October 2026 English edition · Evidence reviewed through October 3, 2026 · David Shusterman, MD

Appendix M: Living With a Ureteral Stent

A ureteral stent is a temporary internal drainage tube that extends from the kidney to the bladder. One curl anchors in the kidney and another rests in the bladder. The stent keeps urine moving when swelling, obstruction, infection, or recent instrumentation could otherwise impair drainage.

Stents save kidneys and lives when used for the right indication. They can also produce symptoms that are disproportionate to their small size. Understanding those symptoms in advance reduces fear and makes it easier to distinguish expected discomfort from a complication.

Why the Stent Feels So Noticeable

The bladder is a sensory organ. The lower curl can irritate the bladder wall and create urgency, frequency, pressure, or the sensation that urination is never complete. Blood in the urine may increase with activity and then improve with rest and hydration. Because the stent bypasses the natural antireflux mechanism at the ureterovesical junction, some patients experience flank discomfort during or immediately after urination.

Symptoms vary widely. Some patients function almost normally. Others have substantial pain, sleep disruption, and work impairment. Neither experience proves that the stent is misplaced. Severity should still be discussed with the treating team because medications, stent position, infection, obstruction, or early removal may need consideration.

Daily Life

Most patients can walk, shower, and perform ordinary activities. Vigorous exercise, heavy lifting, repeated bending, and high-impact activity may increase blood, urgency, or flank discomfort. Sexual activity may be possible with a fully internal stent, but a retrieval string can be displaced and should be discussed specifically. Driving depends on pain, medication effects, sleep, and the ability to react safely.

Hydration should be steady and appropriate to the patient’s medical condition. Excessive fluid intake can worsen frequency and discomfort without improving drainage. Patients with heart failure, advanced kidney disease, or other fluid restrictions must follow individualized instructions.

Medications for Stent Symptoms

Clinicians may use alpha-blockers, bladder-relaxing medications, anti-inflammatory drugs, acetaminophen, or other agents depending on the patient. Each has contraindications and side effects. A medication that helps one component of stent discomfort may worsen dizziness, constipation, dry mouth, retention, kidney function, or bleeding risk. The safest plan is written and individualized.

String Stents

Some stents have a string that exits the urethra and permits office or home removal at a planned time. The string should not be pulled, trimmed, or manipulated unless specifically instructed. Premature removal can lead to obstruction; accidental displacement can require reassessment. Patients should know the exact removal date and who is responsible for removal.

What Is Expected and What Is Not

Expected symptoms may include urinary urgency, frequency, mild burning, intermittent blood, pelvic pressure, and flank discomfort with urination. Concerning symptoms include fever, rigors, inability to urinate, uncontrolled pain, persistent vomiting, fainting, rapidly increasing bleeding with clots, or signs that the stent has migrated or protruded unexpectedly.

A stent does not eliminate infection risk. Fever in a stented patient requires prompt contact or emergency evaluation, particularly when the stent was placed for an infected obstruction.

Removal

Removal may occur by pulling a string, by brief office cystoscopy, or during a planned second procedure. The experience is usually short. Temporary burning, frequency, blood, or ureteral spasm can occur afterward. Patients should receive instructions about expected symptoms, medication, and when to seek help.

The most preventable stent complication is a forgotten stent. Encrustation increases with time and can convert a simple removal into a complex operation. Every patient should leave the procedure with a documented removal or exchange date. Put it in the phone, calendar, and family schedule. Do not assume the office will find you if follow-up is missed.

The Stent Record

Record the placement date, side, reason for placement, type if known, removal deadline, prescribing surgeon, and contact number. A temporary implant should never exist only in memory.