Skinny Boy ✔

Chapter 46: a pain in the kidney

I couldn't sleep. The pain in my legs was searing. My muscle were in a non-stop state of cramping. It was unbearable, and the only pain that could come close to the pain I was experiencing in that moment, was the time I ruptured my rotator cuff. 

I kept shifting around in bed, wincing and whimpering with the slightest movement. My stirring eventually woke mom up, and after seeing my squirming, promptly paged a nurse. 

This went on for God knows how long, until I was finally given a pain medication, and was able to get a couple hours rest. 

If only I could say that was the end of it. 

But lo and behold, the effects of the medicine were already starting to wear off when I woke up. 

"It's better that I examine your legs while you can still describe the pain," the physician assured me. There was a different doctor on call for the next hour, until the other doctor's shift started. "Can you explain to me what kind of pain this is? Where it hurts worst." she asked. 

"It hurts like a son of a--" I bit hard into my lip, drawing a little blood out with my teeth, when she touched a sensitive area. 

Mom raised a brow at my language, but decided to excuse it under these conditions. 

Sucking in as much of a breath as I could, I managed to explain that "It feels really tight, like when you get a cramp in your leg." 

She gave an apologetic smile when I sucked in a sharp breath. It was much more comforting than the other doctor, who kept on looking at me with the same dubious look that my parents gave me. It also didn't hurt that she was easy on the eyes. If my legs hadn't throbbed with every little touch and movement, I probably would have been in trouble. 

Apparently I have a soft spot for women in the medical field. 

Well, just not therapists. 

When she was done doing what might as well have been stabbing me with a fork, she explained that the tenderness is something to be expected for at least couple more days, and while they would check my kidneys every few hours, it shouldn't be of any worry. I thought tenderness was an understatement. 

~

Guess what checking my kidneys turned out to be? 

Blood tests. A blood test before breakfast, one before lunch, and another that afternoon. Had to go pee? They sent that to the labs too, sometimes. They had checked my blood a few times up until that point, but I thought they were checking for...I don't know, drugs? 

What did I think they were testing for? Some medical things I wouldn't understand? 

It was only when I asked mom, imaging them opening my kidneys up and taking samples from them, what testing my kidneys meant. Part of me wished it was slicing me open and taking samples. 

Have you caught on yet to the fact that I don't like having my blood drawn? 

In the span of not-quite three days, I had my blood drawn a total of 9 times. You may be wondering, how can you know for sure it was that much? Well, let's just say that I never quite got used to it, and couldn't help but remember every time. 

With each test result came a similar response: my CK levels were gradually dropping, but at a slow rate. I had no idea what that meant, or whether it was call for concern or celebration. The doctor affirmed that it was good, and didn't need to worry. 

Part of me wanted to know what CK levels were, or what this GFR test was that they kept talking about. In retrospect, I now realize him explaining it to me might have caused me to obsess over it, causing me further panic. Maybe he knew that, and that's why he never went into much detail. It's not like I needed to know any of that, anyway. I just needed to know I would be okay, even if that wasn't enough in my mind.