I woke up (probably around 2:10-2:15) and realized that Matt wasn't in bed and that our bedroom door was wide open. I vaguely remembered being half asleep and hearing him walking around in the kitchen, assuming he was just getting water, and falling back asleep. Because I was only half awake when he got up I couldn't really judge how long he had been out of bed. I didn't hear him in the kitchen anymore (the floors creak alot) and the bathroom light wasn't on and I couldn't hear any noise from the bathroom. I tried to just fall back asleep telling myself "you're freaking yourself out for nothing" but I couldn't. I thought "maybe he sleep-walked and ended up falling asleep in the living room" but I doubted that. Finally after what felt like forever, I see him walking from the bathroom. I said "....Matt?" thinking he might have been asleep, and then I asked him if he was ok. He rolled into bed holding his right lower abdomen and said that it hurt really bad, but not like his stomach hurt, more like a pain, and that it woke him up. My first thought was "isn't your appendix in that general area?" so I got my computer and googled it. His symptons didn't seem consistent with appendicitis from what I read, but I knew that if it WAS it could be serious and not something to ignore. So I called my mom because I didn't really know where to take him and he was not about to let me call 911.
We left the house around 3:00 and arrive at Whittier Pres. around 3:10. There was no one in the Emergency Room so he got taken in pretty quick. They took 3 vials of blood and wanted a urine sample but Matt had gone to the bathroom right before we left. At one point waiting for the nurse to come with the blood sample supplies he started feeling the pain severely (we're wondering now if that was when the stone actually passed if there actually was one) and more towards his back. Anyways, they hooked him up to an IV to give him pain killers & fluid so they could take a urine sample and then the dr. came in. Boy I was shocked to see that it was Rick Fox, the dad of a kid I was in band with (he never recognized me). It was reassuring to know though that he was a Christian, even though he had no clue who we were. He examined Matt and said that it sounded more like kidney stones than appendicitis and then left us to wait for the urine sample. After they took the urine sample, it apparently didn't show anything conclusive because they took him for a CT scan around 4:55. Around 5:45 Dr. Fox came in and said that Matt was a "quandry" because while they did find a few kidney stones IN his kidney, they didn't see any blockages and it didn't appear that there was a recent passing of a kidney stone. It was possible that it was very small and that's why no evidence of it. Also, his appedix was slightly enlarged. He examined Matt again to make sure it wasn't appendicitis and then said that we could go home. If the pain returns or doesn't completely go away (it was now down to just a dull ache in his back) in 24 hours then to come back.
So we got home around 6:00 and were finally able to sleep. He says now the pain in the same as when we left the hospital - just a dull ache. Thanks for all your prayers! Gotta love facebook & blackberry!
