Kidney Stones

[AustinBoston]

I've just been through the most painful experience of my life.

Went to bed Saturday about 10 PM, a little sore from helping DS-I-L empty their moving truck. (Yep, DD#1, DS-I-L, and DGD just moved in with us -- temporarily -- because he was transferred to the MEP center in Minneapolis).  About 11 pm, I had some real soreness on my left side back near the kidney.  I took some Extra Strength Tylenol, and tried to find a comfortable position.

Some time about 1 AM, I "pushed the button" and woke PJay to take me to the ER.  I wasn't sure what it was, but I knew this was not a torn muscle, and not a pinched nerve, and hurt worse than anything I could remember.  I suspected a kidney stone (I'd never experienced one before), but whenever I guess what's wrong, it turns out to be worse.

At the ER, they took me right away, for which I was very grateful.  They offered me morphene.  A thousand reasons not to take morphene flashed through my head.  I took the morphene.  It lowered the pain by about 20%.  They gave me some other pain drugs (nope, I was too out of it to remember what they were), and something to reduce nausea.  I lost my supper anyway.

They did a CT scan and found a 9MM kidney stone.  Back in the ER, I lost the rest of my supper.  I think they gave me more nausea meds, and an anti-inflammatory.

I am a difficult stick.  Every time someone aproached with another needle, I'd say "I'm a difficult stick, so if you're not good at this, get someone else."  In the 2-1/2 days I was in the hospital, they needed to stick me 8 times.  Half of the attempts failed.  One person, after trying three times, gave in, took my advice, and got someone else.  Once they started an IV, they used that for the drugs, but they still needed a new stick each time they wanted more blood.  My arms are full of tracks now.

They admitted me, and when I got to my room, I barfed again...even though my stomach was empty.

They decided to do a lithotripsy, which they don't do on Sunday, so I spent all day Sunday in the hospital, stoned.  Never been so out-of-it without actual anesthesia.  I spent most of the time asleep.

They came in with some horse pills...my potassium was low.  I had to take these auto-gag pills (there were four of them over a few hours) and get another needle a few hours later to check my potassium levels.  They came back about 4 PM with more horse pills.  The levels were up, but not enough.  They woke me at 11:45 for vitals, then again at 12:15 AM to stick me again for potassium.

Meanwhile, they wanted every drop of my pee.  There wasn't a heck of a lot of it.

They woke me at 5:15 AM for vitals, then again to take me down to surgery.

Lithotripsy was a procedure I first heard about years ago, where they use sonic shock waves or ultrasound to break up the stone into smaller pieces that are capable of passing.  It is generally impossible to pass a kidney stone larger than about 5 mm, and this was almost twice that size.  The procedure is done under general anesthesia, and an airway was used on me so I am mighty hoarse right now.  In my case, it appears that the stone broke into very fine pieces.  I've been able to capture a few of them about like grains of sand (sometimes useful in preventing future stones).

Within a few hours, I was given food and allowed to go home.  They gave me a prescription for pain and told I could resume normal activites on Tuesday, so I'm back at work.

A bad day at work is always better than a good day at the ER.

Unless you work at the ER.

Austin

[wavery]

I've just been through the most painful experience of my life.

Went to bed Saturday about 10 PM, a little sore from helping DS-I-L empty their moving truck. (Yep, DD#1, DS-I-L, and DGD just moved in with us -- temporarily -- because he was transferred to the MEP center in Minneapolis).  About 11 pm, I had some real soreness on my left side back near the kidney.  I took some Extra Strength Tylenol, and tried to find a comfortable position.

Some time about 1 AM, I "pushed the button" and woke PJay to take me to the ER.  I wasn't sure what it was, but I knew this was not a torn muscle, and not a pinched nerve, and hurt worse than anything I could remember.  I suspected a kidney stone (I'd never experienced one before), but whenever I guess what's wrong, it turns out to be worse.

At the ER, they took me right away, for which I was very grateful.  They offered me morphene.  A thousand reasons not to take morphene flashed through my head.  I took the morphene.  It lowered the pain by about 20%.  They gave me some other pain drugs (nope, I was too out of it to remember what they were), and something to reduce nausea.  I lost my supper anyway.

They did a CT scan and found a 9MM kidney stone.  Back in the ER, I lost the rest of my supper.  I think they gave me more nausea meds, and an anti-inflammatory.

I am a difficult stick.  Every time someone aproached with another needle, I'd say "I'm a difficult stick, so if you're not good at this, get someone else."  In the 2-1/2 days I was in the hospital, they needed to stick me 8 times.  Half of the attempts failed.  One person, after trying three times, gave in, took my advice, and got someone else.  Once they started an IV, they used that for the drugs, but they still needed a new stick each time they wanted more blood.  My arms are full of tracks now.

They admitted me, and when I got to my room, I barfed again...even though my stomach was empty.

