Our Lowdown: November 2020

Saturday evening, D had a tooth start to hurt, so I offered to go get him some gel to put on it. It was 8:30 pm and I ran to Wal-greens. By 9:30. . . I started to hurt in my abdomen. It got intense fast. I thought maybe the mushrooms I ate .... so I tried to go for a walk outside thinking it would help if it was gas. I don't remember if I got past my driveway before I wanted to lay down from pain, so no walk. But when I laid down, it still hurt, and I would feel like I needed to go to the bathroom (but that didn't help) This went on for a couple hours. Walk around the house a little, tried to lay down, tried to go to the bathroom - sometimes every 3 minutes. It was crazy for a couple hours. I used some pillows on the couch and was able to prop myself up somehow and watch a movie for distraction.... only had to stop it less than 10x . . .which was better than in the bathroom every 3 minutes. Then another movie to help the brain focus on something, even if just for a few minutes at a time. D didn't want to leave me - so he was on the other couch and fell asleep with all my stops and up and down..... eventually around 2-3 am he went to bed. He offered multiple times to take me to the hospital but I didn't know if was gas and I knew hospitals are expensive! But as the night went on and I was praying, I felt I would need to go. BUT I REALLY DIDN'T WANT TO! But I took a shower and put on some comfy clothes that would work if I did end up going. I'm looking online for what this could be. The pain was so bad I thought, maybe it was my appendix and I know for that - you have to go get help. I was back to the roaming around, would go to sit on the couch, instant pain, back up, feel like you need to use the bathroom and I went knowing nothing would come out since I was just there 3 minutes ago.... no where, no position was comfortable. I had been trying to drink water - but I felt like I had to throw up and I was okay with that thinking of past times it actually makes you feel better. I eventually did - but it was just water and not much. That happened a couple times. It only felt better in that I didn't feel like I need to throw up. Still in pain.

Around 8:30 am Sunday - I texted two nurse friends asking if Urgent Care could help me or if maybe I could do an online appt with a doctor (thinking it would be cheaper) and they said it might be better to go to the ER since I may end up there for some imaging. I called my mom . . . I think wanting confirmation that sometimes you have to spend $$ and get help. She suggested going for a walk! I knew that would be her advice and told her I tried last night but I would try again while on the phone with her..... I got 2 houses and threw up in my neighbors yard. She said if you can't walk and you're throwing up - probably should go to the hospital. So around 9:30-10 I told David..... okay, I'll go. Twelve hours of pain was enough! He thought they may give us both a COVID test - but they wouldn't let him in. Just me. He had dropped me off and went to park - so we didn't get to say good bye. He didn't like that (he texted me) ...... I was in pain and couldn't think of much else. Luckily there wasn't a room of people waiting and I felt as if they got me checked in and in triage quickly. Maybe they had all their rooms filled trying to distance us??? They had me drink this bottle so they could do a contrast scan... MRI??? I don't remember all the details. I was in pain and asked for something to help.... at one point I'm in this room alone and couldn't reach the call button and I was calling out for help... but they didn't hear me... I knew they would eventually come but it was such an odd feeling. No TV. Luckily I got cell service.... sometimes in the middle of that hospital there is none.

After the scan results came back they said I had a large size 7 kidney stone that wouldn't pass on it's own up high in my ureter and I needed to have surgery to break it up and take it out. They would put a stint in that I would need to have removed in a week or so. They asked me to consent to stuff and I took a picture of the paper I signed because I really was not really understanding them (drugs? pain?) but I wanted to feel better and if they said I had to do surgery - I was like OKAY please help me!!

After surgery and they put me in a room, they let D come see me since visiting hours weren't up yet. He was glad to see me.

The lady from the cafeteria came to ask what I wanted to eat.... I was hungry since it was like 5 pm now! We told her I eat a little differently.... I was just like just give me a piece of fruit and a salad...but she sat down and asked me a ton of questions about dinner and breakfast items. She was very nice and brought me 2 nice fresh fruit plates and 2 salads and a baked potato and some baked fish I think but it didn't make this picture so I can't remember - but it was a lot of food! She even gave D a left over plate with a pork chop! That lady seemed to go above and beyond. :)

D went home and I watched the Hallmark channel!!! That's always my dream of what to do during the holidays! But I don't have that channel or the time.... so I think I watched 3 movies in a row!

You try to sleep but you know they take your vitals every 3 hours. I had an IV with fluid, so I had to pee every couple hours - but I could tell that was a good thing. But I slept in between all that. The doctor came in the morning to say he thought everything went well and to come see him to get the stint in about a week. I probably didn't ask enough questions because I didn't know what to ask.

Weird week to follow with pain every time I went to the bathroom. I could feel the stint. And it was causing me to have some blood in my urine every time. So I was happy to get it removed!