Excruciating right flank pain only in early mornings.

Posted , 15 users are following.

Can anybody help me please?

Over the last 5 weeks I have experienced the following symptoms which do not occur every day:

* Excruciating pain below lower right ribcage to lower back only upon waking - sometimes wakes me from 5 am. Cannot do anything to relieve the discomfort. Pain subsides within up to 3 hours.

* Unbearable pain in this area during the few hours after waking when breathing in, especially deeply.

* Wake up shivering, sometimes cannot get warm all day.

* Intermittent breathlessness.

* General feeling of being under weather and tired.

Originally had blood in urine when first episode occurred and was treated then for a UTI.

Recently CAT scan of kidney region came back normal, last urine test was nil for blood/protein etc.

Any advice welcome as I'm quite worried now.

1 like, 16 replies

16 Replies

Prev
  • Posted

    I just wanted to add to this for those who might be looking on the internet for answers. I've had awful flank pain every morning for the past couple of years. So many doctors could never tell me what was wrong, so I gave up looking and just put up with it.

    The pain was excruciating, and it started around 4 or 5am, and basically got worse the longer I stayed laying down, the only way to relieve the pain was to get up. I thought initially it was relieved because I was going to the toilet first thing in the morning after I got up but it's actually the change in body position that relieves the pain.

    Anyway, I had a CT scan with contrast looking for a hernia, and incidentally found something called Nutcracker Phenomenon Compression, which is where the renal vein is being compressed by the Superior Mesenteric Artery and the Abdominal Aorta. The compression is exacerbated by different body positions, and lying down is one of them, which is why you get such bad flank pain in the mornings because your kidneys have been effectively deprived of proper blood flow all night.

    I hope this helps someone who is looking for answers like I was many years back.

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.