Special (Belated) Birthday Presents

I was lucky enough to feel good enough on Wednesday (July 2, 2014) to drive myself down to Ocean City, NJ and spend a few days with my sister & her family.
It was a great 2½ days, with good weather (even though Hurricane Arthur was threatening us all week), we only had some rain and strong winds for a good part of Friday (July 4), then it cleared up.
I was physically beat by then (Friday afternoon) so I decided to come home.
Plus, I was feeling - something. Not quite stones, just uncomfortable.
So I came home Friday evening and all was still well.
I slept like a rock Friday night!
Saturday morning (July 5) I woke up and was feeling really "off".
That sort of feeling where you don't really feel great, but you can't quite figure out what's wrong?
Not a headache, not a backache, not kidney stones, just - something.
So as the day wears on - it happens.
POW!!!!
A big gush of "gravel" (more kidney stones) - plus a little extra: out came a clipped piece of stent string!
(The bit that's supposed to be tied to the stent to help pull it out)It must have just been floating around in there for the week!

 

I had a stent in me last week (along with my catheter) and there was no usual string to pull it out with (most likely because it would have caused problems with the catheter) so my doc must have clipped it off when he inserted it, and this piece was just happily floating around all week.
Anyway, it's out, and I feel a bit better.
The "odd" sensation is gone (now I know why I was feeling "off"!)
I was lucky to not have it bother me while I was on vacation, and I'm glad the stone gravel waited also.
This is everything from the past two weeks.
It is not fun when all THIS decides to come out.

I HOPE this is ALL of it now!!!

That Was (NOT) Fun

I didn't think I'd post...after.
But that went almost as expected.
Uncomfortable, unnatural feeling = YES!
Painful = YES!
Easy = yes.
I pulled it out about 30 minutes ago now.
There was not as much blood as expected.
There was far more stone fragmentation than expected.
The sensation of having to pee has not yet subsided (but I can't get any more out - I think I'm dry now.)
I am still shaking. It is a mixture of pain, adrenaline, and anxiety.
I took a Percocet about 2 hours ago, trying to time it so it would be in its maximum effective zone when it came time for the deed.
I am fighting the urge to take another 10mg!
I now have to follow-up with my doc in 3 hours.
Hoping for encouraging news, but not really expecting it.
I just want to be good enough that I'm not a total loser / Debby Downer if I decided to make the trip to Ocean City, NJ for my birthday.
Oh, yeah, Happy (early) Birthday, ROB!
What a gift!
I am relieved, at least, to not be tethered to a bag any more (well, a piss bag that is), I just need to be sure I keep the portable hospital urinal within reach for the next few hours!
These urges to piss are overwhelming!
I took video, which will probably never see the light of day, but since this will be a once in a lifetime event (at home, alone) I had to memorialize it.
I will probably watch it in the years to come, but for now it'll be locked away.
So, fucking, UNNATURAL!

Biology Is A Cruel Sadist

One thing about male biology is that even if it's painful, it'll keep doing what it normally does.
I thought that having a Foley Catheter in for 6 days is hell enough (I get to yank that fucker out today - in about 2.5 hours!), but I found out that the one thing worse than having a Foley Catheter going up your urethra through your penis is getting an erection while having a Foley Catheter going up your urethra through your penis!
Y E O W C H ! ! ! !
I don't get them during the day (the pain's too great and I don't purposefully go looking for sexy images to get me going, I hardly ever do any more...) but the past two mornings, male biology kicked back in: the phenomenon known as "nocturnal penile tumescence", or more colloquially as the "Morning Wood."
[http://sleepdisorders.about.com/od/sleepandgeneralhealth/f/What-Causes-Morning-Wood-Or-Morning-Erections.htm]
I was woken up by intense, severe pain!
I haven't had *ANY* purposeful stimulation this past week, because I didn't want to risk the inevitable pain that a pulling Foley Catheter would cause.
Now, I'm not big down there, I feel normal (maybe a little smaller looking because of the huge backdrop of - me) but I grow to average length, and a pulling catheter would have some serious pull with the growth.
All this is another reason I hate my penis.
Once again, because of a new pain I've discovered.
You would think that a catheter would account for this male feature, and I'm sure it's supposed to, but unless I'm keeping the tube lubricated with some KY Jelly 24/7, the rubber tube is going to pull.
I am still deciding whether or not to film the removal process.
I don't think I'll post anything after "the pull", because really, I KNOW it's going to be VERY uncomfortable (maybe even very painful), so there's no need to reiterate that here.
I see my Urologist later today @ 2:15pm.
If something unexpected comes out of that meeting, I'll probably rant here (as usual.)