Bad news and good news

Jason Larsen · Post by **Jason Larsen** » Tue Jan 27, 2009 3:49 am

When I post my thoughts about every current episode of Countdown each day, I sometimes like to be funny. My critique of Wednesday, January 21st's episode was no exception. I was making jokes about food. However, what I am about to say is no joke at all.

Ironically, I was not online for some of this past weekend (Saturday, mostly) because I had stomach pain.

However, today was not a good day for me. I went to one of my local clinics, saw the doctor there and was then sent to the ER of the same hospital I was born in.

Lots of things were done to me today. I had to get a liquid waste sample, an IV put into me and a CAT scan done to see what was the matter.

When the results of my final test came in, unfortunately I learned that I had a kidney stone. I was quite surprised at that because usually men don't get kidney stones until they are twice my age.

So, I am taking the day off of work tomorrow, I have pain medication and I will be drinking a lot. But, I may not be able to sleep all day, so I'll just rest. I will be here when I find resting difficult because the pain I have is a lot less sharp than it was earlier today.

Please keep me in your prayers.

Ralph Gillions · Post by **Ralph Gillions** » Tue Jan 27, 2009 4:51 am

I am very sorry to hear you are unwell Jason.
I hope the pain is bearable and not too severe,
and of course I hope that your problem is readily resolved
and that you soon feel fit and well again.
Good wishes, Jason.

Jon Corby · Post by **Jon Corby** » Tue Jan 27, 2009 8:12 am

Um... would you mind highlighting the "good news" part for me? I think I missed it...

Les Butterworth · Post by **Les Butterworth** » Tue Jan 27, 2009 9:44 am

Sorry to hear the bad news Jason I assume the good news is that it is no worse than a kidney stone.

Fortunately I have not suffered any major problems requiring scans etc., only the normal loss of teeth and hair, a couple of dodgy ankles and one knee and a slight neck problem with a touch of RSI thrown in. Otherwise I'm perfect.

We all have lots to look forward to.

Debbi Flack · Post by **Debbi Flack** » Tue Jan 27, 2009 10:07 am

Sorry to hear this Jason, hope your fit and well again soon.
x

Chris Corby · Post by **Chris Corby** » Tue Jan 27, 2009 10:11 am

Get well soon Jason, at least this explains why you weren't at COLIN....

Dinos Sfyris · Post by **Dinos Sfyris** » Tue Jan 27, 2009 10:27 am

That's a shame. Hope you get well soon.

Jason Larsen wrote:Please keep me in your prayers.

God's not real, but I'll keep a special place for you in my heart as always, Jason.

Jon Corby · Post by **Jon Corby** » Tue Jan 27, 2009 10:37 am

"Good news everyone, I have a kidney stone which is causing me enormous discomfort"

Chris Corby · Post by **Chris Corby** » Tue Jan 27, 2009 10:56 am

I have had a few kidney stones in my life too Jason. Luckily for me I was able to 'pee' them out and remember the little 'ping' noise as they hit the porcelain of the toilet bowl (or, in one case, the ping as it hit the side of my son's car)

Phil Reynolds · Post by **Phil Reynolds** » Tue Jan 27, 2009 11:15 am

Chris Corby wrote:I have had a few kidney stones in my life too Jason. Luckily for me I was able to 'pee' them out and remember the little 'ping' noise as they hit the porcelain of the toilet bowl (or, in one case, the ping as it hit the side of my son's car)

Thanks Chris. I just choked on a Belgian bun (which isn't as exciting as it sounds).

Ben Hunter · Post by **Ben Hunter** » Tue Jan 27, 2009 12:41 pm

Jon Corby wrote:Um... would you mind highlighting the "good news" part for me? I think I missed it...

The good news: free stone.

Hope you have a relatively painless removal, Jason.

Matt Morrison · Post by **Matt Morrison** » Tue Jan 27, 2009 3:54 pm

Chris Corby wrote:I have had a few kidney stones in my life too Jason. Luckily for me I was able to 'pee' them out and remember the little 'ping' noise as they hit the porcelain of the toilet bowl (or, in one case, the ping as it hit the side of my son's car)

You learn something every day. Sometimes against your will.

Jason Larsen · Post by **Jason Larsen** » Tue Jan 27, 2009 6:08 pm

Thank you, everyone!

And Les, you're right, the good news is that I only have a kidney stone and it should pass in a few days.

Jon O'Neill · Post by **Jon O'Neill** » Tue Jan 27, 2009 6:58 pm

Jason Larsen wrote:Thank you, everyone!

And Les, you're right, the good news is that I only have a kidney stone and it should pass in a few days.

