Do you believe in miracles? I do. I don't really believe that things happen by coincidence. Let me share with you a week I had back in August.
Around 12:30 am on Monday the 16th of August, I woke up in excruciating pain in my left side and back. Nothing I did could ease the pain. I spent the night going from the tub, to the bed, to the couch and back to the tub. It was the same pain I felt when I was 35 weeks pregnant. When I went in to the hospital at that time back in April, they ran some tests to see if I had a kidney stone. Since I was pregnant they didn't run any scans or take any x-rays though. Anyway, I researched kidney stones during this long night in August and figured that was the culprit. I asked David to stay home from work and then I drove myself to the local ER.
Two CT scans, some blood work, a few heavy doses of pain killers, and 3 1/2 hours later it was officially determined that I had a kidney stone that was too large to pass. The nurse called a local urologist and got an appointment for me for later that morning. Only problem was that this urologist didn't accept my insurance. She asked if that was ok and I told her I really didn't want to have to pay out of pocket to see this doctor. After we talked, she decided to find a urologist that would take my insurance. Cue Miracle #1 - she found one that had a cancellation that day so I could be seen right away. David and my grandpa came to pick me up from the hospital (since I had our car and I couldn't drive myself home). They gave me a blessing when we got back to my apartment. Then grandpa and grandma (she was staying with the boys) left. After I nursed Henry we dropped the boys off at my uncle's house and headed to the doctor.
The X-Ray taken during this appointment showed my stone in all its large glory - 6 by 8 mm. It's amazing how something so tiny can cause so much pain. However considering the size of the ureter, bladder, and urethra it's no wonder that it hurts so much. Anyway,
lithotripsy was scheduled for Friday. The nurse practitioner I saw told me I most likely wouldn't be able to nurse for at least 24 hours after the procedure since I would have to be put out for it. Cue Miracle #2 I had 3 days to store up some milk for Henry. I was sent home after a shot in my bum (ouch!) and with prescriptions for percocet and an anti-nausea pill. After we got home, David went to the pharmacy for my prescriptions. When he came home we found out I couldn't take the anti-nausea pill because I nurse Henry.
The percocet helped with the pain, but it made me so sick. Tuesday was William's birthday so I tried so hard to put on a happy face. We had planned to spend the day at Thanksgiving Point, but we only made it for a few hours. Miracle #3 is that I felt perfectly fine during those few hours. My head was clear, my food stayed down, and I didn't have any pain while we were celebrating William's birthday. I was able to keep most of my food down on Tuesday and I was able to pump a little bit of milk.
Wednesday was the worst day. David worked that day. I couldn't eat anything, I threw up everything, and I had absolutely no strength. Yet during this time I was able to care for my boys and continue to nurse Henry - 2 more miracles. Then my visiting teacher called to set up an appointment. I told her what was going on and then she asked if she could bring me dinner. She had "just so happened" to cook 2 roasts that day and had no idea how they were going to eat it all - another miracle! She brought us a dinner that looked delicious. David and William enjoyed it. I wish I could have! I know that it was no coincidence that she cooked too much food. Another miracle occurred that night - my family doctor called me back (I had tried calling him twice to get a different pain killer) and then called in a prescription for me for Darvocet. Then another miracle happened - I called the pharmacy because they were minutes away from closing and explained what was going on. They said they would try to stay open until David got there. David made it just in time to get my prescription. Then another miracle - I ate a roll and didn't throw up that night!
Thursday morning I was still so sick. I couldn't pick myself up off the floor. I was throwing up bile since nothing was in my stomach. I called David and told him to come home. Then I told myself I was going to eat and that I wasn't going to throw up. It worked! Another miracle. Then David came home and I spent most of the day in bed. My grandma came over as well and took our laundry to do - a great blessing! I was able to eat every meal on Thursday and didn't throw up again. By Thursday night I felt great!
Friday morning was the procedure. I didn't have to worry about my boys - they were home sleeping under the watchful care of my dad and Adam. While waiting for the doctors, David gave me a blessing that the procedure would go well. When the anesthesiologist came I told him I was nursing a baby. He told me that I would be able to nurse right away! Another HUGE miracle!!! Especially since I wasn't able to store up very much milk due to my lack of eating. Then another miracle - the procedure worked!!! The stone was broken up into small enough pieces that everything passed without any problem. I have felt completely fine since the procedure was done. The last pain pill I took was the night before the procedure!
Here are some other miracles from this experience:
1. My kidney stone moved out of my kidney on Monday morning and not the week before while I was camping. I had been home for less than a day and a half before this happened.
2. My insurance covered pretty much everything. I just had to pay the co-pays and a fraction of the cost for the procedure. Thank goodness I had a baby this year! I'm pretty sure I've met my deductible and my out-of-pocket maximum for the year.
3. I was able to continue nursing Henry the entire week even though I had almost zero strength. I could feel my milk supply decreasing, but I knew that he was still well fed.
4. My milk supply picked right back up after the procedure was done.
And finally, in response to the age old debate of having a kidney stone vs. being in labor - give me labor any day over a kidney stone. At least you end up with a cute, squishy baby after you've gone through the pain.
