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!