We spent most of day in the emergency room yesterday. That was really unexpected. We saw the doctor on Friday and he didn't mention anything about Al's kidneys. Al told him he wanted to return to work on the 17th as scheduled, so he signed the release. Afterwards, we all went shopping and cooked a nice dinner. Actually, we have been eating together for the first time in months. Al has been doing most of the cooking lately and has even been staying up most of the day. So, yesterday morning he woke up feeling good and decided to mow the lawn. I made him a shake and walked away for a few minutes. When I returned, I noticed that his glass was empty and he was outside. I was alarmed to see that he gulped it down so quickly since he normally sips it slowly. It was also ice cold, which is how he prefers it. About 10 minutes later, he comes back inside complaining of stomach pain. He lied down on the living room floor and was yelling in pain. He was sweating profusely. I said I was going to call the doctor on call, but he said not to because they'd just tell us to go to the emergency room. The pain was coming in waves. I was going to call anyway, but before I had a chance, he started screaming in pain and said to call 911. While I was on the phone with the operator, he started throwing up. The ambulance and fire truck arrived within minutes. I remember the operator telling me to breathe. I had to run upstairs to get dressed while I was on the phone with her. After the paramedics arrived, I ran next door to see if the kids could stay with my neighbor. Luckily, she was able to take them. They were still in their pajamas. Al's blood pressure was low and his heart rate was elevated. They got him hooked up to an IV for fluids and took him to the hospital. Once we arrived, the pain had subsided. We were put in a room within the ER. Al dozed while receiving fluids. The doctor finally came in and did a quick exam and said he could go home. The nurse came in took his blood pressure, which was pretty high. As we were getting ready to check out and pay the $150 fee, the pain returned. Al plopped down in a wheelchair that was in the hallway. The nurse got him on a gurney and wheeled him to another room. The room we had just left was already taken! The gurney couldn't fit through the doorway, so the nurse left him in the hallway to find a different one. Al was able to get to the bathroom and started throwing up again. He was basically screaming in pain. His stomach was also empty. We got back to the room and Al lied down, but the pain was still excruciating. No one came in or did anything to help us! It was horrible. I was completely helpless. Luckily, the pain subsided and the doctor came back. He was kind of annoying because he kept saying, "Hey buddy. How you doing?" Anyway, Al had just about had enough of that place and said he felt well enough to go home. The doctor was okay with that, so we left. So far, so good. Our neighbor finished the yard for us. The kids were upset that they had to return home. Al was exhausted and went to sleep. He was afraid to eat, so he just sipped some water. He drank some of his shake very slowly this morning and went back upstairs to lie in the bed. The girls were invited to a birthday party today. My girlfriend is taking them with her 3 kids for me so that I can stay home with Al. I'm afraid to leave him alone. I'll follow up with his doctor on Monday. We think this happened because Al ate more solid food than usual the previous evening and drank that cold shake so quickly. He is just going to have to take it easy. He has been watching too much of the food network! I wanted to steam some green beans Friday with dinner, but he insisted on trying something different. He found some recipe that called for garlic, onions and bacon. I was also going to sauté some fish, but he decided to bake it with some seasoned crust that the girls just scraped off! Well, after yesterday, he agreed that we can go back to my bland cooking!