No Time For Pity!

Mandy Parkins, 54, from Barnsley, thought she was having kidney stones removed. But when she woke up, more…

- Katie Pearson And Laea Marshall

Flicking off the TV, I headed upstairs to bed and quietly climbed under the covers.

‘Night,’ I sighed, giving my partner Steven, 55, a kiss goodnight before drifting off to sleep.

It was like any other evening in May 2019, when I was suddenly woken in the middle of the night by a sharp pain in my stomach.

‘Argh,’ I screeched, clutching my side.

The sharp, stabbing sensation was like nothing I’d ever experienced – so much so, it woke me and my partner from a deep slumber.

‘Are you OK?’ Steven asked, still groggy.

‘I’m fine,’ I replied unconvincingly.

I hoped the pain would go if I got up for some water, but it kept getting worse.

It felt like a dagger to the gut.

Steven grew concerned when I couldn’t nod back off and decided to call 111 to be on the safe side.

‘It sounds like appendicitis,’ the call operator suggested.

‘What should we do?’ he worried, looking at my pained expression.

They recommended I go to hospital and get things checked out.

Up until that point, I had never experienced any serious health problems.

In fact, I considered myself quite fit and active for my age.

I was often on my feet, walking the dogs or going for a bike ride.

I also ran a small cleaning business which kept me busy, not to mention having three young grandchildren – Chloe, 10, Ellie, five, and Poppy, two – who were always keeping me on my toes!

We arrived at Barnsley Hospital, South Yorkshire, in the early hours, where I was rushed through to award.

After running a few tests, the​ doctors came to speak with me and Steven.

‘We think you may have kidney stones,’ the doctor explained, flicking through his results chart.

It sounded simple enough, and they planned to keep me in overnight for observation.