I Hate Kidney Stones

[DSRIGGS]

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.

Wow that stinks and so sorry he had to go through ALL of that.


Regarding me, I am out of the new medical problem game..I have decided no more (Right like anybody including my body ever listens to my decrees).

 

[DSRIGGS]

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

Hey, I just started FloMax.

BTW I think the female version should be called AuntFloMax.

It was a joke ladies, don't shoot me!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Razbry]

Clematis....I have walked in your shoes. The only difference was that I was given a choice to go home or have it surgically removed. Since it was a couple days before Christmas...I chose surgery. I hope they put in the kidney stone blasting equipment in our local hospital soon. Best advice I got for passing a stone came from one of my nurses. Dance....do the salsa and drink a lot of beer. Hey...it works for me!

 

[k9ophile]

@DSRIGGS I agree that Flomax should have a name for women. It's bad enough to have to take an old person's drug without it being an old men's drug. (Your tender age for a TURP seems to be an exception.) I'm not sure about AuntFloMax though. It makes me think of a menstruation aid. While that would be feminine, I never did like visits from Aunt Flo. In the meantime, I'm going to think good thoughts for Mrs. DSRiggs. I hope the pleasure of being surrounded by males makes up for the irritation of male jokes. I have a feeling your sons take after their father as they've been taught by a master.

@Spiky Bugger Let me know what you uro says about unilateral stones. I don't understand that either. I'm not too thrilled with the pain from passing one and Lord have mercy on anyone who gets hit with a double barrel shotgun, speaking metaphorically.

 

[Spiky Bugger]

@DSRIGGS I agree that Flomax should have a name for women. It's bad enough to have to take an old person's drug without it being an old men's drug. (Your tender age for a TURP seems to be an exception.) I'm not sure about AuntFloMax though. It makes me think of a menstruation aid. While that would be feminine, I never did like visits from Aunt Flo. In the meantime, I'm going to think good thoughts for Mrs. DSRiggs. I hope the pleasure of being surrounded by males makes up for the irritation of male jokes. I have a feeling your sons take after their father as they've been taught by a master.

@Spiky Bugger Let me know what you uro says about unilateral stones. I don't understand that either. I'm not too thrilled with the pain from passing one and Lord have mercy on anyone who gets hit with a double barrel shotgun, speaking metaphorically.

Will do...

 

[Clematis]

Stone is still in me nearly 3 days later. I am near suicidal. No sleep. No food. I just pace for hours and hours. Percocet is now doing nothing and I run out of it tomorrow anyway. I may go back to the ER tomorrow so they can do another CT and see if the thing has moved at all, then give me stronger pain killers. I spoke with a urologist friend this evening and he said 99.9% of 3mm stones pass on their own in "6 days to 2 weeks." WTF? I can;t go through this for 6 days much less 2 weeks. He said I don;t want them to go in and get it as that creates scar tissue that will hang up any future stones. He said when this is all over -- and PLEASE make that soon -- I need to start drinking enough water before I go to bed to cause me to wake up to pee in the middle of the night, then drink more water so I'll be bursting in the morning. He says people get dehydrated at night, and this dehydration is a leading cause of stones.

 

[hilary1617]

Oh my goodness! Feel better!

 

[k9ophile]

Suicidal? Please re-think that to homicide. Put a face on your stone and kill it. As one who has been there, I am so sorry.

 

[DianaCox]

I will now think how WONDERFUL it is for me that I have to get up to pee 3-4 times a night, and keep something to drink by my bedside as well.

 

[newanatomy]

I will now think how WONDERFUL it is for me that I have to get up to pee 3-4 times a night, and keep something to drink by my bedside as well.

Me too.

 

[Razbry]

Wouldn't one of those stone blasters work?

 

[southernlady]

I will now think how WONDERFUL it is for me that I have to get up to pee 3-4 times a night, and keep something to drink by my bedside as well.

Personally I would LOVE to sleep thru the night without a potty break. BUT I usually get up twice at least.

 

[bearmom]

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?

Yes, I've used the massager too. You have to be still for it, which can be impossible before drugs, but after morphine or dilauded reneders you immobile, it's one thing that can keep working on moving the stone. I'm not sure it's worked as well as straining, but hope I don't get the opportunity to keep testing in the near future.

 

[bearmom]

Aaargh, I'm so sorry. Not only is that an absolute eternity in your condition, but letting that stone move on it's own, assuming it CAN go through on it's own, ALSO CREATES SCAR TISSUE along the entire route that it scrapes and drags along, that can impede passing future stones. If it were me, I'd tell them to deal with the stone "right effing NOW".

 

[Spiky Bugger]

Aaargh, I'm so sorry. Not only is that an absolute eternity in your condition, but letting that stone move on it's own, assuming it CAN go through on it's own, ALSO CREATES SCAR TISSUE along the entire route that it scrapes and drags along, that can impede passing future stones. If it were me, I'd tell them to deal with the stone "right effing NOW".

And...said tissue would itself be more susceptible to future UTIs.

I vote for ESWL or ureteroscopy...but, they all believe that 4 mm should pass unaided. Jerks. I wish them stones.