Cindi Was a Rolling (Kidney) Stone

So, I haven't really posted about the whole ordeal of the past week, but I have kinda wanted to know what was going to be happening before I said anything. Last Thursday evening, I presented to the ER with agonizing pain. A urine test, IV medication, and a CT scan later, I was told that I had a kidney stone in my left ureter, which was almost to my bladder. They sent me home with Vicodin (woo hoo!) and instructions to come back if the pain became unbearable again.

Friday day was fine, but the pain returned in the early afternoon/evening and I returned to the ER about 8:00 p.m. The doctors decided to admit me so that they could give me IV pain medicine to keep me comfortable. They gave me another IV and some serious pain medicine. Think floating on air, whole body tingling type pain medicine. It was awesome...for about an hour. Then it make me vomit. Repeatedly. Endlessly. I spent what seemed like forever waiting in the ER and was finally brought to a room upstairs at about midnight. Where I continued to vomit...and vomit...and vomit. I told everyone that came in that the pain had stopped and that the medicine was making me sick. They continued to give it to me two more times. By morning, I was vomiting bile and stomach acid, because I wasn't able to drink fast enough to keep something in my stomach.

Finally, at about 7:00 a.m., another doctor came in and I begged him to tell them not to give me the pain medicine anymore because I was more miserable being sick than I had been with the pain. He said I didn't have to take it unless I started to hurt again and put me on IV fluids, because there was a danger of dehydration. Gee...do you think? They said they would keep me another night and re-evaluate everything in the morning. I slept most of the day in a narcotic haze, finally sleeping off the last of the drug effects.

Sunday, a resident came in and said that they were probably going to keep me another day because it turned out I had more than one kidney stone. I was really upset. I hadn't needed any pain medicine all Saturday and I wanted to go home. I was tired of dragging the IV pole everywhere and not being able to walk around. I was tired of being poked with needles and prodded by the staff- and woken up to take vital signs etc. I missed my fur babies.

I called Mike in tears and finally resolved myself to spending another miserable night. Then my doctor came in. The same doctor who'd finally gotten them to stop giving me the pain medicine. He said that he didn't see any reason for me to stay, but that I'd need to follow up as an outpatient to see what would need to be done about the stones in my right kidney.

****THE FOLLOWING IS SERIOUSLY T.M.I. IF YOU HAVE A WEAK STOMACH OR ARE EASILY GROSSED OUT - SKIM THIS NEXT PART REALLY FAST****

Then I got my discharge instructions, which said that I'd have to spend all day Monday collecting 24 hours worth of urine. (Fun!) I had to keep this container on ice until Tuesday, when I would have to take it to the lab, where I'd have to pee in a cup (again!) and have more blood drawn. Then on Wednesday (today), I'd follow up with my doctor and I was supposed to see a urologist by Thursday.

This morning I saw my new Urologist, who's very cool. Also Polish-American, like my beloved. I had to pee in a cup again. I swear if I never have to do that again, it'll be too soon! He said that he's pretty sure that the left stone is gone, because there's no blood in my urine anymore. It was really close to entering the bladder anyway and I (knock on wood) haven't had a reoccurrence of pain. But, he said, there are stones in my right kidney...the largest of which is 4mm. He suggested that we be proactive and break up the stones before they have a chance to enter the ureters. When they're in the kidney, you usually don't feel them...and once they're in the bladder, you're golden...but in between is AGONY. So next week, I get to have this procedure.


Extracorporeal Shockwave Lithotripsy. Also known as an ESWL. They are going to sedate me and send shockwaves through my body to break up the stones. Look at how happy everyone in the brochure is to be having this procedure. Joy. I'm slightly freaked about it, but feeling pretty positive about it overall. The doctor says it's no sweat. We'll see.

Through the whole thing, Mike's been great. He took Friday off work to make sure I was ok and then was with me at the lab on Tuesday and both doctor appointments today. He's exhausted.

He even carried my ice bucket full of urine jugs across the parking lot and into the lab for me. The little middle eastern phlebotomist/lab tech was very impressed with him, even though she didn't actually speak to him. While I was back having my blood drawn, she said:

"You husband so nice! Carry heavy thing for you! Hard to find man like that. You must be sure keep him very well!"

Mike, naturally, thought this was very funny and will no doubt remind me to "keep him very well" in the future.