Pain (Continued)

My return trip to the hospital was a lot less painful. The test they wanted to administer was actually called a CT; I misunderstood the hospital receptionist while speaking to her on the phone earlier in the morning. I suppose if I wasn't so tired that I would have been able to understand her better.

The CT is, for the most part, just an Electromagnetic Imaging System. I was placed on a table, and my body was then moved into a large circular chamber resembling a large donut (or, as geeks call them, a toroid). Superconductors spin at a high rate of speed within the toroid, generating a huge electromagnetic field, also making a rather eerie sound. The eerieness was also elevated as the generated magnetic field caused the hairs on my body to stand on end. With the aid of computers, doctors are able to generate an image of your innards (but you did know that, right?). It was all over in less than two minutes.

I wish I could have seen the image of my excretory system on the screens. I really would have liked to see the image of what's been causing me grief the last week. I will have to wait until I book an appointment with the Urologist to see my results. Since the earliest that can happen is Tuesday, I may very well pass the stone by then.

That doesn't mean that the rest of my Friday was a walk in the park. The entire day was difficult to endure. I (obviously) took the day off work, and spend the day wandering around the house deciding if I should eat, drink fluids, take a nap, or do something productive like clean the house. Sleep did not come easy and only managed a total of 3 hours' napping in the morning and afternoon. When I finally woke up late in the afternoon, the discomfort in my lower back had risen. For a good four hours, I was clenching my teeth in pain that rose to new heights and would subside, much like a sadistic tease. I took a T3, which did nothing for the pain, and realized that I had better fill my prescription, as I would likely be eating these like candy in order to make the next few days manageable.

Much later in the evening, the pain subsided -- at least for now. I managed to get six hours sleep, which is a lot more than I got in the last 48 hours. The pain could strike again at any time, and I fully expect the next few days are not going to be pleasant.