kidney stones suck

[PIMking]

I know I have gall stones and need to have my gall bladder removed. But being a full time student and working at the courtyard by Marriott I make too much for government assistance and too little to afford my own so I've been putting it off until I graduate next year.

The pain from the Gall stones is unbareable, It is amazing how it can just cripple you. Now I've never had kidney stones before, but Friday I was super constipated and apparently during that ordeal I must have shook the stone loose. I was at work and around 6pm I was feeling some serious discomfort but wasn't anything I couldn't deal with. I was checking in guest and just hiding the pain. The pain finally got so bad that when I was checking in one of our regulars and former Tide player (football weekend) I just got real sweaty and then I don't remember what happened next but apparently I passed out, fell backwards and punched a hole in the wall with my head.

My boss told me that the tide player ran behind to make sure I was still breathing and he rushed me to the ER where I woke up a few times but I was in so much pain. I was given toradol and Morphine for the pain and that barely took off the edge. The DR took me into the radiology department and got a CT scan to find a 3.5mm stone about 4cm above my bladder, I staying in the ER until midnight still not yet passing the stone but it did get to my bladder.

I went home and slept until 5pm Saturday and when I woke up I feel like someone beat the holy piss out of me. This is something I don't wish on anyone.

But the worst part about all of this was that I was dreaming that the NHL lockout was over and for some weird reason I was drafted this year and then I woke up...


Kidney stones suck...

[Rerun]

I feel for you. I know what its like to be in that kind of pain (I was in the hospital for 2 weeks with acute pancreatitis... at times I just wanted to die so I wouldn't feel the pain anymore.)

As to the other part of your OP, I'm always amazed at how many people in the USA are so totally against some basic form of universal healthcare.

[PIMking]

I'm one of the few conservatives that believes that heath care is a right now a privilege. I don't like the plan we're being forced into because it doesn't help everyone, it doesn't cover everyone. The plan was suppose to lower rates and it hasn't and like I said in my OP is that I make barely too much to get government help but make too little to afford it on my own. So I will get a $700 tax/fine this year for not having health insurance.

It sucks because I don't get any other form of government help except pell grants to go with my student loans. I live on my own, pay my car payment, house payment, car insurance, and I don't get another dime from out government. So why is someone like me busting my ass to get through school and not getting any help punished?

Oh well, after I graduate I will be 29k in debt for student loans and about 67k in medical bills.. I've been paying what little I can on my medical bills but realistically I will end up probably having to file a BK on them in a few years because I just wont be able to afford it.

[rd_aaron]

Just an FYI. My mom had gall stones, and was supposed to have surgery to remove them. She's a super health nut and tries to take herbal supplements instead of drugs, etc. Anyways, all she did was drink a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water (or apple juice, or whatever) every day and eventually the gall stones disappeared. Do a little googling... it might save you from having surgery.

[PIMking]

I have read stuff like that before RD_aaron.

I think mine were caused by Alli diet supplements that I was taking when I started my diet a few years ago.

Gall stones hurt bad, bring me to tears bad but they didn't make me pass out.

All I know is I'm having an extremely hard time typing, it feels like my ADHD meds aren't working at all.

[puckluck2]

Originally Posted by PIMking

Oh well, after I graduate I will be 29k in debt for student loans and about 67k in medical bills.. I've been paying what little I can on my medical bills but realistically I will end up probably having to file a BK on them in a few years because I just wont be able to afford it.

That is truly sad and just another thing wrong with America. God bless Canada.

[PIMking]

Yes it sucks, what makes it worse is that Dr's here know that if you're from a foreign country or "undocumented" that the government will pay for it so they take care of the patient. Those who are American black or white that don't have insurance are SOOL. The first time I was at the hospital for gall stones they admitted me for three days on a weekend because the surgeon didn't want to come in and when he came in on that Monday and found out I didn't have insurance he basically told me that he wouldn't do it.

The same Dr. didn't have an issue sending me a 2k bill for looking at my CT scan and telling me he couldn't do it....

[Ducay]

Don't want to further derail into a healthcare debate, but having to wait and endure pain until you can afford coverage really blows my mind.
How Americans can be so greedy and so complacent is beyond comprehension.

