So Monday afternoon, the day after I went to the doctor, I passed the stupid stone. I was immediately up and running and better than ever. By Wednesday morning, this was not the case. After going to bed at midnight, I woke up at 3am feeling extremely sick to my stomach. Within a half hour, I started throwing up. For around six to seven hours, I couldn't stop. I couldn't keep anything down, despite my extreme thirst.
I finally decided it was time to go back to the doctor, and after trying to call several different people, Darren was once again the lucky winner. Once I got there, and they called my name, I listed off all of my new symptoms to a different face this time. He immediately had me hooked up to an IV and started pumping fluids and nausea medicine into me. I was extremely dehydrated, had a heart rate of 130, and a temperature. They drew blood, had me pee in a cup, and did a couple of x-rays. The best part was that I just couldn't stop crying. I think I may have broken a record for crying this year. Everytime I had to tell someone new what was up and everytime they left me alone in the room, I would cry.
I think I ended up being there for almost two hours. Darren was a great friend through it all and was a very good sport when I made him come sit next to me when they stuck the IV in. When they finally came in to talk to me about all their lab results, they weren't quite sure what was wrong. They were pretty positive I had a urinary tract infection but it was probably combined with other things as well. Other options included: more kidney stones, a system messed up from the narcotics they gave me for the kidney stones, or a virus which I am guessing was worse because of my weakened immune system from the kidney stones. Pretty much I blame it all on kidney stones. Then to make it all worse, they sent me home and said that if I kept throwing up or being light headed that I needed to come back in and have more tests done.
So now it is Friday, and I am feeling oh so much better. My mom came up and helped me clean and do my laundry. She even bought me food and made me breakfast. She is great. My dad came too. He was worried. I love both of them.
If you stay tuned, my next post will include the best picture of my actual kidney stone that I could manage. Yay!
Friday, October 17, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
I heart my kidneys :)
7am, Sunday Morning
I wake up to a sharp pain in my side...something like cramps, but not quite. I am pretty sure there is something wrong with me, so I call my mom and tell her I am dying. That is how I communicate pain to my mother; she knows I am kidding, but she definitely knows there is something wrong. She suggests I get one of my soundly sleeping room mates to take me to the emergency room. I cringe at the thought of inconveniencing anyone about my mysterious pain. I am sure they'll just think I am crazy. My mom's friend, who is with her at the moment, suggests I wait a little bit. I pop in some Tylenol and wish that my Mom isn't in California about to run a half marathon in an hour. I talk to her for a little longer, convincing myself that it is just some mysterious pain that no one wants to hear about. As the pain begins to reside, I am glad I haven't woken up any of my room mates. I go back to sleep only to wake up a half an hour later to get ready for church. There is no pain, I am happy, and I leave to church at 9am better than ever.
10:30am
I am sitting in Sunday school listening to everyone talk about light. I am feeling anything but light as I experience a painful twinge in my side. I lean to my room mate, who I told about my mysterious pain on the way to church, and tell her that I think my pain is coming back. She just smiles. I think back to my past room mate and her mysterious pains and decide it is best to keep my pain to myself. So I sit there, trying to convince myself I am imagining it. Why I try to convince myself I am imagining it, I don't know; that would just provide more proof that I actually am crazy. Soon all I can think about is the pain, and I get up and leave with all my stuff. I know I am not coming back. ________________________________________________
So this is how it all started and this why I sit here in bed on a Monday afternoon instead of teaching high school. After leaving Sunday school, I had one of my room mates drive me home and then drove myself to the IHC Instacare. I didn't want to be that crazy person running into the emergency room with some unexplainable pain, and I didn't want to be that person who makes someone else come with them and support their claims about mysterious pains. After I got all checked in and they called my name, I explained to the doctor all of my wonderful symptoms. To my surprise, he didn't even come close to looking at me like I was crazy and within five minutes of sitting in his office determined that I probably had kidney stones. (kidney stone: noun, a hard mass formed in the kidneys, typically consisting of insoluble calcium compounds) After telling him how much soda pop I drink, he decided that that was probably not the problem. Instead, he attributed them to heredity. Thanks mom.
