Thursday, January 01, 2009

Happy New Year !!!

Geez, I hope your 2009 started off better than mine!

I spent New Year's Eve in bed, fighting off what I though was a stomach virus. The discomfort in my stomach area was considerable. However, at 4:00 PM, I was feeling much better and thought the thing had run its course. I was soon to be disappointed at 7:00 PM, when the discomfort came back worse - this time bordering on true pain.

It was localized on my right side this time; and I got to begin worrying about appendicitis. I couldn't do anything about this until my wife got home from work. And being the idiot that I am, I thought that I could tough it out until the morning.

About 12:30 AM, 30 minutes into 2009, I decided that enough was enough. I headed out to the local hospital emergency room in 15 degree weather. Fortunately, even though it was New Year's Eve, the staff wasn't too busy.

They started an IV and gave me three different kind of pain meds, which was a welcome relief. I even nodded off for a bit when the nurse brought me about a quart of this stuff that I had to drink in preparation for a CAT Scan. Contrast dye is what he called it. He mixed it in with some apple juice and it actually wasn't terrible.

5:00 AM came and I went for the CAT Scan. The doctor told me he was trying to confirm that it was appendicitis, as he was beginning to have doubts. When he placed his palm in certain areas, he thought that I'd be howling in pain; and I wasn't.

I came back from the CAT Scan and fell asleep again, on the gurney in a hallway. The next thing I new, the nurse had handed over to me about 5 of these paper cone things that have mesh at the bottom of them.

The official diagnosis? I'm in the process of passing a kidney stone. Hopefully, it will pass over the next 2 to 3 days. It's small enough where it is passable. I was sent home with some Cipro and some pain meds; and the admonition to drink plenty of water.

So starts 2009 - I sincerely hope your New Year celebration was better than mine!

73 de Larry W2LJ

3 comments:

  1. Ouch - I feel your pain - I'm passing one right now too

    Get yourself to a specialist - besides everything else, they have a nice little plastic folding strainer, that looks like one of thos folding camping cups

    Good DX in 09
    73 de KG2V

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  2. Anonymous3:30 PM

    Larry: I am glad it was not so serious as thought. I hope you are feeling better real soon. I still need HI and AK for my WAS with my K2. Hopefully this year!

    73,
    Ned, W8VFM

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  3. Larry,

    I just happened to stumble across your blog and saw that you too had a kidney stone to welcome the new year. I had mine on January 4th, 2009 the day before coming back to work. Yee-hah! I feel for ya brother, hang in there and may the rest of 2009 be stone free.

    Pete
    (W4PRT)

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