Tomorrow I’m heading into hospital for the 3rd time since late November, and I thought it probably fair to explain what’s happening with me. Whilst I do want to explain everything that’s happening, I don’t want to sound like a victim or hard done by.

So here’s my poor attempt.

First, we’ll go the kidneys. This has had the biggest impact:

As many readers will know, last year about this time I kicked off a “Biggest Loser” weight loss competition. In my eagerness to win the comp, I started a life-changing course of exercise, which involved high impact Boxercise some 3+ times per week. The Boxercise I love. Absolutely and unequivocally. Every part, besides the improvement in my health and fitness, I enjoy the release of stress, the friends and social aspect. There’s just something really satisfying about smacking the crap out of something.

In July I started feeling abdominal pain, which increased enough for me to visit the doctor late September. Initial diagnosis was an abdominal strain due to the Boxercise. But no amount of reduction in ab-work reduced the ever increasing pain. This all came to a head one fateful Saturday in November, when I felt that “oh so familiar” nausea inducing pain in my back. Kidney Stone! Renal Colic! Acute Discomfort!

I should know, it’s my tenth over 15 years. Of the ten, only 3 have required hospitalisation, and only 1 other needed removal surgery.

This time, however, I didn’t go through the usual “lie on the floor and throw up for 3 hours” pain whilst I passed the stone. I was in ‘discomfort’ but not debilitatingly so. An x-ray identified the culprit: a 15mm Calculus lodged at the base of the left ureter (that’s the tube which feeds the bladder from the kidney).

Given the ureter is a couple of mm’s in diameter at best, you’re really ‘fortunate’ to pass anything up to about 8mm. But you’re just not going to pass a stone that size. So given the stone is just sitting there and growing, what’s causing the pain is the backing up of urine putting pressure on the kidney. Simply put, someone with great skill, not to mention credentials, has to use some pretty cool technology to remove the stone.

Right about the time I was diagnosed, was Lu and my wedding anniversary, which we celebrated by diving over in Vanuatu (very cool). The urologist didn’t want to risk the trauma of the surgery to remove the stone a week before the flights, or impact on a romantic week-end. But he did need to do something to stop the pain. So the 1st op was scheduled in mid-November to place a J-stent. As the name implies, this is a J-shaped tube, which hooks in behind the calculus, and allows the fluid to drain away. No fluid build up, no pressure, no pain. (Well almost).

When he went in, the Dr discovered that the type of stone I make (or at least this one) is one of the soluble sort. This is good news, and he prescribed a course of Sodibic (Bicarbonate of Soda) to dissolve said stone. The next x-ray was scheduled for late January and as you can see, the medication had minimal effect on the stone.

Actually, that’s not quite accurate, as little bits of stone were coming off, resulting in an abrasive gravel in my bladder, causing a mild UTI (Urinary Tract Infection) and some discomfort.

Anywhoo, we scheduled the “big op” for the 9th of Feb.

This was a roaring success. Well, mostly. Total success would be: Shatter the stone with a laser, remove the large part, remove the stent, allow the rest to flush away. What actually happened was: Discover the stent was too small (despite being a universal length – apparently I have a longer Ureter than most. Not intentionally bragging or anything.) So this had shifted below the stone. The stone had then shifted further down, bending the end of the stent. This in turn meant the scope hit the end of the stent and could get to the stone.

So, remove the scope; remove the stent; reinsert the scope; chisel away at the larger than estimated stone with a laser (look at your thumbnail here for a more accurate estimate); until it’s a size that can be removed. By now the ureter is a touch on the inflamed side from all the to-ing and fro-ing in there, so insert a new (longer than universal) J-stent to allow the inflammation to abate and the debris to flush away. The planned 45 min procedure saw me on the table for a healthy 2 hours.

Interestingly (at least to this geek) the surgeon didn’t use Sonic Therapy (ultrasound) to shatter the stone, but a laser. I mean, really cool tech. They also didn’t use keyhole surgery, or any form of incision, but used naturally placed entry points. By now the men reading this are crossing their legs and sharing “tears of solidarity” – I’m just glad I was asleep.

I’m also glad that Lucy forced me to stay overnight rather than come home. Her logic?

“They can give you morphine in there. At home we have Ibuprofen”

Good logic I thought – and yes, they did need to give me a shot of morphine over night.

The impact of replacing a J-stent, however, means that there is still a foreign body inside my urinary system that needs removing. Hence tomorrow’s procedure. Am I looking forward to that? Nope. Am I glad that in 24 hours this should all be over? Resoundingly so!!

The biggest impact of this is I’m that I’m not able to fly this week. Which in turn means that I’m not able to go to South Africa for my little brother’s wedding. As it turns out, my other little brother (but the older of the two) is getting married in South Africa next week, and I’m missing that wedding too.

But it’s not only the kidneys that have affected my exercise routine. After all, I should be able to run and hit punch-mats, even with a stent in. Enter the Ankle:

After a much needed break from training over the summer holidays, not to mention the Christmas stuffing, we decided that January was going to be our “Month of Power” with training 5 days per week. A time to start the year strong, and kick metabolisms into gear.

As part of that, we decided to mix up the training. Inject some fun, and keep our bodies from adapting to routine. So, 2 weeks in someone came up with the hare-brained scheme to have Bacon sandwiches on the BBQ and play a game of 3-on-3 on the Basketball Court. Some of you will know my friend Rohan, aka “Slam TAM,” who used to weigh almost 140kg’s! He’s much less than that now, but still an immovable object to the irresistible force that was me coming in for a tackle.

My ankle was in the middle, made a horrifying “snap” sound, and I collapsed in a heap of curses. In the picture I look somewhat relaxed with my ankle on a bag of ice, and smothered under a towel filled with ice.

Six weeks of physio, and I’m still experiencing pain. Although not too much anymore. I’m certainly not up for running, or anything high impact. But as the physio did use the exercise bike as part of the rehab, so I figured cycling to work was probably not going to harm the ankle anymore, and would give me some exercise.

Hence starting that crazy scheme yesterday.

Still, considering the total lack of improvement after 6 weeks, I ha an x-ray on Monday, and should see the results tomorrow morning.

Finally, there’s the shoulder:

Slowly, since about the beginning of December, my right shoulder has been gradually getting more and more painful, to the point that for the last month or so I haven’t been able to lift my arm much above shoulder height.

For someone who hasn’t lost more than about 2 days of sleep in my life, I’ve been kept awake by both the ankle and shoulder.

Ultra-sound, interferential, exercise, nothing seems to work. And to top it all, I don’t know whether it was doing 50 push-ups, or RSI from my seating position in the office. Or perhaps something else (arthritis, gout, cartilage damage?)

So, from my right shoulder, through my midriff, to my left ankle, I’ve been a ball of pain for the first couple of months this year!! It’s stopped me exercising, and I’ve noticed how that has flowed through into every other area of my life – my work, church-life, family, relationships, overall happiness.

I refuse to let it stop me from doing what I love and enjoying life. But, if I’m honest, it has constrained camping (0 times in 2009 to date), boating (1ce this year), waterskiing (not since October), even diving (only 3 times this year so far). Grrr….

So there you have it. Medically, I’ve taken a bit of strain in 2009. I’m looking forward to the removal of the J-Stent, getting back into “light duties” at boxercise next week, and increasing my cycle to work regime.

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