Kidney Stone that is!! They say that passing a kidney stone is akin to having a baby, but after having a baby naturally myself, and seeing Jed literally yelling at the top of his lungs in pain, I beg to differ. Or maybe I'm just tougher :) Anyway, every trip to the ER begins with a story.
ONCE UPON A TIME...
Jed called me Thursday afternoon. I was talking to Emmaly when he first called and planned on calling him right back. But he kept calling and calling and I knew something was up. He was on the bus heading home early due to pain in his back. He told me he thought it was going to be bad and to call the Urologist to see if there was anything he could do in office. Well the Dr. wasn't in on Thursday (and I doubted if he could do anything any way) and advised us to go to the ER if necessary. So I called Jed back and let him know. By this point Jed was in a lot of pain and wondered if he would make it home without throwing-up all over the bus. I hopped in the car with the kids to go meet him at the bus stop because at this point he didn't think he was able to drive his car home.
As I watched Jed hobble off the bus I thought to myself, "Here we go again." So he gets in the car and I ask him if he wants to go home first or to the ER. He decides to go home first, to at least get out of his work clothes. But on the way home he begins moaning. We just did this in January so I quickly remember what this moaning quickly progresses to. "Let's just go to the ER. If we are going to end up there any way, why not go before you are in excruciating pain and start barfing." So I turn the car around and head straight to the ER. At this point both of the kids have fallen asleep in the back seat. Jed walks in hunched over and I'm carrying Zander over one shoulder and Elle over the other. I had planned on just picking Jed up and in my haste didn't put shoes in the car for Elle. We fill out all the necessary forms involved and wait for them to say "Now servicing number seven at the cutting counter"--oh wait that was at Joanne's but it was about the same :) Eventually Jed GETS to go back to a room and motions for me to come too. So I again grab both children and proceed to walk back there only to be told that with all the swine flu crap going on children under 16 are not allowed. Great! I leave to go back to the car. No sense waiting in there with all the "sickies" and besides I've now got to find somebody to come get my kids :(
While I am waiting for my visiting teacher to come get the kids, Jed is having a screaming good time. I guess he got pretty loud because the NEXT day I got into an elevator with a lady and she looks at me and asks, "Were you in the ER with your husband yesterday?"
"Yes."
"How is he doing? He was sure in a lot of pain. I felt so sorry for him."
Great. It was that memorable, people are making sure he's still alive!
Any way, by the time I got back to see Jed he was drugged up and feeling good. The Dr. finally came in to tell us that it was indeed a kidney stone (duh!) and that it was 6.5mm by 5mm by 4mm. Too big to pass and would require surgery.
So after 30 hours of throwing up non-stop (even with anti-nausea meds) ; surgery to break the stone up and to put in a stent; two nights in the hospital (He was suppose to come home Friday night after surgery but he was STILL throwing up and completely out of it.); and one day off work (technically two, but Jed was off Friday any way), Jed is
nearly back to himself again. He was so weak that even
carrying Zander upstairs winded him.
A BIG thanks to Levi and Brandon; Tiffani for tending my kids (overnight!) and a pizza party; Sara for bringing us dinner; Aubrie for driving me to get Jed's car that luckily hadn't been towed away and Rachel for tending Zander while we went; and Irene for tending so that I could go pick Jed up from the hospital.
I don't know how I could have made it through the weekend without the help of my ward family and neighbors. I must say that I miss my family the most at times like these!!!
