Worst mileage: 38 MPG for 5.6 miles

At 2:00 AM, I started to walk the dog when after three houses, I turned back as I was really starting to feel 'car sick.' By 3:00 AM, my bowels felt like someone had reached in and tied them in knots and I knew it was time to head to the hospital. My wife's concept of 'leaving right away' requires patience; an ambulance would take as long to reach the house as I could drive; so I drove myself to the hospital ER.

I parked, locked the car and as I reached the door, asked for a wheel chair. Within a fairly short period of time, which the pain stretched out, I was on a gurney ... the flu has starting to fill-up the ER rooms.

I never really understood that such pain could cause symptoms of shock, throwing up, and be so incapacitating. A migraine headache is the worst pain I've ever had but this was a close, runner up. (Ok, I broke up with a girl in college but not quite the same thing.) A shot of morphine and two doses of an anti-nausea medication followed by X-rays and the diagnosis was a kidney stone. (No fever!)

The symptoms subsided shortly after dawn but the morphine still had my head more muddled than usual. I called the wife and told her she could come pick me up. By 10:30 AM, I was well enough they would let me leave on my own and I called the wife to let her know she didn't need to pick me up. But none of this is important.

The trip over at 3:00 AM started with medium fog that cleared as I got further downtown into the 'heat island.' Even so, A/C in defrost was needed to keep the windows clear. Also, I had only one goal, reaching the ER but I noticed as I parked, 38 MPG after 5.6 miles. The drive back gave 48 MPG for 7.8 miles. I stopped by the pharmacy for the prescriptions.

Now people have different levels of pain tolerance. A long time ago, I learned that if I can force my attention on something else, the pain subsides. So I was OK until I got in the ER but ultimately, this was probably a poor decision. I understand (or it is an urban legend) that patients have driven themselves to the ER and died in their car. Ultimately it is a value judgement: good; fast; cheap ... pick two of three.

Bob Wilson

 

No problem there except the physician briefed me while I was still feeling the effects:

Dr., "Mr. Wilson <blah> <blah> kidney stone <blah> <blah> no obstruction <blah> <blah> ..."

It wasn't until four hours later that I was sufficiently recovered to go home. Morphine is not the drug for the obsessive compulsive.

Bob Wilson

 

Sad to say, I'm still 'stoned' but have an appointment with the urologist Friday afternoon. Having read up on what is going on, the meds are making the wait tolerable. It is too soon to say if any of the treatments will be needed but fortunately, most of them look to be 'outpatient.'

Apparently the ER visit was the right thing to do. Several articles including [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kidney_stone"]the Wiki write-up[/ame] are a good place to start. Since about 5% of the population will have them, a little knowledge might help.

GOOD LUCK!
Bob Wilson