Possible kidney stones (TMI, already seen doctor)

Factual Questions
1

For the SDMB MD’s out there (and anyone with knowledge in this area):

For two days I’ve been having a feeling of pressure and discomfort (no actual pain though) in my left kidney area, occasional light burning sensation during urination, and my urine appears more foamy than usual. Mostly I am concerned about kidney stones, especially since the phrase “worst pain I’ve ever experienced” seems to keep coming up in my drive-myself-crazy Googling habits.

I saw my GP today and she ran a urine screen which came back negative for blood, sugar, protein, and signs of infection. She said it looks OK, but to call her if the symptoms got any worse. How conclusive is this that I don’t have a stone? Is it worth asking her to do some ultrasound or X-rays at this stage, if only to allay my paranoia?

2

Not an MD but I twice had kidney stones that sent me to the hospital in horrible pain. My sister (An RN who is also an Endo Nurse) has given birth twice and had kidney stones and gallstone reports that Kidney stones are the worst pain a man is ever likely to experience and as close to birth pain as they will get.

If you are worried, you might want to ask to see an Urologist who will then do what is most appropriate. I will add that the symptoms you describe could also be caused by being dehydrated as far as I know, but then as I said I am not a Doctor. Also my stones have been associated with periods of dehydration.

3

According to the “Man Child Birth” thread, Kidney stones are worse in pain than birth…

4

OK, but as I never experienced birth pain as I am a man, I was just relaying my sister’s information. Either way the pain is really bad from kidney stones. I have never felt worse. Not even close.

5

When I had kidney stones last year my tests showed blood in the urine and a CAT scan showed two stones on their way to the bladder. I experienced terrible pain until they reached the bladder then I passed them without too much trouble. If it is kidney stones you want to drink lots and lots of water to flush them out. Good Luck.

6

I had a kidney stone last month. I had similar symptoms to yours, with a couple of days of discomfort. My urologist put me on Flomax, and 36 hours later I passed the stone. At no time was my pain more than minor. While they CAN be very, very painful (my brother has been hospitalized a couple of times with stones), they do not have to be so. I hope this eases your worries.

7

Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor. I have no medical degree. I have, however, had years of kidney stones and two kidney transplants. Take this post with a grain of Mrs Dash Salt Substitute.

If the urinalysis shows no sign of infection, that pretty much rules out UTI. There’s a good chance it’s a stone, but not necessarily.

Stones usually hurt the most (in my experience) as they’re passing down the ureter (between kidney and bladder). Passing through the urethra (between bladder and glorious freedom) is usually a quick shock of pain, but not too bad (unless, heaven help you, it gets stuck halfway out; this is a Bad Thing).

Drink lots of water. Then drink some more. When you feel you might burst, drink some more water. However, don’t forget to eat and take in salt; too much water isn’t healthy.

8

I can’t answer, but I will tell you that the pain varies for each of us. It was not too bad for me, I had experienced much worse than that through other health issues.

So it may or may not be the worst thing you ever have gone through. Or it may be the worst, but still not too bad.

Good luck!

9

Could be diverticulitis. I had it New Years Eve, and the symptoms sound pretty similar. If it is, antibiotics should clear it up in a week or so, unless it’s a really bad case. I had a kidney stone years ago, so that was my first thought when it came on this time, but like you say, it was more “pressure and discomfort” rather than pain. Kidney stones were pure pain, no mistaking it. Anyway, I went to the hospital the after a day of it, got a CAT scan, they diagnosed the diverticulitis, prescribed antibiotics, and I was feeling better within days.

Whatever it turns out to be, hope you’re feeling better soon!

10

I’ve had dozens (literally) of kidney stones, and for me, the pain varies greatly. Sometimes, it’s quite crippling, and all I can think of is getting to the ER and getting IV narcotics into me. Sometimes I can’t tell the difference between a stone and a kidney infection.

Usually a stone will result in some amount of blood in the urine, since the edges of the stone are usually quite sharp and ‘scratch’ the ureter. However, sometimes this doesn’t happen.

I agree with the poster upthread who said to see a urologist.

11

Hopefully you won’t have something like this.

12

The pain for a kidney stone is really bad, but you can live with it. I had a stone and it’s bad but if you got insurance, you get a shot and the pain med makes it go away.

And as person who’s had a tooth pulled without anything to kill the pain, that is A THOUSAND times worse than a kidney stone.

13

So you’re saying a kidney stone isn’t as bad by comparing a kidney stone WITH prescription grade pain medication to a tooth being pulled WITHOUT any pain medication?

14

I’ve passed 4 stones in the period of 3 years. The last one was a doozy for me, weighing in at 6mm. The other 3 were around 2mm, and I passed those within a couple weeks weeks on my own. The 6mm hung around for a few months (with some temporary relief from Mr. Vicodin) and eventually had to be extracted by going-up-in-the-out-door by my urologist. It got stuck in my ureter right before falling into my bladder (where I would have been home free), and it was time just to pull the bastard out.