The pain just grew worse as I sat there, and the doctor explained to me that I was going to have to go to the hospital to get a CT scan just to make sure. He also said that they wouldn't give me any good drugs unless I could find someone to drive me. I tried to call my room mate and she didn't answer, so I called my good friend Darren, who was more than willing to offer his help.
From there I got a wonderful sharp poke full of drugs in each side, a bottle of Gatorade to fill up my bladder, a drive to the hospital, and an ugly hospital gown and a CT scan. Not only that, but I was dizzy and felt like I was going to puke the whole time.
Once we were done at the hospital, Darren drove me back to the Instacare, where right after I threw up, they informed me that, indeed, I was passing a kidney stone, and that there were several others waiting in my kidneys to come out in the years to come. The doctor informed me that it would be my "lot in life" to pass kidney stones. All I could imagine when he said that was someone several years down the road asking me what I do and me responding, "Oh, I pass kidney stones."
The doctor filled out three different prescriptions for me, gave me a funnel with a strainy thing at the end to pee into, and a container in a bag marked "biohazard" to collect my stone in once it had passed. Once it does pass, I get to take it back to the hospital so that they can perform laboratory tests on a little rock that has spent its lifetime in my kidney and urinary tract.
So I got on Google images and typed in kidney stone so that I could post some actual pictures, but pretty much they were too gross looking for me. So if you want to know what they look like, check them out yourself. Some of them looked like nothing less than a little piece of hell to me. Instead of providing you a picture of an actual stone, I will provide you a picture of where kidney stones are found in the body. Take note of how far it has to travel before it makes its way out. The doctor actually told me that the CT scan showed that the stone only had a couple of centimeters left in my body, so it better come out pretty dang soon.
Here ya go:
I would like to offer a special thanks to my many wonderful friends:
Darren, who drove me everywhere I needed to go, didn't think I was crazy, didn't make fun of me in a hospital gown, and who dumped my puke in the toilet.
Katie, who would've driven me everywhere if she could have and always made sure I was okay.
Chelsea and Shawna, who picked my car up from the Instacare.
And thanks to everyone else who was even in the least bit concernced.
I love you guys!
I wake up to a sharp pain in my side...something like cramps, but not quite. I am pretty sure there is something wrong with me, so I call my mom and tell her I am dying. That is how I communicate pain to my mother; she knows I am kidding, but she definitely knows there is something wrong. She suggests I get one of my soundly sleeping room mates to take me to the emergency room. I cringe at the thought of inconveniencing anyone about my mysterious pain. I am sure they'll just think I am crazy. My mom's friend, who is with her at the moment, suggests I wait a little bit. I pop in some Tylenol and wish that my Mom isn't in California about to run a half marathon in an hour. I talk to her for a little longer, convincing myself that it is just some mysterious pain that no one wants to hear about. As the pain begins to reside, I am glad I haven't woken up any of my room mates. I go back to sleep only to wake up a half an hour later to get ready for church. There is no pain, I am happy, and I leave to church at 9am better than ever.
10:30am
I am sitting in Sunday school listening to everyone talk about light. I am feeling anything but light as I experience a painful twinge in my side. I lean to my room mate, who I told about my mysterious pain on the way to church, and tell her that I think my pain is coming back. She just smiles. I think back to my past room mate and her mysterious pains and decide it is best to keep my pain to myself. So I sit there, trying to convince myself I am imagining it. Why I try to convince myself I am imagining it, I don't know; that would just provide more proof that I actually am crazy. Soon all I can think about is the pain, and I get up and leave with all my stuff. I know I am not coming back. ________________________________________________
So this is how it all started and this why I sit here in bed on a Monday afternoon instead of teaching high school. After leaving Sunday school, I had one of my room mates drive me home and then drove myself to the IHC Instacare. I didn't want to be that crazy person running into the emergency room with some unexplainable pain, and I didn't want to be that person who makes someone else come with them and support their claims about mysterious pains. After I got all checked in and they called my name, I explained to the doctor all of my wonderful symptoms. To my surprise, he didn't even come close to looking at me like I was crazy and within five minutes of sitting in his office determined that I probably had kidney stones. (kidney stone: noun, a hard mass formed in the kidneys, typically consisting of insoluble calcium compounds) After telling him how much soda pop I drink, he decided that that was probably not the problem. Instead, he attributed them to heredity. Thanks mom.
