Lord of the Stones

On a restful Monday afternoon in mid-June, I was preparing for a trip to the U.S. to visit family.

My grandson came to Seoul for a visit starting in early June.

We’d traipsed around the country for several days and spent a week in Japan visiting Mount Fuji (a lifelong dream for my anime-fan teenager).

He spent the afternoon organizing his return luggage, then took a nap.

I finished some chores.

With no forewarning, I suddenly felt discomfort immediately followed by the most exquisite pain I’ve ever experienced.

As the minutes ticked away, the pain got worse.

I could hardly move.

Nausea set in.

Lying on the bed didn’t bring relief.

I was curled up, twisted in the throes of agony.

On a scale of one to 10, kidney stone pain can be right at the top, coming in at nine or 10 in severity.

Medically, though, kidney stone treatment is around four to six, depending on the procedure needed.

Kidney stones are so much “fun.” Many of my friends and acquaintances have had experiences with these precious “gems.” My first battle was about 20 years ago in the U.S., when a simple lab test s ...