Sooooo....I've been MIA on this blog for over a week now because last Monday, December 13th at exactly 16 weeks pregnant I started having intense pain which we found out a few days later was caused from a kidney stone that is too large to pass. Because of the pregnancy they will not operate and my current state is a nephrostomy tube. I will be sure to update on my progress of life of a pregnant woman living with a tube into her kidney hanging out of her back, dangling down to a pee bag attached to her leg, HOTTTT!!!
To get us started, here is the letter I wrote after being in the hospital for 2 days, and being home a few days later to our friends and family:
Hello everyone.
First of all, for everyone who does or does not know has been going on with me lately I appreciate all of your thoughts and prayers. Please know that I'm doing a lot better, Thomas has been spending lots of time with Nana and Grandpa Lou while Jason has been being Mr. Mom, CEO and winning husband of my year award! I will try and be as short as possible but still filling you in along the way of what happened over the past few days as everyone has gotten different stories.
Two Saturdays ago I said to Jason, I just don't feel too well. By that Wednesday I thought I was getting a uti so I left work and went to my OB office with bladder spasms, lower back pain on my right side and blood in urine. Friday they called me back, told me to stop taking antibiotics because my tests were negative for any bacteria. That weekend I felt fine, still a little funny but ok. Sunday night I thought I saw blood in my urine again but didn't think anything of it because no other pain. This past Monday I felt ok, maybe not 100 percent but I am still early in my pregnancy so any back pain I have I blame it on the pregnancy. Monday afternoon after I put Thomas down for his afternoon nap I got very nauseous and had intense back pain. I called Jason and Dr. crying because I was in such pain. By the time the Dr. called back and Thomas woke up from nap, after getting up from the bed I felt fine, pain was gone! Weird....that afternoon I felt the pain coming on again and by 6 I was in a lot of pain. Jason and I went to the ER at Winnie Palmer where I rolled around in pain on the way there, moaned and groaned in the er waiting room, endured an ultrasound of my kidneys that was horrible and still didn't know for sure what was going on. They pretty much ruled out muscular or skeletal pain because of the way the pain would come and go, how it was only on my right side and how it was wrapping into my side with the bladder spasms. They sent me home after a shot of toridal, sorry about spelling and a prescription for pain and nausea, yes these are all safe for the baby. We came home about midnight, went to bed and I woke up very sore on Tuesday morning but ok.
Tuesday during the day I was fine, sore but took some Tylenol and it was bearable thinking I was passing a stone and it would just be painful. Tuesday night when Jason cam home from work I could feel things stirring up again. By 8pm I was taking the pain meds, and by 2:30 after another dose of meds I was still in a ton of pain, puked, called Dr. on call and he told me if pain persisted to go to ER. Of course then the pain went away, I went back to sleep thinking I would just pass the stone and feel better. Wednesday morning I woke up again, very sore but ok. I called my OB and they told me to go back to the hospital. I questioned them because I had only taken Tylenol and felt ok. Boy I'm glad I listened to them because after spending another morning and afternoon in triage at Winnie Palmer we learned after an ultrasound that I had fluid now in both kidneys and my right kidney was more inflamed than before.
They sent me for an ivp, where they inject an ink into my iv and take a few x rays, limited in what they can do because of pregnancy they waited. Then they saw my problem, an 8mm kidney stone, blocking my right ureter completely, it had moved all the way down and now was backing up my right kidney completely and putting a lot of pressure on my left. They sent me to interventional radiology where they then inserted an external catheter into my right kidney that will drain my right kidney for the rest of my pregnancy or unless I pass the stone on my own which is about a 10 percent chance. Most kidney stones that are passed ontheir own are 4-5mm and they estimate mine to be about 8mm. So, now the stone has traveled as far as it can go so I won't have pain of it traveling down, just pain if my catheter gets clogged along the way. I have to flush it once a day because while I was in the hospital I already had a blockage, bad pain and intense nausea and vomiting in the hospital after another trip to interventional radiology. So at least I know when its coming on and what to do, go right to the ER. I also will have to have this catheter replaced every 1-8 weeks, probably every 4 weeks until I deliver Baby #2. I will have the same procedure I did before where they replace it as an outpatient procedure at ORMC. Hopefully the pain is not as intense as it has been the past few days because my kidney is in much better health and with the incision and catheter already in place it could very easy or could have more pain. We won't know until we try.
So after being in the hospital Wednesday and Thursday night I was happy to be discharged last night. I slept well last night as I was much more comfortable in my own bed. So for the next four weeks I'm on modified bed rest and will be following up with my different Dr.s. I'm in good spirits and very thankful for every ones thoughts and prayers for myself and my family over these past few days. Hopefully the catheter settles in nicely and I can back to being the Mommy I want to be to Thomas and continue to take care of myself for Baby #2 :) Thanks again, we love you all and appreciate everything!!!
Some pictures of the baby while at the hospital during an ultrasound at 16 weeks and 3 days:
