I Hate Kidney Stones

[Clematis]

For the past few days I felt like I was getting cystitis. It was hovering at the intermittent annoying stage but not the whimpering-on-the-toilet stage so I wasn't sure what it was.

Today my kidney was aching and I thought, damn, now it's a kidney infection, so called my doctor for an antibiotic. Before she even had a chance to call me back the pain spiked and I knew this wasn't a UTI but a wretched kidney stone. (Once you have one, there is no mistaking the next one. I had a couple of stones 30+ years ago, then another 2 years ago. None of these started with symptoms of cystitis.)

So off to the ER this morning. The place was packed with July 4th injuries. I had to wait in the lobby for TWO HOURS while I frantically paced back and forth, panting, moaning, sobbing and puking in what looked like a horse's condom. I semi-fainted a few times. Other patients came up to me to say they were so sorry for my pain -- some may have meant it; others may have been hinting that they couldn't stand to watch me anymore so I should shut up and sit down. (I could not sit or even stand still; I had to move constantly.) Kidney stone pain is the worst pain I've ever had. At least when you're in labor you get a break every few minutes. Kidney stone pain is unrelenting.

When I made it in a room, they had the drugs waiting, thank god. They swiftly got in a hep lock and administered anti-nausea, anti-inflammatory and MORPHINE. Then off to CT which showed a 3mm stone. Once they saw the pain was caused by nothing life threatening, they gave me scripts for 5 days of percocet and flomax and sent me home to pass the stone on my own.

I haven't felt any movement suggesting that it is in the ureter which means I'm in for a long night, and perhaps followed by longs days.

There are several of you here with the unimaginable horror of stone after stone so I'm not looking for sympathy. Rather I post this more to let those who may not have had a kidney stone, what they might expect if it happens to them.

 

[Pugcrazy]

Oh no, I HATE that you are experiencing this!!! I have zero experience with kidney stones - but I know they are extremely painful! Too bad there wasn't something that would "help" you pass it???? Anything I say will be ridiculous at this point but I hope somebody with a similar experience can offer you some suggestions that may help! In the meantime, I hope the pain meds give you some relief!!! If not, go back to the ER!

 

[southernlady]

I am so sorry you got sent home and have to face all this.

I am just thankful I've never had one. And I pray I never do.

 

[DSRIGGS]

Sorry Clematis. They suck and there is no two ways about it. I hope it gets to the ureters soon

I feel you on your waiting room dance. I had a TURP (guys if you ever hear that mentioned run like hell) back in 2001 before moving to Phoenix. I waa having horrible pain so I went to the er and they sent me home after four hours because I could pee. Three hours later I was back and the place was slammed. A male nurse called me to a triage room and I thought finally I am in give me some freaking demerol.....wrong...he just hammered a freaking catheter up my Johnson and Sent me bag in tow in a damn gown back to the waiting room.....same prancing around couldn't sit, grabbed the wall as I hard as I could because my whole body was convulsing from horrible bladder spasms. Half fainted like you and did everything not to go down A guy and lady looked at me and said maybe if you actually pass out they will take you back to a room. Three hours later I finally got back to a room and got a demerol injection. They admitted me and I spent the next three days on demerol because otherwise I am convinced I would have died. The urologist who was seeing me said what are we going to do, we can't get you addicted?. I said that is the least of my fucking worries because I can deal with that if it happens what I can't deal with is this razor sharp pain in my prostate and johnson.....so fix me. After three days the pain got to where I could manage. It was another month with two or three similar episodes but no hospital stay and the pain finally went away. I am convinced when was rotorootering my prostate and bladder neck that he left a nerve exposed or something because I was in misery for 3 months with a hell of a time crapping and peeing. I would be at work and think I should go to the bathroom and then when I got up I realized I literally had 10 seconds before I pissed myself. So I took off in a mad dash out of the office almost knocking over my employees (I was the site manager of roughly 125 people). I was on some medicine to help me pee and it made my urine tang orange.

