Every day, something new

[pecunium]

I am sipping soup right now. It wants salt. I don't really have the energy.

I'm wearing a new bracelet, which I want to remove but have not the energy to do either.

I learnt a lot of stuff today.

I spent five hours in the Emergency Room learning that kidney stones hurt more than one can possibly imagine.

I learnt the nearest hospital is walking distance.

I learnt that Morphine is, so far as I'm concerned, a shitty drug, because it didn't really kill the pain, just sort of made not care enough to complain about it. Fentanyl was much better, but 100, of whatever units they were using lasted about an hour. Even at that it only moved the pain down the scale from 10, to about 3 1/2. Mind you, I'd have been willing to pay a lot for doing that.

For those who don't know the scale, 1 is no pain, 3 is painful discomfort, 10 is the worst pain you've ever experienced in your life. I was compos enough to say if this wasn't a 10, I didn't wan't to imagine it.

Maia was a Trouper. She deserves a medal, to be mentioned in dispatches, to have statues erected. Maybe the statues are a bit over the top, but she was great. She (and for much of it Alexa) stayed with me for the whole thing. About half of which I spent in a stupor of drugs and pain, so entertaining I wasn't.

I woke up with a painfully full bladder. After I emptied it I was still a bit unhappy, since it felt as though I'd gone far beyond the designer's specs. Then I decided I needed to get up, because I was feeling restless. In short order I was making noises of great distress. Maia asked if I needed to go to the Hospital. I allowed as it didn't seem to be appendicitis. Ten minutes later I decided she was right, and writhing around at home was a stupid sort of stoicism.

We looked up the hospital (ok, Maia and Alexa looked up the hospital. I did things to try and distract myself, like watering the chive seeds in the cutting grape.

Off we went. Happily at 0745 on a Sunday morning there isn't much of a crowd. Being in a public place I was a trifle more restrained, though I was in obvious distress. Kidney stones, it seems, have some fairly recognizable symptoms, and I was diagnosed before they were done taking my vitals.

The nurse who stuck me was great. We had a small discussion on where they were going to stick me (nurses love my veins. They are large and the lack fat makes them easy to see) Given my state of distress, I didn't want it in the elbow, and no way I was letting them stick me near bone, given the excruciating attempt when I was at Walter Reed.

A few minutes later the doctor looked at me, and a few minutes after that the drugs began.

Maia called Alexa who brought a pair of socks and a blanket for me, crochet and breakfast for Maia.

I talked to the nurse (there were several) about meds, she said to call for more if I needed them. I thought about it when the tech took me to the CT Scanner. I really wished I'd done so when she spent 2-5 minutes on the phone, after I was done.

Doctor Greenberg said the scan showed a 3mm stone.

And the waiting began. I might have been let out sooner, had a couple of auto-accidents not come in. I wasn't all that happy about not getting a new dose of drugs the last time I asked. I did notice (I think) the actual passage of the stone.

When all was said and done I'd had Fentanyl, morphine and three bags of IV fluids.

I do know, now; some two hours after I got home, why they prescibed Vicodin. I am having spasms, which head up to high 8, low 9, on the pain scale. I hope they don't last.

So that was my Sunday.

Comments

[fidelioscabinet.livejournal.com]

Craptastic, just craptastic. I've done gallstones--and I'm told by those who can compare the two that the kidney stone was much worse, si I really don't want to imagine what that feels like. I hope you're better soon.

[kibbles.livejournal.com]

I've heard from people that the various stones you can get are as bad as childbirth -- so I REALLY feel for ya. :(

Feel better.

[matociquala.livejournal.com]

Having had a serious (read, near-fatal) kidney infection, I can back you up on that pain.

Glad you're home, in one piece, and starting to recover.

ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow.

*sympathy pains*

[janetmiles.livejournal.com]

I think LJ just ate my comment; if you get two e-mails, that's why, and I apologize.

Basically, "oh, ow, oh, ow, I'm so sorry, I hope the drugs help."

