30 Days!

POSSIBLE TMI ALERT: If you get queasy, don’t read it.  But this is life, and my blog, so there you go.  That was your disclaimer.

Kidney. Stones.

Who knew something so teeny tiny could cause so. much. PAIN?! 

It all started Friday afternoon, when I got the BIGGEST wave of nausea and spent part of the afternoon lying on the floor of my boss’ office with a trash can at my side.  I ended up picking myself up off the floor because I had made plans to drive to Tupelo to go to a Father-Daughter banquet for my stepdad, and once I put my mind to something, I WILL do it.  This hard-headedness has caused me to have some serious determination, but has also been the reason for some not-so-good decisions in my life! 

Everything seemed fine that night until I woke up in the morning with some mild bladder pain.  I have had this kind of pain before, and I figured it wasn’t anything that a few cranberry pills couldn’t fix.  Mom and I had a busy Saturday planned, and getting sick was not on the agenda.   Mom and I met Teresa and Tyler at Sweet Pepper’s in Tupelo (one of my favorites!) to have an early lunch and talk wedding reception plans!  I am so SO glad that the Camps are helping so much- not once have I thought of what kind of cake stand I want to have, when the first dance will be, what kind of tablecloths I will use, et cetera et cetera!  I guess in the back of my mind, I just figure that all these tiny details would work themselves out.  Thank goodness everyone was there to ask me all of this, because I would have never thought of these things on my own!  I also brought some wedding crafts that I had been working on to show off, and I am so excited about how everything is turning out!  Now, I just have to dedicate my weekends to being in CRAFT-MODE in order to get everything done in 30 days.  Piece of cake!  Hopefully :)

After lunch, Mom and I headed to Hobby Lobby to look at some fabric when I literally felt the most intense pain of my life in the lower left region of my back.  Mom immediately knew it was kidney pain, and we decided that I would go to the doctor first thing when I got back to Tuscaloosa.  Needless to say, on the drive from Hobby Lobby to Storie’s baby shower (I am SOO sorry I missed this, Storie) we decided that we had to see the doctor RIGHT THEN!  A few hours later, I had a shot for pain in my hip and we were off to fill three prescription meds for a kidney infection.   The plan was to gets lots of rest, and to head back to Tuscaloosa Sunday morning whenever I felt better.  So of COURSE, in my painkiller-stupor, I drive home Sunday morning to collapse on the couch and writhe in pain.  Monday morning I got up and forced so much fluid that I couldn’t stand it anymore and, to Justin’s joy, threw up everything I had eaten for the past two days.  It wasn’t pretty, folks.  And Justin cleaned up everything.  This one is a keeper, I tell ya.

After that incident, we promptly made our way to the doctor to make sure fluids were getting in me, when he mentioned the dreaded phrase “kidney stone”.  Eeek!!  I ended up getting the first IV of my life, and three veins blew in my left arm, and I currently look like a hardcore heroin shooter-upper.  After pumping me with two bags of fluid, meds to break up the stone (gross), and yet another shot of pain killers (we’re BFFs now), we headed on our merry way to Rite-Aid to get three MORE prescriptions filled.  And when I say “we”, I mean I went home and lay in the bathtub while Justin did all this for me (and bought me an AWESOME heating pad).  Again, he is a keeper. 

Thankfully now, I have only a dull pain in my kidneys and bladder, and I am weaning myself off of the pain killers.   Almost all of the stone has passed (hallelujahr), and I have a protruding water belly.   I think if someone were to stick a needle in my stomach, a steady stream of water would shoot out, much like a water balloon.   I am repeating the phrase “HEALTH BEFORE WEDDING DRESS” in my head as I chug more and more water, but with my dealings with my ED in the past, it is a little difficult! In elementary terms, my kidneys have gone from shriveled up raisins to plump little grapes, and I am trying to be patient while this extra plumpness goes away.  Pray that I continue to put my health FIRST! 

Also, 30 DAYS!  Considering there is no February 30^th, I can’t say “one month”, but it is basically one month until I get a new last name and am a married lady!! I also have another bridal shower coming up in Tupelo on Saturday at Wet Paint!  So excited to see more of my friends and family, and to paint some pottery!