Scared
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I delievered my baby in October 23 . Two weeks later I went to the er because I was in the most complete worst pain in left side I thought maybe a kidney infection I found out after a CT I had kidney stones in my left and right kidneys they told me fairly small enough to pass on my own. I also had a infection and blood in my urine. So they gave me an antibiotic. I saw my postpartum doc Dec 4th 2017. She tested my urine said I had blood in my urine and also white blood cells. It came back I had the uti still I was put on another antibiotic . The blood was never something I could tell I just noticed a little darker urine then usual. So I went back for a ultrasound. because I also have a birth control iud in. They said my ovaries look perfect no fluid in my abdomen and everything look good their but I still have some blood in my urine but no white blood cells she said she is still gonna have my urine cultured for a uti. She reffered me to a urologist because she didn't know much about kidney stones. So now I have to go January 15th. I'm nervous because I don't know what to excpect. I always think omg it's kidney failure or cancer the worst. I have two little girls and it's all I think about is my babies. I get mild pain on my left just a little bit on and off will go away weeks or come back a day or two. The er doc told me my left kidney was a little swollen but she thought it was from passing a stone that was stuck because of how painful it was then the pain just randomly stopped.
0 likes, 2 replies
Luna_Sea haley61698
Posted
Congratulations on your new baby! I'm sorry you are having to deal with this so soon after.
First things first, good on your doctor for referring you to a urologist instead of pretending to know what's going on. You definitely want to see one to address the kidney stones and the swelling of the kidney. Depending on the cause of the swelling, you might get referred to a nephrologist. That is one thing I have no experience with and I don't believe anyone on here has mentioned swelling either. But don't get too worried...all of us have had different experiences. Infections aren't uncommon. Bleeding is not uncommon.
The doctor said your stones are passable? That can take time and be excruciatingly painful without prescription pain meds (often hydrocodone in my experience) and something to dilate your ureter (flomax, tamsulosin). It also doesn't hurt to have some Urabel for urinary discomfort. Not sure if the doctor you saw prescribed any of these, but they can make this tolerable.
To encourage passing the stones, drink tons of water and walk. It can take a while for them to move and the closer they get to the bladder the more intense things get. Your intermittent pain is not uncommon. Many of us have periods of little to no pain. But at it's peak, it can be worse than childbirth for some (which is why those prescription drugs come in handy). If you don't have them, get yourself to the ER should the pain come close to or reach that intensity.
Don't be nervous about seeing the urologist. If you can pass the stones on your own, he will make sure you have the proper meds to do so. If he thinks you can't pass them on your own, the likely treatment options are fairly minor. Uretorscopy with laser lithotripsy requires sedation and stent placement. Or the lithotripsy done externally where you are awake, but so doped up you don't feel much and barely remember the experience. I've done both. The second doesn't usually require a stent, so if your urologist wants to place one via sedation before the external lithotripsy, I would question his methods. My first urologist did this to me and I later found out it was an unnecessary step unless you have ureter trauma, swelling, inflammation, etc. I personally think the stent is the worst part of the entire experience, but it doesn't bother some people much at all.
Regardless of whether or not you pass the stones on your own or need a procedure, the urologist needs the stone for analysis. This means you should have been given a strainer by the ER doctors that said you could pass them. If not, the urologist should give you one. He needs to figure out what kind of stone it is since there are different kinds caused by different situations. He may also send you home with something that looks like a gas jug to collect 24 hours of urine to help figure out why your body is making stones.
Look forward to the urologist visit. It's one step closer to getting to feeling better. Be proactive and don't let them drag things out. Once I saw my urologist, things moved fast. If procedures we're needed, I was often getting them done within a week of each other. The biggest offense I've seen from urologists is leaving people with a stent for weeks and weeks between procedures, which I personally think is cruel.
You may go through none of these things, but I've learned a ton from my three episodes and educating yourself on what to expect can make things go more smoothly. I wish I had known then what I know now as far as my first stone is concerned.
Best of luck and keep us updated. We are a friendly group and happy to help with any questions or concerns. What I wrote above is a general outline of possibilities, but everyone is different.
haley61698
Posted
My urologist appt was great. He told me my kidney was swollen from having a lodged stone stuck which caused urine to flow back into the kidney. I passed that stone now having small 1 mm stones left in my left one. My right has some small 1mm stones but also a 5mm stone that has probably grown since Nov and he's postive I have not passed it because of how young and small I an I would have felt it. So I am having that procedure with the laser thingy to hopefully poof them to dust but if not they will place a stent in. He was super nice he is not concerned about the blood he says it's a little blood that is being caused by the multiple stones and it will continue untill everything has passed out of my system he also said this has most likely occurred because of pregnancy and it happens alot to pregnant women