Sorry for the long story. Just saying that episode and the one stone I had were similar and urinary track blockages suck!

Feel better and I hope it is out of your kidney by now.

 

[k9ophile]

I won't insult you by offering sympathy. I want to congratulate you for describing the stoner's misery for non-stoners. They are a bitch.

@DSRIGGS You want to be seen faster in an ER? Two words: chest pain. And quit your whining. My husband's prostate was worse than yours. It's supposed to be the size of a walnut, his was a grapefruit. When they put the cath up his Johnson after ten minutes of trying to get it in, they drained two liters. Yep, that two of those big pop bottles. They didn't even consider a TURP. They did it open. I adore you and cannot resist the effort to bust your chops. I truly hope you're never obstructed again.

 

[newanatomy]

So sorry. I hope you get relief soon.

 

[bearmom]

You may not have come here looking for sympathy, but you definitely have it. I learned many years ago that straining (like moving heavy things, or even some twisting exercises) jarred loose a stone that had been sitting in the kidney quietly, starting on it's agonizing journey only to stick en route to the toilet. I now know, that straining can also help pop those monsters through at time when they are stuck.

I don't recommend lifting the end of the sofa or shoving the piano around (that actually is what I've done) but instead twisting your torso, and jumping up and down and landing with a thud. My last several stones unjammed within a short time after doing some of this, and it very well may have been due to the movement. Drink drink drink, and hop on the way to the bathroom.

I'm so sorry your dealing with this and hope this resolves fast.

 

[DSRIGGS]

I won't insult you by offering sympathy. I want to congratulate you for describing the stoner's misery for non-stoners. They are a bitch.

@DSRIGGS You want to be seen faster in an ER? Two words: chest pain. And quit your whining. My husband's prostate was worse than yours. It's supposed to be the size of a walnut, his was a grapefruit. When they put the cath up his Johnson after ten minutes of trying to get it in, they drained two liters. Yep, that two of those big pop bottles. They didn't even consider a TURP. They did it open. I adore you and cannot resist the effort to bust your chops. I truly hope you're never obstructed again.

That TURP was the absolute worst mistake of my life for numerous reasons, 35 years ol when I had it and the jack ass urologist didn't tell me about a very significant side effect until AFTER the surgery.. Had infections that wouldn't go away and my boys ached all the time. I definitely should have sought a second opinion but I was tired of taking antibiotics and hurting for months....

I am sorry to hear of your husband's prostate. Hopefully he can get that think to shrink. Has he tried the milking therapies? It sounds fishy to me but I would certainly try it if I had that going on.


Yeah I have learned that short of breath and chest pain definitely get you seen quickly in the EE. I wasnt nearly as experienced in 2001 as I am now, but honestly I don't think I ever faked it. Heart rate of 35 and BP of 65/38 gets you a quick trip back as well.

 

[DSRIGGS]

You may not have come here looking for sympathy, but you definitely have it. I learned many years ago that straining (like moving heavy things, or even some twisting exercises) jarred loose a stone that had been sitting in the kidney quietly, starting on it's agonizing journey only to stick en route to the toilet. I now know, that straining can also help pop those monsters through at time when they are stuck.

I don't recommend lifting the end of the sofa or shoving the piano around (that actually is what I've done) but instead twisting your torso, and jumping up and down and landing with a thud. My last several stones unjammed within a short time after doing some of this, and it very well may have been due to the movement. Drink drink drink, and hop on the way to the bathroom.

I'm so sorry your dealing with this and hope this resolves fast.

I remember our dearly departed friend Rob (steve) fashioning a huge vibrating device to a chair so it massaged/shook the stone out quicker , at least he thought it did. I was thinking you had tried the same with your way too frequent stones (1 waa enough for me so I feel for you ladies,who have had so many). Any luck with such vibrating the kidneys type therapy?

