Kidney Pain

[ptp]

Glad you are feeling better. Hopefully everything will check out to be okay and you will be feeling right as rain.

[Forever Learning]

You are so kind PTP. Thank you.

 

I go to the doctor in an hour. My urethra has a mix of vague ache and occasional somewhat sharper pain. I feel like there might be a kidney stone stuck in there. That would suck, especially if it stays stuck in there for weeks or longer. That happened to Feeling Frisky. What a nightmare that would be. It is very distracting.

 

I am going to try not to worry about it right now though. We will see what the doctor says. I know I am a complete hypochondriac about these things.

 

My worry always stems from worry about health issues interfering with my ability to raise my kids, due to lack of safety net and crazy ex husband (I would hate for the kids to have to be taken care of by him, for any extended period of time, is the issue there for me. He has no common sense, and they would be at risk in his care).

 

Anyhow, I'll shut up now and see what doctor says. Thanks again for your kind concern. You rock PTP!!!!!

Edited August 16, 2012 by Forever Learning

[FitChick]

In this hot weather it is easy for anyone to get a kidney infection because they don't realize they are dehydrated. I used to have bladder and kidney infections when I was younger but have since learned to always have water or some non-caffeinated beverages at all times to sip throughout the day.

 

It's also important to pee after sex to flush out any germs that may have been pushed up the urethra. So drink liquids before sex so you can pee after!

[Forever Learning]

In this hot weather it is easy for anyone to get a kidney infection because they don't realize they are dehydrated. I used to have bladder and kidney infections when I was younger but have since learned to always have water or some non-caffeinated beverages at all times to sip throughout the day.

 

It's also important to pee after sex to flush out any germs that may have been pushed up the urethra. So drink liquids before sex so you can pee after!

 

Oh that is a good reminder, thank you Fit Chick!!! I think this all began with simple dehydration, and spiraled out of control after that. I was taking too many vitamins, and not washing them down with enough water. Plus here in Texas it's 104 today, so the heat added to my dehydration for sure.

 

I WISH this situation had somehow been triggered by too much sex!!!! LOL You would think the way I hang out in the sex section that I was getting my groove on in a big way, but I'm not, haven't in quite some time . So this wasn't triggered from not pee'ing after sex to clean out my urinary tract. (aw shucks). But thank you for mentioning those great tips about peeing after sex. A great reminder for everyone whose eyeballs are reading this. Very important for women (and men actually).

[Forever Learning]

Oh! I forgot to mention. I did go to the doctor earlier (I love my doctor, a wonderful Asian lady my age, with boys, my boys age, she is perfect for me, I love her so much and am so grateful to have her. But I have no health insurance, have to pay cash, which is why I put this off at first.....).

 

So anyway, she had me pee in a cup. The tests they ran found blood in my urine (couldn't see it at all with the naked eye, only sometimes there was a 'rusty' hue to my urine.)

 

So she said it could be an infection, or a kidney stone, or both. The way it started up in my kidneys, I think it might have been a stone, that is now stuck in my urethra. But she said were it a stone, it would have been pain worse than labor pain, and I don't know if I was in THAT much pain initially or not. Hard to say.

 

So anyhow, she gave me the generic antibiotic 'Cipro', which is $ 4 at most pharmacies here in the USA. (Cipro is Ciprofloxacin HCL, 500 mg twice a day, for 7 days, and not to be taken with dairy, yogurt, or any calcium fortified drinks/food, says the product description warnings).

 

She said she is sending the urine out for further testing, other results should be available next Tuesday. I think they did not find signs of bacteria in the urine, only blood. The Cipro, she said, was to get me thru the weekend, until test results come back Tuesday, a preventative measure.

[Forever Learning]

(I had to post that before the computer froze up, my computer is a junker so I have to post in little chunks sometimes).

 

So anyway, I have had thyroid cancer in the past, about 10 years ago. I asked her if there was any possibility the blood was an indicator of cancer recurrence. She said the odds of that were slim, that her brother is a urologist and she had asked him a similar question in the past. She knows I am a hypochondriac so she was trying to reassure me with that statement, I'm sure! LOL

 

Now, regarding thyroid cancer, the treatment for such cancer is typically radiated iodine, which CAN cause bladder cancer. However, I never received the radiated iodine treatment, I only had a total thyroidectomy. Had I had the radiated iodine treatment, I'm sure I would be extra freaked out about bladder cancer right about now, having heard I have blood in my urine.

