Sometime back near the start of the summer--June or July--I started having a strange pain in the left side of my back. It only stood out a little from my usual arthritis pains, and I figured I'd just pulled a muscle or something. No biggie.

Problem is, come September it was still there, and subtly worsening. As I worked on all the campaigning stuff in September and October, it just kept getting worse, to the point where sometimes just turning very slightly would cause a sudden, intense pain to rip through my side. Sometimes it feels as though there's something inside my left side, something jabbing me inside. I haven't had any kind of surgery, and nothing at all in that area, so there can't actually be something there--but sometimes it really feels like there's a knife or scissors or something sharp in there stabbing me from inside.

During the last week or two before the election, it got to the point where I had to start popping Vicodins to deal with it. Around that time I finally quit procrastinating and made an appointment with my doctor.

The last couple weeks, I've started really looking forward to the appointment. Around the time of the election, it got really serious, and hasn't gone away. Now when I'm at work, it's a constant burning pain no matter what. And if I turn or bend to get a paper or something, I often get a sudden flare of pain that makes me actually cry out uncontrollably.

I've had kidney problems on my left side during the last 5-10 years, and have had recurring kidney stones. I'm not sure what the pain is, but I suspect it might be a bunch of jagged kidney stones that just aren't coming loose and dropping from my kidneys. That's just my wild theory. At times it has felt like a cracked the lowest rib on my left side, but it doesn't hurt when I touch the rib, which it would if it was broken. (Plus, a broken rib would have healed long ago.)

Tuesday night (early Wed. morning, actually) I foolishly let myself doze off on the floor. I woke up four hours later lying right on the painful part of my left side. D'oh! Needless to say, it has been hurling like f*ing HELL since then.

My doctor's appointment is this afternoon. Here's hoping it's something relatively easy to fix. I've already had my fill of serious medical problems during the last couple years.

Just wanted to grumble about the pain--and celebrate finally seeing the doctor. I can't wait to know what it is and deal with it properly!

Rev, good luck with your appointment. You're a better man than I.
The slightest pain and I'm downing the Tylenols like candy. Something that would require Vicodins and I'd be shrieking about my misery yet avoiding a visit to any doctor at all costs. I'm a weenie where pain is concerned...nobody in this day and age should have to suffer needless pain. Isn't that why Jeebus invented pain medications?
But, this doesn't sound like a little bit of pain...I hope it's something VERY easy to rectify. More than that, I hope you get some peace of mind by finding out what is causing this. It must be draining.

We sort of NEED you, so I sure hope it's nothing serious.
Fingers crossed for a simple diagnosis.
Best vibes being sent your way.

And of course, we'll be expecting a report. If you're up to it.
Hopefully this won't lead to a plethora of tests and waiting days or weeks for a diagnosis.

Kidney stones can be zapped by laser these days... so hopefully if that is it.. it will be a painless procedure... if not.. hope it is nothing else serious!

Ditto what panda said... and let us know what happens.

well, RDB-

i know we have a spat going on another thread, but you should know that-

i know all too well the misery of kidney stones and kidney problems- and i'll be praying for you to get through this-

maybe your doc will do ultrasound therapy to break up the stones.

i also hope you don't have a herniated disc in your back...

i wish you the best today, and my thoughts and prayers are with you for a quick recovery-

-t-

My dad's had kidney stones on and off for years, so this sounds VERY familiar. The location and description of the pain match what I've heard from him; the kidneys are located toward the back, tucked just up under the rib cage. And the knifelike pain is consistent with the sharp edges of the crystals that make up a stone. They are extremely painful and difficult to pass, especially for men with their longer urethrae; the only time I've ever seen my tough old dad cry is when he had one. See your doc (you will probably get stronger painkillers than Vicodin, plus ultrasound therapy to break up the stones); drink lots of water to keep hydrated and help flush those kidneys out. It might also be a good idea to restrict your salt intake, since sodium's a key culprit in the formation of the crystals.

Above all, though, see that doc ASAP. No one should have to endure sharp pains for any length of time!

'Bina.

ouch...kidney stones...i hope you don't have those. I did and when those things get wedged in there it is very painful . Almost as bad as labor pains, but it made me glad i was not a man when they had to take them out! So for your sake, i hope it's not that!
Maybe you have a spot in there somewhere where all of your tension is going. That can cause physical pain (i think).
Hope you feel better soon!

Well, I'm familiar with kidney stones. I've had them about every 8 months or so for years. A couple of times it was far and away the most crippling pain I can conceive of. Fortunately, the current pain--though pretty nasty--is nothing like the worst I've had!

