Kidney Disease and a trip to St. Marks Hospital in Salt Lake City.
When I was 10 or so years old, I don’t remember specifically, I was out in the barn and had to use the bathroom so as we always did when out in the barn yard or camping I just went number one in the gutter where the cows always let go while we were milking. I was scared this time though because it came out red with blood. I told mom about it and we were soon on our way to the doctor’s office in Roosevelt. It wasn’t long after we got there that I was then admitted into the hospital in Roosevelt. I was in the hospital for several days as various and sundry tests were ran and with no closer clue as to what was wrong. I didn’t have any more issue of blood but they were running tests none the less. Finally it was determined that I would need to go the Salt Lake City for more tests since their equipment was much more up to date. So on a Wednesday night I spent my last day in the hospital at Roosevelt before mom and dad would come get me to take me to Salt lake City. I was asked by the nurse that night what I would like to drink and my answer was the standard “7-Up” since I knew Pepsi and coke had caffeine in them and mom had always taught us not to drink them for that reason. The nurse however informed me that I had had 7-Up all week and it was time to have something different and so she brought me a Pepsi. I obediently drank the Pepsi and then tried to go to sleep but instead all I could do was vomit all night. I am sure that it wasn’t caused by the Pepsi but rather my mind, however, it left such a lasting memory that I have never been able, nor even tempted, to ever drink either of them again. Well my parents came on Thursday and I was taken home. I remember it was night and I anxiously looked for the lights of the house as we rode toward Duchesne on Highway 40. It was really a special moment when I could see the lights from the front porch.
The next afternoon we traveled to Salt Lake City. It took forever at 50 miles per hour to go from Duchesne to Fruitland to Strawberry Valley and then Heber and finally down the canyon into Salt Lake City. I recall that it was in October because I counted over 250 cars and trucks, mostly trucks, going up the canyon out of Salt lake as men and boys were headed to the mountains for the start of the deer hunt the next day. I was admitted to the St Marks hospital and remember being in a room where 8 beds were set up. I was the only one n the room. The next day I was not alone as the room was filled with boys that had been involved in various accidents while deer hunting, a couple of them had been shot with 22 rifles. Monday morning they came in at 7 am and started giving me drugs to knock me out prior to some exploratory surgery on my bladder. I was brought back to me room to wake up and I still recall how puzzled I was in the fact that The Lone Ranger was on TV so early in the day. It was always 4 PM or later out in Duchesne. Little did I know until I looked at the clock that I had been under all day. That spinning of the room that occurred just before I checked out had put me to sleep for an entire day. I don’t know if they ever figured out what was wrong but it never happened to me again for which I have been very grateful since it really hurt to do a number one after they had finished their exploring that day in the hospital.