[jayswin]

Wow, I hate to add to the derailing, but I actually feel sad knowing medical situations like this are so common in the States. It really makes you sit back and realize we take it for granted, what we have here in Canada.

All the doctor visits, the emergency room visits, the medication. All of these things would probably have me in debt for life, or bankrupt if I was American.

[T@T]

Originally Posted by PIMking

I know I have gall stones and need to have my gall bladder removed. But being a full time student and working at the courtyard by Marriott I make too much for government assistance and too little to afford my own so I've been putting it off until I graduate next year.

The pain from the Gall stones is unbareable, It is amazing how it can just cripple you. Now I've never had kidney stones before, but Friday I was super constipated and apparently during that ordeal I must have shook the stone loose. I was at work and around 6pm I was feeling some serious discomfort but wasn't anything I couldn't deal with. I was checking in guest and just hiding the pain. The pain finally got so bad that when I was checking in one of our regulars and former Tide player (football weekend) I just got real sweaty and then I don't remember what happened next but apparently I passed out, fell backwards and punched a hole in the wall with my head.

My boss told me that the tide player ran behind to make sure I was still breathing and he rushed me to the ER where I woke up a few times but I was in so much pain. I was given toradol and Morphine for the pain and that barely took off the edge. The DR took me into the radiology department and got a CT scan to find a 3.5mm stone about 4cm above my bladder, I staying in the ER until midnight still not yet passing the stone but it did get to my bladder.

I went home and slept until 5pm Saturday and when I woke up I feel like someone beat the holy piss out of me. This is something I don't wish on anyone.

But the worst part about all of this was that I was dreaming that the NHL lockout was over and for some weird reason I was drafted this year and then I woke up...


Kidney stones suck...

Bolded for understatement, I had 7 attacks before my surgery, they got a little easier with each attack as I knew when one was going to happen and went swiftly to an ER for some yummy narcotics.

Whats really crazy is how quick the surgery is, I went in the hospital at 10:45 and was home on my couch at 1:30 with 7 total stitches in two small cuts. I had a total if 11 stones with one being the size of robins egg(doctor gave it to me to save in a pill bottle)

Nowadays I really never get heartburn or indigestion

[PIMking]

Originally Posted by T@T

Bolded for understatement, I had 7 attacks before my surgery, they got a little easier with each attack as I knew when one was going to happen and went swiftly to an ER for some yummy narcotics.

Whats really crazy is how quick the surgery is, I went in the hospital at 10:45 and was home on my couch at 1:30 with 7 total stitches in two small cuts. I had a total if 11 stones with one being the size of robins egg(doctor gave it to me to save in a pill bottle)

Nowadays I really never get heartburn or indigestion

I remember my first attack with Gall stones, I was sleeping and about 4:30am I woke up with some discomfort. It's almost like a "gotta poop" stomach pain. Well I got up went to the john and nothing doing. So I tried the other fixes, bread, milk, pepto, nothing.. In about 10 mins it went from something I can handle to HOLY SH*T my stomach feels like it's being ripped out of my body.

That was some of the most intense pain I've ever had until this kidney stone. I didn't cry when I blew out my knee, I didn't cry when I tore my rotator cuff but both the kidney and gall stone turned me into an instant infant.

I finally found out why I have the bruise on the side of my head and on my arms. I drove myself to the er (don't remember it) and when I went through the metal detector the triage is right behind it, well I guess I passed out from pain and tried to break the desk with my face.

Another kinda funny thing is the cops were looking for me because I was doing over "100MPH" on the way to the hospital, I find that hard to believe because me Versa isn't that powerful and takes forever to get to 100. Pretty eventful evening to say the least. I had a real hot nurse and my dr's name was Pepper. I had some male nurse with cowboy boots try to give me a cathater but I was able to give enough pee so he didn't have to. I apparently would stop breathing every min for about 40 seconds because the pain wasn't as bad when I wasn't breathing, but I wasn't awake, well at least I don't remember it.

The good news is, it's either passed or in my bladder and I just feel like I was beat up with a baseball bat. That's nothing vicodin doesn't fix.

