Tonight's picture was taken in March of 2005, on Easter. Mattie was invited over to celebrate the day with his cousins. Basket in tow, Mattie was ready to hunt for eggs. Of course with Mattie, he wasn't as eager to find eggs like other kids. Mainly because he knew eggs were filled with candy. Why Mattie wasn't intrigued by candy, I have NO idea. When it came to anything sweet, he and I were exact opposites.
Quote of the day: A word of encouragement during a failure is worth more than an hour of praise after success. ~ Unknown
Three weeks ago I took a CT scan of my abdomen. It was then I learned about having two kidney stones. One which was hanging out in my ureter. Thanks to my urologist, she helped to fast track me into seeing the director of kidney stone disease at Mattie's hospital. In fact, I saw him back in 2015, when I was suffering from kidney stones. Back then, I as toggling between him and a nephrologist at another hospital. I literally took advice from both of them, and integrated their advice into my daily living.
I was upset to learn that I had kidney stones again (four years later), especially given that I am following their advice about fluid, drinking the juice of real lemons daily, and taking a citrate vitamin supplement. In any case, I had to take a KUB (Kidney, Ureter, Bladder) x-ray today, before seeing the doctor. I know how Georgetown radiology operates, so I literally went two hours before my doctor's appointment to ensure I had enough time. When I arrived, radiology was chaotic and standing room only. But I KNEW it would be that way. You learn a thing or two after living in that hospital for over a year.
But it worked out and within only thirty minutes, I had the test down and they even handed me the films. I was stunned, but wasn't going to complain. I then went to have lunch on campus because I had time before my appointment. I went to a restaurant, where I went so many times while waiting for Mattie to come out of surgery. Everyone around me changes, but the physical space, can take me right back in time.
As tonight's quote points out, there is something to be said about encouragement. The doctor today could see I was in pain and wanted to give me a ray of hope, mainly because I wanted to know what I was doing to bring about more stones. But here's the thing! What he told me was he compared my films in 2015, to the one from today. The stone that is passing today, is a stone I had from 2015. In 2015, I had three stones in my left kidney. I passed one back then, and I am on my way to passing a second one now. With the remaining stone still sitting in my left kidney. In three weeks time, from the CT to today's x-ray, my stone migrated further down my ureter, which is why I am in so much pain. The stone is 3mm, it's small, but wow! What I am trying to say is the good news is I am not producing new stones.
How did I get the stones in 2015? Well we all deduce it was from taking Topamax, a drug I was taking for migraines. When my neurologist heard I was getting kidney stones, he immediately flagged the problem. Thankfully, otherwise, I would be filled with stones!
Today's visit has armed me now with pain medication and a list of what to do's! I see the doctor in a week and if the stone doesn't pass, he wants to do surgery. But we are both hoping to avoid that option. After spending several hours in the hospital, I then went up to the pediatric units as I had committed to push the Mattie Miracle snack cart today. Though I probably was not in the best physical shape or spirits, the cart was greeted with sheer appreciation and thanks. My visits continue to confirm the cart's importance.
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