Posted 4/27/2011 3:13 AM (GMT 0)
After a day (Easter Sunday) of passing blood and extreme pain, I went to EMERG, knowing from a similar experience last year at this time that I had a kidney stone. A doctor admitted me into the hospital after mumbling something about what he was going to do ... "remove the obstruction (I took this to mean 'remove the stone' and insert a stent'). Well, perhaps he didn't 'mumble' -- I was still in excruciating pain and he had given me a shot of Demerol.
Spent 2 days in hospital just watching TV, waiting. Today, he inserted a stent, using what I would euphemistically describe as a 'local'. It lasted 26 and 1/2 minutes; I watched the clock on the wall as I clutched the table and in turn, one of his four, female nurses around me would warn of 'slight pressure'. It was terrifying, humiliating and medieval.
As I arose and staggered from the table, he said that my next step should be to spend from one to three days more in hospital after which a colleague of his would remove the stone. I could not believe what he was saying and stated "I thought that's what you just did?!?" He calmly explained that 'No, he is retired from that (stone removal)'. (I found out later that he, for some reason, is not allowed to perform surgery anymore ... Why???). When I expressed my concern about more time away from work, he told me that his office would call me and set up an appointment for 'elective' surgery -- meaning a long waiting period.
As I type this, I am taking oxycodone to alleviate the extreme pain at each and every urination period (it does little to relieve the pain and a lot to confuse me) and worrying about whether or not I can find a specialist to solve my problem before the stent creates a new one (everything I read tells me that a stent left in too long could indeed do so).
Virtually every member of the medical community I reported these events to reacted in surprise at my pain experience. I had only to Google 'kidney stones', 'stent', 'treatment', 'pain' to find out that I was not alone. The results will NOT return words like 'discomfort', 'pressure' or 'mild'. The results will be 'excruciating', 'extreme', 'worst ever experienced'.
Please do not use my name or location (if you know them); I am concerned about further delays to my treatment. There are only 3 urologists here -- I have just just seen the 2nd best one. His colleague has a reputation as a 'butcher' (I know of someone he 'ruined') and the best one has had patients with prostate cancer refuse to be treated by him after only one appointment, due to his arrogant response to questions about procedure and dismissal of personal concerns. I will try tomorrow to book an appointment with this person since he, at least, put me under general anesthetic last year. I had two weeks of severe pain following that operation and fully expect this again but I must choose the lesser of three evils. Problem is, my GP is on vacation until May 9th and I'll need a referral.
If you have any resources that I may use to find better treatment or just plain advice, please pass it on.
Thanks,