carolyn22

I have to agree with the others about being reluctant to do this surgery one day and fly to Rome the next. I don’t know about other’s experiences, but the stent was almost as bad as the kidney stone pain for me. I constantly felt like I had to pee, sometimes successfully but most of the times not. The pressure was unbearable at times. I can’t imagine getting on a plane for a long flight feeling like I needed to be in the bathroom every 15 minutes. He will still be passing smaller pieces of the busted up stone, and I’ve had a few instances where those smaller pieces still really hurt. They took my stent out 2 days after my procedure (that didn’t hurt), and I felt fine for about 15 minutes and the pain really hit. It went on for over a week. They said my ureter was so ripped up from the stone (7 mm) and the procedure that I was having spasms. 
 

I’m guessing the doctor who he saw said it would be OK to fly to Rome the day after the lithotripsy, so obviously you should listen to him. I’m just passing along my experience. 
 

Best case scenario is if he passes it on his own. One previous poster said to drink beer. I had completely forgotten to tell him to try that. I was always scared to try that because more than one beer is too much for me in good times, and I also don’t like to mix beer with pain pills. Hopefully the doctor also prescribed flomax to help relax his urinary track. That can help, too. 
 

Best of luck to your husband!!  I truly do hope that he passes the stone soon and you’ll be able to go on your cruise. 

1 hour ago, the_dylaness said:

@carolyn226mm, proximal ureter, both not good signs 😞

That’s a decent sized stone.  If proximal is up closer to the kidney (which I think it is), then the stone still has a distance to travel. The quicker they can get it out, the better for him. Make sure he drinks LOTS of water. 
 

Good luck with everything!

Ugh, as a frequent kidney stone sufferer, he has my complete sympathy. Did they say how many millimeters the stone is and where exactly it’s located?  
 

I live in a smallish town, and the only urology office in town only does lithotripsy once a week, unless it is an emergency where there is danger of kidney damage because of the size of the stone. Hopefully you live in an area where his stone can be treated more quickly. 
 

If they are able to bust up the stone, ask specifically which method they are going to use. If the can do the shock wave lithotripsy soon, I’d say your chances of being able to go are good. Be advised that he is still going to have to pass those broken stone pieces and that can still be painful, but certainly do-able.
 

I got a big stone one time while on vacation in Florida, and the surgeon I went to used laser lithotripsy and also put a stent in. I have say it was NOT a pleasant experience afterwards and there is no way I could have gone on a cruise until at least two weeks after that procedure. I have begged my local urologist to never use that procedure on me in the future. 
 

Do you have trip insurance?  If so, I think you would be covered given that this is his first stone and obviously not a pre-existing condition.

I am hoping for the best outcome for your husband and your trip!  I wish I could help you with some of your cruise-related questions, but unfortunately my only advice relates to kidney stones. There are a lot of helpful people on here that hopefully can advise your on your cruise and air questions. 

In honor of you being in Scotland

My scones turned out very nice and were delicious with Kerrygold butter and strawberry jam. Of course, they would have been better with clotted cream! And now I’ll stop hijacking Jim’s thread and let him get back to his trip!

Jim, I know you’re going to think I’m crazy, but I’m almost enjoying the land portion of your trip more than I did the cruise portion!  I’m glad you didn’t have to stay holed up and were able to travel around and see the sights. 

I’m going to try this scone recipe later today:

https://www.cookingprofessionally.com/post/Traditional_British_Scones?msg_id=93485f43615b4732a1776759c467d578&md5=c4cffffa730543ef0cd6195f6164d5e2&cohort_id=13&utm_source=CP-&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CP-Retention-HeroLink

Y’all have talked about scones so much that I am now craving them. No clotted cream (I live in a podunk part of Virginia), but I do have homemade strawberry jam. 

3 minutes ago, Vagabond Knight said:

Still waiting for the webinar to start.  Have been on since a few minutes before 6PM ET.  Did it start for anyone else?

I’m watching it now. It started at 6 pm EST. 

It sounds like you and Iain are having a nice unexpected adventure. Well, except for the COVID which thankfully was mild! Sometimes the universe works in mysterious ways, but I think attitude also has a lot to do with it, too. Both of you have a great “go with the flow” attitude and seem to appreciate the little things life throws your way. It looks like you’re staying in a beautiful area. And you got to see Stonehenge!

I hope you both get to enjoy the rest of your time there. And I’m more of a clotted cream with jam on top girl, but I can certainly support  a previous poster’s suggestion of cream, then jam, then some more cream!

I’m sorry to hear that Iain tested positive, too.  Hopefully his symptoms will remain mild, like yours. And just think - now you’ve both got it out of the way and shouldn’t have to worry quite so much on future cruises as you are vaxed and should have developed some antibodies. At least that’s how I hope the combination of the two will work!

