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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThis is fucking hardcore. MA gov. cand. Steve Grossman(D) passes kidney stone in debate, keeps going
I. Am. Impressed.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/mass-guv-candidate-passes-kidney-stone-during-debate
There may be a lot of reasons to grimace during a political debate, but Massachusetts state Treasurer Steve Grossman (D) actually spent an entire gubernatorial forum in acute physical pain while passing a kidney stone, the Boston Globe reported Wednesday.
Grossman's campaign spokeswoman Chandra Allard told the newspaper that her boss has suffered from chronic kidney stones on and off for 30 years. She said Grossman went to a gubernatorial forum on LGBT issues hosted by grassroots advocacy group MassEquality on Tuesday night despite waking up in serious pain earlier that morning.
From the Globe:
His herculean effort to finish out the 90-minute forum while passing the kidney stone even inspired a parody Twitter account.
I hereby nominate Steve Grossman for Badass Of The Year!
blue neen
(12,335 posts)How did he do that?
avebury
(10,953 posts)my vote. Anybody that could make it through a debate in that much pain is one very dedicated candidate.
He had that kind of pain but still had the presence of mind to answer questions. Wow!
angstlessk
(11,862 posts)He was peeing while debating? WOW is right!!!!!!!!!
backscatter712
(26,355 posts)...but from what I've been told, the pain of passing a kidney stone is like the pain of childbirth... if the "baby" was a melon-sized ball of broken glass...
angstlessk
(11,862 posts)freshwest
(53,661 posts)Last edited Thu Mar 27, 2014, 05:41 PM - Edit history (1)
BTW, I'm not going to do the gender wars for anyone, so it's of no use to reply to me on this thread again, go on without me.mimi85
(1,805 posts)freshwest
(53,661 posts)Orrex
(63,247 posts)Most times the kid winds up being cuter than the stone, so it's kind of a trade-off.
freshwest
(53,661 posts)NewJeffCT
(56,829 posts)as the childbirth beats a kidney stone in terms of more pain? Or beats because it's less painful?
(I do know a woman that said she had a natural no anesthesia childbirth, and that was less painful than her kidney stone, but everybody is different)
freshwest
(53,661 posts)Last edited Thu Mar 27, 2014, 05:42 PM - Edit history (1)
BTW, I'm not going to do the gender wars for anyone, so it's of no use for anyone to reply to me on this thread again. Just settle it among yourselves.NewJeffCT
(56,829 posts)I was just relaying what one woman told me, and then said that it would be different for each person.
freshwest
(53,661 posts)VanillaRhapsody
(21,115 posts)freshwest
(53,661 posts)awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)I wasn't sure how to read what you said. This clears it up. Being male I cannot give birth, and I have never had a stone. I guess that makes me pretty lucky
vanlassie
(5,693 posts)I had a kidney stone. Give me labor. At least you get a prize in the end. No, I'm serious. And yes, some women do have terrible birth experiences. This is MY experience.
840high
(17,196 posts)from experience with both.
Thor_MN
(11,843 posts)Not being able to experience the one it's strictly out of curiosity that I ask.
backscatter712
(26,355 posts)...but from the accounts I have heard or read, it's a tossup - some say childbirth is more painful, some say kidney stones.
In both cases, on the 1-10 pain scale, it clocks in at OMGWTFBBQ!
freshwest
(53,661 posts)He wanted an description of what pushing a child out of your body. They tried, and he could not grasp it. So they got 'visual' so he'd 'get it.'
They said, 'Okay, see your mouth? Open yor lips up wide. No, wider than that. No, a little bit more. Oh, no, more, more, more.'
He said, 'Okay, then what?'
One of women said, 'Now pull your lips back over your head.'
His eyes nearly popped out of his head and he looked at them horror. You might try it, to stretch your imagination.
If you were (giving you the benefit of the doubt with the JAQ) being facetious, as the subject was pain, you, and most people on Planet Earth don't need to be told this.
If all else fails, ask your mom. But she'll probably give you a sanitized version, as she won't want you to suffer any distress. Moms are that way, sometimes.
Thor_MN
(11,843 posts)IIRC, he attributed that to Carol Burnette.
