My body hates me...
 

Seriously...I'm at the point where I think it's not possible for anything good to happen with my body without something else "breaking" on me. DRG treatment is working well so...

Going on 6 weeks with multiple kidney stones that don't seem to want to go anywhere but are too small for them to want to do any intervention. Today the doctor gave me Tramadol to take as needed for the pain and then if not better in a week wants me to do a second ultrasound to see if they've gotten bigger. Nice plan...let's just wait and hope they grow enough that I can have them surgically removed/broken down...yay me...

Friday my left ear suddenly felt clogged and sound was muffled...ear was a little sore. Since I knew I was going in today to follow up on the Kidney stones I asked about my ear too. Ear wax build up...they try to flush it. Yeah...not only did that NOT work...I now can't hear ANYTHING out of that ear and it hurts REALLY bad. Dr said to just use ear wax softener for 4 days and then come back to try flushing it again if that doesn't work (I had already used that twice a day since Friday...but ok...let's give this a shot AGAIN). I am not looking forward to 4 days of not being able to hear out of one ear...it already has me all sorts of discombobulated...but at least it's distracting me somewhat from the Kidney stone pain so...

And on top of all that...high stress has me in a terrible flare up.

So...can I exchange this body for another one already? This one is tired, sore, and just all sorts of done right now.

Make an appointment with an Ear, Nose and Throat asap. I had ear infections frequently when I was younger. They have the equipment to remove wax quickly and painlessly. If you have an infection you will need antibiotics in the form of ear drops.

I developed Scarlet Fever once by attempting to unblock it myself. If any liquid gets trapped that can be the catalyst for infection.

You have enough issues going on with the CRPS. I get it. It seems like the hits keep coming. Feel better soon.

A body vaca! Who is with me!

Catra, a NP screwed me up with the BS that my ear was so clogged that I needed to clean it out. I wish I had ignored her. Months of misery insued.

What helped? I read to put a tiny bit of Vicks in my ear canal. I was desperate enough to try it and it worked amazingly well.

Thanks guys. I'm going to call the doctor this morning for a referral to an ENT because this is just too much. Zero sleep last night and it feels like someone is stabbing me in my ear. That can't be right or normal.

Ugh...so just got back from the Dr. Primary care Dr wanted to see me again to check on it, said there's a lot of wax and he can't see what's going on behind that so he wanted me to get in to see an ENT today. But then the nurse called 4 places and none could get me in so they just called and told me to take advil and it should subside on its own. I'm so frustrated...this pain is not normal. So I guess I need to start making phone calls myself rather than just wait and see. Even if the appt is next week I can always cancel if it does go away. Just one more frustrating situation...

And the first place I called got me in at 3:30 today...so hopefully they will be able to help. But darn...I'm really frustrated by this doctor at my primary care doctor's office (he's not the one I usually see but the one I happened to see at the walk in clinic when I went in for the Kidney stones). I mean seriously...let's get you in to see an ENT today...nurse calls 4 places with no luck...ok just take Advil and it will go away on its own. What?! Thanks for nothing doc. :(

My appointment with the ENT went well...they were able to remove the blockage (which was HUGE...she said that would not have come out with at home care and ear drops or with irrigation). It was painful getting it removed but I can hear again...yay...and even though it's sore I no longer feel like I'm being stabbed in the ear with a toothpick. I got some ear drops to help it heal because it's really inflamed but...oh my gosh...so much better already.

I think this means tomorrow I will look into finding a specialist to treat me for the kidney stones as I don't like the wait and see plan this doctor has for that. It's been 6 weeks already...at this point there should be something they can do or at least I will feel better knowing someone qualified is treating me so that if I do need intervention they will know the situation.

Thank you guys for listening and encouraging me to follow up and not just accept it.

That is the exact situation that at home care can make the situation worse. Your GP should have known better.

I'm glad you were so proactive and are now doing better!

You might consider trying a homeopathic for dealing with the stones.

Thank goodness you were treated and can hear!

Based on what happened to me with home care ear irrigation I am not surprised by your story. In my case, the wax finally fell out from the Vicks treatment, many weeks after that irrigation bs failed. Why no one would send me to an ENT is beyond me. Do they think we are making up our misery?

For decades I never went to the doctor, so do they think I suddenly developed a fondness for medical intervention. It is wacko!

I guess we have to be very persistent. I only got my xrays that confirmed CRPS in my other extremity by begging, so it is now clear to me what has to happen in the future, never give up.

I honestly don't know what doctors think sometimes. I don't know if they think I'm exaggerating or just impatient or what. Like this Dr when I saw him the next day to say it was worse started out telling me that in his 3 yrs at the practice he's never had any one come back and say it's worse, and that it was just water so nothing the nurse did would have made it worse, etc. I just...grrr...how about you just try LISTENING to me. I didn't say you guys did anything wrong...I'm saying it now hurts worse so what is the next step. I didn't realize I was asking for advice so far out of his wheelhouse...like...why not just send me to the ENT or tell me to make an appointment with an ENT if you guys don't want to do it. I'm sure there are preferred providers you send people do that are part of the same medical group and whatnot but don't expect ME to suffer just because those guys are unavailable. But this Dr actually asked me why I'm not getting better. How the heck would I know my my body hasn't passed these kidney stones yet or why irrigation made my ear worse. I'm not psychic and I'm not a doctor...just someone suffering and asking for help. And did I mention that I'm tired of hurting and really would just like to not hurt anymore? Thanks.

