Sharkbait Writes

A Special Thank You

Before I start writing today’s post, I want to thank everyone who sent me messages wishing me well as I’ve been battling problems with my back and chronic pains in my side. I really do appreciate the kind words. You know who you are and I thank you. Your comforting words mean more than you think. They really are like chicken soup for the soul.

Another Visit to the Clinic

My previous post “Twisted Like a Pretzel” focused on issues that I’ve been having with my back. Since then, I had to see the doc again on Saturday because of some very bad abdominal pains, along with a bad case of… how should I say it without being too graphic… Technicolor yawns. I thought I had food poisoning or something, so I went to the nearby walk-in clinic and had to wait over two hours before a nurse finally called me in to sit in a waiting room for another twenty minutes. Thankfully, I didn’t dare eat anything until after my visit to the clinic, so my nausea wasn’t that bad. The last thing I wanted to do was advertise what I ate to everyone in the waiting room. Lucky for them, I had already withdrawn my Friday night meal into the the plumbing system at home. So, I just took sips from a water bottle all morning to try and keep myself hydrated. While the nausea wasn’t near as bad as it was overnight, the discomfort in my gut was horrible. The pain was mainly around the left side just below my ribcage, which had originally started from the left side of my back.

The Diagnosis: Part Deux

I didn’t have food poisoning, but after another urinalysis, the doc told me that this time he found a trace of blood in my urine. The diagnosis… kidney stones. The intense pain I was having more than likely caused the colorful projectile yawning. So, I didn’t have food poisoning, but kidney stones isn’t what I would call a better diagnosis. Ugh! I’ve been taking my cocktail of medications and drinking a lot of water since Saturday evening. The Flomax that I’m taking is making me feel like an old man as I make frequent visits to the porcelain throne every 15 to 30 minutes. At least I’m not bowing down to the throne this time, and on the bright side, I haven’t been in too much pain. I know it’s because of the drugs, but I’ll take what I can get. To be on the safe side, I’ve also opted to stay off the road (medicine that causes drowsiness and 3500 pound vehicles do not play well together) and work from home until the little rock quarry that has developed inside my gut is put out of business. While working remote is convenient and it’s nice to be able to work from home, I still would much rather do my job from the office at work because the remote desktop tends to run very slow at times.

Pray for Sharky vV””Vv

With the nausea completely gone now, I’m back to eating solid foods today after barely eating anything this weekend, and of course, I ate chicken noodle soup. Isn’t it interesting that chicken noodle soup always seems to help you feel better when you under the weather? One thing is for certain: this latest health crisis has been a bit of a wake-up call. I’m not getting any younger and I have to start taking better care of myself. My diet is definitely going to change after going through this. I have got to cut down on the sodas, artificial sweeteners in my tea, lay off the fried foods, and of course eat more fruits and vegetables. A little more exercise wouldn’t hurt me either.

This past couple of weeks have been so miserable.

So, there you have it… the latest exciting news in the life of Robert “Sharky” Pruneda. For those of you wandering where the nicknames “Sharky” or “Sharkbait” came from, I think I may touch on that in my next post. Stay tuned and thanks for visiting. Oh, and one last thing… please pray that my health improves soon and that passing these stones isn’t too painful. (Cringe!)