I get my stent out tomorrow. I'm VERY nervous. It is internal, so they have to go inside to retrieve it. I'll be awake. And if you didn't know, they have to go up my urethra to go it. I'M NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS! But, I am looking forward to finally being able to recover. I feel like my recovery has been put on hold until my stent is out.
Jeff's birthday is tomorrow. I got him a couple cool things that I can't wait to give him. I had to order them online though, so one of them won't get here right away. But one came today! Once I'm feeling better we'll celebrate his birthday more though. My parents want to take him out to dinner, so HOPEFULLY we can go tomorrow, although that depends on how I feel after my procedure. If not, then we will go next week. And this weekend we are going to his parents' house to go duckpin bowling, which I can't wait for. I hope I can bowl, but I doubt I will be able to more than one game. We'll see. I love birthdays. I love giving presents. I can't wait, and I can't wait until I am feeling better so we can really celebrate his birthday!
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Friday, February 22, 2008
I had surgery
Here is an update on what happened yesterday. I've been dealing with a kidney stone that got stuck just before my bladder.
I woke up at 4AM yesterday in HORRIBLE pain! I took two heavy painkillers and they did absoultely nothing. I called the Dr and they had me come in immediately. They gave me a shot of a painkiller, which still did pretty much nothing. The stone was all but completely blocking my ureter. I could not urinate at all, and everything was backing up into my kidney and causing it to spasm and start to get infected. They sent me to be admitted into the hospital right away, and I was scheduled for surgery in the afternoon.
I had this same surgery last year and it was a very painful recovery and I was very afraid for the surgery, but very ready to have this stone out of me.
Even at the hospital, on morphine and another heavy painkiller, I was still in immense pain, but I was a little more relaxed. I went in for surgery at 5:00. I woke up feeling so much better, although sore from the surgery. Most of my pain is in my bladder. I have virtually no kidney pain (knock on wood!). I woke up having to pee SO BADLY and they said "oh no, its just from the surgery", but got the bed pain anyway. I overflowed it! (Sorry... TMI! but I hadn't peed in over 24 hours because I couldn't).
They let me decide if I wanted to go home or not. I really was feeling OK enough to handle my pain at home, so I was discharged late last night. My mom came home with me and spent the night. My husband had no choice but to work because they were shorthanded in the lab. He had to go in, so my mom stayed with me, and while my husband is sleeping during the day my mom is with me. My husband has to work tonight too (another coworker had surgery this month and is off recovering so he can't take off, even for me having surgery).
Please send me your thoughts and prayers for an easy and quick recovery! It will take me about a week to feel almost normal, but then I have to get the stent out and I will be in pain for a few days after that, and then I'll be ok. I am so glad the stone is out of me. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers!
I woke up at 4AM yesterday in HORRIBLE pain! I took two heavy painkillers and they did absoultely nothing. I called the Dr and they had me come in immediately. They gave me a shot of a painkiller, which still did pretty much nothing. The stone was all but completely blocking my ureter. I could not urinate at all, and everything was backing up into my kidney and causing it to spasm and start to get infected. They sent me to be admitted into the hospital right away, and I was scheduled for surgery in the afternoon.
I had this same surgery last year and it was a very painful recovery and I was very afraid for the surgery, but very ready to have this stone out of me.
Even at the hospital, on morphine and another heavy painkiller, I was still in immense pain, but I was a little more relaxed. I went in for surgery at 5:00. I woke up feeling so much better, although sore from the surgery. Most of my pain is in my bladder. I have virtually no kidney pain (knock on wood!). I woke up having to pee SO BADLY and they said "oh no, its just from the surgery", but got the bed pain anyway. I overflowed it! (Sorry... TMI! but I hadn't peed in over 24 hours because I couldn't).
They let me decide if I wanted to go home or not. I really was feeling OK enough to handle my pain at home, so I was discharged late last night. My mom came home with me and spent the night. My husband had no choice but to work because they were shorthanded in the lab. He had to go in, so my mom stayed with me, and while my husband is sleeping during the day my mom is with me. My husband has to work tonight too (another coworker had surgery this month and is off recovering so he can't take off, even for me having surgery).
Please send me your thoughts and prayers for an easy and quick recovery! It will take me about a week to feel almost normal, but then I have to get the stent out and I will be in pain for a few days after that, and then I'll be ok. I am so glad the stone is out of me. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Dr's appointment
I had a dr's appt today about the stone. There is good news and bad news.
The good news is that it isn't ANOTHER stone, it is the one I had surgery on last month. It moved out of my kidney and all the way down to just before my bladder, where it got stuck. The pain comes from the stone causing what is coming out of my kidney being backed up into the kidney.
