Percu what?

Percutaneous nephrolithotomy. PCNL for short. Hopefully a means to an end for me.

I was recently diagnosed with a LARGE staghorn kidney stone. It was approximately 1" in diameter. Too large to pass. So large that the only way out was surgically.

While this stone was many months in the making, it wasn't until early summer that I caught on to my persisting symptoms. My lack of energy, appetite and constant lethargic state couldn't possibly still be from sleep deprivation - Peyton had been sleeping through the night for several weeks at this point. I also began to wonder why my back was still hurting when it had been days since I last worked out? And why, I questioned, is it getting worse instead of better?

It took several referrals before I was finally directed to a urologist at Virginia Mason, in Seattle, because no one locally did the procedure I needed. When we met the surgeon we really liked him and were assured that all things considered, it would be a relatively simple surgery. However, getting it scheduled ended up being anything but simple. I was originally told there was no way they could schedule the surgery before December, but I refused to schedule unless they came up with something sooner...a lot of phone calls, waiting and Advil to manage the ever increasing back pain, later we received a weeks notice to prepare for surgery on Friday, October 2nd. Since it would be a minimum 2 nights stay, our first weekend away from Peyton was at the hospital. It wasn't even a private room. Not how we imagined it, but necessary.

Anyway, the urologist performed the surgical procedure called, percutaneous nephrolithotomy. Which, as I understood it, means they accessed my kidney through my back with a needle and then splinted the access point open to extract the stone. I had drainage tubes and a catheter for the couple of days we were in the hospital. Once the tubes were removed and we were discharged from the hospital, the real fun began. For the first week, I had a hole in my back. Until it slowly closed, I was leaking fluid out the hole. We were literally changing my soaked clothes and bandage every 1-3 hours (around the clock) for the first week. Note I use "we" because the bandage was on my back out of my reach. Yes, my mom had the honors all day long and she passed the torch to Steve who graciously attended to my needs ALL NIGHT LONG. Just when we were at wits end, the flood gates suddenly closed. Thank God. Now that I'm not peeing out my back, I'm able to focus on recovery.

At the post op appointment on Monday I got the all clear to once again pick up my 13 month old, which means that day to day life can resume somewhat normally. There is still no heavy lifting in my near future. For at least 6 weeks, anyway.

Today I'm stone free. Good riddance, I say! I just have to keep the bacteria away to maintain that status.

Thanks once again to all of my family who worked overtime to manage not only their own families, but to help mine out, as well. Peyton enjoyed his outings and play dates with his bigger cousins and all the attention that came his way. He never once hesitated to leave my side - didn't glance back over his shoulder even one time. While I selfishly wished he might peek, to see if I was watching him be escorted out the door, or feign reluctance to leave, it sure made it easier on all of us that he was so flexible and easy going. He always returned so genuinely happy and exhausted from these outings. I knew they were the right thing for him.

My mom has especially stepped in to keep our household running. Putting her own life on hold, she has spent the majority of the past 3 weeks with me. She has arrived promptly at our door step bright and early each morning to help out: cooking, cleaning, laundry, planning Peyton's outings and play dates and mothering both Peyton and I. I'm already going through Mom withdrawals, anticipating the first day she doesn't come over. She is THE BEST. I love you, Mom!

Last year my body worked overtime to make a baby. This year it worked overtime to make a stone. The goal in the year to come is to give my body (and my family) a break. I'm going for optimum health this year!