Is one you don't want to try, trust me. I recently in the last week and a half came down with a RAGING! kidney infection. I had no idea, see the week before I experience a surge in frequency in peeing a lot and nothing burned so figured, its near my period, probably just water retention. Then last week NO appetite at ALL. Nothing tasted right and I just couldn't enjoy the food or would start eating only to lose interest in the food itself. Then my period came, it was the worse! I thought if it wasn't for my jeans my guts, insides would pour out. Horrible. I assumed once it ended I would no longer have this sharp pain in my right side, near my rib cage....
Not true.... it ended with me going to the ER Sunday night with a fever and I was a mess! I couldn't get comfortable. I couldn't even enjoy tv or anything and I was sleeping the weekend away. In the ER, I was told it could be either my gallbladder or my kidneys. They asked me for symptoms of a UTI. I said only having to pee a little more often two weeks ago was it tops. No way did I even think an UTI! But it was and it led to a bad kidney infection called, Pyelonephritis. Pyelonephritis is an infection of the kidney and the ducts that carry urine away from the kidney (ureters). Basically if left untreated, can cause Renal failure, ie; Death. So while I'm withering on a cot, groaning because of the fever, next to me was a woman who was being treated for her heart and ironically I saw her wristband and she shared my birthday, August 10th. Only she was 1956, me 1974 :) Jack was NOT happy with the hospital staff. He tried to get them to help me and finally after an IV and lots of blood work, urine sample etc etc I had a sonogram which confirmed it was my kidney that was infected and the swelling was causing the pain in my side. I didn't care, I wanted to just sleep but was being woken up every hour or so. Then they gave me antibiotic through the IV, finally at 4am, we left and headed home.
Early Monday morning, I hurled 5 times, and I hadn't eaten anything in several days so you can imagine it wasn't pretty. I couldn't hold water or aspirin down for my fever. That night I took my 1st pill form of the antibiotic only to spend tuesday throwing up, the orange juice I had and I tried to shower but it was a challenge not to puke and keep myself standing upright. Tuesday night I took half of the dosage. I declared to Jack I wasn't gonna spend another day throwing up. And I didn't. I also started to make sure when I take it now to take it with water.
Wednesday was my first day vomit and fever free day. I just kind of slumped around my apartment which now seems like a personal hell or prison.I had spent most of the weekend home because I wasn't feeling well and it only got worse. So Jack was gone during the day (wednesday), he needed to take care of things and besides he spent all day Sunday, Monday and Tuesday with me. I think my caretaker needed a break. I was all depressed, no work, no energy, no internet, and I have seen all my vhs/dvds a million times!
Today I got to join the land of the living. Jack drove me to NYU area so I could meet a tutoring student from 2 to 4pm. I decided to take the train home so I could stop at Zabbars and grab dinner. It ended up Jack, picked me up from the UWS and we came home and had a nice meal for the first time in weeks for me personally. I still can't eat a lot. By the time dinner was done, I knew I was spent for the day.
I have never ever experienced the ache of a fever like that, I have only gotten fevers a few times in my entire life and it made me want to die, combined with the pain, lack of appetite and topped off with a nice few days of vomitting. I have a new found empanthy for anyone who ever goes through a bad kidney infection. Its the worse. Now I've sworn to Jack if I so much as pee one too many times, I am not walking but running to the doc for an unrinary analysis of my PEE!~
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