Sunday August 8, 2010

Oh what a night!

So yesterday I wasn't feeling well. I thought I was dehydrated as no matter how much I drank I wasn't urinating. Then it started to feel like if I didn't go I was going to explode...but I still couldn't pee. My back started to ache and no matter what I tried, I couldn't get comfortable. When I would go into the bathroom only a few trickles of urine would come out. I was really starting to get worried!

Around 1030pm I took two Tylenol, a Holy Basil, a melatonin, and a Unisom...my nightly routine. (Well, I don't normally take Tylenol, but the pain was growing so intense, I had to!) I was hoping to be able to fall asleep and wake in the morning feeling better!

I dozed off for about 30 minutes. I woke around 1120pm and was in so much pain! I just knew I was in labor! I tried to time the contractions, but they were constant...there was no break! I sat on my birth ball in order to progress things and figure out what was going on and that's when it hit me. While I was having contractions, that's not what the pain was from. My back was killing me! My bladder was on fire! And to top it off, I swear I felt a direct line from the pain in my back to my bladder.

It was then it dawned on me. I had a kidney infection. I gave myself an hour to start peeing (because I still hadn't peed...at all) and then I was going to the hospital. I drank three more glasses of water and around midnight I went to the bathroom because I felt (again) like I had to urinate.

...and boy did I go!

Have you ever seen A League of Their Own? You know the scene where the girls are in the locker room and Tom Hanks comes in drunk and goes into the bathroom and starts peeing...and one of the girls starts timing him when it seems as though he's been peeing forever. Yep, that was me! I must have easily released half a gallon of urine! Every drop of it burned coming out, but I felt so much relief in that moment!

When I went to wipe, there was some puss with pink tinge. There was more in the bowl. There were also two floating "balls" surrounded by puss. (They weren't that big all...about the size of well of the period on this page. I probably wouldn't have even seen them if not for the fact that they were literally coated in bloody puss.) I grabbed a cup and fished them out of the bowl. I had just passed two kidney stones.

About an hour later, around 1am, I passed a third one. After that I slept like a rock. I felt so good! Today's a little bit of a different story. I feel like someone punched me in the kidney. It's nothing like it was yesterday...more like it's bruised. I told my husband that when I got up off the birth ball last night to try to go, I had already put clothes on because I fully expected to be leaving for the hospital a few moments after. He said he did too. I called my PCP (primary care physician) and he told me to save the stones and set up and appointment for Monday. He's going to send me to a urologist as this is the fourth time I've passed a kidney stone. (This being the most severe with me passing three stones at once.)

What I can't believe: This little guy managed to stay put through all of that! He's been moving just fine today with a regular, strong heartbeat. I'm so glad that it didn't affect him! There was a point last night where I was certain he was going to make an appearance. I had everything prepared and the list of phone numbers for hubby to call ready. The only thing I was waiting on was a good set of contractions to show I was in labor and it was go time. I can't imagine how bad I would have felt calling everyone and getting them all up and ready to go...only to pass some kidney stones and have it be a false alarm!

The day is coming though. And when it does, I'll be prepared. (As I'm sure his parents will be!)