An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away...

Well, I'm not too sure about the validity of that statement, but when I went in to see the urologist right before Christmas about the status of my kidney stones, I did get some encouraging news. He took an x-ray and compared it to the one I had at my last appointment. We both looked at them side by side. He pointed out a stone that I have in my right kidney, BUT, the ones that had exited my left kidney and were moving their way down were GONE! Yep, there was no evidence of them whatsoever. My doc said I most likely passed them without even knowing it...WHAT??? He said it was a definite possibility because, often times, women pass stones much easier than men. I could hardly believe my ears, but I was thrilled AND relieved!

As soon as I got home, I informed Chris of the news and told him that I wasn't a big ol' wimp like he was when he passed his kidney stones. Nope, I didn't curl up in a fetal position on the floor and moan and groan! There was nothing to it...piece of cake! Ha! Now, we all know that passing kidney stones is very painful and I know my hubby was in excruciating pain. I think I just got very lucky, but I couldn't pass up an opportunity to give him a hard time. :)

Soon thereafter, I had an appointment with a dermatologist for a full body skin exam. There were two reasons I decided to be seen. First of all, skin cancer runs in my family. My mom's brother had melanoma and my brother did, too. My dad and brother have both had the more common skin cancers, as well. Plus, there was a small spot on my lower neck/upper chest area that was red and just looked a little "funny". It popped up out of nowhere a few months ago, but never healed or went away, so I thought it might be wise to have it checked.

Now, when they say full body exam, that's exactly what it is....from the top of your head to the tips of your toes. I told him about the spot on my neck and he, immediately, told me that he wanted to biopsy it for possible basal cell carcinoma. It took me a little off-guard. He had me flip over on my stomach and he found a mole on my back that he said was suspicious for melanoma, so he biopsied it, too. He just gave me a shot in both areas and scraped each one down for the cells to be sent off and examined. He, also, burned off three precancerous spots on my hand and arm. I now realize more than ever that those years of using baby oil and iodine to tan when I was a teenager were not smart and I'm now paying the price.

It took about a week for the pathology report to come in. The mole on my back came back as benign...what a huge load off my shoulders! He did say it was an atypical mole, but that it was a mild case and that most people have, at least, one in their lifetimes, so it just needs to be checked periodically. The spot on my neck came back as basal cell carcinoma. It really wasn't too much of a shock, but just hearing the word 'cancer' is a little daunting. I was worried that I might have to have Mohs surgery, but I found out on Monday that all I need to have done is have it scraped down a little more. The doc told me that I need to have a full body exam every year, which I will be diligent about. Have you ever been checked?

Not to gross you out or anything, but here's what basal cell carcinoma can look like. See how it might be easy to overlook? I'm now an advocate for skin cancer awareness.



Hope you are staying warm wherever you are! In our area, they're closing down schools in nearly all the surrounding areas today, with the exception of ours, due to the inclement weather that's predicted. They've said we could get up to 2"inches of snow and, around here, that's like a blizzard! I'll be interested to see if even a single snowflake falls. Enjoy your day everyone! Big hugs!

Just A Little Clarification and Follow-Up

I want to thank all of you so much for your thoughts and prayers in regards to my kidney stones. As of right now, everything is status quo...no changes and, thankfully, no pain! I must admit that waiting around for "something" to happen is quite stressful, but I'm hanging in there!

You know how I mentioned that my urologist requested that I give his office a call on Monday to let him know how I'm doing? Well, would you believe that he called me late Monday afternoon just to check in on me? I was completely blown away! I told him that I'm feeling fine and haven't had any pain. He asked me to call him, again, sometime on Friday and give him another update. I think I like him even more now!

I read over all the comments I got after I posted about my doctor's visit last Friday. First of all, YES, I am, in fact, only 4'11" tall. My dad was probably about 5'4" and my mom was around 5'5". As they say, "You can't make Great Danes from dachshunds"! I may have mentioned this before, but when I was a room mom for Abby's class one year, I'd often go in and read a story to the class. Well, one particular day as I was reading, a little girl raised her hand high. I asked if she had a question and she replied, "Umm...are you a midget?" I about fell off my seat I was laughing so hard! No, I'm not a midget, I'm just plain ol' short! :) Don't know if any of your remember this song, but it used to get my goat! I promise, no men in kilts this time!



I did have a few other comments/questions I thought I'd address, as well. Yes, there is a procedure you can have that breaks up the kidney stones into smaller pieces via ultrasonic waves, making them easier to pass. Well, my understanding is that the stones have to be a certain size before you can have it done. I want to say above 5mm, but I could be wrong. Initially, mine were determined to be up to 7mm, but the urologist seems to think that's because two stones are on top of each other and they appeared larger...let's hope so, anyway! My doctor didn't mention anything about my being a candidate for that procedure right now. No sirree...he wants me to do it the old-fashioned way!

One of you suggested that I drink cranberry juice. My doc said that is a big no-no,which came as a surprise to me. I've read before that cranberry juice is good for kidney stones, but my doc said it actually CAUSES them! He said the best thing to drink is water and/or lemonade. So, I've been gulping water down so much I think I just might float away...or pee a river! Sorry, folks, but it's the honest to goodness truth!

So, for the time-being, all is well. Should anything change...well, let's just say you'll probably hear me screaming all the way from Georgia! :)

Not What I Was Hoping To Hear...

