Hallelujah!

This afternoon (about 5:30) the good folks at Redmond Regional Medical center , Drs. Johnston the anesthesiologist and Dwayne Collier the urologist along with Debbie and Linda and assorted other nurses worked together to invade my urinary tract and extract the kidney stone that has been plagueing me for weeks. Hallelujah!

I'm feeling no pain right now (literally or figuratively) -- pretty groggy. My throat is sore and there is discomfort in my urinary tract as you might imagine, but I feel remarkably well.

Since Collier was busier than expected in surgery with an older fellow who was having kidney problems following heart surgery, I was the only patient in pre-op and had time for a nice conversation with the anesthesiologist, a young fellow named Johnston, who has five kids he has homeschooled. I told him that I am a singer and wanted him to be gentle with my throat. He said on that account he would use a smaller than usual tube for my windpipe. I guess I had that on my my mind as I was coming out of the anesthesia after the procedure. They reported to Sheila and my sister, Joan, who waited with her, that I regaled the recovery room with an a capella version of "Nessun Dorma"!

Everyone got a big kick out of that. I thought they should have charged admission to help defray costs. Our portion of the hospital charge (not counting the doctors' charges) was $600!!! Lord only knows what the insurance company will pay.

That reminds me of my recent colonoscopy. Sheila and I had talked about eating out afterwards since I had been starved in preparation for the procedure. I suggested we go to Nancy's Pancake House. I love breakfast foods and had been wanting to try that place out.

A few weeks later I suggested to her that we go to Nancy's Pancake House. I wanted to try it out. She burst out laughing and reported to me that we HAD been there and I had even visited with some friends who we found there that morning. I had NO recall of the occasion.

Sheila and I got to examine the kidney stone. It looked awfully small in that little test tube. It was not spiky like the pictures I posted but more like a tiny jagged shard of glass.

I'm still a little woozy, but I am happy to have that rascal outta there! I will take tomorrow off work, but hope to be back in the saddle on Wednesday.

Thanks all for your concern. I'll try to quit posting about kidney stones for a while now!