 

Even thinking about it makes me nauseous actually. I'm surprised I didn't pass out when she told me, but I had forewarning of that possibility, so it wasn't a shock to my system to hear that they found blood in my urine. I still hate the thought of that, though.

 

So thanks again everyone for your concern!!!! I appreciate it!!!!! Hopefully this will entirely resolve in the next week and I won't ever be on here bellyaching about something so minor ever again!!! LOL

 

 

Love you all.

[whichwayisup]

Oh! I forgot to mention. I did go to the doctor earlier (I love my doctor, a wonderful Asian lady my age, with boys, my boys age, she is perfect for me, I love her so much and am so grateful to have her. But I have no health insurance, have to pay cash, which is why I put this off at first.....).

 

So anyway, she had me pee in a cup. The tests they ran found blood in my urine (couldn't see it at all with the naked eye, only sometimes there was a 'rusty' hue to my urine.)

 

So she said it could be an infection, or a kidney stone, or both. The way it started up in my kidneys, I think it might have been a stone, that is now stuck in my urethra. But she said were it a stone, it would have been pain worse than labor pain, and I don't know if I was in THAT much pain initially or not. Hard to say.

 

So anyhow, she gave me the generic antibiotic 'Cipro', which is $ 4 at most pharmacies here in the USA. (Cipro is Ciprofloxacin HCL, 500 mg twice a day, for 7 days, and not to be taken with dairy, yogurt, or any calcium fortified drinks/food, says the product description warnings).

 

She said she is sending the urine out for further testing, other results should be available next Tuesday. I think they did not find signs of bacteria in the urine, only blood. The Cipro, she said, was to get me thru the weekend, until test results come back Tuesday, a preventative measure.

 

You need an MRI, an Xray or ultrasound of your kidney's. Did she suggest this? if not, YOU tell her you'd like one.

[ptp]

What will be will be. No point in getting worked up over the worst case scenario. Waiting is tough, but just take your meds and hope for the best. I bet it is nothing more than an infection that will be well on its way to being cleared by the time your results come back.

[quankanne]

Cipro is good, just remember to take on a full tummy ~ I never did, and had BAD nausea :sick:

 

my guess is that it's the lack of water intake/hot humid Texas weather combo. Keep flushing your system, that's always the smart thing to do. Also, my doctor told me to take the cranberry capsules, less sugar in them than the juice, which is better for you...

[writergal]

I've taken Ciprofloxacin before for urinary tract infections. The pharmacist told me to drink extra water/fluids to counteracs some of the common side effects that patients complain about. If you haven't taken it before, the most common side effects are stomach upset and heartburn. Usually side effects go away after a few days once the body adjusts. You'll be fine. Glad you're on an antibiotic.

[Forever Learning]

Good advice all around, thank you all!!!!

 

 

Well, here is the best part. 3 hours after I took the very first Cipro pill, I felt 110% better. Like, pain all gone. NO PAIN. No feeling that a 'boulder' is lodged in my urethra!

 

Do you suppose, it could have been, just an infection after all? And NOT a kidney stone? I was so sure, there was a kidney stone stuck just about an inch or less, inside my urethra. It hurt right there like something was stuck there. But now, waa-laa, nothing. I've taken the second Cipro pill and will take them all over the course of the next 7 days as directed.

 

But I am simply amazed, at the 3 hour amazing recovery I have just experienced. It is really, really weird. I suppose this is possible, with a bladder or Urinary Tract Infection? Maybe it was the perfect storm, of cranberry juice & capsules, lots of water, the over the counter pain & anti-bacterial pills I was taking, the other anti-biotic, and finally, magically, the Cipro???

 

I don't know, but I still want to bum rush the scientists who created anti-biotics, and give them the biggest bear hug in the history of mankind. I am so thankful to live in the Western world where anti-biotics are easily accessible. I still feel terrible for kids in Africa and Asia and other poverty stricken places who suffer with this stuff and don't have access to medicine. I can't even think too much about it. Their misery must be simply, beyond horrific. A really terrible thought.

 

Anyways, thanks all!!! Me loves you!!!

