It’s Finally Gone.

August 31, 2020, was the date for attempt no. 2 to remove the kidney stone.
It was also again a test for my patience and perseverance.

I had to report in the hospital at 11:45 am for the intake.
This all went okay.
According to the schedule, it would be my turn around 13:45.
So around 13:00 I could prepare myself and put on the special dress you always get before the operation.

Around 13:00 I was ready and waiting.
Some how, I was relaxed and less nervous than before.
Maybe it was also because I already knew what was coming.
And I had the slight hope, that they would be able to remove the kidney stone.

In the back of my mind, I was praying that they would be able to remove the stone in one go.
Else, two weeks later I had to come back again so they could finish it.

Around 13:30 they had come to bring me, with the bed, to the pre-operation room.
Here they will do the final checks and they will make sure, that you are the one they are expecting.
As I mention last time, some people were joking about this room and called it the smurf room.
Because everyone is wearing blue.

Around 13:45 they came to tell me, that things were running a bit late.
And I had to wait a little longer.
I just told them, “No worries, I don’t have other appointments today.”

Maybe this was a test of patience again.

Still Impressive.

Maybe it was around 14:30 when they came to get me and bring me to the operation room.
Again, they will check if you are really the person they need to get and also to make sure that you yourself know for what you are there.
They also try to comfort you so that you will be some kind of relaxed.

But you are not really relaxed, because you already know what will happen next.
Anyway, for me it was okay.

Then when they drive you into the operating room, again you will be impressed by all the equipment that you see.
And how organized things are.

They placed my bed next to the operating table and asked me to move over there.
Once on the table, they started to place the intravenous drip for the antibiotics.
I got two kinds of antibiotics.
One was for the protection of the heart valve and the other was to prevent a urinary tract infection.

The also started to place stickers and wires for monitoring other vital signs.
In the meantime, the surgeon started to show me on a monitor how the kidney stone looked and what the size was.
It was like a small part of a finger.
Around 4 cm long and oval-shaped.

50/50 Percent Chance.

The surgeon also started explaining what they would do.
They would use a laser to scrape slowly things of the stone.
Bit by bit.
But because of the size of the kidney stone, he was not sure if he would be able to work on the whole kidney stone.

There was a 50/50 percent chance that he would be able to do the whole kidney stone.
But he said that he would try his very best to remove the whole stone.
I just told him, that this would be great if he could do this.
And I told him also that I was hoping that he would be able to reach the kidney this time.

He explained that the double J catheter they had placed last time, was 10mm in diameter.
The laser/camera that they would be using today is 9mm, so in theory, they should be able to reach the kidney.

One more time, he informed everyone in the room, why I was here and what they would do.
Just to make sure that everyone is on the same page.

After that, they started to inject the anesthesia.
They place an oxygen mask and told me to inhale deep a few times.
And slowly on I started to feel a bit dizzy and before you realize it, your gone.

Waking Up.

Then suddenly, you start to wake up.
I also started to realize that things were already done and that I was in the recovery room.
This was different from last time.

Last time I knew I was waking up, but did not wanted to open my eyes.
I just wanted to sleep and rest a bit longer.
But this time, I had a stinging feel in my urinary tract and the urge to pee.
But they stopt me on moving my hands.
I think they were afraid that maybe I would pull out something.

So they gave me some drugs that suppressed the feeling of peeing.
They had place a tube into the bladder, so the urine could run freely.

After a few minutes they brought me back to the room, to slowly wake up further.
They placed me in a two person room.
This is a bit nicer then the other rooms, because there are less people.

They also called Tess, my wife, and told her that I was back in the room.
So she could visit if she wanted.
I heard on the other side of the telephone, that she was already in the hospital and she would come up.
Slowly I tried to look at the clock because I know that visiting hours were from 17:00 until 20:00

Found out that it was already past 18:00
That also means that I had missed dinner time.
On one side, that would not be that big of a problem.
The food in the hospital is not so nice as at home.
But on the other side, I did not eat anything since 5:20 that early morning.

Getting More Information.

I was lucky that my wife brought some food for me and some fruits.
The surgeon also had passed by, but I was too sleepy to notice it.
But he also had already informed my wife and the nurses.
So when I was awake a bit more they told me the details.

The surgeon was able to remove the whole stone in one time.
That is why I was so late back in the room.
He really did his very best to get it done in one time.
Maybe he also felt a bit bad that they were not able to do it the first time.
For me it also was a answered prayer.

