Radiotherapy side effects, kidney stent

Cervical cancer post treatment and side effects
1
Hi everyone
 
 
It's been just over 4 years since I was diagnosed with stage 2B back in December 2013 when I was age 31. Following Chemo, Radiotherapy and Brachy, I have been cancer free ever since (yay, and fingers crossed for the future!). 
 
 
Like lots of people on here, I've struggled since then with the emotional impact of infertility and the physical impacts of the radiation, which for me were on my bowel and my left kidney. 
 
 
The scar tissue in my left kidney meant that I had a uteric reimplantation a year after treatment and all seemed much improved after that. This week I've had a check up and my left kidney is now not draining properly due to more tissue damage from the radiation. It looks like I will be having a stent put in to help the drainage, but I've heard a stent can be really painful. Because the tissue is so damaged and the re-implantation hasn't held properly, the stent would need to be changed every 12 months to prevent infection, but would need to stay in for the rest of my life. The only other option is to take the kidney out, which I'm pretty keen to avoid. That said, I also don't want to be in pain every day. 
 
 
I still feel so lucky and grateful to have got through treatment and have taken most of the side effects in my stride (the bowel ones are particularly unpleasant as you'll know!), but for some reason I'm feeling really scared and nervous about the latest development.
 
 
Does anyone have any experience they could share so I know what to expect?!
 
 
Thanks so much.
 
 
Kelly xx
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Hi Kelly, 

i have kidney stents. I was diagnosed with stage 3b cancer  in June last year and needed bilateral stents. 

My experience was that it was initially painful when they put the stents in. They do give you pain relief but it still smarted quite a bit. But the first time is the only time it really hurt. 

since then I have had them changed twice. Once because one had slipped slightly and the other as the stent I have needs to be changed every six months. For me its a day procedure under general anaesthetic so totally pain free and seems to be quite a routine procedure. 

 

I think what im trying to say is that initially putting it in may hurt a bit but changing them won’t. I think it’s due to something already in place when they change them. 

 

I sometimes get blood in my urine from the stents but this hasn’t been due to infection and I am pain free and unaware  of the stents on a day to day basis. I can do all the activities I used to do  before. 

 

Where as im not going to pretend life would not be better without the hassle of stents they are very liveable with. 

 

I wish you all the best and lovely to hear you are free from  cancer x 

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Thanks so much for your reply. It's a big relief to know that it's only painful when they go in, and doesn't affect you on a daily basis. 

I wish you all the best too. xx

 

 

 

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I've had a kidney stent. It can be uncomfortable but bearable. Sorry you are going through this.