OK, so where was I in the Kidney Stone Saga? Oh yes . . . .
So Monday I woke up at 6 a.m., having to pee really badly and half starving. While I peed, the nurse informed me that my doc wrote my orders to go NPO after 7 a.m. Breakfast didn't come until 8:30. I got seriously upset because I was HUNGRY dammit, so the nurse told me she'd call the kitchen and ask them to send me up something right away. I fell back to sleep and was awakened by the staff bringing my roommate's breakfast at 8:15. I literally started crying as my stomach growled angrily in protest. The nurse came in shortly after and realized my breakfast never came, so she left to yell at the kitchen and tell them to get me some food NOW.
At that moment, my doctor came in and said that he anticipated some surgical cancellations due to the coming snow, so he was going to TRY to get my surgery moved up. So no food, no drink, no nothing. ::sniff, stomach growls::
Doc left, kitchen woman came in with my breakfast. Do you know she actually had the NERVE to get mad at ME when she had to take it away???? I wanted that food, lady!!
Not long after that, I got to take a BetaSept shower with the assistance of a very cute and rather entertaining male CNA. I can now officially say I have showered with a man.
And that surgery? Didn't happen until 1:30. Would have happened slightly earlier, but my IV decided to infiltrate, and the nice lady from infusion services had to bring her sonogram machine up to find a decent vein into which to place the new IV.
I went home on Tuesday and still spent a lot of time in bed due to the pain. I had the stones blasted on Thursday. Before leaving the house, I took 15 mg of Lortab, but I was still in tears by the time we got to Salina. There used to be a time when 5 mg knocked me flat. The staff tried to rush an IV so they could give me morphine, but one simply cannot rush an IV in these veins. By the time they got it in, I had been lying down long enough that my back no longer hurt, so I passed on the morphine.
I've learned something in all this -- I am not the drug lightweight that I always thought I was. The anesthesiologist told me that he usually gives 15 of whatever to put someone out for the sonic blast, but he had to give me 25 -- and I kept waking up. I know because I remember it. He was surprised, he said, because I am "so small."
Oh yeah -- that IV infiltrated, too. That time it was so bad my entire hand was swollen for three days. The previous time only my wrist was swollen just a little.
The pain has been a lot better since the ultrasonic blast routine -- except for the last couple of days, that is. I actually had to call the doc's office this morning because it hurt so much to pee that I couldn't breathe. The nurse suggested that the stint is probably moving up and down and causing some inflammation. SOOOO, I'm to alternate my Percocet for pain with 600-800 mg of ibuprofen for the inflammation. Seems to be working because I haven't been hurting as much today.
Other than that, I go back on the 10th to see how things are progressing and strain my urine in the meantime.
And that's all the current fun in Dawnville.
Friday, March 31, 2006
Saturday, March 25, 2006
The Last Two Weeks, Part I
So, on Monday the 13th, P was supposed to have a doctor's appointment in Hutch, but it turned out his doc had gone on vacation and his secretary decided not to notify anyone. I wasn't feeling so hot (as evidenced by the fact I didn't ask to go to Taco Hut), and it just seemed to get worse as the week wore on. By the end of Tuesday I was having extreme nausea and cramps and an incredible back ache, but a hot rice bag took care of the latter and subsequently the former. More aches and nausea on Wednesday, so much so that I took a nap in the afternoon. Same on Thursday. Thought I was just dealing with the flu, but then the backache got so bad Thursday night that I begged Dad for one of his muscle relaxers (I NEVER take other people's prescriptions) and just crawled in bed and cried and cried.
Friday morning I dragged my aching ass out of bed and in to the doctor's. He was very worried about my symptoms and the fact that I hadn't eaten or drunk anything in about four days. He had me admitted to the hospital for tests.
First there was x-ray which was uneventful. Then there were the poor guys from anesthesia who tried for an hour and a half to get a PICC line in me but couldn't get the tube to thread. They finally got an IV, which shocked the hell out of me.
