Lithotripsy isn’t fun, but it’s very effective. I had it done Tuesday morning.

Much of the pain is gone and I need far fewer painkillers than I did a few days ago. My body is starting to work right in several ways it had not been for the last four weeks. 

The biggest hurdle now looks like it’s going to be getting enough rest to be sure I’m recovered properly, as my body seems to be taking feeling better as a sign that I should immediately return to my normal activity levels, no matter what logic dictates.

Photo Credit: http://instagram.com/deervertebrae/ , who was kind enough to get up ridiculously early and take me to the hospital, because she is awesome.

I miss dancing the most

Pain medication, when it is actually needed regularly, is not all it’s cracked up to be. Everything I’ve been given thus far works for about 4 hours, meaning that I’m woken up every night when it wears off. It takes at least half an hour for the next dose to take effect, and by then I’m often firmly awake.

In the three weeks since my adventures in owning a body with an expired warranty started I’ve had one night where I got 6 straight hours of sleep, and it felt like a miracle.

I want to start thinking about all the fantastic things this year will hold. I want to appreciate, without reservation, how awesome things are…my job is great, my partner is the most fantastic and generous person ever, I’m loved by and allowed to love so many brilliant, wonderful people…but I hurt, I can’t ignore it, and it feels like it’s taking over my life.

Thankfully, this is temporary, and I’ll be better by the end of January. I need to remind myself of that more often.

It’s been a week full of new experiences that I would have preferred not to have. First overnight stay in a hospital, first morphine, first kidney stone, first general anesthetic, first surgery.

They blew a few old familiar bad experiences that happened before them out of the water, really.

I’m not good at being ill. Medications often give me more side effects than benefits, and while this isn’t the case right now with everything I’m on, it’s trying hard to be. Forced inactivity makes me feel lazy, and I was taught as a child that any pain could be “walked off” so I feel like an utter wimp when I encounter some that can’t be.

I need follow ups with doctors for future surgeries to finish dealing with this, and it’s not that easy to get in touch and make appointments with specialists during the holidays, especially when they forget to tell their offices that you’re a new patient and they have to be reached to be asked if it’s okay to book you despite their names being all over every form you were given while hospitalized.

So yeah. Sorry if I’m dismal company the next little while. The surgeon promised me this would likely all be over in a month, and that would be very nice.

(Photo courtesy of Erin Keaskin)