My question was because the way you phrased could be considered ambiguous. I.E, childbirth is painful but it beats the heck out of a kidneystone, or childbirth beats a kidney stone on a pain scale by ranking an 11 on a scale of 1 to 10, while the stone is a 7. I honestly could not tell which you thought was more painful, but suspect now that you are saying childbirth.
Not sure what you mean by JAQ... I was just looking for clarification on what appeared to be an objective opinion. If it offended in any way, my apologies.
freshwest
(53,661 posts)Most women and the men in their lives, would not find what I said ambiguous. We are cool. I'll see you around, but I'm not going to answer more JAQs that want to turn my meaning into something it's not. I don't do the gender thing.
P.S. I don't know about the Cosby or Burnett reference. This story happened at my company, to people I knew. It's possible they picked the example to teach him from those comedians. He didn't think it was funny, the women all did, though, especially the way he reacted to the visualization.
Thor_MN
(11,843 posts)Google apparently doesn't either, so I can't feel too bad about that...
Sorry if you got questions you didn't want.
freshwest
(53,661 posts)Something is obvious, but is questioned. But the questions are not innocent. The person pretends to be confused by what every person knows.
In this case, everyone on this forum was born. Every human knows of the pain of childbirth.
That response about JAQing is not directed at you, unless you want a gender fight, which some may do. The spat of comments to my initial reply, which had no emotional or judgment content implied, only a personal experience.
BTW, I knew all the people in the anecdote I shared very well, not only the women, but the man, too.
See you later.
Thor_MN
(11,843 posts)but I couldn't see how it that would make sense.
Please understand that your statement was not obvious, as least to me. You had the benefit of hearing your tone when you read it, the plain text can be taken either way. Unless the contest is defined, "beat" only means that one is better than the other. Since I was very young when I was born, I don't remember it. And only people that have experienced both, as an adult, can have an objective opinion, everyone else has no clue. The only male that can have a (minority, at best) opinion about any aspect of a given childbirth is the father. And in terms of pain, no opinion at all.
My experience that I now attribute to a kidney stone had me on my bathroom floor hoping that something, anything would come out of me in any direction, from any opening I already had. Anything to make it go away. So knowing that the two don't compare gives me new appreciation.
The Wielding Truth
(11,415 posts)It has farther to go.
backscatter712
(26,355 posts)The Wielding Truth
(11,415 posts)freshwest
(53,661 posts),
The Wielding Truth
(11,415 posts)awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)Do you mean you'd rather give birth than pass a stone?
eShirl
(18,506 posts)depending on the stone size and shape it might move a little bit at a time w/ each pee but not all thw way
(wife of a sometimes kidney stone passer)
barbtries
(28,817 posts)i passed a stone last year and all the pain i experienced was while it was still inside. apparently it was so small when/if i peed it out (it may have dissolved) it didn't cause any further pain to speak of.
mockmonkey
(2,834 posts)You pass them while peeing. I get them about every 3 to 5 years. I was thinking that he must have been wearing some depends. I always find a healthy spewing of swear words gets me through the moment.
I'm drinking lemonade everyday to hopefully put off my next round since I don't have health insurance. Thank You republican governor.
Leith
(7,813 posts)My husband had a kidney stone a few years ago. His pain was in the lower back on either side of the spine. He was sitting in a chair surfing the web when the pain appeared suddenly. All he could do was scream and clutch his back. Luckily I recognized the symptoms and let him know he wasn't in immediate danger.
I can understand feeling bladder stones while peeing.
mockmonkey
(2,834 posts)when you pee. When they are too large you go through lithotripsy. To prevent blockage they might place a stent in your urethra.
Is your husband still clutching his back and screaming?
Roland99
(53,342 posts)mimi85
(1,805 posts)Roland99
(53,342 posts)couldn't let it.....pass!
pnwmom
(109,020 posts)With me, there's a point when the pain is suddenly over. The stone has past whatever the last obstacle was, and it doesn't hurt after that. By the time I pee, the problem is already over.
But I have no idea how this would work with a guy.
REP
(21,691 posts)He's had them for 30 years; he's used to dealing with them (same here - I've been passing stones monthly for about that long).
longship
(40,416 posts)Trust me. I have done it seven times. Twice I had surgical help. Apparently, like Mr. Grossman, I have a problem with them. I taught school every day for months, popping Vicodin like candy, and never missed a class. I scheduled the sonic wave lithotripsy on Friday when I had no classes. I was home by noon on Saturday and back at school on Monday.
