the kidney saga...

Well it's been quite a day for all involved. After finishing up scans and x-rays and a whole battery of tests the doctors decide that I would go into emergency surgery to drain my kidneys. I don't know why but I was sooo afraid of being put under. I literally begged and cried like a child to let me stay awake during surgery. Obviously that was not going to happen. Finally they gave me anti-anxiety meds and they knocked me out. After coming out of surgery they told me that i had flooded the whole table with fluid that had been backed up in me. That is why I was toxic. I was unable to urinate and release all the toxins in me. The entire staff of doctors and nurses where in shock. They said they had never seen anything like this before in someone who was so young. The chance of having kidney stones on both sides, both blocking the ureter tube and both the size of marbles was almost slim to none. I was a very lucky girl to come through all this. I wasn't out of the woods yet however, but feeling much better than what I had been feeling like none the less. i still had a week long stay ahead of me. They needed to get the lithotripsy machine to Scottsdale North hospital where I was at from some other hospital in the Valley. There is only one machine for the entire Phoenix area. The machine blasts kidney stones up so I can then pass them...Oh Boy!!! Sound like fun?? They did 2 separate surgeries since they( kidney stones) were on 2 different sides. After surgery I looked like someone had taken a baseball bat to my back and torso. I was black and blue. Needless to say the machine is pretty powerful at blasting the stones. My in laws went home and my sister Nancy flew out to help with the kids. She took a cab to the hospital and met me there after surgery. Randy came with the kids for a visit. That was like watching a 3 ring circus. Andrew had thrown up all over himself b/c he used to get carsick all the time, Kyle had already gone through his bottle and Ellie missed me so much and wanted to practically sit on me. Mind you I had all kinds of tubes in me and she was trying to pull them out. When the nurses caught wind of what was going on they took Andrew and cleaned him up and gave him a little pediatric gown to wear and got Kyle some infant formula from the pediatric ward. It was complete chaos!!! I wanted so badly to go home with my family but my blood pressure was not cooperating once again. Finally I was put on blood pressure meds, potassium pills and getting some sort of injection in my stomach. I can't even remember what that was for?? I think it was flo-max or something. Finally 1 week later I got to go home. My sister made dinner for us and helped with the kids. I wondered if my kids would ever know what normal was anymore. My stints had to stay in me for a month or so to continue draining my kidneys and then I would have another surgery to remove them. I could finally see the end of the tunnel. Our crazy life of being a family of 5 was just beginning. You cannot go through this without being completely thankful for just being alive. Every morning I wake up now and am grateful for just being alive and for Kyle being alive. We all take so much for granted. I have learned to live every day to the fullest. I go after what I want wholeheartedly because I know that we all don't get 2nd chances in life. I would rather live life knowing that I tried and failed something rather than living my life with regrets.