Clematis
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Sep 5, 2015
- Messages
- 1,705
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.
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.