They gave me a 70% chance of passing it, but here is the bad news: If I can't pass it I need to have the surgery I had last year, which was the most painful thing I've had to go through. It was just awful. They put me on meds to help relax my ureter, so hopefully the stone will pass. I have another appointment on Monday to see how I'm doing. They are going to give me 3 weeks to pass it on my own before they do the surgery, unless the pain gets so bad, and then I can call up and request to have the surgery. I call it my "talk factor". If the pain is so bad I would talk under interrogation (with percocet already in me), that is when I will pick up the phone.
The good news is that it isn't ANOTHER stone, it is the one I had surgery on last month. It moved out of my kidney and all the way down to just before my bladder, where it got stuck. The pain comes from the stone causing what is coming out of my kidney being backed up into the kidney.
They gave me a 70% chance of passing it, but here is the bad news: If I can't pass it I need to have the surgery I had last year, which was the most painful thing I've had to go through. It was just awful. They put me on meds to help relax my ureter, so hopefully the stone will pass. I have another appointment on Monday to see how I'm doing. They are going to give me 3 weeks to pass it on my own before they do the surgery, unless the pain gets so bad, and then I can call up and request to have the surgery. I call it my "talk factor". If the pain is so bad I would talk under interrogation (with percocet already in me), that is when I will pick up the phone.
Monday, February 18, 2008
I'll Try It
So I was doing a lot of research and I found a possible home remedy for helping to pass a stone.
2 oz of Lemon Juice mixed with 2 oz of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and then drink a lot of water after. The lemon juice helps to break down the stone (which has been prove... I am supposed to eat 2-3 lemons or oranges a day), and the olive oil helps the stone slide through the ureter. I did it so lets hope it works! Thoughts and prayers are welcome!
2 oz of Lemon Juice mixed with 2 oz of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and then drink a lot of water after. The lemon juice helps to break down the stone (which has been prove... I am supposed to eat 2-3 lemons or oranges a day), and the olive oil helps the stone slide through the ureter. I did it so lets hope it works! Thoughts and prayers are welcome!
Funny Email
I got this in an email and thought I would share:
Dear Dogs and Cats,
The dishes with the paw print are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note, placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.
The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.
I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.
For the last time, there is not a secret exit from the bathroom. If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years -canine or feline attendance is not required.
The proper order is kiss me, then go smell the other dog or cat's butt. I cannot stress this enough!
To pacify you, my dear pets, I have posted the following message on our front door:
To All Non-Pet Owners Who Visit & Like to Complain About Our Pets:
1. They live here. You don't.
2. If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. (That's why they call it 'fur'niture.)
3. I like my pets a lot better than I like some people.
4. To you, it's an animal. To me, he/she is an adopted son/daughter who is short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn't speak clearly.
Remember: In many ways, dogs and cats are better than kids because they:
1. Eat less
2. Don't ask for money all the time
3. Are easier to train
4. Normally come when called
5. Never ask to drive the car
6. Don't hang out with drug-using friends
7. Don't smoke or drink
8. Don't have to buy the latest fashions
9. Don't want to wear your clothes
10. Don't need a 'gazill ion' dollars for college.
And finally,
11. If they get pregnant, you can sell their children.
Dear Dogs and Cats,
The dishes with the paw print are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note, placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.
The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.
I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.
For the last time, there is not a secret exit from the bathroom. If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years -canine or feline attendance is not required.
The proper order is kiss me, then go smell the other dog or cat's butt. I cannot stress this enough!
To pacify you, my dear pets, I have posted the following message on our front door:
To All Non-Pet Owners Who Visit & Like to Complain About Our Pets:
1. They live here. You don't.
2. If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. (That's why they call it 'fur'niture.)
3. I like my pets a lot better than I like some people.
4. To you, it's an animal. To me, he/she is an adopted son/daughter who is short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn't speak clearly.
Remember: In many ways, dogs and cats are better than kids because they:
1. Eat less
2. Don't ask for money all the time
3. Are easier to train
4. Normally come when called
5. Never ask to drive the car
6. Don't hang out with drug-using friends
7. Don't smoke or drink
8. Don't have to buy the latest fashions
9. Don't want to wear your clothes
10. Don't need a 'gazill ion' dollars for college.
And finally,
11. If they get pregnant, you can sell their children.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Bad News
I don't come with good news. I suffer from kidney stones. Three years ago I was diagnosed with my first stone. We thought it had passed, but a few months later I was in awful pain. I went to the dr and he sent me to have a CT scan done and it was found that I had multiple stones in each kidney. I was referred to a specialist. Since then it has been hell. I went to the specialist and he had, what we'll call "short man syndrome". He was awful to me. He refused to answer any of my questions or really tell me anything about this because I wasn't as well versed in urology as he was. I left and decided that I wasn't going back. Well then a year ago I was in excruciating pain and ended up in the ER. I was discharged that night but woke up in pain early the next morning. I called my family dr and they told me that I really should see the specialist, but that the one I went to was the only one in the county and that they could set me up with another doctor in the practice. Well that doctor sent me to the hospital because I couldn't manage the pain on my own. I ended up having a ureteroscopy done to remove a stone that was so large it blocked off a piece of my kidney and killed it. It was the worst pain I have ever felt in my life and it was a long recovery. The dr who put me in the hospital was not the one who performed the surgery, and from then on I had to see the one that performed the surgery.
