The Worst Pain Ever
(I was rushed to emergency care 03-29-23)
© April 2023 Written by David Wicker
Please do not reprint without permission
I was having difficulty going #1 for quite some time now.
#1 burned as it came, a bit like lava. I attributed it to spicy foods, but then I had to pee all the time.
At 03-27-23 I woke up no less than 20 times to go #1. And when I did it was just a little bit and a lot darker than normal.
Nonetheless it was Wednesday to meet my Godfather and niece. He treated for Pizza so that was nice.
My 14-yo niece (N) and myself were watching a movie, then after that we started playing a videogame. It was then I kept having to go to the bathroom every 5-minutes or so.
I had already scheduled an appointment to see my family doctor this Tuesday (04-04-23) regarding my trouble needing to pee all the time.
But then my side started to hurt. Kind of a dull ache. On the left side of my pelvis. It never did this before.
I told her and she apparently put 2 and 2 together and ran upstairs to tell my Godfather (G). I have like a little movie theatre upstairs for guests, he was watching Avatar.
He promptly came downstairs and at that point the pain was pretty bad.
He said do we need to leave so you need to lie down or we can take you to emergency ?
Well at the time I said I just need to lie down.
But N, she seemed more concerned and she said if it really hurts bad I need to go to emergency.
So I finally relented, and was glad I did. The pain was getting worse and worse by the minute.
My G drove me and as we got halfway there I realized I forgot to bring my wallet. Oh my G was very patient and I was glad for that. We drove back and I hobbled over to my door, the pain getting worse by the minute. Got my wallet. My neighbor came out and clearly wanted to talk a-while.
I just shook my head and said, "I gotta go." And that was in more ways than one.
As soon as we got to the hospital, G drove to the emergency entrance and dropped me off. I signed and promptly went to the restroom for #1 again.
When I got back, both my G and N were there, and the pain was now getting to the point it was crippling me. I couldn't walk straight and I had to hold my side so I wouldn't be groaning in pain.
I kept going to the bathroom every 10-minutes or so and I couldn't even sit in a chair the right way. It was quite painful to lean back in a chair I found so I leaned forward and tried to put all my weight on my arms and elbows to sort of raise me up so nothing was touching my belt area.
Now in a previous post I mentioned I have torn insteps and bone spur in both feet - so I couldn't stand as for the moment, that hurt worse.
I had to do this sort of "floating" chair sitting which was starting to hurt my elbows when they finally called me back.
A fellow came by with a rolling computer and it was clear he was the "body" guy. That is if I die in surgery or what have you, where do they send the body ? Yes they do this in hospitals now before they admit you.
I said if I die I donate my body to science. That is what my sister wants.
He nodded, yep, that's a good way to go. Took my vitals and left.
While the pain was getting worse, I was finding new ways of sitting in that chair to apply as little pressure to my chest as I could.
Finally they called me back proper and put an IV on me but had not connected it to anything yet.
Since I was already behind the waiting room and in an examination room, I took off my shirt and pants as I was burning up with a fever for some reason. Sweat was beading up on my forehead.
The nurse saw me in just my underwear and left a little pee container for me since I said I needed to go all the time, and said the doctor will be with me shortly.
And I found this crazy way to stand over that table to give even less pressure to my chest which was rapidly get sore all over.
I stood leaning over the table there on my tippy toes and found I was gasping for air, so I started to hyperventilate (fast breathing), which actually helped quite a bit.
Then I was called in for scanning my body. The gentleman there brought a wheelchair for me. I told him I can't lean back. He said lean forward if that helps. I did and he wheeled me into X-Ray.
When we got there I said he could take all the X-rays he needed as long as I could keep the "sitting" position I had in the wheelchair.
But no, he insisted saying I must get up off the wheelchair and onto the table - and lie down. I started to cry because I knew that would hurt like hell.
But I did it. I started shaking all over it hurt so much and he said he can't take proper X-rays if I keep moving. So I did my best to hold still. He got his photos, now at this point I was lying down and told him I couldn't get up - and I really didn't want to.
I felt - something - was wrong and that I hadn't felt real pain yet.
He reached to help me up into a sitting position and new pain shot through me like a bullet going through flesh. The pain was so intense I felt like I could throw up. I've never been in that much pain before.
I howled without meaning to, stumbled off the table and grabbed the nearest trashcan to try and vomit - but for some reason I couldn't.
Sweat beaded and dripped off my forehead now and all I could do was howl in pain now.
I think I scared him. He ran out the door, then finally came back and said I need to put you back in your room and they were going to give me some painkillers.
It was with great difficulty he managed to get me back in the wheelchair, with me howling all the way. And I really was NOT trying to. You get in enough pain all you can do is howl.
Now it was just hell. I hurt all over. Not just my entire chest but the start of my arms. Whatever was hurting in me was spreading rapidly and it was absolutely the worst pain ever !
* * *
My doctor, a woman, came back to see me screaming. At this point I was doing that lean over the table holding on to the sides on my tippy toes again trying to apply as little pressure to my chest that I could.
