![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8stjTZV68wgEhcal0fy2p41kVP0MFDt_8G6xH9u0UH1xVSYUjnLBJi071-U8hxx0z_SRwi_BujOj5n8CZCCtE3BW8-p4SvHAT5iW-O39iXZvhP3qS4Gu3wPjGhb4qt1IiGWXptd8liTf4/s320/Untitled.png)
I was just sitting on the couch enjoying some chill time with the husband and out of no where I get this spasm. THE spasm, the right side gut wrenching, inside turning spasm. I do what I do every time I get this spasm...I go to the bathroom. Then I stretch and massage and drink 3 cups of water. Then 5 minutes later I take a pain killer and an anti-nausea medication. I do this routine because I've done it more than 11 times before. When I can't get comfortable sitting, standing or walking I tell the husband I need to go to the ER. The pain doesn't stop, it just comes in waves. I sit in the waiting room for 2 hours struggling to find a comfortable position and wringing my sweater between my hands. I get an ultrasound, see an MD in triage, there's no beds. I am extremely uncomfortable and the longer I wait the more tense my body becomes. I finally get a bed. Almost an hour later they come in and give me shots for the pain and nausea. Luckily I had nothing to throw up. This hospital did things so very different from what I'm used to. Usually I'm hooked up to IV and sedated with pain killers before they do an ultrasound or CT scan. Anyways, I could finally relax enough to not wriggle around in pain and a short time later the spasms stopped. Come to find out I have an 8 millimeter stone in my kidney. Yeah, I know that's small but what you don't understand is that the average ureter is 4mm. The largest stone I was able to pass was 5mm, and it got stuck half way down and I had to have surgery to blast it apart. So this 8mm stone is kind of a miracle to me. It's too big to pass so it just chills at the top of my ureter and restricts my kidney function, causing swelling and spasms. It cuts into my sensitive tissue that is already scarred by previous stones. The doctor says it shouldn't be causing any problems...I tell him to tell it to my blood-pressure. I get referred to a urologist/surgeon and am sent home.
The most amazing part of this story is 4 months ago I got a CT scan because I was having pain in my right kidney area. That CT showed no stones at all. How did I grow an 8mm stone in 4 months?!
I drew a picture of what it feels like to have a kidney stone. BTW I do have a left kidney, I just didn't want to draw it. Feel free to post.