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Kidneys Strike Back
10/24/10 10:45 pmYesterday I felt a lot better than I have in a while, so I went to the store with Mike. I have a new recipe for a coconut cake I wanted to try.
Anyway, we were walking around the store, and I started feeling kind of peculiar. Almost nauseous, but not really; almost sweaty and light-headed, but not really.
We got home, I helped carry in the groceries and put them away, then I went and had a seat on the couch. I was really sleepy because I didn't sleep worth a damn the night before, but I fought it off and didn't take a nap because I wanted to sleep well last night.
Mike and Patrick ate hot dogs for supper, but I wasn't hungry. I was sweaty and having chills. Great, a relapse, I thought. I went through most of the evening like that.
Then the cramps and diarrhea started. I must have trotted to the john at least 4 times in an hour and a half. Feeling clammier and colder all the time. The cramps were odd, they didn't really feel like intestinal cramps, they ran up and down my belly along my hernia repair scar (sort of in the middle), and there was one that would flash straight across my lower belly. And BAD, too. The worst I've ever felt.
I didn't realize what was happening until I was sitting on the throne and suddenly became nauseous and dry heaved -- apparently I was trying to pass a kidney stone. I only had one really massive incident of that; I had Mike call the Nurse Info line at the hospital to see if I should come in, they were no help, just said "If you feel like you need to, then come in." I didn't feel that bad though.
Then he tried to get an after-hours message to my doctor, but they don't have an answering service! That's strange to me.
After the marathon puke and poop session, I staggered into the bedroom and carefully lay down -- I seemed to feel better lying flat. Mike took care of all the going to bed stuff (cleaning cat sand, distributing snacks, etc.) and I just laid there hoping I wouldn't puke again. I hate to puke.
Slept pretty good until about 2 am, then got up, took the important pills I should have taken at bedtime but didn't because I didn't want to puke them up, and took a tizanidine (Zanaflex), a pretty powerful muscle relaxer so that I could get rid of some of muscle pain. Now, normally a 4 mg tablet will put me out for 8 to 12 hrs; half one will do it for 8 hrs, 1/4 of one for 6 hrs.
I took a whole one, and only slept for 4 hours. Wow. Just how tight were the muscles that it used up that much? I got up at 6 and took another one, slept until about 9:30.
The rest of the day I've just laid around, slept a lot, and tried to catch the stone that apparently tried to move. The only thing I've noticed is that I'm not producing as much urine, and it's much more concentrated, even though I'm drinking as much (if not more) than usual. So I'm thinking it got just so far and got stuck. Yay.
Tomorrow morning I'll be calling the doctor as soon as they open and see about getting some imaging done stat. All I've been passing is a LOT of sand, no absolute frank stones.
When they work, kidneys are wonderful things, but when they don't, you start to wonder if there isn't some better way to handle the whole blood filtration system...
Intelligent design, my ass.
Anyway, we were walking around the store, and I started feeling kind of peculiar. Almost nauseous, but not really; almost sweaty and light-headed, but not really.
We got home, I helped carry in the groceries and put them away, then I went and had a seat on the couch. I was really sleepy because I didn't sleep worth a damn the night before, but I fought it off and didn't take a nap because I wanted to sleep well last night.
Mike and Patrick ate hot dogs for supper, but I wasn't hungry. I was sweaty and having chills. Great, a relapse, I thought. I went through most of the evening like that.
Then the cramps and diarrhea started. I must have trotted to the john at least 4 times in an hour and a half. Feeling clammier and colder all the time. The cramps were odd, they didn't really feel like intestinal cramps, they ran up and down my belly along my hernia repair scar (sort of in the middle), and there was one that would flash straight across my lower belly. And BAD, too. The worst I've ever felt.
I didn't realize what was happening until I was sitting on the throne and suddenly became nauseous and dry heaved -- apparently I was trying to pass a kidney stone. I only had one really massive incident of that; I had Mike call the Nurse Info line at the hospital to see if I should come in, they were no help, just said "If you feel like you need to, then come in." I didn't feel that bad though.
Then he tried to get an after-hours message to my doctor, but they don't have an answering service! That's strange to me.
After the marathon puke and poop session, I staggered into the bedroom and carefully lay down -- I seemed to feel better lying flat. Mike took care of all the going to bed stuff (cleaning cat sand, distributing snacks, etc.) and I just laid there hoping I wouldn't puke again. I hate to puke.
Slept pretty good until about 2 am, then got up, took the important pills I should have taken at bedtime but didn't because I didn't want to puke them up, and took a tizanidine (Zanaflex), a pretty powerful muscle relaxer so that I could get rid of some of muscle pain. Now, normally a 4 mg tablet will put me out for 8 to 12 hrs; half one will do it for 8 hrs, 1/4 of one for 6 hrs.
I took a whole one, and only slept for 4 hours. Wow. Just how tight were the muscles that it used up that much? I got up at 6 and took another one, slept until about 9:30.
The rest of the day I've just laid around, slept a lot, and tried to catch the stone that apparently tried to move. The only thing I've noticed is that I'm not producing as much urine, and it's much more concentrated, even though I'm drinking as much (if not more) than usual. So I'm thinking it got just so far and got stuck. Yay.
Tomorrow morning I'll be calling the doctor as soon as they open and see about getting some imaging done stat. All I've been passing is a LOT of sand, no absolute frank stones.
When they work, kidneys are wonderful things, but when they don't, you start to wonder if there isn't some better way to handle the whole blood filtration system...
Intelligent design, my ass.
