Thank you all for your considered and honest replies. I really value them.
I've had problems with sciatica for a while, when the kidney stone pain was at its peak I remember that after my injection of whatever the narcotic was (which made me hurl my guts out - not that I minded...) I realised that I couldn't feel the aching nerve down my leg anymore.
Even so, the pain in the ureta was still very much in evidence despite the opiate (it was perhaps toned down from high pitched shriek to a loud shrill wail), and I know this means the kidney stone pain was pretty bad if such a strong drug hardly made a dent in it.
One thing that has completely evaporated is my delusion that kidney stones are little round pebble like things shaped like kidneys. Oh no, they're sharp and serrated and cause horrible damage on their way out, gauging your tubes along the way, making them bleed and causing infection. When my husband saw the one stone I was able to capture he commented that it looked like a Ninja morning star (the razor edged metal disks that they throw at each other in martial arts movies).
Another misconception gone is that it isn't just one round of pain. The stones go from the Kidney to the bladder (which was the excruciating part for me) and then from the bladder to the outside world (in my case nearly 2 weeks later - hardly noticeable in comparison to the first leg, apart from the infection). The first part of the stone's oddyssey must be just as painful for women as for men.
And another is that kidney stones are exclusively a mens health issue.
Only other thing I've experienced where the pain was comparable to having kidney stones was when I had the calf muscle in my leg stitched after slicing it as a 13 year old. It didn't hurt at all at the time - but my efforts to walk on it (in order to excersize the muscle and prevent my getting a limp) were pure agony. I still wonder where I dredged up the force of will from. Especially as, so soon after passing some stones, I'm finding it hard to up my liquid intake. My mum always used to complain that I didn't drink enough water. Now I know she was absolutely right
.
jerseygirl, have you
really had kidney stones and find they can be dismissed so easily? Or should I be really REALLY frightened about having a baby? I don't think you realise how terrifying your post is!