Posted: 9/17/2015 10:55:40 AM EDT
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Arfcom docs, please share some advice on what might be going on with me. I thought I had a kidney stone but the CT scan indicates that I don't. Details about me: mid-40's, 5' 6", 155lb, decent shape (gym 4 days a week, run about 3 miles a week).
Day 1 (9/4/2015): Lower back pain, both sides, at waist/belt level. Annoying, not devastating pain. Day 2: Same issue continued. Day 3 - 5: Same lower back pain, now left flank pain. Deep inside, didn't seem to be muscle related. Pain was moderate, not horrible. This seemed to be very similar to the feeling I had when my last (and only) kidney stone was bothering me. Day 6: Lower back pain subsided, left flank pain a little worse. I'm convinced I have a kidney stone. I see my Urologist who X Rays me and does not see anything unusual. He indicated that the X Ray will only show large stones, so I probably have a small one. No blood in my urine and nothing to indicate a stone other than my pain. Doc says to wait a couple of weeks for the stone to pass. Call him if things get worse. Day 7: Same as previous day. Day 8: Same as before except while driving home from work I have a wave of high pain. Cold sweats, I totally remember this from the previous stone though this is only 80% as painful. I figure my drive home will be detoured to the ER. About 10-15 minutes later, the pain passes. I skip the ER and wait to see what happens next. Day 10: Pain in my side starts out not as bad as it had been before until mid day. Another wave of pain. I endure it for about 20 min to see if the pain passes, it does. I continue to wait to see what happens next. Day 12: Pain in my side is worse, but not horrible. I'd give it a 6/10. I call my Urologist for another appt to get a CT scan to find out if this is or is not a stone. Doc's aid says to continue to wait to see if I pass the stone. Day 13: In the AM the pain gets really bad. So bad I have cold sweats, cold shakes, nausea. Those symptoms come and go for a couple of hours and then subside. I call the urologist and they say to come in. I get the CT scan and meet with the doc. He indicates there is no stone. So, I ask what else it could be. He indicates since it's not a stone, there isn't much he can do. At this point, I remind him that when I was very young I had a polyp in the ureter on the same (left) side. (I have a scar in my ureter where they cut the section with the polyp out). He hadn't thought about that and then suggested another test which will hopefully happen soon. Not sure what test it is, but he said it would indicate if there is any blockages in my kidneys. Not a CT with dye, but something similar but less radiation associated with it. He did suggest I see my normal doctor to explore other possibilities. So, I'm dead stick here. I'm really convinced this is something similar to a kidney stone but the current data doesn't indicate anything. My symptoms don't really fit well with an issue with my appendix or gallbladder or anything else I can find. Other than my phantom kidney stone pain, I feel great. No fever, nothing out of the ordinary. Suggestions on what could cause this and what to do to diagnose this? Thanks! |
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Had similar.
Turns out what the most likely thing was my having passed a small stone at some point but I got cut up by it real bad on the inside and caught an infection that started moving around in my abdomen. No fun. You could also be experiencing radiating pain. I know prostatitis can cause this...it can make you feel like you're flank hurts, you're pissing small rocks, your nuts will fall off, etc. Not fun. Not sure how to advise you to proceed. Maybe get your prostate checked just to make sure. |
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Quoted:
Had similar. Turns out what the most likely thing was my having passed a small stone at some point but I got cut up by it real bad on the inside and caught an infection that started moving around in my abdomen. No fun. You could also be experiencing radiating pain. I know prostatitis can cause this...it can make you feel like you're flank hurts, you're pissing small rocks, your nuts will fall off, etc. Not fun. Not sure how to advise you to proceed. Maybe get your prostate checked just to make sure. Good call on the possibility of already passed it and it irritated the ureter. This pain feels just like when I had the stent in after my last stone being fragged in the ureter. Miami_JBT: waiting for the results to confirm/deny the possibility of an infection. |
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I've had kidney stones. Last winter, I thought I was getting another one. Started in my back, then I got flank pain and abdominal pain. I could not lay on it due to the pain, but could press on it with my hand.
I had two CT scans, one with contrast dye, one without. I had an MRI. I had multiple urinalyses performed. Saw my GP, a PA at urgent care, ER doc, urologist, back specialist, and two chiropractors. No stone, no blood in the urine, no fever, no vomiting. Just lots of pain, which took around 2 months to go away on its own. I asked the doc, "Could this be shingles without the rash?" I saw the light bulb go off above his head. He said he could not say for sure, but the symptoms and test results were consistent with that. I've also had shingles before. |
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Quoted:
I've had kidney stones. Last winter, I thought I was getting another one. Started in my back, then I got flank pain and abdominal pain. I could not lay on it due to the pain, but could press on it with my hand. I had two CT scans, one with contrast dye, one without. I had an MRI. I had multiple urinalyses performed. Saw my GP, a PA at urgent care, ER doc, urologist, back specialist, and two chiropractors. No stone, no blood in the urine, no fever, no vomiting. Just lots of pain, which took around 2 months to go away on its own. I asked the doc, "Could this be shingles without the rash?" I saw the light bulb go off above his head. He said he could not say for sure, but the symptoms and test results were consistent with that. I've also had shingles before. Another good possibility. I've had shingles before too. Adding this to the list to investigate. You guys are great. |
| Glad we could help. I've lost count of how many stones I've passed. First one's exit plan took a whopping 30+ hours and I couldn't get to pain meds. I damn near deserve a medal for that one. Anything I can do to help someone who might experience similar, or related issues, I will do. |
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Quoted:
Another good possibility. I've had shingles before too. Adding this to the list to investigate. You guys are great. Quoted:
Quoted:
I've had kidney stones. Last winter, I thought I was getting another one. Started in my back, then I got flank pain and abdominal pain. I could not lay on it due to the pain, but could press on it with my hand. I had two CT scans, one with contrast dye, one without. I had an MRI. I had multiple urinalyses performed. Saw my GP, a PA at urgent care, ER doc, urologist, back specialist, and two chiropractors. No stone, no blood in the urine, no fever, no vomiting. Just lots of pain, which took around 2 months to go away on its own. I asked the doc, "Could this be shingles without the rash?" I saw the light bulb go off above his head. He said he could not say for sure, but the symptoms and test results were consistent with that. I've also had shingles before. Another good possibility. I've had shingles before too. Adding this to the list to investigate. You guys are great. Another clue that it may have been shingles: regular pain meds didn't work. Tylenol, Mobic, tramadol, vicodin, morphone sulfate, whatever IV narcotic they gave me in the ER... none of them touched the pain. Gabapentin took the edge off, but didn't do much and the side effects were not worth such little relief. My GP said if I have similar pain again, he'll try anti-virals. |