 

[Spiky Bugger]

You have MY sympathy...and empathy...and even my big sigh of relief at the word MORPHINE.

I have to see my uro to try to figure why I have UNIlateral stones and not BIlateral stones, since the malabsorption is systemic.

Meanwhile, I heed to consume calcium with every bite of any oxalate...to give the oxalates something to bind to.

FloMax! Most people don't get why girls would take a prostate drug...lol

 

[Spiky Bugger]

Oh...and I have had so many two- and three-hour waits in ER waiting rooms that I have decided to now go via ambulance. I can lie on my side and squirm and assume a fetal position on the gurney. Otherwise, it would be the ER Waiting Room floor.

PS...I love those horse condoms. They store in less room than the barf tray things.

 

[k9ophile]

That TURP was the absolute worst mistake of my life for numerous reasons, 35 years ol when I had it and the jack ass urologist didn't tell me about a very significant side effect until AFTER the surgery.. Had infections that wouldn't go away and my boys ached all the time. I definitely should have sought a second opinion but I was tired of taking antibiotics and hurting for months....

I am sorry to hear of your husband's prostate. Hopefully he can get that think to shrink. Has he tried the milking therapies? It sounds fishy to me but I would certainly try it if I had that going on.


Yeah I have learned that short of breath and chest pain definitely get you seen quickly in the EE. I wasnt nearly as experienced in 2001 as I am now, but honestly I don't think I ever faked it. Heart rate of 35 and BP of 65/38 gets you a quick trip back as well.

Wow! That was a brutal the ordeal. My DH had a hernia repair with his open prostate removal. Quite the twofer, eh? We were new to TN and because of insurance, we had to go to Nashville (75 miles away). We were working on a referral from a local doctor I had no information about. As it turned out, DH was treated by one of Nashville's better urologist. Seven years later, I had my DS and was more knowledgeable about Nashville hospitals and physicians.

Many of us in healthcare develop a very dark humor to protect us from some of the horrors of our jobs. Mind you, I wasn't on the front line of care, but some of the medical records I read didn't leave much to the imagination. That is one of the reasons I respect nurses.

I'd like to propose a contest for you and CHarrris; who can go the longest without a new medical problem? I'm betting on a tie with no clear loser for a long, long time. You two deserve a break from hospitals, doctors, and any other caregiver.

 

[aaa]

I feel your pain. Mine was gallstones. (In the top 2 of the worst pain I ever had; lots of fainting). I hope it passes quickly.

 

[DianaCox]

I.DO.NOT.UNDERSTAND why three hour ER waits are allowed. NOBODY should be in that kind of pain, in a hospital waiting room, for three fucking hours! My daughter had an ovarian torsion last December, and she was given pain meds within about 30 min as I recall. Of course, they weren't busy, and I was VERY VERY insistent that she get pain meds on board ASAP, but why should 3 hour waits be TYPICAL? That is a staffing problem!

That is unconscionable. Do they do it to discourage people from going to the ER in the first place?

 

[Spiky Bugger]

I.DO.NOT.UNDERSTAND why three hour ER waits are allowed. NOBODY should be in that kind of pain, in a hospital waiting room, for three fucking hours! My daughter had an ovarian torsion last December, and she was given pain meds within about 30 min as I recall. Of course, they weren't busy, and I was VERY VERY insistent that she get pain meds on board ASAP, but why should 3 hour waits be TYPICAL? That is a staffing problem!

That is unconscionable. Do they do it to discourage people from going to the ER in the first place?

I wonder if Medicare includes those times in their reviews. I IS horrid. And they ARE understaffed. And the cost if ambulances has to have risen exoonentially, because the ambulance dannit LEAVE you there until the ER actually admits you to SOMEPLACE, even if just a room in the ER.

So the ambulance is out of service, and two attendants are paid to just wait along with you. No cost savings there.


ETA...Pro Publica publishes the stats...but they don't look right.