Pain you would not beleive

[kahuna]

(mirimark @ Jul. 11 2006,23:48) Taking your first piss after they remove the catheter is quite the shocking expierance.   Felt like I was pissing more air than urine.

The inserting of the catheter was so painful that I now incorporate it into my rights of passage when pretty Femboys come to join King Mirimark, Master of all Femboys commune.

Same Same...They wouldn't let me leave the hospital until I pissed...Talk about fucking burn...

[post-op lover]

Water, water. Okay, you bet, I will be drinking lots of water. What happened to you - did you dehydrate???

[Guest]

Wow, flashback.

I too have had the same thing. And now I'm getting gallstones too, lucky me. I have had about 8 or 10 attacks combined, some small enough to grit my teeth through at home, 3 required a trip to the E.R. for Demerol.

The most important thing is to trap the stone (catch it in a filter) so that the lab can run tests on it to tell what it is made of. There are several different types of stones, and it is important to know what kind you have.

Once they doctors know what it is made of, they can give you a specific diet and other instructions to help reduce the chances of having another one. It is not a good idea to try a specific kidney stone diet without knowing the make-up of your stone, as it may exacerbate them if you have a different type.

Gallstones are made up of little cholesterol rocks. Usually a certain food will set off gallstones. If you find that you get sudden pain after eating a certain type of food, you may have gallstones. For me, pizza, anything with greasy cheese, or fried foods are right out.

My tips for dealing with the Kidney stones and gallstones:

-Don't try to be a hero. Once you know what the onset of symptoms feels like, immediately get to the hospital. (Assuming you have good medical coverage). Demerol is the best thing for it, intravenously.

-It's important to go ASAP. Last time I waited so long that by the time my GF drove me to the E.R. I could barely speak or sit still. It took a long time for a Dr. to get to me because they couldn't get my blood pressure or start an IV because I could not sit still.

-We have taken about 3 trips downtown to the E.R. and then came back home because the pain began to suside by the time we arrived. It's much better to turn around and come home than to wait it out and be sorry.

-If you don't have a wife or girlfriend who is a trooper, be sure to have a friend or close neighbor on call. It's not a bad idea to have a couple of backups. Let them know about your condition and that you may need very rapid transit to the hospital on short notice. Be a good pal and do somehting nice for them in return.

-Oxycodone, Oxycontin, Hydrocodone, Vicodin (all about the same thing) is what the Dr. will usually send you home with. The instructions are to take one, but the Dr. told it me it would be safe to take up to two at once, for the first 4 hours. I weigh a little over 200 Lbs. so I feel pretty safe. You may not want to do this if you way under 175 or so. If you are 200 lbs. or know you can handle medicines well, TAKE TWO. You'll be glad you did.

-Do be careful with the drugs. I always carefully consider whether I need an Oxycodone before I take one.

-Whenever I have even a slight twinge in my side I immediately take two Motrin. If I'm having a very small attack, it usually gets me through. If the pain gets worse within 30 minutes, then I switch to Oxycodone.

-Don't assume you have kidney stones. Gallstones or other assorted biliary irritations can feel very similar. I found out I actually had a gallstone 2 ER trips ago. Ask the Dr. to do an ultrasound of your gallbladder to check there also.

-The sound wave therapy to bust up kidney stones can also be used for gallstones. A catheter is not required. Ask if they have a Shock Wave Lithotripsy bath. The better treatment is for them to lay you in a bath or on a water filled cushion. Usually there is no need for a catheter.

-My stones have often happened late at night, around 3:00 in the morning. I keep my Motrin and Oxycodone handy and a night light int he bathroom. I don't want anything slowing me down.

-On the same tip, be prepared if you have to go to the hospital. I have a small trash bin with plastic liner (for vomitting), water bottle, MP3 player (for the long bed ride in the ER), and a book ready to go at a moments notice. I also immediately put my VA Medical ID card in my front poclet before I head out. You don't want to be fumbling around the house getting ready to go, or slow things down checking into the hospital.

-If I'm having the first twinge of an attack and I think it's going to be a small "home version", the best thing to do is immediately pour the hottest bath I can stand and soak down in it. This actually helps A LOT. I've found that a great deal of the pain is actually from my abdomen cramping constantly, and really hard (it's trying to expel the problem!). The hot water helps relax me and my muscles, and I think in the case of the gallstones, helps melt or soften the little cholesterol rocks.

I hope some of this is helpful. Drinking lots of water every day is key. I recommend getting a clean empty milk jug (the gallon kind) and filling it every night and putting it in the fridge. You should drink all your water from that jug. If you don't empty it every day, you're not getting enough water. I have practically cut out sodas and other drinks. I order water every time I go out to eat (which cuts your bill by 2 or 3 bucks too)

Also, any kind of weird chemicals, alcohol, drugs, even excess vitamins is bad for your kidney. Your kidneys have to filter everything that goes through your body, so go easy on them.

If I think of any more info I will update this. I hate to say it, but I'm actually having a small low grade attack all day since this morning. It's tough but being prepared is the best defense.

The good news is next time I go to the Dr. I think they are going to take out my gallbladder.

Good luck guys.

[donnnnnny]

hope you get weell soon VG
fucking hell kidney stones sound like hell. can you drink heaps of beer instead of water?

[vangough05]

Thanks guys for the good advice. I have been laid up now for a couple of days and have had ultra sound. The stone is 8 mm and is near the left renal pelvis region. Thank christ it is not a ureteric calculus.

Its big enough not to do too mauch damage now. The doctor cant tell me if there will be more pain but at least i know how to preapre. The best advice is what Grunyen says, drink shit loads of water and have drugs on stand by.
Trust me guys you don't wont this pain, it really is bad shit. The second attack on Friday night was twice as bad as a broaken leg and that fucking hurts.

I fly out to LOS on Monday night and am a little concerned if i have attack in flight. I guess fingers crossed and drink a whole lot of Jim Bean and Bundy rum.
Once again thanks for the good advice.

[katoeylover]

Don't tell the Airline or they won't let you fly if there is any risk to them!!

[vangough05]

(katoeylover @ Jul. 12 2006,16:24) Don't tell the Airline or they won't let you fly if there is any risk to them!!

your right. I wont be going if i dont get a doctors clearence. The doctors says he will know for sure by Monday morning after another ultra sound

[kahuna]

Good Luck Vangough....Hope it's gone and you can make your trip...

[Pinga]

If you get an attack, DON´T drink anything. It shoves the stone through your kidney ripping the walls of the canal (the stones are usually jagged).

Unfortunately, I live in Peru and when they couldn´t find the stone with x-rays, instead of doing a scan, they gave me double radioactive x-ray contrast. I now have one nearly dead kidney, which, since it functions at a very low level of efficiency is like half the size of the other which does all the work.

When they finally gave me the cat scan they found the giant stone which was then exploded by the endoscopic ultrasound. If I had been in the States, I probably could have sued for a bundle. No malpractice suits here in Peru. But that´s why health care costs are a fraction of those in the U.S.

[Guest]

(Pinga @ Jul. 13 2006,04:38)  No malpractice suits here in Peru.  But that´s why health care costs are a fraction of those in the U.S.

So is your kidney...

I know that's mean, but I'm suffering too, so it all works out.