Nephrologist

Someone related to me just stated that urologists are closer in nature to plumbers than they are to neprhologists.  Guess I'll find a neprhologist with whom to discuss my kidney stones.

Scary

I noticed in the National Institute of Health clinical trials database, there's a study for individuals with kidney stones called, "Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithrotriptor Indicated for Fragmenting Urinary Stones in the Kidney."  It involves advanced shock wave technology.  Sounds pretty damn space age if you ask me, or like a Flash-based language for coding.  But then I discovered that apheresis is an extracorporeal circulatory procedure, so I've been engaging in extracorporeal procedures for quite some time, just none involving advanced shock wave technology or lithotriptors.

Interestingly, the process has its own entry on wikipedia.  Although the phrase, "minimal collateral damage" isn't exactly reassuring.

Now I know why they gave me a Blackberry

...just so I could annoy the hell out of Mean Mr. Mustard. But he does get the advantage of me pinging him from the parking lot on my way in to let him know that the thermos of coffee will be at my cube by the time he walks there from his. That's a practical application of new technology. Eryn likes the breakout game, and if her hands are full of breakout, she's not asking me to carry her. That's also a practical application because...

My day involved carrying Eryn from doctor appointment, to lunch, to specialist appointment. Ultimate diagnosis...probably a bruise, but it could be some flexed cartiledge. I think I could have Googled that as fast as they did. I'm pretty sure that lugging 44.0-46.4 pounds of little girl around all day (that was the range between the two doctors) is going to put my neck, right shoulder, and back in a world of hurt by tomorrow. I suspect I would have been better off just staying at the orthopedist's office and letting him work on me. For those of you, like my wife, who may ask, "Why didn't you just push her around in a stroller?", I respond, "It was raining ice covered with snow, you gits." Enough rain to drench someone for a while...setting up a stroller in the middle of that just wasn't a feasible option.

She's still not walking on it - but she's in a good mood.