But kidney stones are a real bitch. On another really bad case, I was hospitalized twice for pain control. Heroine analogs became my friend, until I could not keep food down because of them. That time it was the more invasive LASER surgery. Too bad the stone was well into the ureter so lithotripsy was not an option.
Here's the deal. If the doctor cannot find the stone she cannot treat it. And they like to hide. And the pain reflects all over the place, mostly into ones balls. It's like being kicked in the nuts for hours on end. If it cannot be found, it can go on for weeks.
And yup! The pain can be fucking awful.
VanillaRhapsody
(21,115 posts)zappaman
(20,606 posts)I had one last year and it leveled me.
2 shots of dilaudid, 1 shot of morphine and a percocet made it all better!
Solly Mack
(90,795 posts)barbtries
(28,817 posts)i went to the ER. crying.
etherealtruth
(22,165 posts)Can you imagine ....?
REP
(21,691 posts)etherealtruth
(22,165 posts)barbtries
(28,817 posts)i know. the pain is immense.
Lasher
(27,643 posts)http://mentalfloss.com/article/12789/time-teddy-roosevelt-got-shot-chest-gave-speech-anyway
Ikonoklast
(23,973 posts)And Chuck Norris then thanked him for doing so.
calimary
(81,557 posts)He DOES sound like a Badass of the Year! I remember my mom being flattened by kidney stones for entire days at a time. My husband had to go to the ER with one. His skin was as ashen gray as the inside of an old fireplace.
Auntie Bush
(17,528 posts)She was doubled up with pain and passed out in a hotel bathroom floor...making it difficult to get immediate help.
Hassin Bin Sober
(26,350 posts)And this is a guy who has duct tapped gashes in his hands while on job sites. He had a big sliver in I his hand that his wife finally dragged him to a surgeon to have removed because he was too busy to see the doctor.
etherealtruth
(22,165 posts)Mnemosyne
(21,363 posts)manage to even remain standing?!
pnwmom
(109,020 posts)if your urologist doesn't tell you, ask what kind of stone you had. If s/he doesn't mention it, there are steps you can take with diets and supplements that might help, depending on the kind of stone you have. This is a case where the internet might tell you more than the doc who is offering a high tech solution (but doesn't help you avoid future stones). But run it by your doctor after you've done the research, to make sure any diet/supplement solution is okay for your case.
In my case, I needed to increase my intake of calcium and magnesium, and to reduce my high consumption of spinach. And I never let myself get dehydrated! It's been years since I had a stone. Knock on wood.
If one has uric acid stones, those are easy to treat. CaOx stones, not so much.
pnwmom
(109,020 posts)I think I was eating way too much spinach and other high-oxalic acid foods for my situation. And I miss it -- but not enough to start eating a lot again.
REP
(21,691 posts)Lucky me!
pnwmom
(109,020 posts)Darkhawk32
(2,100 posts)FailureToCommunicate
(14,027 posts)governor in 2002, among many accomplishments.
justhanginon
(3,290 posts)when I was young, a lonnnng time ago. The pain is unbelievable and just so unrelenting.
Back in the "good old days" they took them out surgically if they were too large to pass. I have a 10" scar on one side and two 12" on the other from those accursed stones. Then they went to inch long incisions and got them that way. Now they Zap them with ultrasound and you go home a little sore but sans stones the same day. I haven't had any since I retired but now I drink a lot of water and pee whenever I even slightly have to go. Keeps everything diluted and makes it harder for the stones to form I believe.
I've had them in service (Fort Bliss Texas), at work, driving my car and sitting at home. The car is the worst because you are not sure if you can make it to the emergency room. They pretty much suck wherever and scare the hell out of you the first time.
Hats off to Mr. Grossman. I hope noone noticed the tears.
lonestarnot
(77,097 posts)wandy
(3,539 posts)Can't say that I've personal had the pleasure. Someone I once worked with did.
Wasn't me, but trust me. I felt it.
Cant help but think that Steve Grossman would serve the people of his state well.
He surly has the stones for it.
Cha
(297,890 posts)CherokeeDem
(3,709 posts)I went sobbing to the ER when I had a kidney stone... I can't even imagine...
Badass and dedicated... wow....