You know how I said we were sworn off of Doctors and Hospitals? Well... I lied.

So last night we were getting into bed. It was late, way too late, and we laid down and saw about 15 mosquitoes buzzing around our ceiling. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't be able to sleep knowing that I was about to be food. So, Michael squished them all one by one and then cleaned them all up. Then we laid down to go to sleep again- it was 1:30am. EmmaRay woke up at 1:35- I gave her her pacifier and crossed my fingers, but it didn't last more than 10 minutes. So, I got up to feed her downstairs. About 2 minutes after that I heard Michael up, stretching and groaning a little. He came downstairs looking like he was in pain- he said his back felt like it was out. He took some Ibuprofen and stretched and rubbed his back, all the while getting in more and more pain. I asked him if he had hurt his back chasing after the mosquitoes. He didn't think that he had.
Then he went completely pale and started shivering so he wrapped up in a blanket and tried to get comfortable in our recliner. Meanwhile I am getting scared because I have NEVER seen Michael in so much pain before. He stood up because he just couldn't get comfortable and grabbed the right side of his back. I said "Do you have a kidney stone?" I looked up some info online and all the symptoms and location checked out-- especially the excruciating pain level. Michael was about to throw up he was in so much pain, he said "I need to go to the hospital."
I got him a heating pad and loaded all the kids into the car at 2:30am and we took off for the hospital, being careful of bumps and no quick stops. While I was strapping the sleepy kids in Michael said this was a time when he wished he could give himself a blessing. I asked him if he wanted me to call someone, but he said we just needed to go fast.
By the time we got to the hospital at 2:45 he said he was feeling a lot better, the heat helped a bunch- he was still pale (I've never seen anyone get pale in their arms before- he was white like a sheet all over), but he wasn't shivering anymore and no more groaning in agony.
I dropped him off at the ER entrance and went and parked the car (why don't they have valet parking???). Bringing 3 kids into the hospital by myself is not an experience that I want to have every day, especially not at 3 in the morning!
They got us situated in a room and the nurse came in and asked for a urine sample because they suspected kidney problems. Michael came back from that with a crazy thing-- he caught the kidney stone. What are the chances of that? The doctor came in then and asked how he was doing and Michael said he felt much much better and to look at the cup. The doctor said "Wow! You just passed a kidney stone my friend!" He asked if we wanted a CT scan to make sure everything was clear, but Michael was feeling so much better that we decided to take option #2 and just wait awhile to make sure the pain didn't come back.
We waited 45 minutes, trying to get the kids to lay down on the gurney and in our laps (they were exceptionally good considering we had woken them up in the middle of the night), and then I went to find the doctor and tell him that we were ready to go. He let us go without waiting an extra 20 minutes for the discharge papers. We got home at 4:45am and fed the kids a snack of graham crackers and milk and then put the kids back to bed. Michael sent his boss an email saying he would be late to work in the morning because it was 5am and we were just going to sleep.
EmmaRay slept until 7 and then was starving again, so I fed and changed her and then put her back to bed (wide awake) because I was desperate for some more sleep. I got up again at 8:30 to get her and snuggled with her in bed until the kids woke up (thankfully) at 10.
Michael got to work by 11:30 and went to talk to his boss. His boss hadn't read his email and didn't even realize that Michael wasn't there all morning... he should get there late more often if he's not even missed!
Anyway, that is our last and final adventure at the hospital. On the drive there I was just imagining Michael getting a shot of morphine for the pain and laying in pain on a hospital bed for who knows how long and going through CT scans, ultrasounds, xrays, bloodwork, etc. etc. etc. and I am SO GLAD that it turned out as easy as it did! I love you Michael and I'm so glad you are feeling better!!!