Then came the numb-nuts RN to straight-line cath me for a UA (had to cath me for it since I'd started my period the day before). She stuck the tube in my vagina. I told her so, she argued with me (like I don't know my vaginal opening from my urethra -- I mean, I realize I'm not getting any, but I know the difference!), she finally found my urethra, and it felt like she was trying to stick the damn thing through my body wall. I think I might've screamed because she went away. She brought in another RN to try. SHE stuck the tube in my vagina. I told her so, she argued with me, she finally found my urethra, and while I still felt remarkably like a shish kabob, they managed to get the damn sample. I had to pee, and RN #1 suggested leaving in the cath until I was empty. I said something along the lines of, "Get the damn thing out of me and get a bed pan." Or something like that.
Later that night, after a visit from my dad and later Linda, Nathan, Alysha, and Becky from my folks' church (when Alysha gave me a piece of her artwork as a get well), I had a CT scan which was rather interesting. Got kinda mesmerized by the magnet thingy going around and around. And lots of blood milked out of my ring finger. Found out I was extremely acidotic, so much so that everyone was amazed that I didn't feel worse. It was due to my dehydration.
When my doc admitted me to the hospital, he admitted me as NPO (meaning I could have nothing by mouth). No water, no ice chips, no nothing. So naturally, I was so thirsty I wanted to scream. Everyone kept saying it would get better after my IV fluids were started, but it was a while. I whined and complained so much that Doc put me on ice chips in the late afternoon, so whenever someone came in the room (my dad, a nurse, an aide), their entry fee was a spoonful of ice. By late night (after 10 or 11 p.m.) I was allowed clear liquids. By morning I was allowed a regular diet, but I limited myself to full liquids (so I could have soup and pudding) -- I just didn't trust my tummy.
By Saturday morning the verdict was in -- kidney stone on the left, too big to pass. I was told I'd be sent to Salina on Monday, but it was changed to Sunday about fifteen seconds after Edie walked in after driving from Augusta to see me. The transfer was delayed a bit after the latest blood work showed my potassium was too low. They tried to drip the potassium directly into me over a two hour period, but the stuff set my arm on fire, so they wound up mixing two parts saline with one part potassium and dripping that into me over four hours. At one point I asked, "Why don't we just tell Salina to hold on until tomorrow, and I'll eat a couple of bananas today?"
I was taken to Salina via ambulance (with my lovely egg crate -- wasn't forgetting THAT baby) where I met the urologist who was taking me over. He scheduled me to have a stint placed in my ureter at 4:00 the next afternoon, and that evening I had my first meal in a week. I was actually hungry, and I was very glad I wasn't having surgery the next morning so that I could get in TWO meals. I tell you, a turkey sandwich and baby carrots never tasted so good.
Friday morning I dragged my aching ass out of bed and in to the doctor's. He was very worried about my symptoms and the fact that I hadn't eaten or drunk anything in about four days. He had me admitted to the hospital for tests.
First there was x-ray which was uneventful. Then there were the poor guys from anesthesia who tried for an hour and a half to get a PICC line in me but couldn't get the tube to thread. They finally got an IV, which shocked the hell out of me.
Then came the numb-nuts RN to straight-line cath me for a UA (had to cath me for it since I'd started my period the day before). She stuck the tube in my vagina. I told her so, she argued with me (like I don't know my vaginal opening from my urethra -- I mean, I realize I'm not getting any, but I know the difference!), she finally found my urethra, and it felt like she was trying to stick the damn thing through my body wall. I think I might've screamed because she went away. She brought in another RN to try. SHE stuck the tube in my vagina. I told her so, she argued with me, she finally found my urethra, and while I still felt remarkably like a shish kabob, they managed to get the damn sample. I had to pee, and RN #1 suggested leaving in the cath until I was empty. I said something along the lines of, "Get the damn thing out of me and get a bed pan." Or something like that.