I sincerely hope you get well soon, Jason, and that you are able to catch up with Countdown on your return! I certainly enjoy reading your daily digest. Boy oh boy!

Hannah O · Post by **Hannah O** » Tue Jan 27, 2009 7:03 pm

Get well soon! I hope you don't miss too much Countdown either.

Jason Larsen · Post by **Jason Larsen** » Tue Jan 27, 2009 7:57 pm

Everyone, I heard a noise when I went to the loo earlier and I thought it was my kidney stone passing. Apparently, it was not and that matter of time is still in effect.

Jon, thank you for your good wishes.

Hannah, apparently I missed your post in the introductory thread so I don't know who you are but thank you for your good wishes too. Feel free to tell me about yourself when I get better.

I will keep you all aware of how I am feeling.

Junaid Mubeen · Post by **Junaid Mubeen** » Tue Jan 27, 2009 8:22 pm

Sorry to hear this Jason, I hope you make a speedy recovery. As a long time sufferer of chronic pancreatitis, I can relate to having to endure long bouts of stomach pain. My tip is to use it as an opportunity to be treated like a king by those around you.

Jason Larsen · Post by **Jason Larsen** » Tue Jan 27, 2009 9:46 pm

Everyone:

I felt a little bit of pain when I got off the loo earlier, so I took an Ibuprofen. I am now not feeling as much pain as I did before. I will just have to wait it out.

Junaid, thank you for your best wishes. If I remember correctly, your pancreas is also an organ and it is just as painful if it is inflamed as it is if you have a kidney stone that just won't budge like I do. If it's any consolation, I can think about how happy you were to win Series 59 without complaining and likewise how much Carol loved co-hosting Countdown with Richard, Des Lynam and Des O'Connor.

Jason Larsen · Post by **Jason Larsen** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 4:01 pm

Hi, everyone!

I talked to my mom today, and it looks like my kidney stone has gone down lower. I forgot to mention this, but it is only 4 millimeters in size, although very long and skinny.

However, I am taking the day off of work again on Tuesday and seeing one of my urologist's residents to see if it really has gone down and I do feel much better.

For the time being, I am feeling much better than I was before! I am almost positive that I feel well enough to go to work today and watch Countdown again!

Steven Tew · Post by **Steven Tew** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 7:36 pm

You have my sympathies - I was diagnosed with kidney stones at the age of 33. I was told that I was prone to them - they called me a "stone farmer", but so far I have not been offered an EU grant to keep growing them. Are you going to have lithotripsy? That's a bundle of laughs, too.

Ben Hunter · Post by **Ben Hunter** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 7:40 pm

Jason Larsen wrote:I forgot to mention this, but it is only 4 millimeters in size, although very long and skinny.

Don't worry: it's not the size of the boat but the motion in the ocean.

Matt Morrison · Post by **Matt Morrison** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 8:01 pm

Ben Hunter wrote:
Jason Larsen wrote:I forgot to mention this, but it is only 4 millimeters in size, although very long and skinny.
Don't worry: it's not the size of the boat but the motion in the ocean.

Haha. I know I've already shouted "Best Post Ever" in a couple of threads recently, but I'm happy to announce you're my first winner in the Best Quoting Ever category.

Ben Hunter · Post by **Ben Hunter** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 8:44 pm

Matt Morrison wrote:Haha. I know I've already shouted "Best Post Ever" in a couple of threads recently, but I'm happy to announce you're my first winner in the Best Quoting Ever category.

We should probably start a 'post of the month' thread.

Jason Larsen · Post by **Jason Larsen** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 3:50 am

Everyone, I have been feeling the same amount of pain that I had the last time I posted in this thread, but I had a problem.

I drank all my milk with my lunch at work today and I figured I would take an Ibuprofen. I had to take it with some kind of food. My building owner gave me candy, I took my pill with it and I accidentally chewed my pill! I washed it down with some water and then had some yogurt to get the bad taste in my mouth. I couldn't even tell if it was plain or vanilla -- that's how bad the taste was!

It is now almost 7:50 at night here, and I will take another Ibuprofen before I go to bed tonight so I don't feel pain during the day tomorrow.

Steven Tew · Post by **Steven Tew** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 9:27 am

Jason Larsen wrote:Everyone, I have been feeling the same amount of pain that I had the last time I posted in this thread, but I had a problem.

I drank all my milk with my lunch at work today and I figured I would take an Ibuprofen. I had to take it with some kind of food. My building owner gave me candy, I took my pill with it and I accidentally chewed my pill! I washed it down with some water and then had some yogurt to get the bad taste in my mouth. I couldn't even tell if it was plain or vanilla -- that's how bad the taste was!