They decided to do a lithotripsy, which they don't do on Sunday, so I spent all day Sunday in the hospital, stoned.  Never been so out-of-it without actual anesthesia.  I spent most of the time asleep.

They came in with some horse pills...my potassium was low.  I had to take these auto-gag pills (there were four of them over a few hours) and get another needle a few hours later to check my potassium levels.  They came back about 4 PM with more horse pills.  The levels were up, but not enough.  They woke me at 11:45 for vitals, then again at 12:15 AM to stick me again for potassium.

Meanwhile, they wanted every drop of my pee.  There wasn't a heck of a lot of it.

They woke me at 5:15 AM for vitals, then again to take me down to surgery.

Lithotripsy was a procedure I first heard about years ago, where they use sonic shock waves or ultrasound to break up the stone into smaller pieces that are capable of passing.  It is generally impossible to pass a kidney stone larger than about 5 mm, and this was almost twice that size.  The procedure is done under general anesthesia, and an airway was used on me so I am mighty hoarse right now.  In my case, it appears that the stone broke into very fine pieces.  I've been able to capture a few of them about like grains of sand (sometimes useful in preventing future stones).

Within a few hours, I was given food and allowed to go home.  They gave me a prescription for pain and told I could resume normal activites on Tuesday, so I'm back at work.

A bad day at work is always better than a good day at the ER.

Unless you work at the ER.

Austin

WOW!!! sorry to hear that you had to go through all that.

I've heard before that kidney stones can be the worst pain imaginable. My father-in-law used to get them a lot. He went to a Naturopath that put him on a regimen of juices (I think it was cranberry and unfiltered apple juice), gallons and gallons of it. He said that actually turned all of the stones into jelly and he passed hundreds of them. He hasn't had a problem since.

I also heard of this stuff:
http://www.uriflow.com/?gclid=CIi6u7u3-owCFQQRYwodfH7PDg
I hate "Snake oil" remedies but this stuff is supposed to work.

I guess that we all have them but it is relatively rare for them to move into the urinary tract.

I sure hope that you don't get them again.

[AustinBoston]

I've heard before that kidney stones can be the worst pain imaginable.

It was no comfort when PJay said in the ER that it was as close as a man would ever come to the pain of childbirth.  I sure am glad I'm a man on that one.

One of the things that makes them painful is that they are shaped like the insides of kidneys, with lots of sharp, jagged points.

My father-in-law used to get them a lot. He went to a Naturopath that put him on a regimen of juices (I think it was cranberry and unfiltered apple juice), gallons and gallons of it. He said that actually turned all of the stones into jelly and he passed hundreds of them. He hasn't had a problem since.

One of the key things to keep in mind with drug companies - they have some good stuff, but ultimately want you to remain sick and dependent on their drugs for the rest of your life.  It's not really a conspiracy, but an economic reality.  It can take a half a billion dollars worth of testing to bring a drug to market.  No drug company is going to do that for a natural treatment that anyone can sell.

I guess that we all have them but it is relatively rare for them to move into the urinary tract.

I hadn't heard that, but I'm not an expert (yet).  This one was still in my kidney.

I sure hope that you don't get them again.

I am very motivated to determine what caused this one, so I can avoid it like the plague.

Austin

[fallsrider]

It was no comfort when PJay said in the ER that it was as close as a man would ever come to the pain of childbirth.  I sure am glad I'm a man on that one.

My BIL had kidney stones about 4 or 5 years ago. One of his nurses told him that she had had kidney stones and babies. She told him that her kidney stones were worse than her child births!

Ouch!!

[wavery]

My BIL had kidney stones about 4 or 5 years ago. One of his nurses told him that she had had kidney stones and babies. She told him that her kidney stones were worse than her child births!

Ouch!!

OH GEEZE!!!! :yikes:  What are you thinking :eyecrazy:

You should have NEVER told him that.........Pjay will never hear the end of it. :J

[AustinBoston]

OH GEEZE!!!! :yikes:  What are you thinking :eyecrazy:

You should have NEVER told him that.........Pjay will never hear the end of it. :J

Naw, she would never let me forget that she did NOT get morphine (or anything else for #3)...

Austin

[Miller Tyme]

Welcome to the club:(. I've had 2 over the last 15 years. According to my doctor at the time, stones are usually the sign of excessive calcium build-up in the urinary tract. The doctor suggested more water intake to flush the system more often.
 
 Both of my stones(obviously smaller than yours), and my pain, were reduced by drugs, not injections......can't recall the names now. And I agree on the stick it to me with needles...on the first try to inject me with dye to find the stone, the nurse missed my vein and started pumping the saline solution into my arm:yikes:.....I started looking like Hulk Hogan and his 24 inch pythons!:rolleyes:

[brainpause]

Another veteran here of the kidney stone club, but mine was pretty minor. Only one ER visit that was uneventful.

As for your hospital experience, AB, I'll say what I tell my patients: We have to make it a little "unfun", or people would come to the hospital on vacation, and we'd have a waiting list!

Larry