the kidney stones, and I wasn’t showing any sign of infection but was in lots of pain. The doctor arranged for a CT scan, which they did about 8 am, and this identified a 6mm stone and was the diagnosis for my pain. After this, they seemed keen to send me home, and as the pain was under control, I was more than happy with this. They prescribed some more Oramorph, which I collected from the hospital pharmacy, and my partner picked me up and took me home.
I remained out of it for the next few days, taking Oramorph every 4 hours, although this didn’t keep on top of the pain, especially during the night when I wasn’t talking any. I’d spoken to the Urology department at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh, which is where they had referred my case, and they only review new cases on a Tuesday morning, so the timing of my diagnosis meant I needed to wait a full week before I heard from them. I’d called work to tell them I’d be off for a few days and spoken to my GP about the medication, as I was still finding myself in lots of pain. They initially prescribed some more Oramorph and told me to take more of it, but this just made me even more out of it! They eventually prescribed some Co-codamol, which managed to keep the pain to a dull ache rather than a stabbing pain, which I could manage better.
I was just waiting for Tuesday afternoon so I could call the Urology department, but they called me before lunchtime. They have an appointment for Lithotripsy the following Tuesday, which they suggested was the best and quickest option. I was supposed to be on half-term holiday that week, going down to Durham for a few nights to see my Mum, but that wasn’t going to be much fun full of pain killers, so I was booked in and lots of information was sent about the procedure.
Lithotripsy is the least invasive way of treating kidney stones, where they use shockwaves to try and breakdown the stone into smaller pieces, so you pass it normally as you pee. I got through the next few days, and I even managed to do a little work from bed, although I’m not sure it was all that helpful!
I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect when my partner drove me to the Westen General Hospital in Edinburgh for my lithotripsy appointment, but I don’t think I was expecting it to be so painful. We’d arrived quite early due to potential parking issues and traffic, but I think the half-term holiday probably helped. I changed into a gown and wore my Jedi batch robe for most of the time. I’d not eaten anything, but I had taken a single Co-codamol first thing, which threw them in terms of the pain relief they could give me, but eventually, that was all sorted. I’d been x-rayed, and the stone was in roughly the same place, so they knew what they needed to do.
The procedure lasted for about 45-50 minutes, and all I had to do was lie down on a bed with a cutout section about halfway down. This allowed a water bag to be pushed up against my side, through which the shock waves were fired. I’d be told it would feel like I was being flicked with an elastic band, with increasing intensity, but at least by the highest level, it felt more like being repeatedly punched in the kidneys. I was given pain relief at various points, but it wasn’t at all pleasant. Once finished, I had another x-ray and was told they had broken the stone, but little more detail than that.
I was told I’d need a follow-up x-ray in two weeks, which would hopefully show the stone had passed. This would be scheduled at St Johns, which is a little closer and easier to get to. I did a little work from bed for the rest of the week although felt sore for the first few days but did manage to reduce the pain relief, so I’d taken nothing over the weekend.
The next week, I was back at work, and although I didn’t feel 100%, I felt OK and even managed to drive across to Glasgow for a supplier meeting. We’d also rescheduled an emergency shorter trip down to Durham to see my Mum, who has been admitted back to hospital. I was going to touch on that in this blog, but I think that might need to wait for a little while. My daughter and I drove down on the Friday and headed back on the Saturday, after a couple of hospital visits and a short trip to the Metro Centre.
We’d been back about 3 hours, eaten some pizza and were watching The 1% Club when I started to get some strong pains like the first kidney stone pain, but at the front and lower down, around my bladder. I’d taken some co-codamol, but within an hour, I was rolling around on the floor in pain again and on the phone to NHS24 again. It was a slightly quicker process, and I’d not want to end up in A&E, and given I already had lots of pain relief at home, I managed to get on top of the pain more quickly. I did get referred to the out-of-hours service, who called back within 15 minutes and said they’d like to see me at St Johns.
