The ER - Liz's trip to the hospital for her kidney stone

Last Tuesday afternoon I was on my way to see a movie when I had that pain again in my back. It was reminiscent of the kidney stone pain I had encountered a week or two before.

I had to stop my journey to the movies and let my friends go on. Luckily, I was close to my parents' home and called my dad. He took me to the ER around 6:00 PM because the pain was incredible at this point.

While at the ER, I had a CAT scan after some hefty pain medication. They saw that the second stone was on the move and was larger than the last, hence the pain level this time.

The pain superseded the first dose of pain medication, so they gave me some more later in the night.

Due to my condition (pain, needing fluids to move the stone, fever with a mild infection), they decided to admit me to the hospital. This news came around 11pm… I wasn't finally taken up to my room until closer to 1am.

I don't remember feeling as alone as I did in that hospital room overnight. Oh sure, I had a 'roommate' who barely ever got out of bed or moved. The nurses were there 24/7, but it wasn't the same.

I wasn't dying, I wasn't in pain anymore, and I just wanted to sleep. It is incredibly hard to actually sleep in a hospital bed. I was so exhausted from all the medication and pain that I only slept off and on. I'd sleep an hour here, then wake. It wasn't my idea of sleeping. (I continued that pattern throughout the morning and the next day.)

The school where I teach was alerted that I was spending the night and following day in the hospital, and they were very understanding. It is nice to work somewhere that treats you as a person, rather than just an employee.

My dad joined me Wednesday morning and afternoon to keep me company in the hospital and to be a second set of ears to medication I would receive. Thank goodness he was! They gave me Flomax, which is a drug for men. It was supposed to open the tube that the kidney stone was traveling down to allow it to travel faster and without pain. I guess it worked, but the side effects were troublesome to say the least!

Here is a little of my hospital stay: