Been suffering a bad case of “renal colic” since thursday, and on saturday the urologist was sufficiently worried by the state of my kidney functions that I was admitted for observation. I’ve just come home today, as my function has risen from 50% to 55% overnight.
First of all, kidney stones suck. It’s in the top 5 of pains (along with eating salt and vinegar crisps with a papercut, and standing on lego), and it really does keep on giving. Apparently, it could keep going in waves for weeks as well. Which is nice. If it’s still bad in another week or so, though, they will consider “going in to get it”, but frankly I’m hoping it stops… about now.
The hospital was not a pleasant place to be. The gentleman in the bed next to me (I was in a 6 bed room) was… very ill indeed. And whilst I wish him all the best, I wish I hadn’t asked what was wrong with him. Because it was kidney stones.
I was able to keep up with the Dope on my phone (they had free wifi! That’s new), and I would especially like to thank Miller for this post, which had me giggling for so long the nurses had to come and ask if I was ok.
Anyway, I am now home, and faced with probably at least a week of entertaining myself at home whilst being too uncomfortable to sit and read/game for long periods of time. I may go crazy.
My sympathies. I’ve never had a kidney stone, but my husband is prone to them. When I saw him in the midst of an attack, he was white as a sheet, begging for drugs. This is a man who’s reluctant to take an aspirin for a headache. He’s had a few broken up with ultrasound. I guess that’s not an option for you, since they’re talking about surgery?
My sympathies. In January this year, I had one that ended up lodged so tightly that they had to “go in and get it”, as you mentioned. Had to be done, but the aftermath of the procedure wasn’t exactly pleasant. Aside from the stent that they left in me for several days, which left me more or less incontinent for a week, there was the second stone that coincidentally traveled down the same, much-abused tube a couple days later, immedately followed by the world’s worst case of constipation, apparently brought on by the pain meds I was prescribed.
I am not on any opiates. Paracetamol mostly, and a daily dose of Tamsulosin to jimmy the stone along (I believe it makes the tubes involved softer).
If I want any morphine or the like for a particularly bad wave of pain, I have to get myself along to the A&E, but that is likely to take so long that the pain will have receded and I’m pretty much better off staying at home.
Wow. I’ve only been hospitalized a couple times, but I was always in a private room. Even when visiting others, they’ve all been single rooms. Sharing a room with five other people sounds horrible. UK?
They do, and I was given Diclofenac, but it caused worrying problems with my kidneys so they took me off it and told me to avoid ibuprofen and the like until I’ve recovered.
Which I still haven’t! I’m still hanging around the house like a ghost, pacing from room to room during the painful bits, and trying to stop the kids from hugging my right hand side. Going to see the doc on Monday, to see if this has gone on long enough yet.
Huh, just noticed this thread. Dropping in to say it will all be okay.
I get a pair of kidney stones every 4-6 months like clockwork. I’m so used to it I usually only realize they are on the way due to discolored urine, then that special ‘feeling’ as they shoot out the urinary tract.
In the beginning, the first few times, it was like being stabbed in the back, slowly. I didn’t even know what it was the first half dozen times I had to deal with it, I thought it was bad gas. Now I have an old pill bottle with a bunch of stones collected in my medicine drawer.
Regardless hang in there, you’ll be okay. Like I remind myself when times get tough - it’s a big world and someone else has already gone through what you are going through and they turned out fine. So can you.