The pain just grew worse as I sat there, and the doctor explained to me that I was going to have to go to the hospital to get a CT scan just to make sure. He also said that they wouldn't give me any good drugs unless I could find someone to drive me. I tried to call my room mate and she didn't answer, so I called my good friend Darren, who was more than willing to offer his help.
From there I got a wonderful sharp poke full of drugs in each side, a bottle of Gatorade to fill up my bladder, a drive to the hospital, and an ugly hospital gown and a CT scan. Not only that, but I was dizzy and felt like I was going to puke the whole time.
Once we were done at the hospital, Darren drove me back to the Instacare, where right after I threw up, they informed me that, indeed, I was passing a kidney stone, and that there were several others waiting in my kidneys to come out in the years to come. The doctor informed me that it would be my "lot in life" to pass kidney stones. All I could imagine when he said that was someone several years down the road asking me what I do and me responding, "Oh, I pass kidney stones."
The doctor filled out three different prescriptions for me, gave me a funnel with a strainy thing at the end to pee into, and a container in a bag marked "biohazard" to collect my stone in once it had passed. Once it does pass, I get to take it back to the hospital so that they can perform laboratory tests on a little rock that has spent its lifetime in my kidney and urinary tract.
So I got on Google images and typed in kidney stone so that I could post some actual pictures, but pretty much they were too gross looking for me. So if you want to know what they look like, check them out yourself. Some of them looked like nothing less than a little piece of hell to me. Instead of providing you a picture of an actual stone, I will provide you a picture of where kidney stones are found in the body. Take note of how far it has to travel before it makes its way out. The doctor actually told me that the CT scan showed that the stone only had a couple of centimeters left in my body, so it better come out pretty dang soon.
Here ya go:
I would like to offer a special thanks to my many wonderful friends:
Darren, who drove me everywhere I needed to go, didn't think I was crazy, didn't make fun of me in a hospital gown, and who dumped my puke in the toilet.
Katie, who would've driven me everywhere if she could have and always made sure I was okay.
Chelsea and Shawna, who picked my car up from the Instacare.
And thanks to everyone else who was even in the least bit concernced.
I love you guys!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
With graduation drawing nearer...
So in December, I, Ashley Nicole Christensen, graduate with a Bachelor's degree in English from Utah State University. I will also graduate with a Teaching Certificate. Yay for completing a five plus year program in four and a half years! So this is the deal. My mom wants to take me on a trip as a graduation gift but will only take me somewhere in the continental United States or Mexico. Where should I go...what should I see? I need some ideas!!
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Surprise
When do you think Ashley will notice her blog got a makeover?
Happy first week of school, Ms. Christensen!
Happy first week of school, Ms. Christensen!
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Welcome to my humble abode
So this summer, I am experiencing something I have never experienced before. I am living in a house, as a student. It is actually turning out to be quite wonderful. For one, I actually feel like I live in a home. Two, it is the cutest house ever. Even more great things: I only have two room mates, I have a washer and dryer, my room is super cool, and we have the most comfy man-family room ever. Here are the pictures to prove its greatness...
At first glance, it just looks like a normal run down student home:
At first glance, it just looks like a normal run down student home:
But step inside, and you are in a whole new world. First is the kitchen...it is all remodeled, as is the rest of the house, but the remodeled-ness is especially apparent in the kitchen:
If you enter the family room and turn left, the bathroom is directly to your right. Despite its similarity to a cave (it is quite small and has no windows), it pulls off adorable quite well:
Next is the Laundry room. Not only is it bigger than the average Laundry room, but Chess board linolium adorns the floor. Who wouldn't want Chess board linolium?:
Next is the man-family room. Its manliness is evident by its providing a home for two love sacs and a big screen TV:
Last, and best of all, is my bedroom. Although it may be the smallest room in the house, no one can deny that it has the most personality. Why it was unwanted by my other two room mates may have to do with the fact that the floor slants, but I would take a slanty floor for a cute little window seat any day:
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
I love my brothers because...
1)They enjoy making ugly faces on a regular basis...
faces which are painfully funny.
2)They come up with strange ideas...
like sticking apples on our heads...and then doing hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil...
3)They can do cool tricks...
that most people can't do.