The pain, while excruciating at times, is a sliding scale of random cruelty and blessed relief with a few dull pangs to remind you you’ve got some work ahead of you. The pain comes on and can go pretty quickly, and can give you the false sensation that you have to pee incredibly bad, constantly. I’d describe the worst pain as incredibly dull and non-localized, emanating from my lower back, but throbbing around my side, sometimes into my groin. There is no relief. If it wants to flare up and last for 13 hours, then by god, it’s going to. Sometimes it might last for less than an hour, and even not be all that intolerable. It’s the nights when it’d flare up at 9:00 pm, then last until 5 or 6 in the morning, that I remember most fondly. I’d jump into a hot bath, and I’d find some relief there, as it seemed to melt the tense grip in my back, but as SOON as I got out of the tub, I was back in business. Going to the ER is the only real way to get the pain to stop when it’s unrelenting. They’ll IV you, and pump you with some Dilauded and a few other magical compounds, that make you feel like a million bucks. But if it doesn’t pass, or at least move, the pain’ll be back in the next day or two. For me, I’d say the pain is excruciating, but oddly bearable in a way, because it’s not at all visceral, like giving birth must be. It think it’s the unrelenting nature of it that I think most folks find frustrating. Yet, make no mistake, when you have a full-on attack, there’s nothing else on your mind, but trying to find a way to end the hell.

15

I have the very worst TMI story about a kidney stone, a lovely young lady, and the moment this kidney stone decided to enter the world. I leave you to figure out the rest.

16

I recently just had a bad kidney stone (not so fun while pregnant) I had to be in the hospital for 2 days because of the pain, but then once it was manageable I was sent home, I did not pass the stone for 2 weeks (we were not even sure if it was a stone or if it was baby, as they frown against x-rays while pregnant) during those 2 weeks it would hurt really bad, or just be a dull ache… What I did notice is I passed a lot of sand during those 2 weeks (you can try to pee in a cup to see if you have anything in your urine) You could maybe not have a large stone but passing the small stuff and that is bothering you.

In less than 24 hours I will be able to tell if a kidney stone or birth is more painful. :wink:

17

When laypeople talk about “kidney stones” they associate the condition with the pain that accompanies the passage of a stone through the ureter. This is usually (not always) severe pain, and usually (not always) produces an abnormal urine, with (usually microscopic) blood for example.

Most kidney stones don’t produce any symptoms at all. They sit up in the kidney, minding their own business and perhaps growing a bit.

An individual who has discomfort in the left flank but a normal urine has a very broad differential diagnosis ranging from an aneurysm about to kill him to an achy back from achy back problems. The second is more common; the first is why no one likes to make internet diagnoses. Kidney stones are in that differential but would not be a primary consideration. Even if such a diagnosis were made, they might well be left alone until they cause trouble. Plain xrays sometimes show stones, but many times do not, or are ambiguous. A CT scan might give more information (for stones, and in general) but would not necessarily be indicated unless symptoms persist.

18

Ha! I had stone attacks with my last two pregnancies. And in the interest of playing “one-upmanship” with you, the last one, not only was I pregnant, but I was a quarter of the way across the country, in Tennessee, for a Baha’i conference! It was one seriously bad attack, too, the kind that cripples you and makes you unable to move (of the dozens of stones I’ve had, I’ve only had maybe five that hurt that bad). My friend Dave was waiting for me in the conference hall, and I came out of the bathroom, unable to do anything but collapse on the nearest sofa. Oh, to make matters worse, Dave is blind. So it wasn’t like he could come ‘looking’ for me! The lobby was deserted because everyone at the conference was in class, lecture, etc. Finally, after about 15 minutes, one of the ladies I was traveling with happened by, and I snagged her. She helped me get up to my room (no small feat; she was about 5’2", maybe 125lb. I was 5’8", 250lbs. and five months pregnant!)

My saving grace was this: Baha’i, as a religion, draws a lot of doctors. A general announcement was made about me, and within ten minutes, my bed was surrounded by: an OB/GYN, a GP, and a urologist, all of whom were attending the conference. The OB was actually from the area and knew of an ER about 40 minutes away that specialized in emergency care for pregnant women! So I grabbed the metal trash can from my room (for puking in; I almost always puke when it’s a stone), and my friend DC drove me to the ER. (She later confessed that she was terrified to call my hubby and tell him what happened; she and he had never met, he’s an atheist, and she was afraid he was going to pin it all on her for dragging me so far from home when I was pregnant! Didn’t happen, of course, he’s a total pussycat). Anyway, once in the hospital, they decided to risk doing a CAT scan, found the stone and treated me. I asked for Toradol (a non-narcotic yet surprisingly effective pain reliever) because I didn’t want narcotics to mess up my baby. But the doctor assured me that morphine was much safer for her than Toradol. So they shot me full of morphine (for pain) and Phenergan (for nausea) and sent me back to the conference with a bottle of Percocet. Needless to say, I spent the rest of the conference in my room, in bed, with my friends taking turns fetching me pitchers of ice water, and bananas (the only food I could seem to keep down).

It was, aside from the time I nearly died, my most interesting kidney stone experience.

:eek:

19

looks at forum

Anecdotes aside, between 10-20% of patient with a ureteral stone will not have hematuria. A CT scan is both more sensitive and easier to perform than an IV pyelogram.

20

IANA Dr but have had over forty kidney stones.

I don’t think the urine testing is a very conclusive way to rule out stones because there could easily be a stone that is not currently making you bleed. I think the other urine tests were looking for other problems, not stones. I’d be interested to hear a Dr say whether this paragraph is reasonable, though.

I don’t think you should be that worried about the pain. It can hurt a great deal, but in my experience it isn’t the frantic pain you have when you don’t understand what is wrong or, worse, when you are very afraid of the other consequences of what is wrong. Kidney stone pain is, again in my experience, just really strong pain, pure and simple, without the other elements that can make illness so terrifying. All you have to do is yell.

And get looked at sooner or later. You don’t want to blow out a kidney, which I think takes a few days of complete blockage. If you were about to leave for 6 months of Third World travel, you probably should force the issue first. Otherwise, consider getting into the zen of the whole thing.

Not to worry - they’re a lot easier to take care of than a baby, once they’re out.