And on the kidney stone front - This too shall pass..........

Over the weekend I met up with the most ferocious kidney stone I've had yet.  It was a real pain in the back.  After trying to tough it out all day Saturday and not being able to take any pain meds because I couldn't quit puking long enough, I gave up and had Jacob take me to the ER.


I'm pretty sure it was a gruesome sight as I could see the nurse just staring at me as I approached the door - like she was pondering calling security or just out and out locking the doors.


I tried and failed to put on a bra, because it was just not happening. I didn't want a coat on so I wrapped myself in a large brown comfy blanket.  So, I was this large, being coming toward the door, puke bucket in one arm, slinging my leg around because I hadn't bothered to put on my foot brace and I wanted to make sure I didn't trip.  I am one lumbering, puking mass coming toward this poor nurse.


When the doors slid opened, she timidly asked if she could help me. "KIDNEY STONE" was all I managed to get out before I was wretching again.  She said for me to come on into a room and my husband could register me.  I did not bother to tell her my "husband" was my 16 year old son.  I just said "OK" and followed her.


Mercifully, my record at this particular ER is pretty simple.  Kidney stone.  Kidney stone.  Kidney stone. Kidney stone.  I think they could pretty easily see the pattern of my visits.  They immediately got me hooked up to an IV with my favorite thing to have with my kidney stone - dilaudid. With a side of Zofran to stop the puking.  A CT scan quickly confirmed (once the guy in Australia read it), a large stone about 8mm in diameter.  One that would not be going anywhere on its own.


A quick ambulance ride to Evansville and an admission with about 200 unnecessary questions later, I was in a room with more wonderful meds.  A consult with the urologist told me that this was going to be worse than I thought.  It is a 2 surgery procedure.  I had the first one done early Sunday morning.  A stent was put in to allow the swelling of the kidney to go down some.  Friday of this week, I will have the stone busted up by shock wave and then spend the weekend passing a bunch of tiny stones. 


Today, I feel as if I've been hit by a truck.  I'm sure part of it is from days of head to toe puking, while part is from the stent procedure.  The way my brother said the doctor explained it, once you are strapped into the table, you are basically turned head down so that it's easier to get a visual of your innards.  Which may explain why my shoulders feel like a 200 pound person has been standing on them.


Anyway - it's always something.  I'm just ready for it to be something good!