What Next?

This is just plain stupid. I now have a blockage in my urethra! Arrrrgh. It feels like a kidney stone, sharp and cutting as it sits in there stopping the flow of urine. When it gets really exciting is when we put in the in/out catheter. That's when it really hurts, as Shelby pushes past it, clearing the way to drain my bladder.

The only way to really deal with this is for me to drink plenty of fluids, perhaps as much as two or three liters a day, hoping that all of this will flush out the stone, or worse, stones. That also assumes that I will be able to pee it out. Since yesterday I've produce very little urine in my catheter bag, while draining my bladder has produced near record amounts of urine. Yet I don't think the stone, assuming that's what it is, will pass through the in/out catheter. It feels like it might, but it hasn't yet. This also assumes there is only one of these buggers in there.

This is the whole deal with ALS. Everything is a bit more complicated. Everything takes more out of me. Everything cause me more difficulty, more pain, more exertion, more exhaustion. Kidney stones are a tough thing for normal people. For me they seem to be more painful, thanks to pushing a catheter in there twice a day. For me they seem to be taking longer to pass, most likely because my bladder muscles are weak, making the urine stream to weak to push against them.

When will it be over? When is enough enough? Why do I keep fighting this war in the face of certain failure, steady pain, complete exhaustion? What next?