Later that night, after a visit from my dad and later Linda, Nathan, Alysha, and Becky from my folks' church (when Alysha gave me a piece of her artwork as a get well), I had a CT scan which was rather interesting. Got kinda mesmerized by the magnet thingy going around and around. And lots of blood milked out of my ring finger. Found out I was extremely acidotic, so much so that everyone was amazed that I didn't feel worse. It was due to my dehydration.
When my doc admitted me to the hospital, he admitted me as NPO (meaning I could have nothing by mouth). No water, no ice chips, no nothing. So naturally, I was so thirsty I wanted to scream. Everyone kept saying it would get better after my IV fluids were started, but it was a while. I whined and complained so much that Doc put me on ice chips in the late afternoon, so whenever someone came in the room (my dad, a nurse, an aide), their entry fee was a spoonful of ice. By late night (after 10 or 11 p.m.) I was allowed clear liquids. By morning I was allowed a regular diet, but I limited myself to full liquids (so I could have soup and pudding) -- I just didn't trust my tummy.
By Saturday morning the verdict was in -- kidney stone on the left, too big to pass. I was told I'd be sent to Salina on Monday, but it was changed to Sunday about fifteen seconds after Edie walked in after driving from Augusta to see me. The transfer was delayed a bit after the latest blood work showed my potassium was too low. They tried to drip the potassium directly into me over a two hour period, but the stuff set my arm on fire, so they wound up mixing two parts saline with one part potassium and dripping that into me over four hours. At one point I asked, "Why don't we just tell Salina to hold on until tomorrow, and I'll eat a couple of bananas today?"
I was taken to Salina via ambulance (with my lovely egg crate -- wasn't forgetting THAT baby) where I met the urologist who was taking me over. He scheduled me to have a stint placed in my ureter at 4:00 the next afternoon, and that evening I had my first meal in a week. I was actually hungry, and I was very glad I wasn't having surgery the next morning so that I could get in TWO meals. I tell you, a turkey sandwich and baby carrots never tasted so good.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
For Stacie
I'll have to call you to give you my email addresses -- I don't like to post those on a public board. Are your home and mobile phone numbers still the same? When is a good time to call you?
Friday, March 10, 2006
Quizzes
| You Are Lara Croft |
 "Everything lost is meant to be found." |
| Your Inner Pop Princess Is Kelly Clarkson |
 "Grew up in a small town And when the rain would fall down I'd just stare out my window Dreaming of what could be" No doubt about it, you have star quality. Might just take a while to get there. |
Thursday, March 09, 2006
It's raining!
It's raining!
It's raining!
It's raining!
It's raining!
It's raining!
It's raining!
IT'S RAINING!!!!
::does happy gimp kitties::
It's raining!
It's raining!
It's raining!
It's raining!
It's raining!
IT'S RAINING!!!!
::does happy gimp kitties::
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Careful -- I'll wrap you up in my web!!
Your results:
You are Spider-Man
Click here to take the Superhero Personality Test
You are Spider-Man
| You are intelligent, witty, a bit geeky and have great power and responsibility.  |
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Saturday, March 04, 2006
Fun times with my pals
Lynlee drove up from Wichita last Saturday to hang out. We drove into Hutch and had lunch at my fave fast food place -- Taco Hut. She had heard an ad on the radio about a yarn place in Hutch, and my mom thought she was talking about Yarn Yard, so after lunch we went there. It was an OK place, but you could tell it had been around a while. There were boxes every-freaking-where, and it was rather difficult for Reba and me to get around. I finally found where the lady had some cross-stitch kits, but it was impossible for me to get back to look at them, so I went back up to the front and just looked at the patterns. I found a Lavender & Lace brand angel that I'd like to make for one of my online pals who is COMPLETELY into angels. L found some really soft yarn.
