I enjoy a good polka dot/stripe combo. This outfit's pattern mix is actually pretty subtle (it's the skirt that has polka dots), but it makes up for that with exuberant color.
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| From inmyjoi.blogspot.com |
This turned out to be a good opportunity to debut one of my purchases from the Goodwill gift card shopping trip--this very basic but welcome light blue short-sleeved top that coordinates with the blue stripes in the cardigan.
Blue/black/white striped cardigan (JNY), $4.41/wear
Black polka dot skirt (Walmart), $6.44/wear
*Light blue short-sleeved T (thrifted, Walmart), $2.99/wear
Blue/black sparkly flats (thrifted, Target), $1.75/wear
White/blue/yellow floral scarf (Target), $4.00/wear
Outfit total: $19.59/wear
Plus I wore these sparkly flats again. When I first saw them, I thought, Oh, too bad I didn't have these to coordinate with my outfit for Robert's mom's wedding--the black dress and blue/crystal necklace and peacock bag would have worked really well with some sparkly black and blue patterned flats. When I tried them on, I was surprised at how comfortable they are because I have found Target shoes to often be immediately uncomfortable--like, "I think my foot is about to bleed as I try to extract it from this ballet flat" level of immediately uncomfortable. And it wasn't because someone had broken them in for me, either--they were new shoes. So despite the fact that I don't have a lot of occasion to wear sparkly statement shoes, I was like, Screw it--I'll find a reason to wear them, even if it's just to go to work on a random Wednesday.
But this wasn't just ANY Wednesday, of course--it was Stent Removal Wednesday!
Having the stent removed and the feeling after was uncomfortable in the way that a pap smear is uncomfortable. But it's nice to no longer have that stinging/irritated/UTI feeling that I had with the stent.
However, it wasn't the magic bullet because about an hour afterwards, I had a severe pain attack (on the side where the stent had been) that I had to take 2 painkillers to find bearable.
Robert called the doctor's office and they said that it can take 24-48 hours after the stent is removed for things to settle down. The pain was very much like (though less intense than) I had after my surgery, which I think they said at the time was probably bladder spasms. It makes sense that this was some kind of spasms--it had a similar feel to other kinds of spasms I've experienced. They have prescribed another 15 painkillers, which Robert will pick up at the pharmacy this afternoon.
Doing a web search on "kidney stone stent removal" + "pain" or + "recovery" I found information suggesting that it's not uncommon to experience some pretty bad pain after having a stent removed. Something like 33% to 50% do, based on different sources. That's reassuring, I suppose.
Anyway, here's the bottom line: It's good to have my stent gone. I'm still having pain but I hope it goes away soon. I'm still not sure whether I have passed all the stones or not yet, though!
While I was in the office, we scheduled a follow up at the end of September (3 months from now) for me to undergo more intensive imaging to figure out more about the "constriction"/"obstruction" and decide whether I need to have that fixed.
Update: Oh, I forgot to mention, they were able to determine during the surgery what kind of kidney stones I have. (Tam, this is why they didn't ask me to strain my urine for them.) It's what we figured: calcium oxalate. Check out this depressingly long list of high-oxalate foods to avoid. Just what I needed--another set of dietary limitations.
5 comments:
Too bad the chart doesn't give the oxalate values since it says to limit it to a certain amount. I bet if you would quit drinking black iced tea that would make the most difference. That's about the only thing that has changed in your diet in the last couple of years.
I hope your pain goes away soon!
Ugh, that is quite a depressing list. I'm glad, though, that it's not uric acid crystals, because a low-purine diet seems even more Sally-incompatible. At least meat doesn't seem to be implicated with oxalates.
Maybe this list of low-oxalate foods is more encouraging.
Chocolate and tea, though. That's cruel.
Mom, Robert found a source with oxalate values, so I will be able to figure out what gets me in the desired range. Iced tea is sadly a no-go, though. However, green tea is low-oxalate, and Robert has bought me plain decaf green and a decaf green fruit flavored tea to try. I'm hopeful that one or both of them will be decent iced. If not, I guess I'll be rocking the hot tea.
Tam, I am very fortunate not to be limiting meat. One thing that's sad is that the low-oxalate vegetable list isn't great for me. But at least red peppers and lettuce are on the list.
That is a lonnnnnng list! So sorry. I really like iced green tea so I hope it's a good substitute for you once you get used to it. And hey, unlimited bacon! Lol, sorry, trying to find an upside...
Jen, glad to hear that iced green tea has your approval. Makes me more hopeful it will be a good substitute for water at least sometimes!
As for the bacon, I totally thought of that, too! :)
But this kidney stone thing has most definitely put the final nail into the pseudo-paleo coffin. Too many restrictions on the fruit/veg side of things (given all my other restrictions). And there just isn't a way for me to deal with cutting out chocolate and nuts on my current diet. That's my easy/portable/no prep snack, go-to dessert, and general "at least I'm eating some kind of treat" combination. I'm going to need to add some grains and more dairy to make this something I can live with, I think.
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