My Flight Journal

Tuesday, April 1, 2003 6:15pm

After nearly 3 years, more doctor visits than I can count, and enough x-rays to make me glow in the dark, I finally had the procedure done to knock out those damn kidney stones.

The procedure is called ESWL which is short for something I'm too tired to type out at the moment. Basically, they beam sonic shock waves through your body and focus them on the stones in your kidney. This blasts them into tiny fragments that eventually pass. I had this done yesterday. It's performed under general anesthesia so I didn't feel a thing. I imagine it would have hurt like hell - like being kidney punched by Mike Tyson.

Once per second.

For an hour.

I'm done peeing blood now, and I'm told it will take several days to a week to pass all the little bits. And once they're gone I'm going to get one last x-ray showing I'm clean, and haul ass to an AME [aviation medical examiner] to get my flight physical done. Technically, you don't need to get your medical certificate until you start solo flight. But I figure it's better to get that done now to see if there's going to be any hassles rather than find out later and be forced to halt my training.

It's been so long since I went to the local flight school to check them out that they've changed their name to Falcon Flight Center, and moved to the other side of the airport.

What a long, strange trip it's been. And I haven't even started.