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A woman in her late 20s woke up in the middle of the night with a start.

As she blinked in the darkness, it took her a moment to remember where she was, in her hospital room in San Francisco.

The woman had come in for fairly routine knee surgery, and the doctors had assured her she'd be

home after only a few days of recovery. But two weeks later, and she was still here, and she had never felt worse in her whole life.

On top of her bad leg, she now also constantly felt lightheaded and nauseous.

And on this particular day, to make things even more frustrating, she had woken up with a sudden

urge to go to the bathroom. But she didn't want to call a nurse for help. She already relied on

them so much, it was kind of embarrassing. But she also hated the idea of going in a bedpan.

So, gathering what little strength she had, the woman very gingerly got up out of bed using a crutch.

However, as soon as she got on her one good leg, she almost collapsed. She was so dizzy she could barely stand, and it was hard to breathe.

But she was still determined to do this.

The woman hobbled her way over to the bathroom, doing her best to keep herself upright.

As she moved, her lower back pulsed with pain, and this wave of nausea crashed over her.

Finally, she reached the bathroom,

flipped on the light, and sat down on the toilet. Maybe she thought if she just stayed here for a while,

these awful feelings she was having would pass. She began to relieve herself and as she did,

this sharp, blinding pain shot through her body. But she kept going, and when she finished,

she looked down into the toilet,

and she saw a terrifying sight.

Her urine was tinged red.

...