STONED ALL WEEK

I am having a terrible week due to another bout of kidney stones. For the second time in my life, the pain required hospitalization.

NIH

A kidney stone is a solid piece of material that forms in a kidney when substances that are normally found in the urine become highly concentrated. A stone may stay in the kidney or travel down the urinary tract. Kidney stones vary in size. A small stone may pass on its own, causing little or no pain. A larger stone may get stuck along the urinary tract and can block the flow of urine, causing severe pain or bleeding.

Kidney stones can form when substances in the urine—such as calcium, oxalate, and phosphorus—become highly concentrated. Certain foods may promote stone formation in people who are susceptible, but scientists do not believe that eating any specific food causes stones to form in people who are not susceptible.


Earlier this month I started feeling a nagging pain in my left flank. It's stayed fairly consistent over the past few weeks, sometimes worse, sometimes not there at all. 

URINE SAMPLE

On Tuesday night the pain extended down to my testicles. We went to hospital at midnight in agony as I had been dealing with this pain for a few hours and couldn't take it anymore.

For the most part, the rest of the week has been a write off.  The pain has not weakened much and the darn anti-inflammatories make me too drowsy to accomplish much in terms of writing or working.  I have a week of medications and heavy drinking ahead in the hopes it will flush the stone out on its own accord. 

In the past, I have not had to opt for surgery or a stint, but this one has me concerned.  The wait time to see a Urologist is over two months. 

The cost of hospitalization, medication and lost work due to these buggers was an estimated $ 10 billion last year in the United States.