Seriously, I passed a kidney stone yesterday. As effed up as that was, I’m fascinated by this little thing that caused me so much pain. I can see little crystalline points on it, but I’d love to see the incredible detail on this alien thing my body produced. I’m in the detroit area… and I thought, if anyone has access to an EM laying around, getting dusty… the Straight Dope would be the place to go.
Here’s a pic! (warning: gross)
ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch :eek: 
I think you forgot an “ouch”.
I’ll take your word for it. Except for “in the eye,” I don’t think there’s any other place on or in the human body where such a tiny thing can cause such crippling pain. I shudder on your behalf. 
My mother still has the gall stones that were removed surgically. She’s thinking of getting them placed on jewelry. One of the nurses told me that many patients keep their stones. Samuel Pepys had a stone the size of a tennisball removed. He kept it in a jar and toasted it every year on the anniversary of the surgery.
Welp, using the measurement analysis tools in PhotoShop CS3, I was able to deduce my kidney stone is 2.7 mm (.1") in length, and about 1.6 mm (.06") wide.
I’m sure it’s no record, but it’s MY record. OUCH.
Good god. The jewelry would be cool, maybe I could get this set into a ring 
At first, I read ‘toasted’ as in he toasted it in a toaster oven. I can only imagine the smell. It makes more sense to bring it out as an excuse to get, well… toasted 
You really don’t need an EM to get some interesting views. A good stereo microscope will give a 20x or 40x view that should be fascinating.
Even placed on a slide on a regular 'scope, at 40X, with above-stage lighting, you can move it around and get interesting shots. Vary the angle of the light and the object.
Many of these instruments today have a built-in digital camera so you can get some nice shots for next year’s Christmas cards.
If you have access to a HS lab, they might let you borrow one, or ask your doctor if you can try his. Many people have a hobby of microscopy, any of whom would be glad to take shots for you, but how you find these, I have no idea.
That is Très Cool!
That is amazing. It’s weird, while i can actually see some crystalline growths with my naked eye, I figured there’d be some pitted and more organic looking areas as well. Thanks for that, tho… very cool… but I wanna see MINE! This is like looking at photos of someone else’s children (or, since I’m at the Dope, cats)… I wanna see my kids.
I’m definitely going to take Klondike’s advice and see if I can get my hands on a nice stereo microscope. Still would love to explore it in the resolutions an EM can offer. sigh
ETA: Kinda looks like the Fortress of Solitude. I think I passed a chunk of frickin’ Krypton. OW!
:eek: That thing looks painful just looking at it.
::: Rick prays to OG he never gets a kidney stone:::
After seeing the picture of the crystal, I suddenly had a flashback…
Try eating a Jack-in-the-Pulpit bulb on a dare. “Oh, this is the hottest pepper you’ll ever eat…” Practical joke someone did to me (they didn’t realized till after the next day, how much pain I was in and apologized). You think passing a kidney stone is bad, imagine a hornet’s nest in your mouth and throat for three days. Think of the worst sore throat in the world and trying to swallow and gagging in pain. The oxalic acid embedded in my mouth was Satan’s intro course into the Inferno :eek: :eek: :eek:
Needless to say, I don’t do dares anymore
Heh, you can post it to me if you want, I’ll whack it under my SEM with the Raman spectroscopic probe and get you elemental and molecular data, a map of where the elements are, and some pretty pictures too
Just, uh, come up with something other than ‘kidney stone’ to put on the customs form
Try “renolith.”