# Kidney infection **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 17, 2003, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kidney-infection/213695 "2003-11-17T14:02:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2003, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kidney-infection/213695/1 "2003-11-17T14:02:08Z")
Has anyone had one? I am having pain in my left lower back. I’m not sure if it’s serious enough to see a doc or not. I think I’ll give it an hour or so and see how I feel. Does anyone know anything about these? ---
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2003, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kidney-infection/213695/2 "2003-11-17T14:40:15Z")
But do I. Lots of water and cranberry juice will help your symptoms, and Uristat will get rid of the pain temporarily (and turn your piss orange), but you really need antibiotics to get rid of the infection, assuming it’s a standard kidney infection. [All About Urinary Tract Infections](http://my.webmd.com/content/article/10/1680_50567.htm) Get thee to a doctor. They can tell in minutes with a urinalysis if that’s what it is. ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2003, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kidney-infection/213695/3 "2003-11-17T15:12:12Z")
I’ve had two kidney infections. Both started without having a UTI beforehand (at least I didn’t have any UTI symptoms). The first time I had a kidney infection, I had a pain in my back for a couple days. I thought maybe I had pulled something. It wasn’t until I started a fever (103!) that I headed to the doctor. He gave me some antibiotics and sent me home to drink cranberry juice. (The doctor was great, by the way - it was right before Christmas and I didn’t have any health insurance. He charged me $30 for the visit and gave me samples of antibiotics so I didn’t have to pay for a prescription.) I had to stay home from work for 5 days and I felt like crap. The second time I had a KI I went to the doctor as soon as I felt the back pain. I took the antiobiotics and didn’t miss a day of work. I’d go the doctor ASAP, just in case. It’s a simple urine test and if you catch it soon, it won’t be as bad. ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2003, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kidney-infection/213695/4 "2003-11-17T15:18:44Z")
My doctor has told me, when I was worried about the same thing, that a kidney infection hurts A LOT. It’s not just a pain. It’s much, much worse than a urinary tract infection, and kidney infections are commonly caused by untreated urinary tract infections that work their way up. And you’d probably know if you had a UTI - I can tell the minute - the second - I get one. You should probably see a doctor anyway though - unexplained persistent pain is something you want to check out. ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2003, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kidney-infection/213695/5 "2003-11-17T15:21:39Z")
Oh, this hurts a lot. It’s a stabbing pain. Every time I move to a certain angle it shoots through my side. I’ve never had a kidney infection or a UTI, so I don’t know what’s up. I am seeing the doctor at 11, so hopefully she’ll figure it out. ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2003, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kidney-infection/213695/6 "2003-11-17T15:41:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by missbunny \* > \*\*My doctor has told me, when I was worried about the same thing, that a kidney infection hurts A LOT. It’s not just a pain. It’s much, much worse than a urinary tract infection, and kidney infections are commonly caused by untreated urinary tract infections that work their way up. And you’d probably know if you had a UTI - I can tell the minute - the second - I get one. You should probably see a doctor anyway though - unexplained persistent pain is something you want to check out. \*\* That’s not _always_ true. As I said about my two kidney infections, neither involved a lot of pain and I didn’t have any UTI symptoms beforehand. I totally agree about the UTI thing, though. The couple times I’ve had that, I’ve _known_ immediately what was going on. Ouch!! The pain I had in my back was a dull pain, like I’d pulled a muscle. Not that it couldn’t feel like a stabbing pain to you, Indygrrl, but that was just my experience. Good luck at the doctor - I hope you feel better soon! ---
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2003, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kidney-infection/213695/7 "2003-11-17T16:48:26Z")
You will definitely know if you have a UTI. The pain is so unbearable to me that I carry Uristat with me EVERYWHERE, just because I don’t want to be caught somewhere if I get hit with one. My kidney infections have never been too terribly painful as far as the back pain is concerned. ---
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2003, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kidney-infection/213695/8 "2003-11-17T17:05:24Z")
You will definitely know if you have a UTI. The pain is so unbearable to me that I carry Uristat with me EVERYWHERE, just because I don’t want to be caught somewhere if I get hit with one. My kidney infections have never been too terribly painful as far as the back pain is concerned. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2003, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kidney-infection/213695/9 "2003-11-17T17:39:59Z")
Sure it’s a kidney infection, and not a stone? ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2003, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kidney-infection/213695/10 "2003-11-17T17:41:18Z")
Just got back from the doc. It’s not a kidney infection, but she thinks it could very well be a stone. My back is killing me. I told her I’d get a CAT scan in two days if it’s not better. Ugh. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2003, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kidney-infection/213695/11 "2003-11-17T18:01:32Z")
Stones are no fun. Good luck. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2003, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kidney-infection/213695/12 "2003-11-17T18:05:30Z")
I had an undiagnosed kidney infection as a kid that almost destroyed my kidney. No pain, no fever. No pain, that is, until the biopsy. Nine-year-olds weren’t meant to whiz blood clots the diameter of a dime. ---
**Author:** ![Booker57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Booker57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Booker57)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2003, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kidney-infection/213695/13 "2003-11-17T18:16:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mr. Moto \* > \*\* > No pain, that is, until the biopsy. Nine-year-olds weren’t meant to whiz blood clots the diameter of a dime. \*\* Just reading this caused my privates to schrunch up:eek: ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2003, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kidney-infection/213695/14 "2003-11-17T21:09:31Z")
DeadlyAccurate, me too on the Uristat. NEVER again will I be without that stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Nightingale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecae2f/32.png) [@Nightingale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightingale)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2003, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kidney-infection/213695/15 "2003-11-17T23:08:41Z")
Kidney stones suck. **Indygrrl** , if you and your doctor think you have a kidney stone, I recommend NOT waiting to get a CAT Scan. Kidney stone pain can get really, really bad really, really quickly. You’d be doing yourself a favor to already have strong pain medication on hand! We see lots of kidney stones in the ER where I work and those patients are truly miserable. If you have the scan now, you can get a script for some good pain meds and then you (hopefully) won’t have to get to the “writhing in agony” stage. Best of luck and get well soon!