After that we headed to the Renaissance Shoppe to check in on owner Connie. I love Connie, and I love her shop, even if this WAS only the second time I'd ever been in it. Connie is the person from whom I bought my mahogany obsidian pendulum at the RenFaire. She had two m.o. eggs and a lot of m.o. rocks in the shop that day, but none of them were speaking to me. I DID, however, find an amber ring (cognac, almost cherry), an amber pendant (with butterscotch, cognac, and green stones done in a five-pointed star), and a rainbow moonstone pendant. I spent a lot of money there -- but not as much as Lynlee! She got her money's worth though -- she also got an amber ring and a moonstone pendant, but she also got a beautiful crystal sphere that looked like it was just singing to her. She could hardly put it down once she picked it up. It really wanted to go home with her, so it did.
As we were paying for our riches, Lynlee mentioned the radio ad she had heard and that she remembered a 14 and a 15 in the address. Christine grabbed the phone book and found a place called simply Yarn -- at 15 East 14th. We went there and found a hip yarn shop with a coffee bar, a fireplace, and inviting tables and chairs for looking at crochet books or working on projects. And ALL KINDS of groovy yarn. I'm going to have to take Mom back there and pick out some yarn for her to make me some socks and/or hats out of. I think socks made out of merino wool or alpaca would just be heavenly. Though, if I pick a wool, I may have to pay L to make them for me since Mom's kind of allergic to wool.
I rode into Hutch with Mom yesterday to run errands. She had to get some money orders for Dad so he could pay his bills, and she had to get a money order to pay my uncle who was at our house with his crew laying the slab for the addition (my folks are adding a master bedroom and handicap-accessible bathroom to the North side of the house). We paid Alltel, Sears, and Home Depot for him, then went to Walmart to get stuff for lunch. As we walked in the door, there was a display full of "Walk the Line" DVDs. My folks' anniversary is tomorrow, so I grabbed the movie for Dad -- I even splurged the extra $3 and got the bonus pack with the soundtrack CD. I had no idea what my mom wanted, so we headed over to the jewelry counter and I told her to pick out something. There were quite a few mystic topaz rings (I got her a m.t. earring/necklace set for Christmas, and she LOVES it), but they were "too expensive," according to her. She finally picked out a braided silver bracelet that fits JUST RIGHT on her wrist so that she can even wear it to work and not worry about it catching on a resident's wheelchair. While she was being indecisive, I found a pair of CZ earrings cut into the shape of stars, and Mom showed me another pair of star earrings. I got both. On this particular trip, I also found something groovy for Naomi (not saying what just in case she reads this) and the new Laurell K. Hamilton "novelette." While there, Dad called to ask us to bring home charcoal, hamburgers, and buns -- he decided to make Uncle Marvin and crew lunch as an additional thank you.
By the time we got home, though, everyone but Uncle Marvin had left or was going to leave. My uncle stayed, though, and it was nice. I don't get to hang out with my mom's side of the family much since the family blow-up eight or nine years ago (when my grandparents sold their land -- including the acreage we were living on that my parents had been given as a wedding present -- to my cousin, and then she wanted to charge my folks rent on the land and wouldn't even THINK about selling them the acreage). It was nice to be able to talk with him for a while. He asked me tons of questions about New Orleans and seemed glad to get an "insider's" POV.
Late in the afternoon, Elizabeth drove out. We had supper and then went to see "Firewall." The movie was entertaining, as long as you don't think TOO hard about some of the things that might actually happen in real life. E cracked me up after the movie was over when she asked, "Is it bad that I was thinking all through that last fight scene: 'Harrison Ford is going to break a hip'?" ::laughing:: I love HF, have since Star Wars, but he IS getting a bit too up there to be doing action flicks. Like E said, it's time for him to go the Robert Redford route. I do have to say that Paul Bettany is hot even as a bad guy. He does COLD really well. My favorite character of his, though, is still Chaucer in "A Knight's Tale."