Thank you for sharing your cruising experiences (both past and present), with us!  I’m sorry that you got Covid, but I’m happy to hear that your symptoms are mild. And in a strange way, I’m glad that your home test kit also showed positive. I would have hated getting kicked off the next voyage for a false positive. Hopefully Iain will continue to be negative. 
 

I am loving your new digs!  Looks like you picked a great place.

Looking forward to hearing from you on your future voyages!

I guess I’ll be avoiding Celebrity for a good while. No way do I want to potentially have to isolate in an OV cabin for days on end and then get what sounds to be substandard service and communications after the first few days. And then have to wrangle with them to get the right amount of refund. 
 

I guess don’t understand their logic of isolating positive customers on deck 3 to be closer to the medical facilities, but they are perfectly fine with isolating crew members on deck 6. Are these onboarding crew members who have tested negative upon embarkation who will just be there until they get thru some sort of waiting period? Or are these crew members who have tested positive?  

I’d be more worried about the temperature in some of the common areas. I would think a thin dressy sweater would be sufficient unless she gets cold a lot. 

3 hours ago, hokie_fan said:

I have been eyeing the 6 day Canada and New England cruise that departs Oct 2.  Would this time of year be too chilly to enjoy the pools and deck activities? I could live in the aft pool of the Neiuw Statendam.  My favorite place!  Would this be too late for fall foliage?  I would like to rent a car and  spend a few days in Canada touring around after the cruise if that is possible. Thank you for your help.  

Totally off topic and I’ve not done this cruise before, but I have to say:

How about those Hokies!?!  ACC champs!!

Congrats on the new arrival!  Your baby really wanted to go on that cruise!!

10 minutes ago, Lilly-Ann said:

Was able  to board. Ship is beautiful! Been a crazy few days. So thankful for all the encouraging words. Now time to finally  relax  after such a crazy  few days. 

I thought for sure they would let you board, but I can see why you were so nervous. I would have been, too!

Hope you have a fabulous cruise!

I did a balcony on a 7 day cruise that was 6 long and busy port days and only one sea day. I wish I had gone with OV and used the savings on excursions instead. 

You should consider framing that second sunset picture. It is spectacular!

Thank you for doing this blog and letting us live vicariously though you. 

I have been following your blog quietly, always enjoying your sense of humor as you tell us about your day to day adventures.  Today you outdid yourself with the pictures!  They were amazing. Your day with the penguins reminded me of one of my favorite gif’s that I just have to share:

27 minutes ago, goofysmom99 said:

GenX, as an atty, you know what constitutes sexual harassment...write it up.

You are spot on!  This wasn’t some guy calling her sweetie or honey or saying “Aren’t you cute.”  His persistent behavior made her uncomfortable and that alone needs to be reported so that he doesn’t do it to other women. If he loses his job, it’s his own fault. 

Just saw the itinerary on HAL’s website. Looks fabulous!

28 minutes ago, sundaycreek said:

Exactly how we feel ~ we are SKIng…..Spending the Kids Inheritance and we couldn’t be happier!

This quote has always stuck with me - “If you don’t go first class, your grandkids certainly will.”

Words to live by!

11 minutes ago, Cruising-along said:

Yes, interesting.  Our PCC said that he can't even see what the cost is until the bookings open up (most likely Feb. 1).  Do you mind telling us the category cabin you had booked and the cost?  I'd like some idea of costs lol.

It was a category E outside cabin. Price was almost $39,000 (includes port fees and taxes) but I am traveling solo so I’m not sure how the single supplement affected that price. 

30 minutes ago, trk_koa said:

We had a future dam deposit for a Grand South America 2024 but it’s now showing on our account as this Grand Australia itinerary. I had requested a balcony at the time and they had me choose categories that are on compass dams. So I chose VB. I had assumed a GSA would be Volendam and asked for a CA cabin, but that wasn’t allowed. 
 

Anyhow. So now I have an actual booking number and it’s this Volendam cruise and shows a category A cabin on deck 6. I opened up the “Make a payment” to find out what they are charging. This midship Vista Suite is over $104K USD for two.  Holy smokes! That’s more than our Signature Suite for the 2023 GWV. 

That’s interesting. My TA was able to do a pre-booking for me last week, and I had a reservation number, total dollar amount, a cabin number, and dining confirmation. Then HAL called her yesterday and said that the booking was made in error and that they had to cancel it. They told my TA that no bookings would happen until the cruise opened for booking in early February, and that they weren’t accepting “Futuredam” requests for this sailing. 

Sigh.  

Oh my,  I’m sorry to hear this, Mary Ann.  I can tell that you and Bill have been extra cautious, so who knows where or how you caught it. Hopefully your symptoms are mild and you and Bill will be able to rejoin the ship in a few weeks. 
 

Take care!