so that happened

[rm]

At about 5am, I sat bolt-upright in bed from a sound sleep in agonizing pain in my left lower back. My first assumption was that it was a muscle cramp¹ and an initial hot shower seemed to help. Afterwards, I laid in bed, but no position was comfortable, Googling kidney things. The pain started to increase again and I took another shower that didn't help.

But the time I got back to my bedroom, I could not move my left leg except by physically lifting it with my hands because of the amount of pain I was in. I got dressed, shaking (this is probably when i first started going into shock), and somehow got myself downstairs and into a cab, but I could not stand upright and all positions were agony.

At urgent care it got much worse and they told me I would either need to take a cab to the ER or an ambulance. I didn't think I could do it a second time, and asked for the ambulance (I have insurance, but worry, A LOT over what the bill is going to be for all this). I was definitely in shock by the time I arrived at the ER, with a BP of 103/50 and a heart rate in the 80s. I remember my temperature, which had been normal, spiking weirdly too. So that was fucking lovely.

At some random point I realized I didn't know what hospital they'd brought me to and effectively didn't know where I was.

They got me on an IV pretty quick and a lot of things happened I don't remember the order of, but I was twittering it, because I thought it would distract me or some shit. They did a pregnancy test. I was cranky (but I just want you to know, I was really really nice to everyone!). Eventually the doctor came in and said it sounded like a kidney stone or infection.

Kept telling everyone I had to be on a plane to Bristol on Wednesday night. "You'll get there," everyone kept assuring me.

Had a cat scan.

Turns out it's a kidney stone, about 2mm. I should pass it on my own, within the next week. It's moved out of the kidney, so the worst of the pain should be over, but until it gets to my bladder, there might be some more. Which is all fucking lovely when I have to get on a plane in two days (First my Mac, now this? WHAT THE FUCK UNIVERSE?).

The bad news is I have at least a 50% chance of recurrence, and that's before we consider my family history (my father has had surgery for stones and had them for YEARS). The other bad news is that because of all of this they want me to radically reduce my intake of meat and cheese, which would be less difficult if I didn't have celiac disease and have to eat a ridiculous amount of calories daily and am funny about food texture. So when I get back I'll go to a nutritionist or something.

Right now I have some aching², occasional twinges and am completely exhausted. And I want to punch a bunch of dead fictional characters in the face. Patty's probably even crankier, since she got woken up with all this too as I paged her in Ohio at some point around the ambulance portion of the morning.³

Fucking hell.

Prescriptions filled.⁴

Also, and this is totally gross, but Internet, I MUST TELL YOU: they gave me a strainer so I can see when the stone passes.⁵

---

¹ I've had a few intermittent incidents in the last couple of months where I've felt like I've thrown out this same part of my back in bed, but now suspect this has been the stone all along.
² By which I mean it feels like I've been punched in the kidney by someone who knew what they were doing.
³ Fucking kidney stones. Baby, your girlfriend is old.
⁴ CVS has me down as a man.
⁵ Come on, we all know you come here for the fun trivia.

Comments

[effervescent.livejournal.com]

You've had quite the night, haven't you?? I'm glad that you're okay, but I'm sorry you had to go through that alone, and hope that you won't experience much more pain.

[nisaa.livejournal.com]

Oh no! I'm glad you were able to go to the hospital and find out what it was before you got on a plane.

Feel better. If I were closer, I'd offer to help.

[syzygy-lj.livejournal.com]

I'm glad it wasn't something more serious! When I saw "Getting an IV now" on your twitter feed, I got really worried.

Hope you feel better, and soon!

[angstzeit.livejournal.com]

Glad you're OK. Hope the rest goes smoothly! Strainer. Lol.

[chris-walsh.livejournal.com]

I've heard of the strainer. That's where my mind went, after the OW OW OW went through it.

*commiserates*

[1-mad-squirrel.livejournal.com]

Oh, how scary!

Hang in there.

[newsbean.livejournal.com]

Oh, yikes! I'm glad it's a stone instead of an infection, but still. Feel well very very soon.

[bethynyc.livejournal.com]

Ack! Joining in the chorus sending you good wishes!

[sillermoon.livejournal.com]

So so sorry this had to manifest right before Bristol. Also, cannot help but think of this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLO5beZY4zc (my favorite piece is the very first scene, and the delivery at 0:15)

[robling-t.livejournal.com]

Yay for insurance, anyway... {sigh}

[schmidtybooger.livejournal.com]

Glad to hear you're ok. And I giggled at the strainer, not gonna lie.

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you're feeling better now.

I'm sorry you were alone, that must have been not fun at all.

Strainer?! Haha! Sorry...

[aynatonal.livejournal.com]

Oy! So sorry to hear about that. I've had a kidney stone (which didn't reoccur--there's hope!) and it was by far the most excruciating pain I've ever experienced. Best wishes to you. I hope you feel better soon!

[rm.livejournal.com]

Thank you. That makes me feel less crazy about the pain-level and the ambulance and everything. The only reason I didn't say 10 on the pain scale is because they said "10 is your leg being cut off." But hoooo shit, felt like a 10 to me.

[tod-hollykim.livejournal.com]

Glad it's something that will pass and not something more dire. Hope the thing passes *before* you get on the plane.

And if you get too busy between now and Wednesday, travel safe, and have good time over there. With no stones, kidney, Rolling, or otherwise. ;-)

[brewsternorth.livejournal.com]

Oh good grief, just what you didn't need before Bristol. Thank goodness the doctors got it diagnosed quickly and got all the prescriptions written up. Hope it clears up soon!

...strainer. I guess that makes sense under the circumstances, but still.

[alt_universe_me.livejournal.com]

Not gonna lie, that all sounds horrendous. Hope you feel better soon.

[firefly124.livejournal.com]

That's a relief. I know the strainer thing is gross, and the odds are that you won't catch it anyway, but if you do, did they tell you to bring it in for analysis? Because that can make some difference in the dietary recommendations. Though I imagine that could be interesting if it involves having to transport through customs.

[redstapler.livejournal.com]

Depending on circumstances, I may be about to descend into moving hell for the next two days.

If I'm not, and you need anything, please let me know. Let me know anyway, honestly.

[logospilgrim.livejournal.com]

Thank heaven you managed to get yourself to the hospital before you passed or something like that! Man alive. Take extra good care, eh?

*tender robed embrace*

~I MUST TELL YOU: they gave me a strainer so I can see when the stone passes~

That is what they gave my better half, too!

[51stcenturyfox.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry! That sounds so painful. I'm glad it's something that'll go away, though, and not that your gallbladder has to come out or something.

But :(

[dr-is-in.livejournal.com]

I had the strainer too, when I had my first kidney stone. They wanted me to save it to have it tested. It looked like a large pepper flake (kind of) in the strainer and my first thought was that they had to be fucking kidding me...how could something so tiny cause so much agony.

[schpahky.livejournal.com]

Gaaaah. Hope you are on the mend soon!

[jonquil.livejournal.com]

Oh, *hell*. So very very very VERY sorry, both for the pain and the aftereffects. I'm told that a kidney stone is generally counted among the worst pain in the world.

[anterastilis.livejournal.com]

What a night! Hang in there, I hope you feel better soon.

[holzman.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry you have to deal with this. I've had kidney stones, too, and talking to a nutritionist is a good idea, but in the meantime here's what works for me -- someone else who isn't willing to cut down on meat and cheese: Water. Lots of water. At least 64 ounces a day, the goal being passing clear urine.