As I am currently going through yet
another Kidney stone episode..about 5th in
15 years, I was trawling the web and came
across this page.
I could see someone was really worried
about Lythotripsy so I thought I'd sign up
to try and help.
First off, calm down..it really is not
that bad at all and does not cause intense
unbearable pain. A kidney stone making
it's merry way down your ureter
however....certainly does...!!
There are a couple of different types of
lithotripter but they all work in much the
same way.
Very simply, they send a shockwave of
sound through the tissue of your body
until it meets the stone. The repeated
pressure of these shockwaves cause the
stone to break into smaller manageable
pieces.
What does it feel like..?
The easiest way to describe it is like the
flat part of a straight edge rule being
slapped onto your back in one spot a
thousand times. It really is not very
painful. The operator might show you what
it feel like on your hand first and
certainly, when they start it will be
quite light and they will increase the
intensity only as you get used to it.
It sounds like a whip cracking.
Believe me, it is a very, very acceptable
alternative to an operation to remove the
stone using a basket which is a whole new
story...
Hope this helps
