DJ Stent is placed to widen the ureter & to allow all fragments to be passed off without causing pain. Post-laser treatment x-ray shows whether all the gravel is passed off. That is the time to remove stent. Stent may be removed as early as 1 week -3months depending on stone burden. Yes, it causes irritation because it is a foreign body. But bladder sedatives like flavoxate ( Tab Urispas) daily thrice will relieve significantly. Pain killers are not specific for bladder irritation & they can cause gastric acidity & affect
kidney function. Lime juice & citrus fruits can also decrease bladder sensation. For large stone burden, we sometimes keep DJ Stent for more than 3 months. In such case, we remove old stent & replace a new stent at 3 months. Your discomfort will come down naturally after 2 weeks & may not need medicines.
Next Steps
Remember to get DJ stent removed as per urologist advice.
Health Tips
We had a patient underwent Dj stenting & didn’t come for follow-up. After 3 years he came for some heart problem & incidentally DJ Stent was found. It had multiple stones on it. We had to do laser fragmentation of those stones & remove it. But patient said he had no irritation or discomfort whatsoever since the time of first laser procedure & hence he didn’t bother to come for follow-up