Else I had to go back again, so they could remove the complete stone.
That also would have ment that I would go under full anesthesia again and go through the whole process again.
I was not looking forward for this.

They also told me, to try to keep on laying down on my right side.
This way the grit of the stone could go out better and quicker.
Especially in the first few days.
For me it was not a big problem, because lately I was sleeping on my right side anyway.

A Long Night.

The food did not tasted that well and I was still a bit sleepy.
So for the first part of the evening, I was just relaxing a bit.
And around 22:00 I tried to o to sleep.
My room mate also was tired and also tried to sleep early.

The sleeping was not as easy as I hoped.
It was the same as last time.
You are tired and want to sleep, but it is a different surroundings then at home.
Different noises, different bed.

Every time I just slept for maybe one to two hours and then would wake up again.
Every time I woke up, I tried to check the clock and was hoping that it would be almost morning again.
But no luck.
It was a long evening.

Going Home.

The next morning they checked the urine, to see the color and if there was still a lot of grit in it.
Things looked okay.
I also did not have a fever and I felt okay.

So after the doctor of the day had pasted by, I was told that they would prepare the paper and as soon as that was ready, I could go.

I also was told that I would have followup appointments.
The first would be in three weeks’ time.
This was the remove the double J catheter.

In four weeks, see the surgeon again and they would make an echo of the prostate.
Then in six weeks, come back for a CT-scan of the kidney.

Once home, things were feeling okay.
Still, things were a bit painful but that is normal.
But near the end of the afternoon, the pain in my side because worse.
I just took some paracetamol, because they told me that I could take that for the pain.

One Long Night Again.

Later in the evening, the pain got worse.
I was going crazy.
I did not know how to stand, sit, or lay down.
No matter what position, I could not stand for the pain anymore.

So around 23:00 I decided to call the emergency line and see what they could do for me.
I told my story and they told me that the paracetamol is not strong enough.
I should have a stronger pain killer.
She would check with the doctor on duty and would call me back in 15 minutes.

But one hour later, still no call.
So I called back.
It was very busy and she was not able to check with the doctor yet.
But she would call me back as soon as possible.

One hour later again, still no call.
By now it was already 1:00 am
So I called back again.
She finally was able to check with the doctor and he had given me two tablets.
If I could go to the hospital to pick it up.

He would prescribe a recipe for the rest of the tablets.
So I had to go with my son to the hospital to get the first two tablets.
By the time we were back home, it was almost 2:00 am.
I took one tablet and tried to fall asleep but I was almost 4:00 am when I finally fall asleep and the pain was a bit less.

The Next Day.

The following day, I tried to get the rest of the painkillers.
This was not so easy as I hoped it would be.
The bigger part of the morning I was going here and there and calling several people before I was able to get the rest of the tablets.

The problem was, that the painkillers were part of the opium family.
And it is not easy to get it.
I also found out that maybe the doctor who had prescribed had made a small mistake somewhere.
Anyway, I got the tablets and the pain was under control.
I only used it for one day.
The next day the pain was okay.

I also found out, that one of the side effects is, that it could cause constipation.
And of course, I am the lucky one again that would have this.
It was at least three days of constipation.
Now I also have something for that.

Closing.

After waiting for two months, the kidney stone is now finally gone.
They still need to remove the double J catheter and in the coming weeks, I will have several checkups.

I think later, they also want to check further the urine, because once you had a kidney stone, it always will come back again.
And with checking the urine, they can see if maybe you need some kind of diet to prevent getting a kidney stone again.
Or at least reduce the chance of getting it again.

It was a long process and my patience and perseverance were tested a lot again.
It is maybe a small thing and maybe it did not go the way I was hoping it would go, but looking back on it, I can say that my prayer was answered.
And I am also thankful to everyone, that kept me in their prayers for all this time.

I am still in recovery.
In the afternoon I will still lay down on the bed and will sleep for a bit.
And I can see that my body needs this kind of a rest.

These last days, I also noticed that it looks like I had lost some kind of motivation. interest, or energy.
Maybe it is still because of all the chemicals you have in your body or a side effect of the anesthesia.
I know that this last one can have strange effects on you.

I just hope and pray that the recovery will go okay and that the coming checkup will be okay too.
And that I will find that small spark again.

For now, as always, I hope you all will take care and stay safe.
God Bless