She said she could give me some morphine if I could just sit on the bed there.
I told her I couldn't.
She said she cannot give me morphine if I'm in the position I was, leaning over the table. I knew she was trying to help, but God I hurt so much ! My voice was coming out in painful gasps.
I finally let go of the table to sit on the bed when she applied morphine to my IV. And then I REALLY felt sick. Oh wow, the room was spinning so fast and I needed to throw up so bad.
She gave me a bag for that, but all I could do was drip sweat from my forehead and drool into it. I couldn't stop drooling and I couldn't even breathe the right way cause the pain was so intense.
She left. After a few minutes, the pain sort of dulled. It never did go away. Not completely. It was there but at least I felt I could lie down.
I tried, it was very painful, then I had to #1 again. She was gone I guess for an hour but I was in so much pain it felt like only 10-minutes. I think I was blinking in and out of consciousness so I lost total track of time.
She finally came back and asked how I felt on a scale of 1-10. One being no pain at all and 10 being the worst. I said, 7.
She applied more morphine. The results came back from the X-Rays. I had a 3mm kidney stone. 3mm ! My God that's not even the size of my fingernail - and it just absolutely crippled me with excruciating pain !
But at least I stopped howling. Now I was just hyperventilating hard - breathing in and out.
I was back in that standing position, tippy-toe when she came back in. She said if I can lie down in the bed and stop breathing so fast, she'll apply enough morphine I shouldn't be hurting at all.
I knew she was trying to help but God help me all I could do was cry. She was not really kind but she was patient. I imagine she was not having a great day and me howling in agony was likely not helping her mood.
I finally agreed and lay back in the bed. She took the IV from my arm and hooked it to a bottle, then a smaller bottle she interjected into it.
I felt sick to my stomach again. I told her I needed to throw up. But this time she assured me that the nausea will pass, and may be going home today. She left.
Then I felt - normal. Well sort of. The pain was still there - but it was suppressed so much now - I felt good in a way. Like I wanted to be generous and helpful and kind to others even though I was in this horrible pain.
Someone came in and dressed me in a hospital patient gown. I really don't remember much about it. Then I was laying back in the bed there, and that actually felt pretty good.
My G then came in the room with my N and we got to talking. She laughed and said I was talking funny. G said morphine does that to you. It messes with your brain.
So - this was all about a 3mm kidney stone. They prescribed some painkillers and some other stuff to help the kidney stone pass from the pharmacy, and I was going home now.
And via wheelchair brought me to the front door where my G was waiting for me in his car.
I was feeling so out of pain and generous I wanted to get vanilla milkshakes for everyone. We got to McDonald's and their machine was completely out. Yeah that happens. Wendy's was closed. Burger King was closed.
It was after 10pm and I was admitted at about 1pm, so I guess I was there for 9-hours but the maximum time to me felt like only 2-hours.
Nothing was open ! So I said hey guys let's go to Denny's, my treat. We got there and - they were out of all ice cream as well so no milkshakes. I sighed and laughed. There was no way I was gonna get a milkshake that day - which is what I really wanted.
Fine. I'll have a diet cola and whatever my friends here wanted.
After a long dinner for them, they ordered the top as I didn't want to eat anything except sip my cola, G finally drove me back home and now it was 11pm.
Then I tried to sleep, and couldn't ! I couldn't figure it out !
I was out of pain and feeling completely relaxed so why can't I sleep ? I finally took a Melatonin, that's an over-the-counter tranquilizer you can buy at Dollar Tree. Then I finally slept.
And I guess have to create a new definition. It was "white sleep." That is I kept seeing white all the time. And when I had a dream, it was only for a minute, then I saw white light, then dream, then light, going back and forth.
I finally got up to #1 again about 5am. After that I finally got some normal sleep.
Then the pain started up about 10am. I called G up and he said if you've got a prescription, we can go get it. I did, WalMart had in fact called earlier to let me know there was.
G didn't actually show up until 11am and at that point I was in agony again, but not to the point I was howling. I gave him my wallet and the printout of the meds I was due. He said he'll get it for me.
I lay down again. Now at this point as long as I was laying down, the pain was not so bad. But standing or sitting, yeah, that hurt.
I guess it was noon when he got back. He read me what the meds do and the safety for them. We talked for a bit. He headed out. I got some food to eat, Fruity Pebbles cereal. Had that with the meds as they say take that with food.
Got back in bed and slept. And woke about 4pm and sat down to write all this.
So ...
If you are having any trouble with #1 or it seems too dark for you, go get it figured out ! Don't wait. I honestly cannot think of anything more painful in the world than having a kidney stone.
. . .
What are some of the most painful experiences you ever had - and how did you cope with them ?
. . .
If you enjoyed this writing, feel free to look up another writing I wrote regarding pain found HERE. 
Share This
Email
Facebook
Twitter
Read Request
My Library
Subscribe
Flag Writing