Yesterday was such a fiasco! As you know, I had an appointment with a urologist...2:30 PM to be exact. Well, I felt I knew where I was going, so I left the house around 1:20 PM in order to allow myself enough time to get the abdominal x-ray done before my appointment. So, I'm motoring on down the highway when my GPS tells me to turn on a road that I think is incorrect. I thought I was supposed to keep heading in the same direction for another 5 miles or so. I began to second-guess my knowledge of where the doctor's office was, so I listened to my GPS. It directed me to make a U-turn and, basically, head right back to where I started! Do you know that I drove around in one big circle for 50 mins? That is no exaggeration, either! My GPS completely lost it's mind! By the time I arrived at the office where I was to get the x-ray done, I was sweating bullets!

I walked into the building and rode the elevator to 2 different floors before I finally found the x-ray department. I had to fill out the biggest amount of paperwork I've ever seen for one measly x-ray. I was called back for the x-ray with only about 5 mins. to spare before my doctor's appointment! I hopped up on the table and it was done in a flash. The x-ray technician said, "Mind if I ask how tall you are?" I replied, "Well, on a good day, I'm 4'11"." She said it was the first time she was able to get an abdominal x-ray on someone without having to take several different shots...whatever that meant! I grabbed my x-ray and sprinted out the door like OJ Simpson used to do in those commercials.

My doctor's office was right next door...thankfully! I walked in one minute late...and nearly out of breath! The nurse called me back and I was sitting there for only a few minutes before the doctor walked in. I have to admit that I fell in love with him, immediately. No, he's not a Tim McGraw look alike, unfortunately, but he's like a sweet grandfather. He was so easy to talk to! I felt completely at ease from the get-go. He asked me what I'd been experiencing and I told him I'd been feeling fine since that incident on the 8th. He told me that there was blood in my urine sample, which is sign that something is going on. He grabbed my x-ray films and took me out in he hallway with him for a look. He explained everything we were seeing in plain English. He pointed out several stones in my left and right kidneys. He said that two stones on my left side were already out of the kidney. I was just about to shout, "YAHOO!", but then he informed me that they're about to make their decent. What??? Apparently, the two stones are lodged in the narrow opening at the top of the ureter. So, he's put me on some medication to open the tube up so that the stones can pass more easily...if there is such a thing! I asked how long this process would take and he predicted anywhere from 2-3 weeks. I was hoping for YEARS! He cautioned me that it will be the worst pain I will ever experience...lovely, doc...just LOVELY!

He gave me some pain medication to take as soon as the pain hits me. He said if I get to a point where the pain medication doesn't seem to be doing it's thing, I need to get to the emergency room as quickly as possible. He wants me to give him a call on Monday to let him know how I'm doing. Wait a minute...is this going to happen sooner than he thinks? I'm trying to prepare myself for what I'm about to face, but I don't know if that's possible. I think when the pain hits, I'm going to give him a call and demand an epidural! That was a lifesaver for me when I gave birth to my girls! Well, sounds like giving birth to kidney stones is no walk in the park, either! I can do this...I know I can! Do I really have a choice? Like the doc said, the stones can't go back up...they can only go DOWN! Hmm...wonder if standing on my head would do the trick?

Off To See The Doc...

Yes, later on today, I'll be heading back to a urologist. If you recall, I wasn't too happy with the last one I saw, so I decided to find a new one. There was no way I was going to feel comfortable going back to that doctor considering how uneasy he made me feel. The doctor I'm seeing today has requested that I have an abdominal x-ray right before I go in for my appointment so that he'll have a baseline to compare with my CT scans. I've already decided that if he mentions doing a pelvic exam...I outta there! What's strange is that I haven't had the slightest discomfort since that episode on the 8th...NOTHING, NADA, ZILCH! I'm beginning to wonder if I might have passed a stone...or is it lying in wait to strike, again? Boy, I really hope not!

I will be sure to give you an update once I find out what's going on. Hope all of you have a great weekend...YAHOO, IT'S FRIDAY!

Please...Someone Tell Me This Is Standard Procedure!

I just got home from my first visit with a urologist. I told him what I had been experiencing and that ever since my "episode" on Saturday afternoon, I've felt fine. He took some notes and asked a few questions and did a quick listen to my heart and lungs. Then, out of the blue, he said that he needed to do a pelvic exam on me! My chin must have dropped to the floor! I told him that I'd had a Pap smear/exam about 6 months ago, but he said he needed to check for any growths. He tossed me a paper cloth to drape over myself and left the room. I sat there sweating bullets, almost convincing myself to walk right out that door! I'll spare you the details, but the exam went quickly (with a nurse present, thank goodness!) and he said I might have a fibroid tumor, which I've had before. No biggy. It just caught me completely off-guard that a urologist would do a pelvic exam! Has anyone ever encountered that before? Isn't that for the OB/GYN or a family physician to take care of? I have to admit that it made me extremely uncomfortable, but I wasn't sure if it's standard procedure or not. Is it?

He has ordered me to have another CT scan on Tues. of next week, which I'm not real happy about. I had the last one in Nov. of 2008 and I just don't like getting them with the radiation that's involved. He said he felt it was necessary. Then, I'm supposed to go back in to see him on Thursday. I am at a loss as for what I should do. Should I make an appointment with another urologist for a second opinion before proceeding since I'm not currently having any pain? I really could use your advice! Thanks a bunch!