I’ve got another kidney stone. It’s strange how something so painful can at the same time bring validation. At least this time I know what’s wrong with me, and no one’s doubting my pain.
I’ve had back pain – this time on the right – for about the last week. It’s this weird muscular discomfort, kind of like a pulled muscle, but no amount of stretching or massaging brings relief. And then – BAM! – yesterday morning I awoke to agonizing pain. I called Wes, who was in Evanston after a late night in the ED and slept over for conference on Tuesday. He told me to take some ibuprofen and see how much it helped. Twenty minutes later it hadn’t helped at all, and he told me to go over to the hospital. The cab ride was possibly the worst. It was unbelievably painful to sit, and I was also nauseated – two conditions not helped by riding in a cab. It’s only a 10 minute walk from our apartment to the ED, but I wanted to get there quickly. Fortunately there’s a line of cabs that sit outside our apartment building for the two hotels nearby. The driver didn’t seem to sense that I was going to hospital for me, or at least he didn’t say anything.
They got me back in the ED pretty quickly and had me hooked up to an IV within 30 minutes. I think they hastened their efforts to get some pain meds when they heard me alternatingly moan and groan in pain and heave from the nausea. I got several doses of Dilaudid, which made me both woozy and further nauseated, but also killed the pain. A CT scan revealed a 3.5 mm kidney stone in the upper third of my ureter. The urologists don’t intervene on anything smaller than 5mm, so I was sent to the observation unit to be hydrated and to await the results of my urinanalysis. The first one suggested signs of an infection, but it was also considered a “dirty specimen.” Despite explanations for the term, I still consider the fact that pee could be “dirty” rather self-evident. I had to provide a second specimen, therefore, with the air of a catheter. That one, though still filled with blood, showed no signs of infection.
The docs did seem a little concerned that the stone hadn’t moved very far since entering the bladder, so I came home with a special little bowl to sieve my urine for the stone. That will at least insure that it exits, though I somehow sense I would know if it hadn’t. They gave me the option of spending the night in the observation unit, but with a prescription for Norco and Zofran and an ED doctor in bed next to me, I figured home was a good place to be. I did wake up at 3am this morning with more intense sharp pain. Wes gave me two Norcos plus some ibuprofen, which held me til morning. Today I’ve only take more ibuprofen for middling pain – nothing horrible.
The weirdest part about dealing with kidney stones – aside from the fact that there’s little to prevent them – is how you either feel almost 100% fine or 100% terrible. There are levels of in-between discomfort, but it’s primarily one extreme or another. Consequently, you either feel rather lazy for being home when you feel fine or stuck away from home when you feel like you’re about to die. For now, I’ll stick with playing it safe and being a little lazy. The people at work have been helpful in rescheduling classes and finding subs as needed.
The one bright spot in all of this is knowing that I Wes’s diagnosis was right the first time around. Part of me wants to go back to that first doctor and with a copy of my CT. I don’t hold an incorrect diagnosis against her, mind you. Everyone makes mistakes, understandable given the absence of any concrete evidence in that situation. It was just the way she treated me and how dismissive she was of the mere possibility of a stone. Guess it just goes to show you how important it is to treat people with respect. Makes the crow go down a little easier.
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