2011 ...

Wow, I can't believe it's been a year since I blogged. I deleted everything and am going to start fresh.

A lot happened last year. I had 5 surgeries - 4 minor & 1 major. For the past 11 years I have been dealing with kidney pains. About 7-8 years ago, I was told I had kidney stones. Simple problem huh? Apparently not!

I went back and forth to hospital for visits & scans, and tried everything possible. According to the doctors, since the stones hadn't grown, shrunk or moved, then I basically just had to put up with the constant pains. Most days the pains were just a quick sharp pain, but some days the pains lasted 20 or more minutes. And then there were the days when I ended up in severe pain due to infections.

Finally it was decided towards the end of 2009 that it was finally time to remove the stones. I was scheduled to have surgery in January 2010. After 2 cancellations, I finally went in for surgery. I was going in for a procedure where they used a laser via the uretha to "blast" the stones.

1st surgery Feb. 2010 - I was told they couldn't get into my kidney so a stent was inserted. I had to wait 3 months to go back. All I will say is stents are NO FUN! I couldn't walk more than 5 minutes without being in pain.

2nd surgery May 2010- Woke up to be told that they STILL couldn't get into my kidney, so a bigger stent was put in. I ended up in ER twice the 1st week due to excruiating pain. Again, another 3 months wait.

3rd surgery August 2010- Good news - the stent had been removed & they were able to get the camera into my kidney, and surprisingly there were no stones. Bad news - I NEVER HAD STONES TO BEGIN WITH. Apparently I had a birth defect which was causing a blockage to my kidney. Hence the reason my kidney was so dilated for who knows how long, since apparently I had this problem since birth!

4th surgery Oct. 2010 - MAJOR ONE! I had a procedure called laprascopic pyelosplasty. The Dr basically detached my uretha, removed the damaged part of my kidney, then reattached the uretha. I spent 7 days in hospital with a catheter & drainage tube, plus a body rash due to an allergic reaction. I will be going to hospital hopefully this month to see if they can find the cause of this reaction.
On top of that, 2 days after my surgery, my Dad went in to have his surgery - quadruple bypass. It was not a good time for me & my family!

5th surgery Nov. 2010 - simple procedure to remove yet another stent.

I will be going to have an xray in a couple of weeks to see if the surgery was a success, with a follow-up appointment in February. Fingers crossed it's over & done with, and I can get on with my life now.

So as you can see, it was a pretty horrible 2010 for me. Because I couldn't really walk far for about 9 months, I have gained so much weight. Yesterday I started my exercise program back up again. I have a cross-trainer & punching bag in the garage which got a workout this morning.

2011 WILL BE THE YEAR FOR ME TO GET HEALTHY !!!