It is now almost 7:50 at night here, and I will take another Ibuprofen before I go to bed tonight so I don't feel pain during the day tomorrow.

renal calculus is made out of calcium. I wouldn't drink too much milk if I were you.

Lesley Jeavons · Post by **Lesley Jeavons** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 1:01 pm

Ditto to what Steven said, Jason. Kidney stones are calcium deposits, so don't go overboard on the milk products.

Look after yourself, and hope you feel better soon.

Jason Larsen · Post by **Jason Larsen** » Sun Feb 01, 2009 2:39 am

I'll keep this short.

My abbreviated message follows.

Better spirits, same old pain.

Jason Larsen · Post by **Jason Larsen** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 12:01 am

I'm sorry to report this to all of you. I hope that you can all brace yourselves and that none of you are standing up the next time you reply to this thread.

Of course, I would have no reason to doubt any doctor that sees me. It would figure since they have to go to school or work in a hospital for so long.

I'm not sure if I stated this before, but today I went to see one of my urologist's residents. This is what he said.

The people in the ER were wrong. My kidney stone is actually one centimeter long, and I will have to have surgery.

The good news is, it will be only a minor laser surgery, and I will be out of the hospital very early in the morning of Saturday, February 21 GMT. I will have my surgery on the previous day, Friday, February 20. Do not expect a review from me of the episode of Countdown that airs that day.

I will still feel quite a bit of dull pain after I have this surgery. So, the next time I will do a Countdown episode review after this time is when the pain goes away.

In the meantime, I will still do episode reviews up until then.

When the pain subsides, this thread will be locked.

Jon O'Neill · Post by **Jon O'Neill** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 12:14 am

Very sorry to hear this Jason, but you are in very safe hands! I'm sure they do this kind of procedure a hundred times every day, so you have absolutely nothing to worry about in that regard.

Best wishes.

Jason Larsen · Post by **Jason Larsen** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 12:27 am

That split second will go by before I know it. I just know it, Jon!

Hannah O · Post by **Hannah O** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 6:54 am

Sorry to hear about that, but like Jon said, it's probably a minor procedure that happens every day, so there's nothing to worry about! I hope you can still have a relatively good weekend.

Debbi Flack · Post by **Debbi Flack** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 7:12 am

Take care, thinking of you
Here's hoping you'll be pain free really soon
x

Allan Harmer · Post by **Allan Harmer** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 7:57 am

Jason

Sorry to hear about your kidney stone and all the pain youhave been in

I hope your surgery goes well and you make a speedy recovery. The 21st can't come quick enough. That's for sure!

Hopefully watching CD will keep your spirits up in the meantime,

Best wishes.

Al.

Jason Larsen · Post by **Jason Larsen** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 6:57 pm

Thank you, Hannah, Debbi and Allan!

Your kind words mean a lot to me!

Steven Tew · Post by **Steven Tew** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 7:46 pm

Don't worry, it'll be a doddle, and you should have pretty much instant pain relief.

Good Luck.

Kathleen Batlle · Post by **Kathleen Batlle** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 8:05 pm

I believe kidney stones are very painful, so you'll have to be very brave until you get the surgery. I should think the relief will be wonderful, so just keep thinking about that. I've had lots of painful surgery over recent years, including two 'new' titanium/stainless steel knees (5 months apart). The recovery was sooooooo painful, but it's amazing how quickly time passes and I'm well over it now and can't remember the horrendous pain I suffered. So, chin up Jason, you'll soon be A1 again. I'll be thinking about you.

Ralph Gillions · Post by **Ralph Gillions** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 9:58 pm

Best wishes Jason.
I hope you are soon free from pain.

Jason Larsen · Post by **Jason Larsen** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 10:26 pm

Thank you, Steven, Kathie and Ralph!

Kathleen Batlle · Post by **Kathleen Batlle** » Sun Feb 22, 2009 1:00 am

Hi Jason,

Just wondering how you are after your surgery. Hope everything went well and you're beginning to feel better.

Julie T · Post by **Julie T** » Sun Feb 22, 2009 1:33 am

I've only just read this thread, Jason. I'm so sorry to hear of your pain.
I expect that you've had the surgery by now, and I hope you recover quickly and are soon pain-free.
Best wishes, Julie.

Jason Larsen · Post by **Jason Larsen** » Sun Feb 22, 2009 5:38 pm

Hi, everyone!

I am happy to let you all know that my surgery went well, and although it took me a little while to recover I am feeling much better. I will definitely get back to watching Countdown and reviewing each episode by tomorrow.

On that happy note, I am locking this thread!