Where the heck have I been?! Kidney stone story?

Happy Sunday everyone! This week’s weigh-in update is going to be a little different–not only did I hit a milestone today (YAY), but I’ve also had some interesting health-related events happen to me these past 2 weeks.

If you’ve been keeping up with my Instagram, then you already know all the shenanigans I’ve been going through. If not, then enjoy this story time about the discovery of, yes, my kidney stone.

*I’ve inserted headers for those of you who are squeamish or only want to read about my weigh-in. You can easily skip past my (somewhat descriptive) kidney stone story & get right to the weight loss updates 🙂

STONE STORY

Two weeks ago (Monday, 6.18) I had what I believed to be a UTI – something I’ve never actually experienced but had a general idea of its symptoms through online research and speaking to people who’ve had one.

Rather than going to the doctors right away to be treated (please, DO NOT ignore any suspicious health issues like I did!!) I decided to wait a few days since it was the start of my work week & I already had a lot on my plate. Mistake #1!

A few days passed and I was still ignoring my symptoms, hoping that I’d miraculously wake up the next day and they’d all be gone. Well, naturally, they got worse! An alarming one decided to hit me on Friday and completely rock my world…pun intended!

Friday Morning

On 6.22 at 5am I woke up with the familiar, painful urge to pee, but also a new symptom – a strange pain in the lower left side of my back. At first, I thought it was just a gas pain or that I had been sleeping in a funny position (I am the wildest sleeper you’ll ever encounter).

However, after getting up and walking around for a bit, the pain just wasn’t going away. It was so uncomfortable and definitely not your normal “gas” pain or whatever I was trying to rationalize it to be. Was this really a UTI? 

I woke my Mom up and we decided to go to Urgent Care once it opened at 7:30am. This meant I’d have to wait 2 hours until I got any help (this will now be known as the longest 2 hours of my life). We were both still under the impression it was a UTI and that perhaps I was developing a kidney infection because it was left untreated. Plus, the pain wasn’t intially intense enough for me to be rushed to the ER; which, quite frankly, I was desperately trying to avoid for the sake of my already suffering wallet. Oh, the irony.

Urgent Care

Things quickly escalated once I got to urgent care, like, 0-100 in the course of 30 minutes or less escalation. My once somewhat bearable pain became sharp & intense, and it felt like someone was using my kidney as their own personal stress ball (I’d later realize it was contracting to push the stone). 

The now excruciating pain was coming in waves and I could pinpoint the exact location on my back where it was the sharpest and strongest. Being the anxiety-ridden person I am, I naturally started to have a panic attack. Cue lots of pacing, crying, nausea and the feeling of passing out at any moment due to the combination of pain and not knowing of OH GOD WHY was this happening to me?

On top of all that, I extremely had to urinate and couldn’t, leaving me with even more pain and frustration (there really are no words to describe just how frustrating it was). Tests at urgent care would reveal there was no bacteria or sign of infection in my urine, but rather microscopic amounts of blood.

Judging by these results and the straight up look of pain on my face, the doctor urged me and my mom to go straight to the ER so I could be tested for a kidney stone. Not only that, but he wouldn’t give me pain medication for fear it would affect whatever tests the hospital would have in store. Once again, I had to tough things out for another few hours. Oh, fantastic…

My First EVER CT Scan

As it would turn out, that’s exactly what it was. A CT scan would reveal a stone stuck in my ureter, blocking my urine and causing renal colic, the intense pain from said blockage. I had finally got my IV of pain medication (thank God), a thorough explanation of why I was experiencing these symptoms, and the following steps I’d need to take (hello pain meds and peeing through a strainer 🙁 ).

Not to mention, this was my first time ever going to the ER, having an IV and any sort of “scan” performed on me, so it was quite the memorable experience. Now I await the stone’s passing and a urologist appointment to hopefully prevent this from ever happening again.

The moral of this kidney stone story? Don’t ever let health issues go! Even the smallest symptom can develop into something monstrous and make your life a nightmare. This is a pain I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy,  and if you ever begin to experience any of these symptoms, PLEASE don’t just ignore it like I did.

MILESTONE WEIGH-IN

On top of the craziness that has been my past two weeks, I’ve also been working harder than ever to stay on top of my weight loss and eating healthy. The Dietbet I joined ends tonight at midnight (I have until 7.4 to upload my final weigh-in with photo evidence) and because of this kidney stone, I haven’t been able to hit the gym at all. That, combined with my backed up urine which I’m sure tacked on a few ounces, had me extremely worried I wouldn’t meet my goal. Well, after weighing myself this morning, I am STOKED to announce I have smashed my Dietbet goal, PLUS hit my milestone of losing 50lbs!! FIFTY POUNDS. After everything, this is exactly the kind of news I needed!

Not to get sentimental, but a fifty-pound weight loss is something I was sure I’d never experience again. After trying on some of my old clothes yesterday, I’m also excited to share that I’m down 3, almost 4 clothing sizes. I can’t wait to continue my journey and experience all that the future holds. With today’s weigh-in, I am almost halfway to my goal weight and more motivated than ever!

Thank you so much to my family and friends who have been supporting me along the way; I never would have made it this far without you. As always, wishing you all a happy & healthy day (and hopefully no kidney stone story of your own!

Xoxo,

LiL