Kidney Stone

Well Christmas came early for me.....NOT. 
For some reason, as soon as my husband leaves and is unavailable, I get SICK.  Last time I had a raging UTI, this time I have a kidney stone. 
My husband went to go visit and drive back with my Dad who is contracting in Iowa.  They don't get back til Christmas Eve.  I literally dropped him off hours before my first major symptom.

I had suspected I MIGHT be getting a UTI, due to some occasional sharp pains, and general aching/cramping in my lower back.  Well, yesterday around noon, it hit. 
(TMI warning). 
I thought maybe it was just horrible gas...so I tried to go potty.
Instead, I doubled over in the most excrutiating pain I've ever had in my life. 
My hubby was gone, and my mom asleep after working all night, so I did my best to suffer in silence.
The pain slowly subsided enough to where I could function somewhat.
(I kid you not, had I woken mom up to take me to the hospital, I wouldn't have been able to get dressed or walk.)
Well, I'm "recovered" enough now, that I can make the necessary calls with the insurance company to see where I can go since I'm out of town for Christmas.  I get a number and directions, and head over ASAP.

The Urgent Care clinic was surprisingly quick, and the doctor really nice.  They did a urinalysis and blood work, and from the tests they could do in house, they saw blood in the urine, and suspected either a mild bladder infection (due to low white blood cells), or a kidney stone.
As of this moment, I'd taken a pain pill I'd had for my foot, and wasn't in too much pain, just cramping.
So the doc sends me home, and says if the pain continues/gets worse, he had ordered a CAT scan at the local hospital, and to go do that.

Well, on my way out, the nurse gives me an appt to return the next morning, and when I asked if the CAT scan should be done before then, she said she would if she were me.
So, I make an appt, but its now after hours, and I have to go through the ER.
This "frightens" me.  I thought I'd be waiting for hours, and I'd been at the clinic a few hours already.
It was also surprisingly speedy.
I just had to register in the ER, and then went right up to CT.

I'd had an MRI before, but never a CAT scan.  It was simple enough, and within half an hour, the Urgent Care doc called to tall me it was a 3-4mm kidney stone.  UGH.
Well so far the pain meds I was on was working fine, so he said he'd see me in the morning.

Right before I'd left for my scan, I'd taken a pain pill (around 6:30), and at 9:00 it started wearing off.  (its a 6 hour pill....so I was like...hmmm)
I went VERY quickly from mild discomfort to OH MY LORD. 
I had just made plans for my brother to swing by and when he calls, I answer the phone bawling.
He gets off the phone to set up some people to come give me a blessing.
Not 2 minutes later, my husband instinctively calls (it dawned on HIM that my pain meds won't be strong enough, but not on me or the doc).  I must have scared him to death.  I answer the phone, but cannot talk, and can barely breathe.  I'm bawling and almost hyperventilating.  He hangs up, and coordinates with mom (at work) and my brother to take me to the hospital.

Immediately my brother comes to get me, and my sister in law's dad meets us there (for a blessing). 
The pain is now coming in waves, so one minute I'm functioning, the next I have to go to my happy place.
The ER gets me in pretty quick, and since they already have the CAT scan and a diagnosis, he gives me an option:  I can stay in the hospital a couple hours with an IV drip, or they can give me a strong anti-inflammatory and a perscription for some vicodin and send me home.
Since it was after 10pm , and I had others waiting on me....I said "as long as I'm not in pain, I'd like to go home".  So, in and out within an hour.

My bro and his father in law take me home to give me a blessing (which worked wonders BTW), and my bro dropped off my Rx.
My mom got off work early to have someone home with me, and we went and got the Rx together.  On the way, I got another wave of horrid pain.   I can't even imagine if I'd been driving. 
It only lasted 5-10 mins, and I was okay-ish again, and grabbed my meds.

So here I am today.  I woke up feeling fine, slept through the night well. 
My out of town doc is getting with my home doc to get me to a urologist. 
I was doing fine, but as I write this I feel a wave of nausea hitting, and PRAY that's all it is. 
So I'm gonna go.
I'll try and keep y'all updated.

Byes.

SORRYY!!! And SURGERY DATE!!

OK, so I apologize profusely for not writing in so long.  I don't always know what to talk about. 
My main excuse is my husband took (is taking) all of December off work, and we have been enjoying each other's time together. 
We learned about 2 weeks ago he will be deploying early next year.  It was a very last second thing.  He had been scheduled to go in 2012.  So, we're preparing for that as well.
I have now accepted it.  It was a giant slap in the face at first though.  Christmas has changed some in prep of the deployment.  I gave my hubby all his gifts right away to be able to wear and enjoy while he's home.  He got some college football shirts and a new jacket, a nice warm throw, and a painting I had a friend make for him of the Green Lantern.  (it goes with his Phantom and Scarface paintings I had made by the same guy).

Ok, now for the BIG news!!!  I got a call last week offering me a surgery date!!!
January 20th baby!!  It will be after the holidays, and while hubby's still home, so it'll be perfect!
I will be an entirely different person physically by the time he gets home.  People keep asking me how he'll react to that.  I asked him, and he was like "I don't know, I am a laid back person - I'm cool with whatever".  Hee.  He makes me giggle.  That's why I couldn't think of how he'd react, because he would love me no matter what.  I WILL however knock his socks off!!! 

I attended a support group the day I got my date, and met a bunch of ladies who'd either had the sleeve or the lap band.  It re-inforced that the sleeve is the best option for me.  Ladies were saying how after the sleeve, they no longer craved sweets or chocolate, and even sugar free carnation instant breakfast was too sweet for them.  But lap band patients were still craving and eating both.  The difference is the removing of the hormone production ghrenlin.  It's what makes you hungry and crave stuff.  I'd venture to say that's what is a lot of us chubby gal's problem.  So that makes me optimistic.  Also, they were singing praises of the military hospital and the doctors there.  I was nervous about that.  I'm not anymore.

Right now we are visiting with family for the holidays.  We went all out for my nephews' present.  I spent weeks searching Craigslist for a basketball goal at a good price.  (they had come to visit us for Thanksgiving, and we'd just bought ourselves one, and the boys LOVED IT)  So I really wanted to surprise them with one.  Well, we drove out to see one, and it was literally a piece of crap.  There was another that this douche bag was over-selling in his ad, and wouldn't drop lower than $65.  So, we bit the bullet, and bought a new one (for $65!)!  Since my hubby won't be here next Christmas, he really wanted to go all out this year.
I'm excited!!!  (if you know my nephews or brother, don't give the secret away!!!)

Well, I can't think of much else to chat on right now.  I will try my hardest to post more often. 
Thanks for reading!!