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| Me with my Mother during my first kidney stone passing - 2001 They didn't know what was the matter, I was kept in the hospital for observation for two days - got about a total of two hours sleep in that semi-private room with all the hospital activity |
This time a week ago I was undergoing another one of my painful kidney stone episodes. I didn't know it at the time. I think in retrospect I was in denial because I thought I was rid of all my kidney stones. I have lost count of how many kidney stones I've passed in the past fifteen years.
My first kidney stone passing was back in 2001. I thought my appendix was bursting. I took myself to the VA Medical facility (this was before I had Medicare) nearby our home in Pennsylvania. They shipped me to the nearby civilian hospital where I stayed for two days. Eventually, after a heavy dose of painkillers, I was released. Looking back now, I realize that was what had happened. I passed a kidney stone. No CRT was taken at that time, I was only kept in the hospital for observation. The same hospital where my father died the year before. I never did like that hospital. They have always had a bad reputation. My stay didn't do anything to disprove my attitude.
I didn't have another kidney stone episode until August of 2013. At that time I was at an auto repair place when all of a sudden I became overcome with nausea and had to go outside behind the building and throw up. I don't know how I made it home but I did.
This time I'm living near Lewes. Bill took me to the emergency room. I literally thought I was dying. I did not know what was happening to me but I did wish I was dying just to end the pain. This hospital was a better. They did an CRT and discovered I was passing two kidney stones.
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| Me in the emergency room after a heavy duty pain killer was administered - 2013 |
WARNING - PHOTOs NOT SUITABLE FOR ALL
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| Different kidney stones captured in strainer |
I've lost track of how many visits I've made to the emergency room since I've lived here in Delaware. I know the one visit required a two night hospital stay for a kidney stone that was stuck and I had to have an operation (the details of which I won't go into here since I've grossed you out with the the 'strainer' pictures). That operation resulted in a stent in my penis which had to stay there three weeks to keep three other kidney stone from falling until I could have another operation to blast those kidney stones out.
That was the last time I had kidney stones. I thought I was over with kidney stones. Apparently not.
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| Me in the emergency room this time last Friday |
This latest visit to the emergency room I was told by the emergency room doctor that I had 'more kidney stones up there.' Thus I have a visit scheduled with my urologist next month.
In the meantime, I will continue living each day as if it is a gift. Today I was about to transplant a tray of daffodils that I had purchased before this latest episode.
One day at a time folks.
Back to my regular posts tomorrow. I still have a lot to share of my California holiday. God, wasn't I lucky that this didn't happen when I was in California? Or Canada, where I'll be at the end of the summer.
Could be a lot worse. But for now, what a difference a week makes. Today I almost feel normal.