So, it was back in a taxi and across to the hospital. The Out of Hours service is right next to A&E, but I didn’t have to wait and saw a doctor within 10 minutes. She thought it sounded like the stone was moving again, and managing with pain relief was the only option. I could do that from home or be admitted to hospital, which I didn’t fancy. I did give a urine sample, which again had blood levels ‘off the chart’ which supported the diagnosis. I left with better advice on using the oramorph/co-codamol together, and over the next few days, I managed the pain reasonably well, to the point I wasn’t needing anything by the weekend again.
I was back to work on Monday and then back at St. John’s on Tuesday for my follow-up x-ray, but they just took pictures and couldn’t tell me what the results said. I followed up with the Urology department but was told they would review the x-rays over the next few weeks and be back in touch. I’ve been OK since that point and back at work, albeit with a somewhat achy pain around the same area. I even managed to get down and see my Mum again this weekend, which happened to be my birthday. She was now back at home, although in a worse place that I am.
I need to follow up with my GP next week, so try and get some feedback from the x-ray. I still don’t know whether I’ve passed the stone, so I can only hope and keep everything crossed for the next few weeks that things get gradually better. We’re heading on holiday to New York and Mexico in a few weeks, and I’m hoping I’m not going to need any of the pain relief while I’m there.
Anyway, that feels like a monster blog, which I can’t imagine anyone would be all that interested in reading. It will help me remember my kidney stone, although I don’t think I’ll ever forget the intense pain. It was like nothing I’ve experienced before and not something I hope to have again. I’ll try and write a blog about my Mum over the coming months, although that might be even more difficult.
Well, it wasn’t quite done! I spoke to the GP surgery on the next Monday, and they’d not had anything back from the hospital and suggested following up with them. I left them a message and made a note to follow up with them later in the week. I’d bought tickets last year to see Fish’s very last concert in Glasgow on the 10 March, so I’d jumped on the train and after a quick bite to eat, walked down to the O2 Academy. I was standing in the section nearest the stage, but not at the front and closer to the first steps up. After a couple of songs, I wasn’t feeling great and decided to head to the back, hoping to find somewhere I might be able to sit. I found a table that at least I could rest on, but after a couple more songs, I headed into the foyer for a break. One of the O2 Academy staff could see I wasn’t well and told me there was a first aid office if I needed it. I asked about a seat on the balcony, and amazingly, they managed to find me a great reserved seat from which I managed to enjoy the rest of the gig.
I walked straight back to the station afterward and got the train home, but when I arrived at 00:00, I was already in some pain. Stupidly, I just took a couple of paracetamols, so after another hour or so, I was in agony again. I took some Oramorph hoping that might help, but another hour later, I had some co-codamol and more Oramorph before calling NHS24, again! It was quite a quick call this time, but I was already in a taxi when it finished, heading to St. Johns. I’d had a call back from NHS Lothian, who booked an out-of-hours appointment as soon as I arrived. That appointment wasn’t as great, and they took at least 30-45 minutes after speaking to me before staying. I needed to head to the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh, where they had a dedicated Urology department, which is where I’d had the lithotripsy. 40 minutes later and £40 in a taxi, and I was waiting at a different hospital.
To be fair, they saw me quite quickly, and I was given a bed while more blood and urine tests were taken and various doctors and nurses visited. I’d been awake for quite some time by then and had lots more pain relief, so I was pretty much out of things for a few hours. I had some more x-rays, and eventually a Urology consultant visited who’d reviewed everything over the last 6 weeks. He went on to explain that the first hospital visit was for the stone leaving my kidney and trying to find its way into the urethra, which it couldn’t due to the size. After the lithotripsy, the x-rays showed my stone had been broken in half (not very common, as they normally shatter into many smaller pieces), with one half finding its way into the urethra toward my bladder and the other heading back toward my kidney, which the consultant hadn’t seen before. He then thought that the second hospital visit was caused by the first stone trying to get into the urethra from the bladder, which is the tightest part of the journey. He thought I’d passed that, but this third visit was the second half of the stone reaching the same point. He expected that to be passed too within the next 4-5 days, after which I should be stone-free. I was sent home a few hours later after some more pain relief and further medication to help pass the stone.
I managed the pain at home over the next couple of days and had a trip to Durham to say goodbye to my Mum before updating this blog this weekend. I’m hoping this is the last I’ll be writing about kidney stones, but who knows?
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