If you’ve
never had a kidney stone before, you may be wondering why this is important for
you to read. But I assure you, it’s important. I never had a kidney stone
before…until Wednesday night.
I was working
from home on Wednesday afternoon so I had time to get ready to go to the Carrie
Underwood Storyteller Tour concert with three of my friends. My mother had
gotten us tickets from her. On my drive home earlier from the office I had a
little bit of back pain. So I decided to take a couple ibuprofen when I got
home. Figured that would be the end of it.
Well, half
way through using the flat iron on my hair, the pain started to become
unbearable. Like some of the worst cramps I’ve ever had. And the pain started
to radiate through my back. I decided to lay down and try to sleep it off
before the concert, but the worse these cramps got, the more I knew I would not
be going to the concert.
We went to a
local urgent care first to check on what was going on where to my surprise they
ruled that I most likely had a kidney stone. They couldn’t believe I was
handling the pain as well as I was. And like that it was as if a switch flipped
and the pain began getting worse. As in I couldn’t stop swearing worse. Not to
mention I kept vomiting so it really was a lot of fun. I was then transferred to the hospital in
order to have them manage the pain, and morphine slowly became my life line. We
were released to go home around 10pm Wednesday night with a prescription to
manager pain and some gross anti-nausea tablets.
I will say
this. And only because I can. Hands down, having a kidney stone is worse than
child labor. Why? It’s like having un-medicated contractions non-stop. There is
no break in between the next “labor pain”. It just keeps going.
What to
expect:
-
You’ll
most likely be out of commission for at least 24-48 hours.
-
Go
to the doctor ASAP to get it checked. The longer you wait, the worse the pain
will get.
-
Drink
LOTS and LOTS of water, cranberry juice, Gatorade, etc.
-
A
nurse friend suggested I try Crystal Light Lemonade. Apparently there is
something in it that sometimes helps dissolve kidney stones.
-
Eating
is going to be hard. If you’re like me, I could barely keep anything down. Lipton Noodle Soup was the best thing. Plus it’s clear liquid so it will help
you pass the stone.
-
Don’t
wait to take your next pain med. Do not wait until the pain comes back. If you’re
scheduled to take one, take it. More time than not, my pain was coming back
before my next pain med was due and waiting to take it was AWFUL.
-
Try
to save the stone once it passes so it can be tested if needed.
-
Sleep.
You might feel extra tired with your pain meds. Try to sleep if your body is
tired. This is your body telling you that it’s time to shut down and rest.
Listen to it.
I ended up
either passing my stone (which was very small) or it dissolved because sometime
within 24 hours of being discharged from the hospital, my pain went away and I
didn’t need my pain meds anymore. Today, I just feel tired and weak since I
hadn’t eaten much in the last two days.
What helped
me survive this:
-
Water
- Cranberry Juice (I prefer Ocean Spray)
-
Ritz
Crackers
-
Prescriptions
from Doctor
-
Lipton
Noodle Soup
-
Cozy
Blankets
-
A
really comfy pillow
-
Heating
pad (for your back)
You’ll be
okay. You get through it, but I won’t lie. It sucks. I wish you luck. if you've ever had a kidney stone before and know some tricks and tips, please share them in the comments below!!