[PIMking]

Originally Posted by flameswin

Wow, I hate to add to the derailing, but I actually feel sad knowing medical situations like this are so common in the States. It really makes you sit back and realize we take it for granted, what we have here in Canada.

All the doctor visits, the emergency room visits, the medication. All of these things would probably have me in debt for life, or bankrupt if I was American.

It's a broken system that is for sure. I cant believe with how advance this country is and we cant find a way to make sure everyone is taken care of.

Like I said before in my OP I make roughly $15,000 working at the hotel. With that salary I make too much (plus being a student doesn't help) to get government assistance on health care. Also with my house payment, car, auto insurance, and well basic living expenses I can't afford to pay $130/mo for insurance. It sucks but it's something that I will just have to live with fora few more year.

[doctajones428]

It really shook me how much we take our healthcare for granted two years ago. I have Duchene Muscular Dystrophy and I went through heart failure from complications of the disease. I was in the hospital for 21 days, being seen by some of the best heart specialists in Canada, put through one of the 4 heart CT scanners in the country and had a defibrillator put in. Me and my dad talked about it when I was in there and it would of probably been a $200,000 medical bill in the US

Sorry that you have to go through such agony because or a ####ty healthcare system. It's unbelievable the States is fine with you or other people suffering because they can't afford hospital care

[Vulcan]

I've got gall stones as well. I help my situation some by avoiding fat. I use skim milk and check the fat content of just about every food item I buy. No pork for me. See a community health nurse for a proper diet or maybe check the net. I also take a Trimebutine Maleate tablet three times a day before eating and this seems to have lessened my attacks.

I'm going to try the teaspoon of apple cider vinegar a day as suggested and as I read somewhere else that could help also.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Vulcan

I've got gall stones as well. I help my situation some by avoiding fat. I use skim milk and check the fat content of just about every food item I buy. No pork for me. See a community health nurse for a proper diet or maybe check the net. I also take a Trimebutine Maleate tablet three times a day before eating and this seems to have lessened my attacks.

I'm going to try the teaspoon of apple cider vinegar a day as suggested and as I read somewhere else that could help also.

I thought certain cuts of pork were very lean.

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

I thought certain cuts of pork were very lean.

Maybe, I haven't checked it out but I was told to avoid it.

[Rerun]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

I thought certain cuts of pork were very lean.

Yeah like certain cuts of pork chops that if you cook too long they end up drier than toast and tougher than shoe leather.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Rerun

Yeah like certain cuts of pork chops that if you cook too long they end up drier than toast and tougher than shoe leather.

But cooked correctly they are lovely low fat goodness

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

But cooked correctly they are lovely low fat goodness

I guess I do cheat. I have some sweet and sour pork every so often and so far have gotten away with it with going into agony.

[nickerjones]

Originally Posted by PIMking

It's a broken system that is for sure. I cant believe with how advance this country is and we cant find a way to make sure everyone is taken care of.

Like I said before in my OP I make roughly $15,000 working at the hotel. With that salary I make too much (plus being a student doesn't help) to get government assistance on health care. Also with my house payment, car, auto insurance, and well basic living expenses I can't afford to pay $130/mo for insurance. It sucks but it's something that I will just have to live with fora few more year.

Obviously insurance costs some money but if you are otherwise healthy you can pick up a insurance plan for like 80 bucks a month from Blue Cross/Blue Shields. I am Diabetic so my plan is a lot more expensive. My plan is 315 dollars a month with a 1000 Dollar deductible. I have already met my deductible because of my Spinal Steroid Shots and my colonoscopy. I just got a bill from my surgery on my back and to my surprise my bill was 128 bucks. I was pretty stoked about that.

I have never had stones but I had my gall bladder removed due to it not working right. After I would finish eating it would just keep squeezing itself trying to do it's job. Apparently it didnt realize it was doing it's job so it just kept squeezing itself and it was very very very painful. I havent had pain since they removed it, however now I have to much bile in my system and will go through periods of time where I get diarrhea that will just come without warning and when I have to go , I have to go right then with no warning.

My wife and I are moving to Calgary in August of next year ( at least that's what she told me ) and I am looking forward to not having to pay a big bill when I have some medical procedure done.