Pakistani expatriate gets new lease of life after removal of 200 kidney stones

Sharjah: A Pakistani expatriate working as a driver in Sharjah has been granted a fresh lease of life — thanks to a local hospital here.

Mian Khan, who was in pain for 12 years owing to his kidney stones, has finally been relieved of his discomfort after doctors at Burjeel Specialty Hospital in Sharjah operated on him and successfully removed the stones.

Mian told Gulf News he had given up hope of leading a normal life after suffering from severe back pain due to kidney stones. He said that for the past 12 years, he ran from hospital to hospital to find a remedy to his ordeal.

“When I went to Pakistan, the doctors told me that my situation was bad and I would have to lose my left kidney. They said there was no other remedy. For years I suffered with no remedy in sight. I don’t know how I found strength. I would sleep on a hot pack every night as I was in too much pain. I made sure that my family never realised what I was going through as that would have scared them a lot,” Khan said.

He added: “Every doctor I met said they had to remove my left kidney. I could not afford the treatment as well. Then I met Dr. Vaibhav A. Gorde and he changed my life.”

Collaborative effort

Mian said Dr Gorde reassured him of his situation and agreed to do a Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy PCNL procedure to remove his kidney stones. It was a collaborative effort through which a urologist and an intervention cardiologist at Burjeel Specialty Hospital, Sharjah, saved Mian’s kidney.

Dr Gorde, a specialist urologist at the hospital diagnosed Mian with staghorn calculus, a condition in which a large renal stone branches out in the entire kidney. He recommended the PCNL procedure — one that is performed on patients with kidney stones that are resistant to other forms of treatment. The procedure was conducted on May 26 and was successful.

PCNL procedure

“PCNL is a common procedure. Yet, it became a skilful and time-consuming surgery in Mian’s case. I removed as many as 200 stones through a small keyhole in his back, including a large stone measuring 36mmx41mm. The patient recovered well within three days of the surgery and was sent home,” Dr Gorde said.

Bleeding from a blood vessel

Eight days after the procedure, Mian had trouble passing urine and returned to the hospital. Further investigations revealed a large clot in the bladder. After removing the clot, the doctors diagnosed him with possible bleeding from a blood vessel in the kidney.

“This is a rare recovery complication that occurs in 0.6-1 per cent of the cases,” explained Dr Gorde, who quickly moved Mian to the Cath Lab, where the cardiology team was waiting to take over.

At this juncture, there were only two options left — remove his kidney or do an angioembolisation. Dr Rahul Chaudhary, specialist interventional cardiologist at the hospital, performed the angioembolisation procedure on Mian. The doctor inserted a catheter through a small puncture of around 2mm and passed in a wire to selectively access the tiniest branch that was the source of the bleed.

During the 40-minute procedure, Dr Chaudhary was able to stop two bleeding spots in the kidney.

“I am now pain-free,” Mian said. “I used to be in so much pain that I had to keep a water bottle and a pillow on the left side of my stomach while sleeping as I could not bear the pain. I had lost all hope. Allah has been merciful. Thanks to Almighty and these doctors. I can now go about doing all my usual tasks without a hitch. The doctors, nurses and medical staff at Burjeel Specialty Hospital, Sharjah, took great care of me,” Mian added.