Ruddy kidney stone started bumping around inside me again last night. It hurt a lot, but at least I got to see my dinner in reverse. That’s always a treat. I went to the doc’s today and had a very helpful and thorough appointment with him. He’s written to the consultant to expedite the appointment for removing this damn thing. I discovered from a letter from the consultant to my GP that the stone is 1cm, which is roughly the size of a piece of gravel, and rather than simply going in to retrieve it, it’s going to be broken down with lasers. for those without a ruler to hand, I provide this handy comparison of a 1cm lump of gravel with a petit pois. Admittedly, this may mean nothing to the less culinary-minded among you. Go and buy a ruler. Let us be clear though, that this is not my kidney stone. But yes, should I pass it and catch it, it will be showcased here! On that, my friend, you may count.

For now, I can just top up on co-codamol when pain strikes. The doc also wants me to do a 24 hour urine collection, so I’ve been provided with an enormous plastic container in which I must collect a day’s worth of wee (only my own). This will then be sent off for analysis, or just tipped on someone’s prize-winning dahlias. Could be either. Oh, and I’ve got to have a blood test too, to check on levels of madness. And possibly calcium.