Back From The Beyond

The kidney stone passed yesterday morning.  Phew.

Herself says:  "I never want to do that again. Ever."

It was a tremendously ugly, demeaning, horrific betrayal of the body.  Shockingly, hyperventilatingly painful. No way to sit still, even though moving made it worse.  No way to be quiet, even though vocalizing did not help.  No way not to cry, endlessly, helplessly.  Awful.  She tries not to think about it anymore.

She thinks instead about the people who were there.

She thinks about Offspring the Second and Offspring the Third, who stoically remained calm and helpful when Herself could not help suffering loudly.  How terrible for them, to have to witness their mother in such pain.  They were very brave.

She thinks about Beloved Husband, who -- despite having a strong aversion to all medical procedures -- held Herself's hand during the insertion of her IV, and waited patiently with Herself while she suffered until the pain medication took effect.  He  figured out how to give ottoman-shaped dog his insulin when Herself was unavailable to do so.  He fetched all the necessary medicines.  It was a lot all in one evening, to have to rush to the ER, to console an inconsolable wife, and to cope with needles (including using one for the first time on the dog), as well as the complexity of running around to find the only pharmacy open late on the holiday. He did marvelously well. 

She thinks about her Cherished Friend, who didn't hesitate to turn up promptly at the ER without even needing to be asked, and who helped to soothe poor distraught Offspring the Third by distracting him with a mission to get coffee.  He didn't bat an eyelash when Herself vomited in his vehicle (thank goodness for plastic containers) on the way home.  And he kindly kept Herself and Offspring the Third company for the day when Beloved Husband and Offspring the Second were necessarily out of town two days later.  It was remarkable and wonderful for Herself to learn that a friend can voluntarily witness all the horrid, unvarnished difficulty of an illness, and still be there afterwards, just as thoughtful and reliable as always. 

She thinks about those who were present in spirit: her siblings, who texted and called from their distant locations to see how she was faring, her parents, who did so as well; her in-laws; and her internet friends, who offered up good thoughts and prayers from across the nation.  

The kidney stone was a harrowing experience. There was a silver lining, though:  Herself felt that there was help and love during her distress. That is good, indeed.