Incidentally, there were no cops on this outing with E. ::grin::
After that we headed to the Renaissance Shoppe to check in on owner Connie. I love Connie, and I love her shop, even if this WAS only the second time I'd ever been in it. Connie is the person from whom I bought my mahogany obsidian pendulum at the RenFaire. She had two m.o. eggs and a lot of m.o. rocks in the shop that day, but none of them were speaking to me. I DID, however, find an amber ring (cognac, almost cherry), an amber pendant (with butterscotch, cognac, and green stones done in a five-pointed star), and a rainbow moonstone pendant. I spent a lot of money there -- but not as much as Lynlee! She got her money's worth though -- she also got an amber ring and a moonstone pendant, but she also got a beautiful crystal sphere that looked like it was just singing to her. She could hardly put it down once she picked it up. It really wanted to go home with her, so it did.
As we were paying for our riches, Lynlee mentioned the radio ad she had heard and that she remembered a 14 and a 15 in the address. Christine grabbed the phone book and found a place called simply Yarn -- at 15 East 14th. We went there and found a hip yarn shop with a coffee bar, a fireplace, and inviting tables and chairs for looking at crochet books or working on projects. And ALL KINDS of groovy yarn. I'm going to have to take Mom back there and pick out some yarn for her to make me some socks and/or hats out of. I think socks made out of merino wool or alpaca would just be heavenly. Though, if I pick a wool, I may have to pay L to make them for me since Mom's kind of allergic to wool.
I rode into Hutch with Mom yesterday to run errands. She had to get some money orders for Dad so he could pay his bills, and she had to get a money order to pay my uncle who was at our house with his crew laying the slab for the addition (my folks are adding a master bedroom and handicap-accessible bathroom to the North side of the house). We paid Alltel, Sears, and Home Depot for him, then went to Walmart to get stuff for lunch. As we walked in the door, there was a display full of "Walk the Line" DVDs. My folks' anniversary is tomorrow, so I grabbed the movie for Dad -- I even splurged the extra $3 and got the bonus pack with the soundtrack CD. I had no idea what my mom wanted, so we headed over to the jewelry counter and I told her to pick out something. There were quite a few mystic topaz rings (I got her a m.t. earring/necklace set for Christmas, and she LOVES it), but they were "too expensive," according to her. She finally picked out a braided silver bracelet that fits JUST RIGHT on her wrist so that she can even wear it to work and not worry about it catching on a resident's wheelchair. While she was being indecisive, I found a pair of CZ earrings cut into the shape of stars, and Mom showed me another pair of star earrings. I got both. On this particular trip, I also found something groovy for Naomi (not saying what just in case she reads this) and the new Laurell K. Hamilton "novelette." While there, Dad called to ask us to bring home charcoal, hamburgers, and buns -- he decided to make Uncle Marvin and crew lunch as an additional thank you.
By the time we got home, though, everyone but Uncle Marvin had left or was going to leave. My uncle stayed, though, and it was nice. I don't get to hang out with my mom's side of the family much since the family blow-up eight or nine years ago (when my grandparents sold their land -- including the acreage we were living on that my parents had been given as a wedding present -- to my cousin, and then she wanted to charge my folks rent on the land and wouldn't even THINK about selling them the acreage). It was nice to be able to talk with him for a while. He asked me tons of questions about New Orleans and seemed glad to get an "insider's" POV.
Late in the afternoon, Elizabeth drove out. We had supper and then went to see "Firewall." The movie was entertaining, as long as you don't think TOO hard about some of the things that might actually happen in real life. E cracked me up after the movie was over when she asked, "Is it bad that I was thinking all through that last fight scene: 'Harrison Ford is going to break a hip'?" ::laughing:: I love HF, have since Star Wars, but he IS getting a bit too up there to be doing action flicks. Like E said, it's time for him to go the Robert Redford route. I do have to say that Paul Bettany is hot even as a bad guy. He does COLD really well. My favorite character of his, though, is still Chaucer in "A Knight's Tale."
Incidentally, there were no cops on this outing with E. ::grin::