I had a kidney stone at age 20, my doctor told me for a man the pain was the equivalent to a woman giving birth. Obviously I can't say whether that is true or not, but it was intense enough to drop me to the floor doubled up at the hospital door before nurses arrived. This was back in 1972 and my stone was too large to pass, requiring surgery, and before going under I asked the doctor to save it for me so I could mount it in a ring. The doctor who operated was the same guy who removed LBJ's kidney stone, and was a bit of a butcher based on the scar he left me, and no, I didn't get the stone back. This was the only operation i've ever had thank goodness, and other than the pain, the only thing I remember was being asked to count backwards from 10 for the anesthesiologist, ... I think I made it to 8.
I had been a vegetarian for about 3 years at the time and was told my diet likely led to my condition, so needless to say, that changed the very moment I checked out. Never had a medical issue since ...