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LafayetteLady -> RE: Pain Relief (6/5/2012 7:13:49 PM)
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Actually, Sunday I never heard from anyone from the church to take me. Talk about being pretty pissed off, lol.
Anyway, about 3 in the afternoon, I started getting some serious nausea, vomiting, and chills. I knew I had to take another shot with the local ER. So I went there, and after dealing with yet another jerk of an ER doctor, the decision was made that I would be admitted to have the pain and nausea dealt with.
Then I got an extremely pleasant surprise. This time when they called the on call urologist, instead of the complete asshole that I threw out of the room a few days before, the on call urologist was the doctor from the group that had handled all my other kidney stone issues prior to the change in my insurance! He and his partner are probably two of the best physicians it has been my good fortune to have been treated by.
He came to see me the following morning, and even though he told me that I needed a stent put in (the same thing the asshole said), he answered all my questions about it (which the asshole refused to do). I explained to him the situation with the other clinic, and his response was that if he had to call them personally to get that situation resolved, he would, and if not, he would treat me, and we would work something out for his costs. He flatly stated, his only concern was making me better, and that my symptoms were accelerating and kidney damange was imminent if he didn't put the stent in right away.
At that moment, knowing that I was going to get top notch treatment from him (he is actually highly respected in the area as well), my anxiety went from a 20 to a 10 almost instantly. We talked about how the dilaudid was not really working, and he said that because the situation had gotten so bad, that we needed to play "catch up" (not exactly what he said, but amounts to what he said) and changed the dosing of the dilaudid to 2mg, every two hours, and the surgery was scheduled for that evening.
So I spent the rest of the day getting the dilaudid every two hours along with a very small (.5) dose of Xanax to keep my anxiety controlled. Needless to say, but the time they actually got me to the OR, I was no longer in so much pain (I don't think, lol), and was pretty well ensconced in happy land, lol. In the ER, as is my habit I asked the anesthesiologist what he would be giving me. When he told me propophol, I laughed and said, "oh, Michael Jackson drugs!" Had to explain that one to him a couple times before he got it. Also he gave me Fentanyl. This was around 7pm. I woke up at about 10:30 and I was still loopy beyond loopy, but had ZERO pain. I went for a little walk around the floor (mainly to beg the nurses to feed me, since I hadn't eaten since 8am), and it was so nice to not have that pain.
Granted, by morning, I had pain again, because I don't do well with stents (had one twice before), but the pain is different. Doc gave me a small script for oxycodone, which he said I really shouldn't need (but feel safer knowing it is there), and pyridium to ease the cramping and get me through to Friday when I have an appointment at the clinic.
So at this time, things are better painwise, then they have been since September of last year when this whole thing started. The urologist and I had a long talk where he told me everything I need to insist on from the clinic and to keep them from doing a "treat and street" half ass job. I know that lithotrypsy in my situation is NOT the right treatment, I know that it could likely take more than one surgery to remove the stones and what tests to ask them to do so we really know what is causing the stones and so can better prevent them. Knowing that if the clinic fails miserably, I can still call on him for help is more comforting than imaginable.
Anyway, thanks everyone for your help, good wishes and suggestions. Until the stent is out, I get to have that horrible UTI feeling, but the pyridium will control that pretty well. But there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel to this whole kidney stone nightmare, thank God.
Oh, and luckily I don't have an addictive personality, so I was ok with them stopping the dilaudid this morning. But I must admit, having a whole day being that out of it with no pain was very nice, and apparently, I'm quite funny when stoned out of my mind because when I'm talking to people, I drift off taking little trips in my head, then snap out of it and continue the conversation, but talk about my little head trip until I realize I'm talking about the wrong thing, lol.
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