It's true what they say.. Sixth time really is a charm!

I'm going to throw a couple of words at you for reference sake and then just give you visuals to make the experience of the last 9 days of my life more riveting than they actually were. (This being said in my best Dr.Cox voice from Scrubs.)


- TWO TRIPS TO THE ER IN 48 HOURS AND A COMBINED 5
ATTEMPTS AT
STARTING AN IV WITH COLLAPSED VEINS.
- KIDNEY STONES.
- RECTAL/PROSTATE EXAMINATION.
- CATHETER.
- LOSS OF ALL DIGNITY AND SELF CONFIDENCE IN A MEGER 48 HOURS!

“Kidney stones, or renal calculi, are solid concretions (crystal aggregations) of dissolved minerals in urine; calculi typically form inside the kidneys or ureters. The terms nephrolithiasis and urolithiasis refer to the presence of calculi in the kidneys and urinary tract, respectively. Renal calculi can vary in size from as small as grains of sand to as large as grapefruit. Kidney stones typically leave the body by passage in the urine stream, and many stones are formed and passed without causing symptoms. If stones grow to sufficient size before passage--on the order of at least 2-3 millimeters--they can cause obstruction of the ureter. The resulting distention with urine can cause severe episodic pain, most commonly felt in the flank, lower abdomen and groin (a condition called renal colic). Renal colic can be associated with nausea and vomiting due to the embyrological association of the kidneys and the intestinal tract. Recurrence rates are estimated at about 10% per year.”

Wikipedia.

“A rectal examination or rectal exam is an internal examination of the rectum by a physician or other healthcare professional.
The digital rectal examination (DRE, Latin palpatio per anum or PPA) is the simplest procedure. The patient is placed in a position where the anus is accessible and relaxed (lying on the side, squatting on the examination table, bent over the examination table, etc). The physician inserts a gloved and lubricated finger into the rectum through the anus and palpates the insides.”

Wikipedia

“In medicine, a catheter is a tube that can be inserted into a body cavity duct or vessel. Catheters thereby allow drainage or injection of fluids or access by surgical instruments. The process of inserting a catheter is catheterization. In most uses a catheter is a thin, flexible tube: a "soft" catheter; in some uses, it is a larger, solid tube: a "hard" catheter.”

Wikipedia