Yesterday went as well as could be hoped for. The x-rays showed that the once-massive stone was gone -- or at least gone-ish. There are still fragments hanging around my lower kidney that could not enter the ureter because of the stent. So the decision was made to remove the stent (yahoo! hooray! yippee!). I'm happy to be rid of that particular device. It was painful and a constant reminder that I had a large rubber tube running through my urinary tract. So, good riddance.
However, the doctor also felt that the remaining fragments could be passed, even as he wrote me a new prescription for pain pills. So, when you do the math, it means I'll be passing kidney stones and they might hurt. But, after everything I've been through, I'm ready to run this last lap. Pain? Been there, done that. And I lived to tell about it. So, I'll get through this last step in the process as well.
But here's the weird part. The doctor warned me of "phantom pain." He said that people who have a stent for any period of time often have bouts of pain that feel as though the stent were still in place. Odd. But last night I had an encounter with the phantom menace. It was surprisingly urgent and discomforting. And it lasted for about three hours. So, there I was, back on the couch, surrounded with pillows, sitting upright, cross-legged, trying to sleep in my own lap. I gave into the pain pills again and eventually it subsided. No fun. And certainly not something I'd like to endure again.
Anyway, all in all, it's good news. I'll be back to my old (emphasis: old) self soon. I need to eat some major calories. I've lost too much weight over the last two weeks. I'm weak. But, I'll rebound. And, for the first time in longer than I can remember, I will be able to stand for an hour without debilitating pain in my back. Who knows who long I'll be able to stand? I might be able to preach for hours, now.
The folk at GCA are in trouble.
Thank you all for your kindness, love, and support through all of this. Brighter days lay just over the horizon. And I'm grateful to God for His faithfulness and gift of endurance.
Did I mention that the folk at GCA are in trouble?
Grace, peace, and all good things,
Pastor Jim (no longer sporting a pet rock)
