Why I'm Boycotting My Birthday From Now On

Last year, I had horrible landsickness after returning from our cruise to the Bahamas and spent my birthday throwing up all day.

This year, I had a kidney stone and spent my birthday. . .throwing up all day. . .and eventually going to the hospital.

I was feeling great when I woke up. Gemma woke up around 5 and I fed her but then couldn't go back to sleep so I decided to go for a run. I did really well on the run - it was a short run, but for the first time, I was able to finish the whole loop without stopping to walk. Then I came back, sat on the porch for awhile and read. Then my mom came out and we talked for a while, and then my sister came out and pretty soon the whole family was just hanging out on the porch enjoying the nice morning.

Then all of a sudden I felt this stabbing pain in my lower left back. At first I assumed it was just a muscle spasm - I was tired, I had gone for a run, and I have been taking care of a baby for three weeks. But it just kept getting worse and wouldn't go away. I wondered if I had a kidney stone but I wasn't sure since I had never had one before. Pretty soon the pain was so excruciating that I started vomiting uncontrollably. Cy called my OB doctor just to make sure it wasn't some weird postpartum thing. She thought it was a kidney stone but called in some medicine for me. When that wouldn't stay down and I still kept vomiting, Cy decided it was time for me to go to the hospital.

Since it was Memorial Day, things were happening extra slowly at the hospital. I eventually got an IV and some pain medicine, and much later, a CT scan which showed a small stone trapped between my kidney and my bladder, so that my bladder was actually backing up into my kidney (hence the extreme pain). Long story short, I had to stay overnight so they could get me hydrated again and keep pumping me with pain meds. By this morning, I was feeling much better and they were able to send me home.

Now everyone keeps asking me if it's true that having a kidney stone is similar to or worse than giving birth, since--lucky me--I've done both in the past three weeks. They were both intense experiences and were different kinds of pain. Comparing the two, the conclusion I've come to is that I think standard treatment for kidney stones should include an epidural. :)

So this is why I'm boycotting my birthday from now on. Maybe if I ignore my birthday, I can trick my body and avoid the inevitable raging illness that seems to accompany my special day every year. . .