Nov 15, 2010

Never thought I would experience this...

On the two week anniversary of my trip to the hospital to give birth, I ended up with terrible kidney pain. It started feeling like gas pain. I really thought that's what it was since I recently had a baby and my body was all out of whack. I was alone with the kids and Mark was working at the mortuary. I called my mom to see if it was possible to have gas pain where your kidney is. She said I was probably just dehydrated. I went and drank a bunch of water to see if that helped.
I continued to do some laundry and other such household type homemaker mommy type things. I realized it hurt more standing up straight so I went to lay down for a bit until the pain subsided.
The pain started increasing ever so slightly. It was a dull sort of ache at first. Then gradually it because a little more sharp. I turned on a heating pad and laid on it(yes, it warns against this, but I do it all the time ha!). That helped me relax, but didn't get rid of the pain. Then my pain got really bad. Not labor of two weeks ago bad, but I wasn't liking it.
I decided to give my dear sweet husband a call. No answer. I called my mom and explained my situation. She told me it was probably a kidney stone and that I should try and find someone to watch my kids and someone to take me to the emergency room. She had some good advice, as usual. But being the bad daughter that I am, calling her for advice, then not following it because I feel awkward or something lame like that, just just tried call Mark again. I tried calling him so many times. The pain was getting worse and worse and I was calling more and more. It just so happened that Mark was embalming and didn't feel his phone vibrate.
Finally, on what I later learned was the (clears throat) um 24th call, he answered. I explained the situation and he was very sympathetic, as he has experienced kidney stones himself. That combined with my recently giving birth and having torn, currently healing ligaments(which indeed were very much in pain, just as the dear dr. said), combined with being home alone with the kids, well, he felt very sorry for me. He called my brother, Geoff, and his wife, Jessie to watch the kids.
Mark arrived and soon after that Geoff and Jessie arrived. Mark and Geoff helped me out to the car and we were on our way.
I don't like the emergency room. I don't like waiting. I don't like waiting a long time. I don't like being in pain. I don't like strange people staring at me. I don't like waiting a long time in the emergency room in pain with strange people staring at me, people who obviously are not in pain. I prefer labor and delivery. It was such a lovely place. They asked me what my pain level was. Really? I just had the most painful labor of my life two weeks before. I told them it was a 6. They sent me back to the waiting room. I waited for over an hour. As my pain and awkward feelings increased I thought to myself, "Dang, I should have told them 8!" Eventually, I got some IV pain relief, and it really wasn't so much of a relief. It made me feel high and in pain, but because I was high, the pain was not on the forefront of my mind. A good high can be a bit of help. I got a CT scan. The Dr. said I did have a kidney stone. This was after his earlier guess diagnosis of "a pulled muscle." Lame. After 4 lovely hours, I was sent home with my 2nd prescription for Percocet since having the baby.
Mark and Geoff helped me up the stairs and into my bed. Mark held up my sagging pants for me. Things just don't fit like they used to. Percocet, like the IV drug, was good at making me feel high carefree, but did not relieve my pain. Luckily, the pain subsided, thanks to a blessing I received from dear brother Geoffrey. Sorry I do not have pictures to give you a better feel of the experience. I will try to remember my camera for next time. I hope my story made you feel a little more grateful for labor and delivery.

1 comment:

Heather said...

You poor thing! I'm sorry! I hope you never have to go through that again!