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Kidney & Ureteral Stones
What to Expect After Discharge from the Hospital
- Pain Control: You can expect to have some pain that may require pain medication for a few days after discharge, and then Tylenol should be sufficient to control your pain.
- Showering: You may shower at home. Your wound sites can get wet, but must be patted dry. Tub baths can soak your incisions and therefore are not recommended in the first two weeks after surgery. You will have adhesive strips, called "steri strips" across your incisions. These are not to be removed. They will peel off in approximately 5-7 days. Sutures will dissolve in four to six weeks.
- Activity: Taking walks is very important. Prolonged sitting or lying in bed should be avoided. Climbing stairs is fine. Driving should be avoided for at least one week after surgery. Absolutely no heavy lifting (greater than 20 pounds) for one week after the surgery. No exercising (jogging, swimming, treadmill, biking) until the stent is removed. You can expect to return to work when you feel able in approximately two to four weeks.
- Follow-up Appointment: You will need to call the Department of Urology at (718) 470-7220 soon after your discharge to schedule a follow up visit for four weeks after your surgery date with your surgeon. During this appointment you will obtain a long term follow up plan from your surgeon.
- Stent follow-up: The stent remains in place for one month and will be removed in the doctor's office at that time. It is not uncommon to feel a slight amount of flank fullness and urgency to urinate, and some lower abdominal discomfort which is caused by the stent. Also with increased activity you will see blood in the urine. This is normal and usually resolve with rest and drinking plenty of fluids. These symptoms often improve over time.
- Follow-up X-rays: Three months following stent removal a renal scan should be obtained.
