Stomach And Kidney Problems?

[Kalafrana]

Renal calculi (kidney stones) are very painful by all accounts, as they try to squeeze their way out of the kidney via the ureter.

Said to be the only thing more painful than childbirth!

Ann

[matushka]

Aleksei was apparently given morphine in 1917, but the cause is unknown:

At any case, just to clarify the cause. In E. Naryshkina's diary we find the following quotations:
29. 01.1917 “The little one has fallen ill. New alarm for the Empress!”
1. 02 “I learned that the heir was ill more seriously as we thought. I can imagine the emotion of the Empress, after Grigory’s disappearance. It seems that he (the heir) had a awkward  movement and his illness transport to his back.”

Although it does not concern stomach and kidney problems, it is perhaps interesting to say that the first months of 1917 were especially bad for Alexei Nikolaevich. We all know about measles. But we should remember that before this he was almost all the time in bed since the 18th January. I have made a chronology of his illness, using diaries of NA and AF, and other documents. All come from the russian edition of the diaries. If it is not the right place for it, the moderator will delete my post, that will be all right.
Diary A 18.01.1917: “Sat with Al (…) Al 6 hours 38,7. Then: “Sat with Al 38,4”
Diary N 18.01.1917: “Alexei had ill tonsils, he stayed the whole day in bed”
A.   19.01: “Al 37,5. Sat with Al before lunch (…) Al 9 hours 38”
A.   20.01 Al 36,6. Sat with him 11.40 – 1.pm (…) Sat with Al until 4pm Al 9 pm 37,5
A.   21.01 Al 36,2, sat with him (…)Sat with Al. Al 36,6
A.   22.01 36,1 (…) Sat with Al
N. 22.01 Stayed with Alexei.
A. 23.01 Al 36,6 (…) Stayed with Al
A. 24.01 Stayed with Al
A. 25.01 Stayed with Al (…) Al 37,2 (…) Al 36,7
A. 26.01 Stayed with Al
A. 27.01 Stayed with Al (…) Stayed with Al, O, T, A, daughters (…) Al 37, 1
A. 28.01 Came to Al upstairs (…) On the balcony with A(nia) and Al
A. 29.01 2.30 pm – 4.30 pm. Stayed with Al
Naryshkina: 29. 01“The little one has fallen ill. New alarm for the Empress!”
N. 29.01: Stayed with Alexei before tea.
A. 30.01: Stayed with Al (…) Stayed with Al
N. 30.01: Stayed with Alexei before tea
A. 31.01: Stayed with Al (…) Stayed with Al (…) Read to Al.
N. 31.01: Came to Alexei.
A. 1.02: Stayed with Al. Fedorov (…) Stayed with Al
Naryshkina 1.02: “I learned that the heir was ill more seriously as we thought. I can imagine the emotion of the Empress, after Grigory’s disappearance. It seems that he (the heir) had a awkward  movement and his illness transport to his back.”
A.   2.02: Stayed with Al
A.   3.02: Stayed with Al (…) Stayed with Al.
A.   4.02: Stayed with Al (…) Read to Al
A.   5.02: Stayed with Al
A.   6.02: Stayed with Al
N.  06.02: Stayed with Alexei, as usual before going for a walk
A. 07.02: Stayed with Al
A. 08.02: Stayed with Al (…) The Hakham was by Al (a Crimean tatarian dignitary)
A. 09.02: Had lunch in bed then went upstairs to Al (…) After dinner  read to Baby
A. 10.02: Came to Al and Olga (Olga have an ear inflammation)
A. 11.02: With Olga and Alexei (...) Stayed with Al (…) Read to Al. O.
N. 11.02: Came upstairs to Olga and Alexei who were lying afternoon in the one room.
A. 12.02: Stayed with Al and Olga. His 2 cadets, Makarov, A(geev)
A. 13.02: Stayed with Al
N. 13.02: Came upstairs to Olga and Alexei
A. 14.02: Stayed with O and Al. Al get up from hid bed for the first time
N. 14.02: Alexei get up afternoon
A. 15.02: Stayed with O and Al
A. 16.02: Stayed with O and Al (…) Stayed with Al, O and M(aria)
N: 16.02: Stayed with Olga, Maria and Alexei
A.   17.02: Al had lunch with together with us for the first time
A.   18.02: Holly communion. At 11.30 O, M and Al received it in Baby’s bedroom (…) Read to Al
Naryshkina 18.02: “Had communion together with the Sovereign, the Empress and 2 GD. The others have not yet recovered. The heir is better, but he does not go outside.”
19.02 There was a séance of cinema in the Round room. All the children, apart Olga were present.
A. 20.02: Stayed with  the children upstairs.
A. 21.02: Stayed with Al and O
N. 21.02: Stayed upstairs with Olga and Alexei who feel themselves better
A. 22.02: Al 38,3
A. 23.02: O and Al have measles

[matushka]

To recapitulate Alexei's state of health in early 1917:
- the 18.01 he had tonsils pains and temperature
- after the 25.01 the temperature is normal, Alexis is convalescent
- the 28.01 he go to the balcony to breath some fresh air. Is that here that something happened? Some movement
- Alexis seems to have some new hemophilly crisis. The 30 he received morphine.
- After the 8 February Alexei is still in bed, but enough heathy to receive people: the crimean dignitary and his friends.
- The 12 came Alexis friends. That's probably this day that the contamination took place.
- the 14 he is up
- the 17 he is enough healthy to have lunch with all.
- the 19 he attented the cinema's seace with all.
- and the 22 he is once more seriously ill with the measles...

