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April 3rd, 2009

I took Don to the hospital at 9:30 this morning for a second attempt at breaking up one of his embedded kidney stones with sound waves. The procedure was scheduled for 11:30m and it took most of the 2 hours to get him ready. We signed the admitting papers, then he had x-rays. In pre-op he changed into the lovely hospital gown, got an IV stuck in, and answered beaucoup questions about food, medications, habits, attitudes, background, you name it. Then the anesthesiologist came in and explained what he was going to do, after which he asked Don all the same questions the nurses has asked fifteen minutes earlier. Then we waited. This lithotripsy wasn’t done by Don’s primary urologist, but by his partner in practice. We’ve dealt with this doctor before, and like him. The doc didn’t show up until noon. He explained the procedure, then asked Don the exact same questions yet again. Finally they rolled him off, and I went to the waiting room. Around 1:00, the doc came in. I shall reiterate the conversation to the best of my ability:

Doc : Well, everything went well. Those are very hard stones. This one did get several cracks in it. Usually they just turn to dust. Did (Don’s primary urologist) say anything about going in and taking the stones out?

Me : He just keeps saying, ‘let’s see how this goes, and then we’ll decide’.

Doc : (nods) Well, there’s still hope that this’ll work. Sometimes the stones just collapse all of a sudden. We have to wait and see what happens.

Me : Tell me what to expect. Is there anything in particular we need to do, or look out for? What should I do for him?

Doc : He should drink lots of water. I’m giving you a prescription for pain pills, anti-nausea pills, an antibiotic, and something for bladder spasms. If he starts running a high fever or the pain gets out of control, call me right away.

Me : It’s the weekend coming up.

Doc : Call the office. I’m on call all weekend.

Me : Thanks, Doc. (she said, “thanks, Doc,” but she was thinking, “!&$@%”)

I remained in the waiting room for another hour before they called for me. I went back to Recovery, and he was awake and feeling fine. The nurse went over all the post-procedure information with me, then they put Don in a wheelchair and rolled him out. It was about 2 p.m. He hadn’t had anything to eat since before midnight last night, so, per his instructions, I stopped at his favorite pizza place on the way home and bought him a couple of slices to go. We came home and he ate them. He’s having no pain at all right now, and feels just fine. He’s supposed to call the doctor’s office on Monday and set up an appointment for 2-3 weeks from now. So all we can do is wait and see if anything passes. He’s had double nephrostomy bags since early January, and at this point, I think he’d take a bit of pain and nausea if something would just happen. We can only hope.

But right now, I have to go to the pharmacy and fill some prescriptions.

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