4)They love me.
5)They dress up in funny clothes...
and walk around the house like it is the normal thing to do.
6)They do special things...
to make sure I know they love me.
7)They are not afraid of acting stupid...
especially in public.
8)They make me laugh.
9)Going places with them is an adventure.
10)They do the strangest things to make people laugh...
Picture with Grandma, steak knife in left hand pointing at Grandma. Does Grandma know? No.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Kari forces me to blog...
10 years ago: I was twelve years old, and I was still a very little girl. I definitely wasn't one of those 12 year olds who was already a young woman. I likely spent the majority of my June 10 years ago having sleep overs with my best friend Jessi, who to this day, is still my best friend. We both wore glasses and braces and didn't care much about boys. We had this tree that we carved our names into, probably that very summer, which we called "our tree." We still visit that tree...we are nerds. The last time we vistited it was probably about 6 months ago, right before Jessi left on her mission to Russia. It still has our names carved in it.
5 years ago: I was dating my first boyfriend. We probably liked eachother for more than a year before the dating actually started to happen. We were afraid of each other. He had this ball he played with at work that he wouldn't let anyone touch... a plastic baseball. I kidnapped it and held it for ransom. I told him he had to take me on a date to get it back. It worked. I am a nerd. We spent a lot of time watching movies and laying on his tramp looking at the stars, but mostly we were just awkward around eachother and afraid to even hold eachothers' hands. That changed eventually, but not long before he too left on a mission to Russia.
5 months ago: It was the beginning of a new semester...my last semester of my college career. Little did I know that it would be the most stressful semester of my life. 18 credits can be a killer. I went snowboarding for the first time, and yelled shit as a biffed it coming off the lift for the first time. I felt guilty...it was a church activity. Mostly I spent a lot of time falling down the mountain.
5 things on my to do list: finish my graduation application, have a talk with someone, visit Kari, pay my tithing, and write to Jessi in Russia
5 snacks: applesauce (I just ate some), graham crackers with peanut butter, saltines with cheese, peanut butter m&ms, and Zubs brownies
5 billionaire things: travel the world, help out my family, buy a nice camera, pay off student loans, live somewhere expensive
5 places I have lived: Murray, Springville, and Logan...all in Utah. I don't really know if I have lived anywhere else...I can count the different places in Logan I have lived, but I would rather not.
5 things you might not know: 1. I have a scar on my chin from burning it on a toaster. 2. I played the flute in the band for five years. 3. I have a 3.9 GPA. 4. I HATE when people blow me off or cancel plans on me, more than almost anything. 5. I have never been on an airplane.
5 years ago: I was dating my first boyfriend. We probably liked eachother for more than a year before the dating actually started to happen. We were afraid of each other. He had this ball he played with at work that he wouldn't let anyone touch... a plastic baseball. I kidnapped it and held it for ransom. I told him he had to take me on a date to get it back. It worked. I am a nerd. We spent a lot of time watching movies and laying on his tramp looking at the stars, but mostly we were just awkward around eachother and afraid to even hold eachothers' hands. That changed eventually, but not long before he too left on a mission to Russia.
5 months ago: It was the beginning of a new semester...my last semester of my college career. Little did I know that it would be the most stressful semester of my life. 18 credits can be a killer. I went snowboarding for the first time, and yelled shit as a biffed it coming off the lift for the first time. I felt guilty...it was a church activity. Mostly I spent a lot of time falling down the mountain.
5 things on my to do list: finish my graduation application, have a talk with someone, visit Kari, pay my tithing, and write to Jessi in Russia
5 snacks: applesauce (I just ate some), graham crackers with peanut butter, saltines with cheese, peanut butter m&ms, and Zubs brownies
5 billionaire things: travel the world, help out my family, buy a nice camera, pay off student loans, live somewhere expensive
5 places I have lived: Murray, Springville, and Logan...all in Utah. I don't really know if I have lived anywhere else...I can count the different places in Logan I have lived, but I would rather not.
5 things you might not know: 1. I have a scar on my chin from burning it on a toaster. 2. I played the flute in the band for five years. 3. I have a 3.9 GPA. 4. I HATE when people blow me off or cancel plans on me, more than almost anything. 5. I have never been on an airplane.
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