Bizzaro: Hamsters and Kidney Stones

What do hamsters and kidney stones have in common? Other than both being small, generally nothing. But for us, and more specifically Katheryn, they have combined to create a single bizarre day in the life of a lovely pregnant woman.

The day started with a chase around the house after a hamster, and ended with Katheryn being admitted to the hospital, suffering from a kidney stone. (You should know up front that the baby is fine, and Katheryn is fine... heavily medicated to deal with the pain... but otherwise okay.)

The saga began for Katheryn around 6 AM, when she got up to use the restroom, and noticed a small rodent running around upstairs, being corralled by the cats like a stray sheep. She woke me up to tell me there was a rodent of some sort running around, and could I help catch it. I quickly found what turned out to be a small hamster running around the nursery. It was easy to find... I just followed the cat who had trapped the little guy under the futon.

I quickly scooped the hamster up and placed him in a little box. He looked okay... no noticeable injuries, although he was a bit crusty from being slobbered on. One of the cats had obviously been carrying him around the house (probably trying to present it to us). Luckily they hadn't killed the poor thing.

During "the chase" Katheryn had run up and down the stairs a couple of times looking for something to put the hamster in, and was now complaining of some lower back pain. My initial thought was that she had pulled a muscle in her lower back from the exertion. Luckily, we just happened to have a visit with our doctor that very morning, so off we went. *The hamster meanwhile, was left in a small cage with some water and food.

As we drove to the doctor's office, Katheryn's pain gradually got worse and worse. By the time we arrived, she was fully consumed with dealing with the pain. I did most of the talking, explaining what had happened that morning, since Katheryn was barely able to talk. They quickly hooked her up to a monitor to see if she was in early labor and to monitor the baby.

BGB was, fortunately, un-phased by the whole ordeal, and her heartbeat was completely normal. The doctor also determined that these were not labor pains;  they were not stopping and starting, it was continuous and severe.  After an exam and several minutes of fetal monitoring, the doctor suggested the pain might be renal, and that Katheryn might have a stone.

The doctor then told us to go right to the hospital, to triage at the birthing center.  There, we explained the situation again (even though our doctor had called ahead and told them what to expect).  The doctors and nurses there were very caring and compassionate, but it was heartbreaking to see her in so much pain.

Once the doctors were certain we were dealing with a kidney stone, they gave her an IV and some pain medication, and admitted her to the hospital. Apparently, kidney stones are quite common during pregnancy, even among women who might otherwise never have them.  After another 3 hours of waiting in triage, Katheryn finally got a room.  

So, the day began with a hamster chase and ended with Katheryn lying in the birth center, linked to and IV and monitor, attempting to "deliver" a very small, but very painful rock. We're actually scheduled to tour the birthing center on Tuesday, so I guess this is our advance screening, and I guess we'll know the place really well when the real delivery does come along. The timing of the hamster incident and the onset of Katheryn's kidney stone were purely coincidental.  My original assumption that "the chase" had caused her pain was erroneous, so I guess the hamster is off the hook. I just hope Katheryn's time in the hospital will be short.

*We determined that the rogue hamster belonged to our neighbor with whom we share a laundry room.  We believe the hamster made his escape, traveled to their basement and crawled under the door to the laundry room and squeezed under another door to our basement (the gaps are quite wide... from a rodents perspective).  There, the hamster met one of our kitties, who picked him up and carried him up to the second floor of our townhouse where he was likely taunted and tortured (but not actually harmed) and eventually discovered.  Our neighbor says the hamster was missing for 3 days, and is named Spiderman.