I Had a Blast . . .

There's nothing like getting up at 5 a.m. just so you can be at the hospital by 6. But it really is much better to be first on the surgery schedule because it means you can get home sooner. My lithotripsy went well--both kidneys got blasted quite a bit, apparently, and the doctor put a stent in one to keep the ureter open. When the doctor got started, he discovered that both sides were blocked with stones, in addition to the stones sitting in the kidneys. So now I'm home, trying to recover quickly. The stone pain is gone, but there is the discomfort of the stent, and I feel like I've been kidney-punched multiple times. And to top it all off, it took the nurse three tries to get my IV in.

I'm grateful for the miracle of modern medicine and equipment, for skilled doctors, for kind nurses and hospital staff, and for a wonderful, supportive husband. And I'm thankful to be forced to relax these days before Christmas--so peaceful!