The most frequent comparison is to child birth. Having only experienced one of the two kinds of pain I can’t speak to that. Ladies, however, who have been through both have attested either that they are on par, or that passing a kidney stone is worse. Either way it is important to remember not just the relative pain, but the relative reward. I have passed over a dozen stones, and not once did anyone send a gift or put on a shower. No one ever noted that a stone had my cheekbones. In short, there is no reward. One cannot even boast about beating the stone. Like Apollo Creed at the end of Rocky, we just cry out that there won’t be a rematch. Sadly, I’ve had more rematches than Rocky has had sequels.
Of course I’m not unique or alone. Some people go through their lives with zero stones. Some have one. Then there are those like me, with quarries for kidneys. I don’t recall ever having an x-ray that came back negative for stones. They are always there. The only question is when they will make a break for it. Stones in a kidney are an annoyance. Stones on the exit ramp are a car crash.
Which brings us to the real pain. Many assume, based on a lack of anatomical understanding, that the difficult part is when the stone leaves the body. Not at all. That pain is minimal, a mere irritant. The hardship is when the stone leaves the kidney and heads for the bladder. In between it travels through and obstructs that which typically carries urine to the bladder. You have a jagged, hard stone moving through a narrow passageway of soft tissue which tissue squeezes down on the stone, with pressure behind it from the blocked urine. It is kryptonite, a perfect storm of agony. This is why kidney stone is my leading candidate for what Paul described as the “thorn in his side.”
Some side dishes that go with this pain stew are infections and the accompanying fever. There is nausea caused by the backup plus nausea caused by the extreme pain. There is also the embarrassment of the moaning, screaming, crying over the pain.
The good news is that it also comes with dessert, the very thing our Lord served Paul. He told Paul He would not remove the thorn because it taught Paul of his weakness, of his dependance on His grace. That, not the absence of pain, is what I need above all else. The stones, though they may be made of calcium oxalate, are precious stones, a gift from my Father who loves me. The Lord taketh away. The Lord giveth. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
I have had a kidney stone, and it wasn’t fun. Very painful. Every persons pain is different, for the size of each stone is different. For me it wasn’t the worst pain I have gone through (After that I started to drink a lot more water, I think that helped). But this one is close to the top of the list.
I had a bout with another painful malady a few years ago. While growing up, every once in a while, mother would say, “Michael – stand up straight!” Well, mom is not around anymore, and one day while walking past a window I saw my reflection, I wasn’t standing up straight! I must have been walking around all “hunched over” for a long time. So, right then and there, I started to stand-up straight, correct my posture, head up, shoulders back, and chest out.
This old body does not like to do things differently, out of the ordinary. Even walking a bit more than normal, and I’m sore the next day. Well, after a few days, my back hurt, my neck was in rebellion, and it kept getting worse! Three weeks later, after it ached all day, I went to bed. I must have “slept wrong” for I woke with a horrible cramp on the right side of my neck. Have you ever gotten a cramp in your foot or calf, so excruciating it wakes you up in the middle of the night? Well, this cramp was more painful than any I have ever had in my calf or anywhere else. The whole right side of my neck was in spasm! Talk about getting or having rock hard, tight abs, this was rock hard, tight neck! Arnold would have been proud. It was like a seizure, pulling so very tight, so painful! I tried to stretch my neck to relieve and release the cramp. It worked, but then I moved, and bam – it came back! I tried to get up, but just moving caused it to cramp. In fact, just turning my head, or any kind of movement, caused my neck to cramp! This went on for the remainder of the night. In the morning, I remembered I had a hot-water bottle, and put it to use. It really helped, but my neck was still cramping. So, we called a masseuse we had used in the past, she always did a good job and came a short time later. That helped a bit more. The rest of the day I did a bit of stretching and relaxing, and by the end of the day, the cramping ceased and hasn’t come back.
There is another pain, or malady I went through a few months ago that was also just as painful, or maybe more. That’s a story for another time.
Wow brother, that sounds painful. God is good though. Glad you found relief. My procedure went well and I am again pain free.