I'm probably being too hard on the Dr because 99% of the time the irrigation helps and 99% of the time the kidney stones would have passed on their own by now...but all I ask if for doctors to take me seriously and address the issues even if they are outside the norm.

It was an ENT that advised me, but although the wax is a problem due to discomfort and hearing, it's generally the failed attempt at irrigation that causes infection.

I hadn't had a GP I was happy with in a very long time. And now I love my current GP. She will research things, follows up, listens to me, etc. I had to cancel an appointment last year and I didn't reschedule. She called me at home to encourage me to follow through. Low and behold that visit was the first sign I had cancer. So long as she has an open practice I can't imagine not going to her.

If you're not happy with your GP, keep looking.

Kidney stones
 

I had kidney stones too that were too small and expected to pass. The pain was immense. The ER told me I needed to see a specialist but I couldn't get an appt. for at least 6 weeks. The ER put me on Viagra (I am a woman) but told me not ony is Viagra used for ED but it increases the diameter of the ureters helping the stones to pass. Eventually they did.

Fast forward several months, I went to see a new neurologist to rule out MS. As I gave him my history, he told me that my kidney stones were most likely caused by the Topamax I was taking for my crps. Kidney stones are a possible side effect of Topamax.

Discontinued the Topamax and haven't had any stone since.

By chance are you on Topamax for your crps?

That's interesting. The Dr did mention giving me some meds they typically use for men with prostate issues for the same reason...to make it easier to pass them. He didn't do it...but talked about it.

I'm not taking Topamax...I actually only use Lidocaine patches and my DRG stimulator for pain control. Interesting that kidney stones are a side effect. I can't pinpoint any real change except for one thing that happens right before I get kidney stones the last 3 times...I cut all soda out of my diet and go to water only. That has been the only thing that has changed in my diet each time...no one thinks that is related and I don't know why it would be...but it's the only change each time and it happens every time I go to water only. So much for trying to be healthy.

I did a lot of research into kidney stones a long time ago, but have forgotten a lot.
There are two kinds, and one can be dietary affected and the other not. And I do remember neither is affected by calcium, even though people think that cause they eat calcium.
Can you not see a urologist? They could insert a stent to make it easier for the stones to pass, if nothing else.

We are, oddly, having a kidney stone issue here in the house, but it is because my husband's MS meant he didn't feel them, so they grew MASSIVE and now affect the kidney function. Like they are 1 inch and there are more than one in each kidney. Last week they put stents to each kidney just to help the kidneys drain better, and the uro pulled 20 mL of pus from above one stone. He's on 2 abx from the infection he had.

Anyway, no way I'd let them leave me with stones for 6 weeks. Kick up a fuss!

I'm sorry to hear what your husband is going through...that sounds absolutely terrible.

I think next week I will be calling a specialist. I should probably do it tomorrow (later today I guess...lose track of the days when I'm not sleeping) but I mentally needed a break from "kicking up a fuss"...doing it last week with the ear issue pretty much drained all the energy I had for it. Who knows...maybe the stones will pass before I ever get to the urologist but at least if I see one and get checked out then I will be an existing patient and have someone to see next time it happens. And if they haven't passed by then, they can hopefully do something to help. Almost 2 months of this nonsense has really just drained all my energy between the stones, the ear issue, the constant flare ups I've been having, no sleep...I'm just so done. :(

catra121, that is appalling how care functions in the US. Honestly. Yes, we pay about 50% in taxes, but at least we have generalized health care and you most always are about to see someone within at least a week to a few weeks.

And why on earth your GP wasn't able to remove the blockage is mind boggling. I had the same types of things at age 3 when my pediatrician just removed it from my ear with what seemed like a special type of pick in those days (for hard wax).

My ear is much better after seeing the ENT. My kidney stones are same...no better no worse. What exactly is your situation? Happy to try and help if I can.

Spent last night in the ER with chest pains, shortness of breath, nausea, headache, etc. Nothing serious it looks like, doctor said probably a panic attack. Sigh...Im just so done with all this...

Panic attacks are brutal, it is surprising we don’t have them every day.I am sorry you had one, because it is a frightening experience.

It's better to be safe than sorry!

I haven't had kidney stones so far.

My pain medication is Transtec (buprenorfine patches), Temgesic (sublingual buprenorfine), and Neurontin.

One kidney stone passed finally! That sucker was huge and had lots of sharp jagged edges. The last 3 days have been torture and it's obvious why. I was able to catch it and am hoping the doctors will be able to send it in for testing and see what kind it is and if there's anything I can do to prevent more. Still have at least 2 more to pass...but maybe those will be easier...hopefully. last time I had a stone and caught it, it was like the size of a pencil tip and smooth...this one was very different and much much bigger.

Oh man... glad at least one passed. But still more to go? That sucks.

At least 2 more that they saw on the ultrasound. Hoping those are smaller and less painful to pass. The doctors office is sending in the one I passed Sunday so hopefully we can find out what kind it was and if there's anything I can do to avoid this in the future.

Man that is horrible, but at least they are sending it in!

Keep us posted.