KIDNEY STONES!!

I was feeling nauseous the other night so I decided to lay down. The pain in my left side was so severe that I couldn't relax. After a few minutes I got sick. I was grateful at first, thinking that now I would feel better. That wasn't the case. It was not subsiding at all. It became more intense and remained constant. After about 30 minutes of being stubborn and telling myself it would go away, my husband was able to convince me to go to the emergency room.

The pain continued to worsen, which I didn't think was possible. It was difficult to breathe and I continued to vomit, but there was nothing left in me. It felt like I was waiting in the ER forever. (This is the part where I have to apologize to anyone else who was there ahead of me. Not only did I jump the line, but I was making a lot of noise. A woman and her child were even praying aloud for me.) The nurse came in immediately after I was in the room to start an IV line for pain meds and fluids. I had my husband call work and tell them I wouldn't be in the next day. My boss later confessed that she didn't know who had called out. All she could hear was someone yelling in the background. Once the pain medication kicked in I felt much better.

The CAT scan came back and they were quick to diagnose the issue as a kidney stone. That's what had me at a 10 on the pain scale? I had heard of kidney stones, but I never heard anyone talk about what it was like to have one.

They kept me over night and pumped fluid into me all night long and most of the next day. I had them stop the pain meds around 1am, 8 1/2 hours after the whole thing started. It wasn't until then that I started feeling okay without it.

The doctor stated that the stone was formed due to calcification. After doing some research, I learned that having the Gastric Bypass increases one's risk of having kidney stones. It can be prevented if the patient drinks plenty of water and does not let themselves get dehydrated and they take the calcium supplements recommended by the doctor.

After reading that I knew exactly where I went wrong. It's not always easy to get in enough water after the bypass. I'm 8 months out and I still have a tough time. I need to start forcing down more and taking my supplements more regularly.

I haven't passed the stone yet, as far as I can tell, so I'm not sure what happens from here. I actually have been feeling fine. I will probably still make an appointment to follow up with the doctor to see if anything else needs to be done. I definately don't want to go through that kind of pain again.

Here's a hint, in case this happens to you. My doctor told me that if I put my pain meds in the freezer, they would be good for life. He said if I ever run into this type of situation again, I could take a pill and would not be in such misery waiting to be seen.

I'm interested in hearing from other Gastric Bypass patients. Have any of you struggled with stones? What was your experience?

KIDNE