As I get older my veins fight the phlebotomist more and more.
Some days I have good veins and some days they're bad.
Yesterday was a bad day, they just didn't want to let the needles in.
It took 3 attempts to get a good "stick" to get the IV flowing into me. Thankfully, once they get the IV flowing, the drugs follow shortly thereafter so it's not so bad, but the next week I have the evidence of the attempts.
I don't heal as well as I used to either.
A collection of last night's & this morning's efforts.
You can see the huge sharp piece, that's apparently one side of "The Big One" (the 1.7cm stone) that was broken up by yesterday's ESWL.
Glad at least these buggers are out, but there's definitely more in there (and hopefully I can get most out today), but whatever decides to stay inside will be evicted on Tuesday, February 11 with the Ureteroscopy at St. Mary's.
It's been four plus years since the last post, and not much has changed.
From now on any medical updates, good or bad, I will post here instead of Facebook.
Just to get back into the swing of things, I'll talk about what happened today:
I just got home after undergoing an "E.S.W.L." (Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy) [http://www.webmd.com/kidney-stones/extracorporeal-shock-wave-lithotripsy-eswl-for-kidney-stones] procedure for a 1.7cm kidney stone in my left kidney.
It seemed to go well, I am feeling less of a "poke" in my left kidney, though it could be because of the pain cocktail they use with the anesthesia.
They said I could eat & drink normally now (in fact, I should drink more to help "flush" the stones out of the kidney and to make sure everything still runs!)
I can also take Percocet as needed again (so I took a 10mg pill once I got home as I was feeling the sharp pains returning.)
I passed a l lot of gravel and a nice big chip (!) in my first attempt.
Still a little nauseous so I'll probably keep it to toast or maybe some soup later.
I have an upcoming procedure next Tuesday, February 11th, called a "
Ureteroscopy" [http://www.webmd.com/kidney-stones/ureteroscopy-16859] where the doc will go in with a laser scope and "scrape" any bits & pieces he encounters in my left & right ureters and he'll go all the way up to the kidneys to try to clean them out too.
Hopefully this will not require the insertion of a stent [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ureteric_stent]. I hate stents. My doc knows I hate stents. So he'll only put one in if after he cleans everything out he thinks I need one to help keep the ureter open to help flush it out.
I have to go for Pre-Admission Testing (hereafter referred to as P.A.T.) on Friday for Tuesday's procedure.
So, yeah, being sick keeps you almost as busy as if I was working an actual job.
I will also occasionally post pictures of my wiener diamonds here (thanks to Frank from "Raising Hope" for giving me a nicer name for these horrific monsters!)
I will post today's "big chip" later, I don't feel like getting dressed and trudging out to my car to get my camera right now.
