This past Friday I probably had one of the hardest events I had to take in. As I have written in the past, I have medical issues with my kidneys. Some of this is because of poor diet, lack of exercise, and not drinking enough fluids. The other part is mainly just genetics. Recently, I had the displeasure of having a kidney stone once again hit me. I missed a week of work because of it and the pain I went through was excruciating. I even ended up going to the emergency room because of it. I would not wish this upon any other human being and the only thing I would advise is to cut back on certain foods. I would also advise to get plenty of activity into your everyday life. I passed the stone eventually and everything was back to normal. However, when something like this occurs not everything is going to be bloom and roses. I had gotten a CT scan done when I went to the emergency room. The CT scan is done to see where the stone is and how big it is. The CT scan I had gotten done showed that something on my left side was not as it should be and this is where my life altering experience comes in.
The day was like any other. I had gotten up and made some food to start off the day. I went to the gym after and listened to my favorite Friday getaway show Figure 4 Daily. This show is generally great and makes me laugh anytime I listen to it. If you’re not familiar with wrestling, it is with former UFC fighter Tom Lawlor and MMA/wrestling journalist Bryan Alvarez. Both men break down the news in wrestling for the week and occasionally talk about the happenings of a wrestling/MMA show that has passed. I eventually finished the show (and my workout) and headed out to the library to handle some miscellaneous business of looking at some books and printing out something I needed for a later date. Once I was done there, I headed to the doctor and over to the Urology department. I headed to the room thinking this was either going to be really good or really bad. I waited for 5-10 minutes and the doctor broke the news of what is considered surgery for my kidney stones. He first showed me the stones and described in detail the size of them. I have 2 stones in my left side (one about 4 centimeters in length and the other about 1 centimeter). The surgery goes by the name Percutaneous Nephrolothotomy. It is described as the removal of large stones. The procedure requires a sheath to be inserted into the back and a nephroscope is placed near the sheath to remove the kidney stone. This should do the job in terms of removing the stones and to me if this fixes it, I would be all for it. After the procedure a tube or a stent is placed inside the kidney to collect urine to make sure the blood flow goes as planned. As I write this, it is as if I am going through some shock but it also feels therapeutic to write about an experience which will make me feel better. Some of the side effects after the surgery could be blood in the urine, pain in the back, nausea and pain in the abdomen and kidneys. The information I just described is what the doctor told me except this was more of a cliff notes version. I also was told that the appointment would most likely be a month out because my doctor’s scheduler would not be available. I know once again that having to go through this is for the best and I have a great support system. I left the appointment feeling as if this was something that was meant to happen to me and it would test me. It also showed me the importance of cherishing those around me. I talked to a friend of mine after and this person made me feel at ease for the surgery that was to come. I was assured that they would be there for me for anything I needed and for me that was the greatest thing I could ask for out of them. I also talked to my mom and dad not too long after to talk about what was to come. I also got the assurance from them they too would be there to help out in this difficult time.
After that was over, I decided to start planning out some adventures the next month. I wanted to head back to Florida (I will cover this in long form in my next post), but if this is going to happen in the next month there is a possibility I won’t be able to afford it. My mom suggested that we head out to LA to Universal Studios which is somewhere I have not been. I also want to head over to the Wrestling Guy Store in LA (something else I would love to cover in long form down the line). I have also been planning to head to a wrestling show for a local wrestling promotion called APW. There are so many events that I would love to get done before this surgery and all I want for this to succeed is good discipline and careful planning. I can only hope that all goes well for this surgery and I know my family will be there to help out when it is all said and done.
One event I want to touch on is the recent death of a close family friend’s brother. He was someone I had a few conversations with when I was younger and I can say he taught me quite a bit in those conversations we had. He also helped our family out here at our house. I can remember him as being a kind and gentle soul. I remember the day of his funeral the people that knew him best remembered him as being passionate, hardworking, and someone who would be willing to teach anyone anything. My brother told me after the passing of this friend of ours that he loved me and I told him the same thing. Those little things like that make me know that no matter where you are, your siblings will never let you down as long as you keep them close.
As you can see, it has been quite the past few weeks and there is a saying that at the end of the tunnel there’s always that light. I am keeping this in the back of my mind every day I wake up from now on until I have my surgery and even beyond that when situations get tough. Till next time, I will be covering my trip to Florida from this past winter on the next post.
Just Another Day... 