Code Cut-off and Kidney Stones

Code Cutoff. You always know the day is going to stink when it is code cutoff day. Today was no different. I had one thing after another go badly. It was rough. I even fell in the dev lab today. I was trying to hurry, and i just walked right over a bag that was next to my feet. At least I wasn't wearing a dress! We are holding the release until Monday. We want to be sure it is tested thoroughly.

Morgan had another girl quit from her mini team. I don't get these parents who let their kids quit in the middle of the year. I believe that when you commit to a team you should finish the season.

I have the statcounter on my site, and it tells me the searches used that find my site. I keep noticing a ton of hits based on pulling a stent out and kidney stones in general. So, I thougth I would give a little bit of kidney stone history for those interested. I had my first stone when I was pregnant. It broke up in labor, and that ended a long nightmare. Oh wait. The trick was on Amy. Ha Ha...you have another one. And this continued over the last 9 years. I have had so many kidney stones that I have lost count. Sometimes, they can pass on their own. I have had a few blasted through lithotripsy, but this hasn't worked too well for me. The rest have been removed using a basket through a cystoscope. Unfortunately, this often leads to the stent requirement. You can think of a stent as a cast for the ureter (the tube that takes urine from the kidney to the bladder). It might collapse after surgery if it didn't have its cast. Basically, stents are awful. They are uncomfortable and sometimes even cause awful pain. For some reason, mine hurt the very worst after they are removed. I have noticed that it seems to hurt for about 4 - 6 hours at the maximum level when it is removed, and then it tapers off. I have also noticed that Flomax helps a lot and so does sitting in a warm bath. I guess the ureter is just mad when that "cast" is removed and it swells. As soon as the swelling subsides, it feels better. So, don't freak out if it hurts really badly after the stent is removed. Take pain meds, take Flomax if you ahve it, and take a warm bath. It will be over before you know it.

Also, my last stent had a string that allowed me to remove it. I know why people are searching about it because I did the same thing! I wanted to know what to expect when it was pulled out. I chickened out and made my husband pull it. The pulling part wasn't nearly as bad as I had anticipated. I just had the typical after affects. I mean, it wasn't fun. But it wasn't awful. It is over really quickly.

Leave me some comments with your stories. Kidney stones are no fun. Maybe one day they will find a cure for calcium oxalate stones. That is the kind I have.