It is interesting to notice that neither Alexandra nor Nicolas wrote about the possible hemophillic crisis openly. We can only guess thanks to Olga's diary, Naryshkina's diary and the mention of the surgeon Fedorov.
The second thing I would notice is that such crisis are quicly known by court people.
It appears that poor Alexei was not outside more than 2 months (until the begining of april, if I am correct!).

[aleksandr pavlovich]

Re Replies # 16 and 17:  Thank you, "matushka," for your detailed choronology of the afflictions of the Heir during the first two months of 1917. It is interesting to read, especially for someone like myself who does not have copies of the diaries readily at hand.  One is struck by how VERY infrequently he has any exchange with others his own age (excepting siblings), at least in the documentation (and of course, there WERE family, security, protocol, etc. reasons for that). The exception being the appearance of the two young cadets (A. and M.) that did accompany the Heir and IF on excursions of several occasions.  As you pointed out, most likely the source of his subsequent measles contamination came from one of them. I even believe that one was subsequently (after-the-fact) specifically named, though I do not have that information in front of me.   With regards,  AP.

[matushka]

That's a goog point, Alexandr Palych! The best opportunities to see others boys for Alexis Nikolaevich were the Standart's cruises and the time at Stavka with his father.
I would emphasize on another point: how could the poor heir pursuit his studies in such conditions, with such a health! So much time ill or convalescent... Of course his mother and sisters, Petr Vassilevich, Gilliard and Gibbes read him a lot when he was in bed, but that are not studies, no developpment for his brain. Add to this a - perhaps - not very accurate choice of teachers. So, even if she sometimes is partial or exagerate we should agree with K. Bitner when she speak about the great lack of preparation of Alexis.

[clockworkgirl21]

I've been waiting for a chance to ask this question, but the opportunity has never came up before now.

Did Aleksey have an operation to correct his cryptorchidism? I read that he did, it was successful, and there was very little bleeding. It was from a book, but as usual, I can't remember which one. I'm thinking it was "The Lost World of Nicholas and Alexandra" but I don't own the book, and can't check. I could also very easily have the wrong book.

[Gorseheart]

I've been waiting for a chance to ask this question, but the opportunity has never came up before now.

Did Aleksey have an operation to correct his cryptorchidism? I read that he did, it was successful, and there was very little bleeding. It was from a book, but as usual, I can't remember which one. I'm thinking it was "The Lost World of Nicholas and Alexandra" but I don't own the book, and can't check. I could also very easily have the wrong book.

That's interesting. I would like to know as well.

[Lady Nikolaievna]

Kidney problems are so painful... I have it and I know the pain. I feel for Dr. Botkin. 

[Ausmanov]

I've been waiting for a chance to ask this question, but the opportunity has never came up before now.

Did Aleksey have an operation to correct his cryptorchidism? I read that he did, it was successful, and there was very little bleeding. It was from a book, but as usual, I can't remember which one. I'm thinking it was "The Lost World of Nicholas and Alexandra" but I don't own the book, and can't check. I could also very easily have the wrong book.

That's interesting. I would like to know as well.

Yes i would love to hear about this as well. I cant see the tsar agreeing to surgery on the heir unless it was absolutely imperitive. could anyone with a copy of the book try and verify this for us?

[Sarushka]

I've looked through Peter Kurth's book just now and didn't find any mention of Aleksei's cryptorchidism, nor any operations.

For what it's worth, I don't remember ever reading a reference to cryptorchidism in any of the Romaonv books I own -- the only place I've heard about it is here on the forum.

[Ausmanov]

Thanks Sarushka, I appreciate you taking the time to check. well for me thats case closed unless further evidence presents its self.

[clockworkgirl21]

Sorry, I thought I'd bump this thread to share more information. I was reading through Carolly Erickson's "The Last Empress" and marking sections coming from Mouchenow so I could remind myself which anecdotes I could probably ignore, when I read a passage about Aleksey's condition, and him having an operation. Erickson didn't even mark her source for this info, so the operation probably never happened.

[feodorovna]

Regarding Alexei's chryptorchidism. I can't imagine that his doctors being overly eager to operate or do anything else which involved using a knife on him. Unless there was clear evidence of the prescence of a "hidden" testicle they probably felt it best to leave things as they were. Having only one testicle is no greater barrier to fatherhood than having only one ovary is to motherhood.