Lessons Learned

It was an interesting weekend to say the least.  I was running like crazy Friday trying to get everything done, including Stryd's skateboard park birthday cake.  More on that later - but it turned out pretty cute.  Saturday morning I woke up with the most excruciating pain I had ever felt, and I dialated to a 7 when having Stryd before getting an epidural.  It was the kind of pain that had me shaking uncontrollably and dry heaving.  Here is was Stryd's 8th birthday and he is the first one awake ready to open presents at 7 a.m. and he hears me moaning and puking in the bathroom.  Dale finally convinced me to go to the ER around nine, promising Stryd we would open presents as soon as I got back.  Ends up I was trying to pass a nine millimeter kidney stone.  It was too big to pass so they took me in Tuesday for a procedure to blast it into smaller pieces I can pass.  While it's been a miserable and drug hazed weekend I can say I learned a few things along the way.

1.  Stryder had the patience of a saint waiting to open presents at 1 p.m.  It helped there was a skateboard in the pile.
2.  After three doses of morphine and two other pain killers in the ER and lots of tears Dale has decided I would make a miserably sad drunk.
3.  You hear some hysterical conversations coming from behind the curtains from other patients in the ER.  Dale and I could hardly contain our laughter from the guy who basically showed up to get a note from the doctor saying he couldn't go to work as a greeter at Walmart because his foot hurt.  They gave him ibuprofen.
4.  They term kidney stone should be changed to kidney shards - it seems far more appropriate.
5.  When I measure 9mm in the optical world it seems so small......not any more.
6.  It's easier to have warm, fuzzy feelings at church when you've got narcotics in your system.
7.  I am sure there are dozens of conversations I won't remember over the last few days in my Percocet haze.  If I said something inappropriate or offensive I'm using the drugs as an excuse, even though subconsciounsly I probably meant every word of it.
8.  After the procedure yesterday the doctor used the word "obliterated".  I couldn't decide if he was talking about me in general or just the kidney stone because honestly, I have felt obliterated all weekend.

Glad to get this one in the rearview mirror.