[pornipop.livejournal.com]

ACK. You poor thing.

After having a massive stone dislodge 4 weeks after giving birth to my first, I can tell you emphatically that kidney stones are the worst pain you could experience.

[tongodeon.livejournal.com]

My brother had kidney stones. He said that it was the most painful experience he can ever expect to endure. "I wanted to shit, piss, and vomit all at the same time." Apparently women unfavorably compare it to childbirth.

[wcg.livejournal.com]

Yeowch! I hope you're better soon.

[dsgood.livejournal.com]

Much sympathy!!

[jonquil.livejournal.com]

Oh, dear Heaven. I've always heard kidney stone pain is the worst known; women who've had kidney stones and childbirth say they'd rather give birth again.

I'm so very, very sorry. I'm glad you're home and glad you're safe. Best wishes for no recurrences.

[i-come-undone.livejournal.com]

owie owie owie. that's horrible. i hope you're feeling better soon.

*sends hugs and hopes for a quick recovery*

[pnh.livejournal.com]

Holy cow. Teresa's emergency hospitalization for kidney stones, over a decade ago, is one of the scariest things I've ever gone through, and I wasn't the one experiencing the pain. Much sympathy.

[geekchick]

I can think of ten million and one ways I'd rather have spent my Sunday. I'm glad you're home again, and I hope you have a speedy recovery.

[eleanor.livejournal.com]

Ohmygosh. Best wishes for a speedy recovery -- I'll keep you in my thoughts.

[annathepiper]

Yoiks. Having had to be on morphine when I broke my arm a couple summers ago, I am all about the sympathy for the pain. >_< Hang in there and many wishes for a speedy and uncomplicated recovery!

[thehippiechick.livejournal.com]

*big hugz* I don't know what that's like at all, but my hubby (tallcherub), just got over passing his kidney stones and he agrees with the canned term: "it's just like giving birth." I wouldn't know about that one either cuz when I delivered my son I had an epidural, labor-inducing drugs and antibiotics and after about 7 hours and 5 pushes, my son was born. Then, I hemorrhaged for about 8 hours afterward and the most pain I endured was having my uterus massaged back down to its normal size every 30 minutes, for 15 minutes for about 4 hours. Not a lot of fun... I remember that pain scale all too well! I was on Nubain after all that insanity, and it helped in the pain department, but increased my panic because I started hallucinating - thinking that the lines on the floor were moving up towards me! That was really freaky! *more hugz* I will keep you in my thoughts & prayers, hon.

(Sorry about the long and windy comment... ;})

♥ ~ J

[ladymeow.livejournal.com]

Awww man... Hope you feel better soon. That sucks.

[bella-peligrosa.livejournal.com]

Sending you massive healing thoughts. Maia is a gem...

[faithhopetricks.livejournal.com]

Oh, no -- that sounds really terrible. I'm sorry you felt so bad and glad it's been treated, and hope you start feeling better v soon. My dad had kidney stones, and the pain nearly made him pass out.

[athenais.livejournal.com]

Really sorry to hear about this, and really glad it's mostly over.

[zoje-george.livejournal.com]

Oh my god, you poor thing!

I hear you on the morphine. I just went through some surgery and hardly used my drug clicker thingy because the morphine nauseated me to no end. And my blood pressure is so freakin' low that they couldn't give me any anti-nausea meds.

Kidney stones are right bastards. They won't kill you, they only make you wish you were dead.

Glad you're doing better. Rest up and take care.

[lisajulie.livejournal.com]

Much sympathy in your direction.

Having gone through two in a row, visits to the local ER with jonsinger, the first for appendicitis, the second _two_ weeks later (to the hour!), for "abdominal pains", ummm. I feel for you.

The local ER people remembered us (it is to blush).

I'm sure you will be seeing a specialist, so advice is supernumerary. But, still, I can't refrain. Drink lots of water. Fluids are good, plain water is best. If you find that liters of plain water make you want to gag, try spiking it with lime or lemon juice concentrate. Given where you live, tamarindo from the local hispanic store will serve to flavor that tasteless stuff.

