Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Long Stone's Journey into Day

My apologies to all my blogging friends who I haven't visited (or at leasted commented at) in a while. I had a kidney infection last week, along with chronic mid-level pain from a kidney stone. This Sunday, the pain become very suddenly acute, resulting in a trip to the ER.

5 1/2 hours, 1 IV, 1 CT scan, 1 X-ray, and an unknown quantity of painkillers later, I came home. I've had a lot of stones and this was right up there with the worst pain I've ever experienced. Conversely, the painkiller they gave me was the most ineffectual one I've ever had. And to top it off, they just kept giving me more and more of it instead of switching to something else.

The scans showed a 4 mm stone and not a darn thing they could do about it except manage the pain (which they weren't doing), so I decided to come on home where at least I could lay in agony in my own bed. The stone finally passed around midnight after one last brief hurrah of excruciating pain.

I'm still fairly knocked back by the whole ordeal. I feel as if I've been beaten up from the inside out. It took most of the day yesterday to emerge from the narcotic haze they'd put me in at the hospital while failing to make me 'comfortable'. I feel clear-headed today, but sore as hell and completely wrung out. I have no interest in writing, only a smallish interest in knitting, and an overwhelming urge to lay down and sleep, sleep, sleep.

I did take a picture of the boulder, but I'm not posting it because that would probably drive away the couple of people who still read my blog. Use your imaginations. Four millimeters is a decent size for something moving through a very, very tiny tube.

Back with knitting news and pics soon...

10 comments:

Faith said...

Oh my gosh, that is so horrible! My father in law had those once, and he said the same about the pain (being the worst he'd ever experienced). I'm so sorry you had to go through that! Get lots of rest, and I hope that you feel "yourself" again soon.

Anne Bauer said...

Eeek. What a horrible experience. Hope you get lots of time to rest and relax and ease back into your life.

Sharon Hurlbut said...

Faith - I hope your moving preparations are going well. Thanks for stopping and leaving your kind words for me.

Anne - Thanks! I'm feeling almost myself again today. The girls have been taking great care of me and letting me rest a lot.

Arlene said...

OMG. 4 mm is enormous! that must've hurt like hell. i'm relieved it's over. i'm curious about the boulder though. hee. my mom-in-law calls herself a "body factory" of kidney stones. sometimes she'd show us her rolling stones collection over dinner. heh!

hope you feel 100% well soon!!

a.

Harriet said...

Owwwwch! They need to give you an epidural next time! That's terrible that you got no relief at all. At least after childbirth you have something wonderful to show for your agonies!

lorguru said...

Oh no! I'm so sorry to hear about what you have been going through. As you know, I haven't been in blogland much either, with my own little trip to the ER and painkillers...
but this sounds just so much worse and I feel so bad to hear that you have been going through this!
I feel like a lousy friend, but I know you understand.
Take care (what else can you do?).
I will send you some positive energy.

michi said...

ouch!

i am sending some feel-better-vibes!

Sharon Hurlbut said...

Arlene - oh, I feel for your mother-in-law. She sounds like me; I typically have 2-6 stones a year. I'm finally feeling much better today.

Harriet - Ha! Yeah, and I didn't even get to keep the stone. I had to give it to my urologist to have it analyzed.

Lauren - Hey, starting a new job and having your own ER visit means you are a busy lady, not a lousy friend. The positive energy worked - I'm feeling much better. Hope you are too!

Michi - Thanks! All the great vibes have done wonders and I almost feel 100%, which is the first time in months. It's clear now that the stone has finally passed that it was lurking in there for a long, long time.

P. A. Moed said...

I'm sorry I'm so late in wishing you a quick recovery! Feel better, Sharon!

Sharon Hurlbut said...

Thanks Patti! Overalll, I'm feeling much much better.