Stoned

Nothing upsets the apple cart quite like physical discomfort.  I've had quite a week.

Woke up on Tuesday morning, around 4 a.m., feeling like I was being stabbed with knitting needles in my side.  It was not fun. I had a good sweat going and the pain was spasmodic and taking my breath away.  It was searing, primal pain.

Naturally, I woke my wife up and told her that I thought my appendix was bursting and I needed to go to the ER at Concord Hospital.  Luckily, this is only 1.5 miles from my house.

It wasn't that easy, though.  It had been freezing raining all night and there was about 2" of ice on the truck.  I was useless in trying to help clear everything.  Not only was I in severe pain in my side, but I also have something going on with my right shoulder - not sure what it is, but it has basically left me with the use of only my left arm.

We made it to the ER.  I think the intake person had my diagnosis right off the bat, but didn't share it with me.  By this time, while I'm giving my info, my side pain has increased to an almost intolerable level.

After they wheeled me into the exam room, the ER doc told me she suspected that I had a kidney stone.  They pumped me up with morphine and threw me into a CT machine (can't wait to get the bill!).  The scan revealed that it is a kidney stone - a relatively small one at 2 mm.  The bad news is that most people begin to feel the pain of stones as they enter the bladder.  My stone was just leaving the kidney...yikes.

In any event, my stone is journeying down the ureter, from kidney to bladder.  Occasionally, I feel a bit of cramping in my lower back that reminds me that the little bugger is there, but, for the most part, I'm pain free.  I'm told to expect some issues where the ureter connects to the bladder, as it narrows at the junction.  Can't wait.