Two weeks before my wedding I was diagnosed with another stone, however it disappeared on its own just before the wedding, thankfully.
A month ago I had another stone. I went to my dr and was put a medication made for men, but intended to relax my ureter in order for the stone to pass with less pain and fight from my ureter. I also asked him what was causing these stones and what we could do to prevent this. He waved off my questions, saying he would answer them at another time. When was another time? This had been going on for years? I wanted answers NOW! I was also fed up because every time I've gone to that office they have tried to move my appointment, or I would have to wait over an hour after my appointment time before actually seeing my doctor. I was so fed up by the time I left there that I went home and looked up other specialists. I found one other in Lancaster, and they happened to be at the same campus as the other one!
I went to visit this new doctor and it was night and day different! They took me back early, they answered my questions right away, they sent me for tests to find out what is causing them, they sent me for xrays and ct scans... all in one day! I actually cried in the office because they were willing to help me and talked to me as if it was my body!They also scheduled a lithotripsy that day for the following Tuesday. A lithotripsy sends a soundwave through my stone to break it up. It worked.
I went in for an xray and a follow up appointment a little over a week ago. The dr said my xrays were clear and that barring anything new from my CT scan, my appointment on March 21st should be my last one with them. I was so relieved and happy that I wouldn't have to deal with this anymore.
I went for my CT scan yesterday. Today I got a phone call from them. They wanted me to move my appointment up to next week. They found another stone and it is too big for me to pass. I am going to need surgery again.
I am so tired of dealing with this. I am so tired of of my life stopping every time I have a stone. I am so frustrated and I just want to know that I'm fine and that I can go on with everything I want to do. I am tired of having to recover from surgery, although I'm thankful that they have surgery to help this.
I wanted to share what I'm going through right now. My husband has been amazing. He is my rock through all of this and I am so thankful for that.
Thoughts and prayers are welcome as I deal with this the next few weeks!
Two weeks before my wedding I was diagnosed with another stone, however it disappeared on its own just before the wedding, thankfully.
A month ago I had another stone. I went to my dr and was put a medication made for men, but intended to relax my ureter in order for the stone to pass with less pain and fight from my ureter. I also asked him what was causing these stones and what we could do to prevent this. He waved off my questions, saying he would answer them at another time. When was another time? This had been going on for years? I wanted answers NOW! I was also fed up because every time I've gone to that office they have tried to move my appointment, or I would have to wait over an hour after my appointment time before actually seeing my doctor. I was so fed up by the time I left there that I went home and looked up other specialists. I found one other in Lancaster, and they happened to be at the same campus as the other one!
I went to visit this new doctor and it was night and day different! They took me back early, they answered my questions right away, they sent me for tests to find out what is causing them, they sent me for xrays and ct scans... all in one day! I actually cried in the office because they were willing to help me and talked to me as if it was my body!They also scheduled a lithotripsy that day for the following Tuesday. A lithotripsy sends a soundwave through my stone to break it up. It worked.
I went in for an xray and a follow up appointment a little over a week ago. The dr said my xrays were clear and that barring anything new from my CT scan, my appointment on March 21st should be my last one with them. I was so relieved and happy that I wouldn't have to deal with this anymore.
I went for my CT scan yesterday. Today I got a phone call from them. They wanted me to move my appointment up to next week. They found another stone and it is too big for me to pass. I am going to need surgery again.
I am so tired of dealing with this. I am so tired of of my life stopping every time I have a stone. I am so frustrated and I just want to know that I'm fine and that I can go on with everything I want to do. I am tired of having to recover from surgery, although I'm thankful that they have surgery to help this.
I wanted to share what I'm going through right now. My husband has been amazing. He is my rock through all of this and I am so thankful for that.
Thoughts and prayers are welcome as I deal with this the next few weeks!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
My Kayak Sunset
This is my first blog post. I wanted to start a blog to go into our lives as we venture further into married life, buy a house, TTC, and everything that we encounter.
My Kayak Sunset is actually a depiction of a picture I took while kayaking. It portrays exactly how I feel while kayaking. My Kayak Sunset is translated into My Life. Here is the picture:
My Kayak Sunset is actually a depiction of a picture I took while kayaking. It portrays exactly how I feel while kayaking. My Kayak Sunset is translated into My Life. Here is the picture:
Bear with me... I have no idea how often I will post blogs. Hopefully sooner, rather than later, but right now I am also in grad school so I can get pretty busy at times!
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