I’ve gotten into a nice groove where my daughters’ evening dance classes have provided an excellent excuse for me to bike to work. If I leave my car at the park & ride, I’m only 2 blocks away from where I need to pick them up. I get to bike (versus a commute of similar duration), my spouse saves 40 minutes of driving, and the kids get their Nutcracker fix for the season. Everybody wins.
Tuesday, after lunch with a former coworker at the nearby, mediocre Indian buffet, I stopped into the Tully’s that I’m Duke of (according to Yelp) for some caffeinated tribute. With no meetings the rest of the day, I was looking forward to some great productivity.
About 10 minutes after I sat down at my desk, I started feel a litany of Bad Symptoms that made me regret eaten Indian food then and for the foreseeable future. After an hour of this, and realizing just how ridiculously busy the company bathrooms are, I gave up and biked home. Vomiting along Newport way made me feel less bad, but I was glad it’s a downhill trek.
Once home, it was evident that neither laying down, curling up into a ball, nor a hot shower were going to help. I couldn’t get into see my primary care physician or a designated alternate, so I tried the local urgent care clinic. To my surprise, they got me in right away and then forwarded me off to the hospital for more tests. Driving was very painful – every erratic stop (rush hour!) and speed bump sucked.
They did a bunch of tests and eventually narrowing it down to … these:
Left x 3 |
Right |
A relatively tiny kidney stone, which I’ve nicknamed “1mm of pure calcite terror,” was passing through the ureter on the right. Once it hit the bladder, pain went away. I can pee! I can pee!
As I was being discharged, they let me know of an “incidental discovery” — And we’re not talking about the three stones on the other side — that will need follow-up after Thanksgiving. Thus, this may have been a good thing. On the other hand, Yikes!
Ouch. Sorry to hear that. BTDT many times until the kidney was finally removed (as you probably remember).
So let me know if you have questions. I am very familiar with that world.
25% of all hospital visits by white males 30 to 40ish are kidney stone related (so I was told)
Drink lots of water in the future … never pee yellow or darker
– Steve ~ stone-free for 15 years
PS : I too thought mine was caused by Mexican food
Wow. Hope the stones and the incidental get resolved soon and completely. My wife has had 3 (or is it 4?) kidney stones and it’s not pretty to watch. But you do get used to it. For the last one, I just dropped her at the hospital late at night and went home. She (and the stone) was discharged in the morning. Good luck.
How awful!!! I’m so sorry to hear about the pain and the stones. I have a friend who suffered from them terribly while pregnant (apparently pregnancy increases their likelihood?). Good luck with your post-Thanksgiving follow-up. I hope turkey goes better than Indian food. 😉