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Vanessa - I can speak from experience about the nephrostomy tube. I am currently 18 weeks with number 2, and had stones and a nephrostomy with my first. It is painful to have it inserted initially, but they can do it without general anesthesia, just IV pain meds. The recovery for me was about 2 weeks of gradually lessening soreness, but after that I returned to my job teaching 5th grade and taught for the remaining 4 months of my pregnancy. I had to have the tube changed once, but it was not nearly as painful and I was up and around later that same day. I had trouble with the tube calcifying as you did with your stents. The trick is to have the hospital give you a supply of sterile pre-filled saline syringes to flush the tube out with once a day. This means that they have to put a special valve or stop cock on the tube that will allow this. This made a HUGE difference for me b/c my tube was always getting blocked beforehand. I'm keeping my fingers crossed this time around, so far no kidney pain and I'm four weeks past when it started last time. Good luck!

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