I-75 (at 70 mph) is no place to start passing a kidney stone!

Wow, what an ordeal.  I am sorry you had to go through this.  I am a little confused though.  If you had a CT scan that showed medium stones, why did they send you home and not keep you to do a procedure to blast them?

I actually just got out of the hospital after having kidney stone surgery last week.  For a few weeks, I was suffering from what I thought was a bladder infection.  I always have back pain and I told my pain management doctor that it was much worse than usual but he kind of blew it off - I was already on dilaudid for my abdominal pain.  I also had what I thought was still recurring abdominal pain from my surgeries from the fall/winter which I am now finding out is actually from the stones.  When I saw my Endocrinologist, she checked my urine and found lots of blood, protein and white blood cells and she put me on Macrodantin while we waited for the culture since I had terrible burning and constant need to go.  When the culture came back negative, she sent me to a urologist.  I got an appointment the next day.  She sent me for a CT scan the next day of the abdomin and pelvis - within 2 hours I got a phone call that I had 2 stones on the left side - one blocking the ureter 9mm X 5mm and a second one up in the kidney and I needed immediate surgery the next day with a scope and a laser to blast the stones.  She also inserted a kidney stent.  The stone caused kidney swelling and my kidney function tests were abnormal.  Hopefully, the stent will stop any further kidney damage and return my function to normal.  The procedure was supposed to be same day but I developed a high fever and lost a ton of blood - ended up in the hospital for 5 days.  Thought I might need a blood transfusion - hemoglobin down to 8.1 and platelets down to 65 - WBC to 2.7.  Things improved a bit and I was released with no transfusion.  I saw the hematologist and he said things are a bit better and he thinks it was just a reaction to all the blood I lost.

I go to the urologist on Tuesday to have the stent out.  The CT scan also showed multiple stones on the right side also, which will have to be blasted as well, since she said if left they can grow and drop to block the ureter on that side.  So, I will make arrangements for that side when I go on Tuesday.  I can't afford any kidney damage.  Then I had to go to a Nephrologist (kidney specialist) to get my urine analyzed to find out exactly what is causing my stones to hopefully prevent future ones.  She said unfortunately most gastric bypass patients get oxylate stones for some reason - could be high protein diet, I have read can be due to chronic diarhea which I have and dehydration - I dont' have that.  I also had an extremely high vitamin D level which can also cause stones - it was at one point a few months ago greater than 150 and I cut my dose and is now down to 107.

I wonder if some of your unknown abdominal pain was due to your stones - I know mine was - my abdominal pain is alot better now and so is my back pain.

Wow, I'm so sorry you had to go through all that.  I'm glad, though, that you are finally feeling better.

I have no idea why they did nothing when I was in the ER on Monday and they saw the stones in the second kidney (I have had small ones in one kidney for about 2 years ).  I guess they were just looking for the cause of the mysterious belly pain and since the additional stones were not causing a problem they were not an "emergency" issue.  No one told me they (or maybe just one?) were "medium" sized... nor did they tell me to do anything except follow up with the second surgeon (*****fused to do surgery even though I thought we had a "plan") about where to go from here as far as the belly pain.

I have no idea if my belly pain is related to stones or not.  It is still hurting (at just a moderate level) yesterday and today despite passing the stone(s) in the one kidney. All I know is that I cannot take much more of this pain... and cannot afford to lose my job because I have no time off left... and cannot afford to take "personal leave" without pay just because of intermittent pain.

I hope you continue to feel better.  You have certainly been through the wringer...  (Hopefully you are old enough to know what a clothes wringer is, LOL!)

Lora

Yes, I know what a clothes wringer is, never used one though.  I am older than I look.  I will be 49 in a few weeks.

I don't know if you feel the way I do, but I really question why I had the gastric bypass at this point.  Yes, I am glad I lost weight which I couldn't do my entire life but at what cost and  now I am too thin with so many complications.  Was it worth it?  And now will I have to deal with kidney stones all the time?  I sure hope not.

I know you have been through the wringer and the worse part is that you can't get any good doctors near you to help you - atleast I have great doctors that are willing and able to help me.  Have you thought more about going out of town yet?  You might also want to consider going to a different urologist to get checked out again because if you still have kidney stones in there and they aren't passed, they are only going to grow and become more problematic at some point if you don't figure out what is causing them.  Sometimes they also send you to Nephrologists to analyze your urine if they didn't test your stone when it was passed to see what type it was to help you prevent future ones so you can change your diet.

I really feel for you and it must be tough trying to work through this.  I never could.  I am on social security disability.  Does your job have any type of disability program?

I turn 49 in a couple of weeks, myself!

I need to talk to my PCP about the kidney stones (I need to find out how big the other ones are that are still there, etc. and see if he can recommend a different urologist (he already knows I did not like the last guy)).  I do NOT want to just wait to get that blinding pain again!

We have a Short Term Disability (STD) program at work for up to 60 (or 90?) days off with most of your regular pay, but in order to qualify for it you have to be completely unable to work for at least 7 consecutive calendar days... and this pain is so intermittent that I end up off for a couple of days but then I am able to work.  I have only 2 more days without pay that I can take before the end of the fiscal year... once those are gone, until I can accrue more PTO time, I am screwed.  The only thing the HR woman could offer was an extended personal leave without pay... but I cannot just be on personal leave when most days I am fine!  She did not think that I could use FMLA time for intermittent personal illness but said she would check on it.  At least if they lay me off I get 6 weeks of full pay before I have to figure out how to survive (and pay for medical insurance) on unemployment. 

If this keeps up, though, I am going to have a nervous breakdown and will need the STD to go to a psychiatric ward.

Lora

Wow, we really have alot in common.  Now we are practically twins.  When is  your birthday? Mine is Aug. 25th.

There has to be  a way that you can get time off from work.  You are truely sick and in pain.  Just because it isn't 24 hours a day, doesn't mean it isn't there.  You really need  a doctor that is willing to go to bat for you.

Do you have an HMO that you have to go to your PCP to get

My birthday is the 28th!

I am in a PPO rather than an HMO, but a lot of specialists in my area really prefer having a referral from a PCP.  My PCP is willing to give a referral if there is someone specific I want to see, though (like with the second gastric bypass surgeon I am working on getting in to see).

Lora