Kidney Pie, yo....
Just woke up from my nap, post ER visit.
I went into the ER about 7:30 this morning, having woken up with pain about an hour before that. I thought I could tough it out. I could feel the stone moving lower, and all I was feeling was discomfort. But then came the painful urge to pee, which I can't do with a stone, because it blocks the flow of urine. So I tried anyway, and went from discomfort to agony. It took me about fifteen more minutes to decide if I wanted to go to the ER, got dressed and went.
I called mom from the ER waiting room, told her I was there. I got registered, triaged, and put into a room. I peed in a cup (or tried to). Dr. Kim came to see me right away. He gave me the run down: same side as last time; must see a urologist this time; CT scan; IV for fluids; pain meds.
So then, wonder of wonders, I get the EMT student, who tells me my veins are small. Can't find anything in either AC, though I know I have them there, they are just deep, and he was barely touching me to palpate them. He went for the hand, with the biggest IV start needle. It burned like a motherfucker. He didn't blow it, but the needle was so big, he just kept pushing it to the side. With two lousy readjusts, he pulled out (that's what she said) and walked away.
And guess who my RN was (this is for my LG's) - Shirley, fucking, Ball. Who called me Love constantly, patted my shoulder a couple of times, and was just Mary Effing Sunshine. She started my IV in my right arm, way above the AC, in that bright blue vein everyone has that leads up to their shoulder. Its a shallow, superficial vein, I know, I've drawn from it once or twice, with a butterfly. And it burned the whole time it was in there. I kept checking every few minutes to make sure the fluid didn't sub-cu.
I got my Toridol (SP?) and nausea medicine right away. It took about five minutes for the pain to lessen though. Which brings another small bothersome detail to a head: no one asked me my pain levels, except right before I walked out. Isn't that the whole point of trying to keep pain under control? She just shot me up, and left me.
I went for my CT scan, came back, dozed off. Dr. Kim came back to tell me that I have another stone (duh), and its in the exact same place as last time, its a UVJ stone. What that means, exactly, I'm not sure.
I got my perscription filled for Flomax (yes Flomax - my damn prostate needs a-shrinkin'), and some mild painkillers. Pee in a filter until I catch the stone, take it to Weigler, get analyzed, change diet to stop more stones. This is two within a ten month stretch. It sucks, a lot.
And on a TMI note: the first urination after the stone goes into the bladder and all pain is gone, is the biggest relief I will ever feel.