[Forever Learning]

So the doctor's office called, the urine results came back, and there is no sign of bladder infection.

 

I had taken the anti-biotics that I had on hand, for about 24 hours, maybe it was 48 hours, prior to that urine test. So MAYBE, that knocked out the signs of infection, before she gave me the CIPRO.

 

ANyhow, I started taking the CIPRO, and was feeling great, even after the first pill. Very little pain. Then, on day 2, at 3am, I awoke with more pain in my urethra again. I thought 'what the hell, I thought this was over with'.

 

It's been, what, 5 days on the CIPRO now, and I haven't had any more pain than that. So I don't know if it was a bladder infection, small kidney stone, or what it really was.

 

I plan to get more follow up by a urologist down the road. It's just strange the urine test came back without signs of infection. I wonder if one day, maybe two days, tops, - no, lets say one day, of taking the anti-biotic I had on hand, could have made the results show no infection. I wonder.

[cerridwen]

So the doctor's office called, the urine results came back, and there is no sign of bladder infection.

 

I had taken the anti-biotics that I had on hand, for about 24 hours, maybe it was 48 hours, prior to that urine test. So MAYBE, that knocked out the signs of infection, before she gave me the CIPRO.

 

ANyhow, I started taking the CIPRO, and was feeling great, even after the first pill. Very little pain. Then, on day 2, at 3am, I awoke with more pain in my urethra again. I thought 'what the hell, I thought this was over with'.

 

It's been, what, 5 days on the CIPRO now, and I haven't had any more pain than that. So I don't know if it was a bladder infection, small kidney stone, or what it really was.

I plan to get more follow up by a urologist down the road. It's just strange the urine test came back without signs of infection. I wonder if one day, maybe two days, tops, - no, lets say one day, of taking the anti-biotic I had on hand, could have made the results show no infection. I wonder.

 

I'm glad to hear you're better, FL.

 

Had you been on CIPRO the entire time, negative urine results wouldn't have been a surprise as CIPRO's very fast acting.

It is a bit curious nothing was found...

 

I'm sorry a lack of health insurance makes extensive testing prohibitive or else I'd be in total agreement with WhichWay: go for broke with testing and get to the bottom of it.

Hopefully, the urologist can shed more light.

 

Keep us updated.

You know where you are in my prayers.

[Eternal Sunshine]

FL,

 

Sorry to hear about your troubles.

 

I would still be persistent and follow up with the urologist for further tests. I have been dealing with doctors and a very ill dad for a while now and sometimes they just want to tell you "oh it's nothing" just so you don't bother them...that's where you have to be persistent.

 

They found blood in your urine so there was something, especially if you still have pain. It's easy to ignore things...and I suggest you DON'T do that.

[Radu]

Should have found this thread when you posted it.

After reading the OP i was pretty sure it was a gallstone [my dad worked for 25yrs in a very hot medium ... 130F].

 

If i recall, you are in your early 40's and Texas is quite quite hot.

Hot means you drink a lot of fluids, which makes your kidneys go into overdrive.

That's where i suspect it's coming from.

 

What you need to do now is to keep on the medication [pain/antibiotics] and give your kidneys a rest.

 

What do you drink usually, how do you cook ?

Try to simplify cooking, reduce drinking to just water and order some tea that is good for the kidneys.

How to Improve Kidneys by Drinking Teas | eHow.com

 

You will probably hurt more, as it is passed. But the fact that it hurts just this little [your doctor wasn't kidding], is an indication that something good is happening.

When you get that hurt, drink more liquids, flush the little buggers out.

Antibiotics will continue to help because gallstones can damage the stuff, that's where the blood is coming from.

 

You mention you are a bit of a hypochondriac, that's why Cipro worked that fast.

The mind is very powerfull, placebo's do in fact work.

[Forever Learning]

I just wanted to thank everyone again and give a little update: I haven't had any pain since the round of anti-biotics (Cipro) knocked the pain out in the first 3 days or so. It evidently was indeed, a urinary tract infection. I never passed a kidney stone, that I am aware of.

 

So, I have been faithfully drinking lots of water every day now, along with cranberry juice and cranberry capsules.

 

Thanks everyone for holding this whiney baby's hand as she moaned and groaned through that ordeal! I appreciate all the love and support!

 

What a baby, huh?

 

 

Love you guys!