Tuesday, April 05, 2011

You Have a What in Your Where?

A co-worker called out sick last week.  He showed back up to work the next day but he looked to be in a great deal of pain.  This is a guy that normally jumps right in and helps with any project but on the day following his absense he was begging for a desk job.  For this blog, let's call him David.

By lunch time David was turning pale and his face showed the pain he was dealing with.  I asked him if he was about to give birth and he said he wishes it was that easy.  He has kidney stones.  I cringed.

I've never had kidney stones but anyone that I've ever talked to about it starts crying.  I got scared and David told me that drinking a lot of water will help reduce the chances of getting the jagged stones that he is plagued with. I immediately filled my water bottle.

He went home sick at lunch time.  Then he went to the hospital.

Over the weekend he went back to the hospital.  He decided to have surgery to have it removed.  It only took me a few seconds to think about how that procedure might work.   Then I went and drank some more water.

On Monday my co-worker came back and I asked if he was feeling better.  David said he had surgery but the surgeon couldn't reach it and David was still waiting to pass the stones.  "What the *@&$ ??!!!", I said.  "They went in to get it and left without it?"  I drank some more water.

Then he said they put a stint in to help the stone pass easier.  I cringe writing this . . .  ugh.  my eyes. . . tears. . . OMG.  I'll be right back, getting more water. . . .

I've given him the lightest of light duty work for the next couple of days and I told him I wouldn't be able to talk to him about it anymore because talking about it brings me to my knees and makes me want to vomit.

A female coworker heard what we were talking about and she said she heard it's about as painful as childbirth is for a woman.  Really?  Are babies born with jagged edges that cut and scratch their way out as they try and escape your body?

Either way, I'm scared.  I think it's time for another glass of water.

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