Unexplained right flank pain with no sign of infection. Need help !!!
Posted , 22 users are following.
Hi All
I have had flank pain on the right side and doctors still don't know what is wrong
It all started in august when I woke up with
an excruciati pain on the right side. I had kidney stones throuhout my teenage years and I recognised the pain straight away ! I ended up at the A&E at 6am and went through urine and blood tests, and also had a CT scan. All results came back negative, no infection but 2 unobstructive kidney stones on the left side. Ironic though because they were completely pain free. I came back home with painkillers. Within the following days, the pain persisted but I didn't get worried because when I had kidney stones in the past, I always got this residual pain for a few days. So I carried on with life
however, after a week or so, I kept having sharp pain on my right front abdomen and sensation of compression around my right kidney. I went to my GP, he called the hospital I was discharged of to have further details about my CT scan. He found out that my appendice was normal and that I had a cyst on my right ovary. Back to the hospital, admitted in acute gynaecology where I had more blood and urine tests and an ultrasound (internal, external, the full pack !!). They did confirm the ovarian cyst but they were not the cause of my pain. My symptoms and the location of my pains pointed more towards the kidney and urinary tract. The day after, I had a KUB ultrasound which showed nothing. Everything was normal and still no sight of a kidney stone !! Frustration started...
I then went back to my GP to get an urology referral. I saw the urologist a few weeks later. In th emeantime, the pains were still there, as well as a loss of appetite, occasional vomiting and diarrhoea, fatigue, reduced mobility as I was in agony whenever I moved. I also nearly fainted once and had what seems to be a very bad apnic attack (shaking for nearly 3h !!!).
When I saw the urologist, he prescribed more bllod and urine tests, a CT scan with contrasts and an MRI of my spine (to rule out a neuropathic problem). Everithing went back normal !!! More frustrations...! So he made a referral for a pain management consultant. At this point I was taking Diclofenac (anti inflammatory), buscopan (anti spasmodic) and codeine (painkiller). On top of that the consultant added pregabalin (for nerve pain). The mix seemed to work for a couple of weeks or so, so I was seeing things more positively. However, at some points, when I started feeling better, I gradually reduced the medication as advised by the doctors, one drug at a time. It started well for the first few weeks, and then it went all wrong. After I stopped the last drug,the anti inflammatory, the apin came back within 4 days, full on ! So I started to take the anti inflammatory.
Since then, I cope with it and codeine occasionally. It is very strange because I can have a good week with little pain and suddenly it just comes back out of the blue, or after some activities (walking fast, standing up for more than 1h, running...). I still can't bear to lay on my right side.
I can identify some patterns in the frequency and the kind of pain: more sore on the front right flank in the morning, dull ache around my kidney at mid day til the evening when the pain seems to spread on my flank and across my back, like a burning sensation.
However, lately, I started to have occasional stabbing pain on the kidney area. This is extremely painful and worrying.
i will see the urologist in afew weeks and I am hoping he will do a more thorough investigation. So far, as the scans and tests show nothing, his strategy is to try different medications to ease the pain.
I am so frustrated and confused by this mystery illness. It has been more than 3 months and has impacted on my professional and personal life. I can't keep going like this !
I am desperate for answers either from professionals or patients having similar symptoms.
Please HELP !!!!!
0 likes, 21 replies
tammie61711 Swifette313
Posted
Look up Loin Pain Hematuria (LPS). Unexplained flank pain, unexplained blood in urine & kidney stones.
siara98 Swifette313
Posted
im so happy I came across this as I have almost the exact same symptoms as you. I am a 20 y/o female with a diagnosis of multiply kidney stones in my left and right kidneys(biggest being 2mm). I experienced passing a stone for the first time at age 17. It was classic stone symptoms; extreme flank pain, vomiting, & blood in my urine confirmed by CT scan. Before the beginning of 2019 i had passed about 3-4 stones a year. I followed up with urology for a 24 hour urine test and stone analysis which showed calcium oxalate stones and high levels of calcium, phosporous, and sodium in my urine. In January of 2019 I returned to the ER for flank pain which I was sure was a stone. ultrasound determined I wasn't passing a stone and said I should not feel any pain from the stones in my kidneys. I was sent home with antibiotics for a UTI. Ever since this occured I have been experiencing left & right flank pain chronically out of no where for seemingly random periods of time. Its a severe stabbing pain similar to the pain of passing a stone, but not quite the same. I have to go to the er at least once a week if not more, i'm treated very poorly because there is seemingly no cause for my pain. There is always blood in my urine and I've been on antibiotics 3 times in a 30 day period to treat UTI's. I've seen numerous dr's and am wanting to go to mayo clinic. If anyone reading this has similar symptoms or answers please reply to this post.
karoline18568 siara98
Posted
look up LPHS loin pain Hematuria syndrome as well as Nutcracker syndrome. not sure where you are but Dr Sollinger and Dr Redfield at University of Wisconsin champion an effective protocol. there are Drs in Utah, Calif (san Diego), NC (Duke) and possibly TX (Dallas) following this protocol now.
roxanne12240 siara98
Posted
did you ever find out what your pain was from? My husband is having the same issues our dr is great about try to help but we have nothing he is in so much pain if you have anything new i would love to know thank you
sallybell Swifette313
Posted
I have had severe flares of RHS pain on and off for 4 years... they last for 1-4 weeks then largely disappear for a while. Main areas are extreme rib tenderness, particularly along the bottom rib, stabbing flank pain, and debilitating lower back and pelvic pain. Less common are twinges just under rib cage at front, and in right shoulder. The flares are usually accompanied by general malaise - a kind of jangly, unwell feeling, a bit more tired than usual, perhaps a bit of nausea, but never any vomiting, fever or aches other than described above. I have had 2 trips to ER, no diagnosis. I've had all bloods multiple times, at least twice a year, and apart from sometimes having a slightly raised GGT in LFT (if I've been on the wine a bit more than usual!) they're essentially clear. I've had significant physical exams, an abdominal ultrasound, lower spine and pelvis x-ray, lower spine and pelvis MRI... and all they say is a normal level of arthritic degeneration for my age (58). I've had four rheumy appointments over two years - I do have a low positive level of autoimmune marker but further tests didn't result in an autoimmune diagnosis. I've also been screened for ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis, both negative. Some bloods have shown C-reactive protein raised at 6-7, so there definitely is inflammation somewhere... but... the bottom line is, I am lying here currently experiencing intermittent jabs of flank pain and writhing around to alleviate my lower back pain... and supposedly there's nothing wrong with me. My rheumy, I've heard, doesn't believe in fibromyalgia... but as my pain is so overwhelmingly one-sided, it doesn't really sound like it anyway. I'm so sick of feeling so s**t with no diagnosis. Hellppppp!!!!