Livejournal Thread 4: Can't kill what's already dead inside

[Laemkral]

WTF. I am not a doctor, but if it's so large that you have to be on massive doses of painkillers to cope with it and "cope" consists of not being able to do anything despite the pain pills...I'd say that's a sign that it might be urgent. Get thee to the ER and get a second opinion, i understand the hesitance because surgery is always risky to some degree, but it sounds to me like you need it down now. You need to start telling them a higher pain number and that you think the level of pain medication you're being given is already making you feel addicted.

[Terotrous]

Well, I'm back from the ER. 6 hours of waiting later I finally got to see a doctor, and another few hours later I finally got some X-Rays taken. Thankfully, they paint a somewhat different picture than the ultrasound - they estimate the stone to be 4.5mm in length and that it has almost reached the bladder, so they think it might pass normally. Nevertheless, the doctor in the ER set me up with an urgent referral to a specialist anyway.

This is actually much more in line with what I figured my condition was like before seeing the doctor yesterday morning. I had experienced pain in different places on the weekend than I had before, and I was also passing a lot more blood, so I figured the stone had to be moving a lot. And a 4.5mm stone, while large, should be possible to pass. I really hope it passes within the next day or so.

Assuming I survive this process, I'm going to have to find a specialist who can tell me how not to have these things anymore. One other thing the X-Ray revealed was that there was actually a kidney stone in my bladder already, meaning this one is actually my third stone (and this past week I may have been passing two of them at once). 3 stones in the span of one year is 3 too many.

[VeryCuddlyCornpone]

3 stones in the span of one year is 3 too many.

One stone in the span of anything is too many, if you ask me. Glad to hear that you're getting some higher priority treatment at least! Best of luck to you.

[Risky]

Assuming I survive this process, I'm going to have to find a specialist who can tell me how not to have these things anymore. One other thing the X-Ray revealed was that there was actually a kidney stone in my bladder already, meaning this one is actually my third stone (and this past week I may have been passing two of them at once). 3 stones in the span of one year is 3 too many.

Gonna assume they told you this but gonna tell you anyway: If you want any feedback on how to avoid them, make sure to capture and keep the stone. They probably already gave you a sieve to pee in, but if they didn't, get one. There are some usual things people say, like drink cranberry and grapefruit juice regularly, avoid coffee and black tea in excess... if you are calcium sensitive, avoid eating massive doses of calcium, avoid excessive Vitamin D... but depending on what kind of kidney stones you get, some of these things won't help and some will be counterproductive, so definitely better to talk to a pro who knows exactly what kind you are getting.

Man I hate those fuckers, and I've only really met one. Not pros, kidney stones.

[Terotrous]

Yeah, I already have a strainer. I had one for the first one, too. But when they analyzed the first stone they didn't learn anything useful.


Anyway, I think I may finally be close to in the clear. I've stopped having the terrible pains, which I think means that the stone must have passed into the bladder. Also, my digestive system has restarted itself, and although it is really unhappy with what's happened to it the past 11 days, it seems to be mostly functional again.

[VeryCuddlyCornpone]

I had this weird month-long illness over the summer. It looks like it's back. I don't know what caused it the first time or this time and it's really frustrating me. When I wake up in the morning I am way overheated even if the room is normal temperature, I have a headache, and feel very very nauseated and dizzy. It usually goes away once I've been up and moving for a little while but why is it there in the first place?? My only theory right now is that maybe it's dehydration somehow, so I'll see if drinking more water beforehand helps... it's just about unbearable, because now it's at the point where I get it even after I just take a brief nap. I just want to not be sick for a little while dammit!

[TheSuburbanLetdown]

My herniated disc is acting up.

[Ekolter]

Still baking with 5 days left until D-day.

[VeryCuddlyCornpone]

Still baking with 5 days left until D-day.

Oh man oh man good luck to you! Well, you and Rkolter... or, I suppose, all four of you!



Urg I need to churn out just six more pages to finish these two articles that are due tomorrow. It's going much more smoothly than anticipated, but aaaagh I hate having compound deadlines!

[Laemkral]

I am getting really sick of powdered eggs for breakfast. I need either fresh eggs or a menu change.

[Turi]

My last three years of not being ComicGenning: Getting rid of years-long depression, then falling on my head, making my spine look strange on X-rays, and giving me a year's worth of headache and concentration issues, then getting hit by a car, luckily getting off with a whiplash, then starting a small Danish underground comic publishing house, then finishing my engineering bachelor thesis, getting a crappy grade, but having hospitals being very interested in my group's results, then moving to a small town for my internship, finding out that I am seemingly the only person between 20 and 30 years out of 7000 inhabitants.

So, how've you been?

[McDuffies]

Wow man, that's quite a lot of stuff.
In which part of the country are you, Turi?

[Turi]

The southern middle part.

[Ekolter]

I go in tomorrow for my 40 week visit.

Please heavens above, can I have this kid YET?!

[Terotrous]

Bah, worst election news possible for Canada tonight. Bush-lite with unchecked power for the next four years. Joy!

I remember when we used to feel superior to the US.

[McDuffies]

Budapest, three days. It was fun but too short.

[Ahaugen]

Bah, worst election news possible for Canada tonight. Bush-lite with unchecked power for the next four years. Joy!

I remember when we used to feel superior to the US.

this is all Ontario's fault, you know. All Ontario's fault.

[MariaAndMichelle]

Michelle's computer was having some issues, so she did a system restore... but forgot to save two big comic pages she had been working on since her last back-up.

Oh, well. Lost to the ages.

[Spaceprincess]

Bah, worst election news possible for Canada tonight. Bush-lite with unchecked power for the next four years. Joy!

I remember when we used to feel superior to the US.

the more you try to get rid of Harper the stronger he gets. but you'll feel much better when he bankrupts your country buying stealth fighters from us.

this is all Ontario's fault, you know. All Ontario's fault.

I heard it was all Bloc Québécois fault. a fascist PM vs separatists. sounds like canada has a Sith lord problem.

[Ahaugen]

Bah, worst election news possible for Canada tonight. Bush-lite with unchecked power for the next four years. Joy!

I remember when we used to feel superior to the US.

the more you try to get rid of Harper the stronger he gets. but you'll feel much better when he bankrupts your country buying stealth fighters from us.

this is all Ontario's fault, you know. All Ontario's fault.

I heard it was all Bloc Québécois fault. a fascist PM vs separatists. sounds like canada has a Sith lord problem.

no, the Bloc got destroyed, replaced with the NDP which is a national, federalist party