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Jan. 3rd, 2014 10:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dragonfareI just had a really, really rough day. Since the problem was medical, I'll put the gory details under a cut. The short version is, I passed a kidney stone.
As some of you know, I've been fighting a UTI. I finally got an antibiotic, took the first one last night, then cuddled under my blankets thinking my problems were about to be over. Ha. I was awakened at 3:00 AM in agony. You know that 1-10 scale of pain? Well, I spent most of the next few hours in a 9.5 state. Believe it or not, I got up and went to work - or attempted to. (Reason: I thought I was having what the doctor called bladder spasms, and I wanted to check with her to see if they were supposed to be this bad.)
I was nauseated at one point, but put it down with some wintermint gum. The next time happened when I was about 1/4 mile from my bus station. It came so fast that I didn't have time to find a place to pull the car over, and I threw up the little that I had in my stomach (one cheesestick) and a bunch of nasty bile all over myself and the car. I finally got some sense (by then I had a pretty good idea of what was going on) and called in sick, then turned around and came home. I threw up again in the car about halfway there, and so hard that I literally blacked out for a second, which, in a car, is not a good thing. But I managed to pull over until I was OK again. I came home, tried to sleep for an hour or so until the clinic opened. The pain continued, in the lower abdomen and extremely bad, and so did the barfing. The clinic opened at 8:00, I called, told the nurse my symptoms, and got the advice to do exactly what I was planning to do. I went to the ER in Greenville (about a 20 minute drive).
I had to drive myself, and yes, I threw up again, but I was able to pull over and do it in the road. I came into the ER a bent, agonized person. By this time, I was scarcely human. I just wanted it to STOP. When I checked in, however, I retained enough smarts to ask for a barf bag. And yup, I got to use it, again throwing up so hard I nearly passed out.
There were only two of us in the ER. I was very lucky! So I didn't have long to wait, although it felt like hours. Right off, they got a urine sample (bloody, of course), then gave me an IV. They used the IV to take blood samples, then gave me fluids, which I desperately needed. Shortly after that, God bless them, they gave me pain and anti-nausea medicine through the IV. The doctor couldn't give me the best pain medicine, because I'd driven myself, but whatever I did get, it worked well enough. Over the next ten minutes, the pain level crawled down to a 6, then a 4. And I didn't barf again. I'm not sure which one pleased me more, but I assured my nurse that he was my new best friend.
I got wheeled off for X-rays, then later a CAT scan. The doctor then gave me the diagnosis I was expecting - I had a kidney stone. He said I'd almost passed it already - they had done the CAT scan because it was so far down the urethra. As a matter of fact, I must have passed it there, because when I left, I was sore but OK, and I've had no real pain since, only some tenderness.
Then I drove myself home, made lunch for me and Randi, and did the grocery shopping. I'm paying for that now, as I'm exhausted. Still, I sure feel a lot better than I did this morning! Take my word for it, you never want a kidney stone.
As some of you know, I've been fighting a UTI. I finally got an antibiotic, took the first one last night, then cuddled under my blankets thinking my problems were about to be over. Ha. I was awakened at 3:00 AM in agony. You know that 1-10 scale of pain? Well, I spent most of the next few hours in a 9.5 state. Believe it or not, I got up and went to work - or attempted to. (Reason: I thought I was having what the doctor called bladder spasms, and I wanted to check with her to see if they were supposed to be this bad.)
I was nauseated at one point, but put it down with some wintermint gum. The next time happened when I was about 1/4 mile from my bus station. It came so fast that I didn't have time to find a place to pull the car over, and I threw up the little that I had in my stomach (one cheesestick) and a bunch of nasty bile all over myself and the car. I finally got some sense (by then I had a pretty good idea of what was going on) and called in sick, then turned around and came home. I threw up again in the car about halfway there, and so hard that I literally blacked out for a second, which, in a car, is not a good thing. But I managed to pull over until I was OK again. I came home, tried to sleep for an hour or so until the clinic opened. The pain continued, in the lower abdomen and extremely bad, and so did the barfing. The clinic opened at 8:00, I called, told the nurse my symptoms, and got the advice to do exactly what I was planning to do. I went to the ER in Greenville (about a 20 minute drive).
I had to drive myself, and yes, I threw up again, but I was able to pull over and do it in the road. I came into the ER a bent, agonized person. By this time, I was scarcely human. I just wanted it to STOP. When I checked in, however, I retained enough smarts to ask for a barf bag. And yup, I got to use it, again throwing up so hard I nearly passed out.
There were only two of us in the ER. I was very lucky! So I didn't have long to wait, although it felt like hours. Right off, they got a urine sample (bloody, of course), then gave me an IV. They used the IV to take blood samples, then gave me fluids, which I desperately needed. Shortly after that, God bless them, they gave me pain and anti-nausea medicine through the IV. The doctor couldn't give me the best pain medicine, because I'd driven myself, but whatever I did get, it worked well enough. Over the next ten minutes, the pain level crawled down to a 6, then a 4. And I didn't barf again. I'm not sure which one pleased me more, but I assured my nurse that he was my new best friend.
I got wheeled off for X-rays, then later a CAT scan. The doctor then gave me the diagnosis I was expecting - I had a kidney stone. He said I'd almost passed it already - they had done the CAT scan because it was so far down the urethra. As a matter of fact, I must have passed it there, because when I left, I was sore but OK, and I've had no real pain since, only some tenderness.
Then I drove myself home, made lunch for me and Randi, and did the grocery shopping. I'm paying for that now, as I'm exhausted. Still, I sure feel a lot better than I did this morning! Take my word for it, you never want a kidney stone.
no subject
Date: Jan. 4th, 2014 05:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Jan. 5th, 2014 03:08 am (UTC)I'm not sure how I managed the grocery shopping, but I think I was a little high with the whole "I'm not in pain now!" thing. I know I slept almost 11 hours last night, and slept like a rock.
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Date: Jan. 4th, 2014 02:38 pm (UTC)Sending lots of healing energy and comfort. I hope you get some rest this weekend. *hugs*
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Date: Jan. 5th, 2014 03:10 am (UTC)But thanks for worrying about me. I take a lot of pride in being tough and doing things for myself, but that doesn't mean I don't want people not to be concerned about me. :)
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Date: Jan. 5th, 2014 12:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Jan. 5th, 2014 03:06 am (UTC)And I think your mom might be right, although I can't say from experience. I know it's the 2nd worst pain I've ever had in my life.