Hi all,

I have been trying to pass a kidney stone for at least four months now. I first noticed blood in my urine and sporadic pain in the side around the end of March. I have these painful 'episodes' every two weeks or so, lasting for an hour or two on average.

I have been to hospital twice. The first time was mid-May, and the x-ray and CT scan showed the stone (4mm) around the hip - so quite a long way down. The second time was a month later, and apparently the stone had only moved 1.5cm or so (although they couldn't be sure as they no longer had the first x-ray).

So here I am still waiting for this stone to come out. I feel fine, apart from when I have one of these painful episodes. The doctor told me on my last hospital visit that my kidney was not sustaining damage, and that the stone should pass. He also gave me a script for Flomaxtra but I have read bad things about side effects, so I haven't taken these.

I wonder if anyone else here has had a stone take this long to pass? Should I seek treatment? A stent doesn't sound like much fun. I'd be happy to put up with the occasional bout of pain as long as the stone eventually comes out.