Interesting Weekend

First of all, when I left work on Saturday, the weather started to become beautiful. We actually had somewhat of a pleasant weather weekend.

As I mentioned in my last post, I was supposed to go to dinner with a friend on Friday night. Well, she had to cancel on me – and for a great reason too – her husband, also a friend of mine, had to go to the ER with abdominal pain. The way she described it, it sounded like a kidney stone. Having had a kidney stone myself back when I was 19, I generally know how to spot them (but that’s another story). Anyway, I found out the next morning that he indeed has a large kidney stone with several smaller ones, and one of his kidneys was teeny tiny and not functioning at all. Like my family, his family has some kidney issues. They took him into surgery to put in a stint, and either today or tomorrow, they are going to do a lithotripsy – they aren’t so bad – it really just feels like someone tapping on your back. Passing the broken up stones was painful, but not nearly as painful as when they couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me (see more below). My husband and I went to visit with my friend while her husband was in surgery and then we visited with him when came out. So we spent most of Saturday at the hospital. The rest of my Saturday consisted of going to a going away party for one of the post-docs working in my husband’s department at the med school, and then to a BBQ that a friend was having because another friend who now lives in Livermore, CA was in town. Fun was had at both places!

On Sunday, we went to brunch with some friends, then went and did some geocaching with the friend who was in town for the weekend. I honestly had no idea what this was until yesterday, but it seemed like fun. I like a good treasure hunt!

Regarding infertility stuff - This weekend I had a bit of a freak out. I got a jury summons in the mail on Saturday and I am to appear on July 5 and 6 (or possibly more if I get on a jury). This is my first jury summons, and as a law school graduate, I’m actually excited to go, but I had to sit down and make sure that my jury duty didn’t conflict with the Mayo protocol cycle I’m doing next cycle. Luckily, it shouldn’t if this cycle is a normal one. Today is CD21.

Anyway, that’s my weekend. Next weekend, I’m going to Spokane to see my brother in a play and to my niece’s 4th birthday party.

Here’s my kidney stone story – I was 18 when it all started (about 2 months before my 19th birthday). I would have pain and throw up a bit, but my doctor actually told me it was because I was drinking too much pop and not enough water. So I drank only water, and it helped for a bit. Then it came back – this time my doctor said it was because I was stressed (!). Well, since a kidney stone doesn’t go away when you’re calm, the pain and nausea continued. I remember being sick on my 19th birthday and my grandmother said “you’re not supposed to be sick on your birthday!”

The next time I see a doctor is in the ER – the pain had just become so excruciating that I thought I was going to die. – A the ER, they do a gynecological exam, and let me tell you – having such an exam when you are in pain due to a kidney stone is not fun – and this was my first one – I made my mom (who was with me at the ER) swear that they were not all like this. They only think I have a kidney and bladder infection, give me antibiotics and send me on my way. Well, things were o.k. for a while, but it was getting worse. I was throwing up more. I was losing weight, and back then, I was REALLY skinny. Eventually, they do an ultrasound and see the huge kidney stone in my right kidney. They schedule me for a lithotripsy to break up the stone. I almost had to have surgery to remove some fragments, but thank goodness, I passed them. The whole experience probably lasted about 3 months from when I first started to feel pain to when they finally did the lithotripsy. Lovely, huh?

Since then, my dad, mom, sister, and nephew (at around age 3 or 4) have had kidney stones. We found out my aunt and cousin were born with just one kidney stone. My grandmother and uncle also had some before I did. Gotta love those genetics!

Well, that’s my story.