No Kidney Stone Unturned

I was totally off my game over the weekend.
Have you ever had a kidney stone?
If yes, I'm so sorry.
I feel for ya.
This was my third one.



The first kidney stone put me in the ER, white as a freaked out ghost,
throwing up over and over and over again.
Other people waiting to be admitted TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM 
asked the nurses to move me to the front of the line.
Agony.
Worse than childbirth- not kidding.
I thought I was going to die.
That was almost 4 years ago.

You guys, I'm tough. I can take a lot of pain.
I'm not trying to be some sort of badass,
it's just I've been told by multiple doctors my pain tolerance is high.



The second kidney stone, because I knew what to expect was manageable.
Still ridiculously painful, but manageable.
I got through it by using some leftover pain meds from previous dental work.
And by "got through it" I mean - I was drooling on the sofa with my eyes crossed.

So this weekend- I felt it coming on.
I mentally prepared.

Okay Angel, 
this is going to suck but you know what's coming and you can handle it.

A lot of deep breathing.
A lot of holding my breath.
A lot of holding on to the wall.
And now I'm fine.



In the ER, the docs on staff told me if you get them once, you'll get them again.
They also said the most probable cause for my stones (ewww, that sounds so gross)
was a high oxylate diet.
High oxylate foods?
Beans, berries, coffee, nuts, dark leafy greens, sweet potatoes, dark chocolate
....uhhhh, yup, that's what I eat.



WebMD says the number one cause of kidney stones is not drinking enough water.
This is definitely one of my problems too.
Gotta remember to fill that water bottle more often.
WebMD also has a list of ways you can prevent kidney stones from happening.

So, three down... and I'm up and swinging again.



While I was dealing with the crystal torture,
we took care of a little home maintenance.
We weeded or de-weeded the backyard and raked up some dead leaves.
Sam and I planted some more vegetables.
Don't laugh at me, one day I will succeed at growing food.
We celebrated Dr Seuss's Birthday with a few great books.
And yeah, we enjoyed another amazing Southwest sunset.