My First Kidney Stone

Before I begin, this is not my kidney stone.

This last weekend I had my first kidney stone. What an experience of pain and fear. I thought for sure I was dying. I sure felt like I was dying.

Friday night I was sitting on the sofa watching a taped episode of Survivor with my kiddo. We had just finished eating KFC ( until later I thought they had tried to kill me ). All of a sudden I got this very sharp, intense, stabbing pain in my lower left side just above my hip and below my waistline. It felt like I had been jabbed with a knife. I stood straight up and almost fell forward over the coffee table. I told the kiddo to keep watching the program and I went into the restroom. My thought was that if this is food poisoning, it may just work itself out.

Well it did not. The pain now radiated into my lower back and into my groin. I was sure I was going to die now. I tried sitting in different positions and lying in my bed. The pain was constant. It became so unbearable that I could hardly breathe. I knew it was time to seek medical attention ( I only waited an hour and a half ).

Even though I was half crazed with pain, I thought, I don’t want the cost of an ambulance. So with kiddo in tow, I drove myself the few miles to the emergency room. Everyone could not believe that I did. Let me tell you, it was not easy. When we parked at the hospital, I told the kiddo, “Run in there and tell them your Dad needs help!” She did and as I was slowly making my way to the door, a policeman arrived with a wheelchair. Amazingly, he made the right call when he said it was probably a kidney stone ( I still thought KFC tried to kill me ).

I was wheeled into a room and got hooked up. Before you could say jab me with another needle, they had taken blood and started an IV. Just to let you know the kind of pain I was in, I did not even feel the needles for blood or the IV, and I am a real wuss when it comes to needles in my arm. Yea, I can pass out at the drop of a hat.

Got my first hit of morphine ever in my life. Damn, that was fast and the pain went right away. Trouble was, so did all the clear thinking. I was told a bunch of stuff that I still have trouble remembering. I know I got two hits of morphine. I know I was told it was a kidney stone. I know friends had to come pick me and the kiddo up ( wife out of town ). I know I went to the restroom after they were releasing me and I sure hope I passed that nasty kidney stone. I was told it could be stuck – oh great. And I was told to see an urologist, which I now have an appointment to see.

I am getting a lot of sympathy as just about everyone I have talked to has had one or knows of someone that has had a kidney stone. It is also universal knowledge that this is a very painful event and just about everyone I talked to that had one, went to the emergency room like I did.

The ladies I talked to, told me now I know what labor feels like, only worse. Goodness, only worse! I came to the conclusion that if men way back when had babies and felt this pain, there would be no more humans after that first delivery. The guys would all be dead and the survivors would not have children. No wonder ladies want drugs during child birth. Guys, if you are a first time father and have never had a kidney stone, make sure the Mommy gets whatever she needs.

The event hopefully is over for now. There is medicine at home in case pain comes back. I have been sore the last couple of days and have to take a drug called Flomax. Yep, I drink and then I flow.

One of the strange things about all of this is that I am not a coffee drinker and I drink lots of water at work. I do drink a can of Pepsi everyday though. I guess the urologist will investigate what I eat and do. I am the first person in my family to have a kidney stone. I don’t mind being first, but I sure wish it could have been something else like going to college, or Europe, or whatever.

I am now on a new adventure as I walk through life.

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