A May Day Holiday Marred by Kidney Stones and a Cold

Before the May Day holiday, I was unlucky enough to be diagnosed with kidney stones—an ordeal that upended all my plans. Let’s rewind the clock to April 28th. After enduring excruciating cramps in my lower abdomen through two classes, I knew I couldn’t continue teaching. I took leave and rushed to the hospital.

The hospital visit was nothing short of chaotic. Since it was my first time at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, I wandered around lost for half an hour just trying to locate the urology department. After a brief consultation, the doctor ordered a urine test. Then, disaster struck again: I spent a full thirty minutes trapped in the restroom, unable to produce a single drop of urine. By 11 a.m., the doctor’s shift was nearly over. It wasn’t until after 12 p.m. that I finally secured my test results—only to find the doctor had already left for the day.

Little did I know, the real pain was just beginning. My left lower abdomen felt like a knife was twisting and slicing inside me. I hunched over like a shrimp, clutching my side, though I knew full well that the posture did little to ease the agony. After two hours of midday struggle, I took the subway back to the hospital. The doctor, glancing at my lab results, ordered an ultrasound. The verdict Kidney stones.

Honestly, even on the 30th—the day of my midterm exams—the pain in my left flank remained unbearable. As if fate had a cruel sense of humor, misery loved company: during the entire May Day holiday, the stones weren’t my only companion. A cold swooped in right on their heels. Yes, I managed to resolve the kidney stone issue, only to be felled by a cold immediately afterward.

So there I was, spending the entire May Day holiday convalescing on campus, confined to my dorm instead of exploring the world as I’d hoped.