Diminish the amount of calcium in your diet - milk/cheese/yogurt. This sucks.

Best wishes to you.

[chapbook.livejournal.com]

My SO and I send our the following wishes to you : 1) the stone did pass while you were on the pain med, and 2) you never have to experience a stone again. My SO knows exactly what agony you have gone through, because he has had them several times. What's more, he spent part of Sunday in the ER for the same reason you did. Luckily for him, this stone may be smaller, because the pain, though intense, was not at that 10 level you mentioned. He experienced that, unfortunately, several years ago.

I don't want to get into the grim details of the nastiness he encountered then, but I do want to pass along this advice: listen to your body and don't automatically assume the dr. is giving you good advice or treatment. If a stone has passed or is made to pass, yet you continue to have intense pain sporadically over the next days, don't let the doc tell you to "quit whining". Make them re-check everything, because they may have missed a stone (or there may be some other problem).

May your recovery be swift, and your urologist be a wise person.

[betnoir.livejournal.com]

A physician of my acqaintence who had kidney stones described it as "having an umbrella opened up in side your ass.

Do feel better. :<

Ouch!

[ammitbeast.livejournal.com]

Yep, I hear kidney-stone pain is second to none (maybe tied with gallstone pain). Hope to avoid that myself. Best to you, hope you feel better soon.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_nymphette_/]

*tight hugs*

I lived there for a while. And yes, Morephine is a Joke.

If it continues, maybe your doc would give you demerol? Usually longer lasting than fentanyl and more on the muscle relaxation side - and might help the spasms. It has a pill form called merepedine, and comes as low as 25mgs.

Also for the spasms - if the narcotic isn't helping, would they maybe try muscle relaxers like Flexeril and Soma? Soma's available online too(cheaper, I've learned). With pain that intense, sometimes opiods can exascerbate the pain, not dull it, when they begin to wear off.

I'd passed a stone once - a thousand times worse that my open heart was. I can remember hurting that bad a couple times after... but not many. It's agony, and worse for a man.

Hang in there and stay drugged while you need too. In a battle like this, it's about staying on top of the discomfort.

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

The gave me something as a relaxant (torporil, or some such, I was a little out of it) and the fentanyl. So far the Vicodin seems to have kept it from getting that bad again.

I'm leery of it. I know lots of people who use it, so addiction isn't a big concern, I just don't like feeling dopey, in general, and want to taper off as quickly as possible.

So, a half tablet this morning and we'll see how much I ache. Right now (fresh out of bed, eight hours after my last pill) there's a mild ache. Nothing I'd pay attention to, were it not for the associations.

TK

[ravenspb.livejournal.com]

I don't remember what they gave me for my kidney stone pain, but I got off of it as soon as the pain was manageable (about three days). Even for such a short period of time of use, the withdrawal was nasty. I felt like someone was using sandpaper on my nerves. By the way, mine was caused by Slimfast. It was the only thing that had changed in my diet. Too much calcium!

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

I am, thank the Lord, not prone to addictions. I've gone from 3 pots of coffee a day to zero, with no ill effects.

I don't enjoy being doped, so today I've gone without the vicodin. I am starting to feel uncomfortable, so I think I'll be taking half a tablet in a few minutes.

I can't think of any cause for the damned thing, because I've not changed anything in my diet. The only good idea we have is the local water is more mineral than I can deal with.

We're going to start taking Arrowhead, I think. I'm not being given much say in the matter.

TK

[cluefairy-j.livejournal.com]

Dude! Sorry to hear it and speedy recovery!

[texaslawchick.livejournal.com]

UGH. I'm so sorry. I hope you're comfortable now, and I hope that memory of the pain fades quickly.

[soldiergrrrl.livejournal.com]

I have not experienced kidney stones, but my ex did.

I'm sorry for you hon.