Long story short--and I'm not looking for sympathy, just sharing and venting--I saw the doc today, and got two x-rays taken. I got to see the x-ray plates myself. I have two kidney stones. One is about the usual size (about as big as the fingernail on the pinkie finger), but one of them is damn near the size of a walnut! Holy crap, I can't believe it's that big...

All my kidney stones before now have been small enough to pass. I'm pretty sure this one ain't gonna pass naturally without being broken up.

Today I just had the x-rays taken and dropped them off with the doctor. I haven't yet got a diagnosis, though the two stones were really obvious on the plates. Hopefully something will be done to help bust the big one up--ultrasound, lasers, or whatever.

Thanks for the concern, everybody. It's no fun, but like I said, it's far from being the most painful stone I've had!

Are you sure it isn't a cashew?!?!? I mean you ate a pound! Bwhahhahah

Sorry to make lite.. just came to me...

Let us know what happens... and look in the mail... we have something off to you!

Wow--a WALNUT-sized kidney stone?

No wonder you were in pain. Anyone would be. You're gonna need ultrasound therapy for that, for sure.

BTW, now's a good time to start watching that salt intake and drink lots of water. AT LEAST eight glasses a day. My dad does (okay, actually my mom nags him, because if left to his own devices, he wouldn't!) and he hasn't had a recurrence in years.

'Bina.

DING DING DING!

Nagging doesn't work for the Rev. I've been nagging him about drinking more water since I met him, but root beer flows through his veins.

Maybe this will wake him up...maybe not.

damn, that is a huge kidney stone-

the pain from a stone for me has always depended on what type- if it is jagged crystals, that sh*t hurts like hell.

but they all hurt.

i've never had one that big. sh*t.

-t-

Good luck, RDB, I know I jump on your arse sometimes (not that you don't deserve it), but I wish you luck. Good luck.

Doc

Acccckkkkk! You diagnosed it yourself. What do they need to take a "leap" and say, "Hmmm....looks like two kidneystones, no problem".

That's what I meant about getting a quick diagnosis from the medical community. They are test-mad. CYA all the way. arse croft has been looking at them too.

No wonder you've been in pain. I hope they took care of that aspect.


For comparison:



On the bright side...it's perfectly managable.

I really think that this was more information than I bargained for....

'Doc

Think of it as an edjumacayshun on yer fambly!

Okay.....<sigh>

'Doc

Rev,


Kidney stones are a real bitch. I hope you have resolved this and please listen to your wife (?). Drink more water and follow the Doctors advice.

Good luck and Good Health.

Heh...

When I first posted on this topic, I soon felt like I shouldn't have. It looks like I was trolling for sympathy, which I didn't mean to. I shouldn't have said anything, or should have just told only a few people in private.

Too late now, so I'll update:

The doctor sent me for an x-ray and some blood tests. The x-ray clearly showed a couple kidney stones, but the doctor said it looked more like an intestinal blockage but "with renal stones not excluded." Gah! What?!? I've been through kidney stone episodes some eight or twelve times and know what it's like. This is definitely more kidney stones. Nevertheless, he couldn't diagnose with certainty from the x-ray alone, so he ordered an MRI.

A week ago I went in for the MRI, which was extremely quick and simple compared to the one I'd had some years ago. A real breeze. So I got the call back on Wednesday: yup, it's kidney stones. (Really? No shit!) So now I've got a referral to go to a kidney specialist. That's the next thing coming up.

Meanwhile, it still hurts like hell on-and-off. I just want it to be freaking done! Argh!

Oh, and the MRI also showed I have cysts all over my kidneys--a condition they spotted in my previous MRI 5 or 6 years ago, but were unable to diagnose. I'll be interested to see if they have anything more to say about that, too, and if there are more or fewer than a few years ago.

Hmm...wonder if kidney cysts and stones are somehow connected?

'Bina.

Dave, you may want to get a second opinion. Judging by the diagram above, it appears you have a simple case of sonywalkmaninyergutsitis. Meaning that your diaphragm is listening to headphones linked to a sony walkman in your bladder.

and i hope you get this taken care of and get out of pain really quickly

Oh, so THAT's what they mean when they refer to urination as "tinkling".

I should have known.

'Bina.

Rev.

wishing you nothing short of a speedy treatment and quick recovery.

glad you posted as sometimes it helps to share the burden.

good luck, we are all pulling (or pushing) for you!

I thought this was going to be simpler than it's turning out to be. I don't have any kidney stones in the system right now. There are a few in my kidney, but they haven't "dropped" yet, which means they're currently not a problem and not the source of the pain. There are no stones in the tracts now. So kidney stones are currently not a problem, and have nothing to do with the bad pain I've been having the last few months.

The MRI turned up something that also turned up when I was last at a urologist five years ago: there are cysts all over my kidneys. The cysts have grown, spread and worsened in the last five years. When I was last at this doctor in 1999, he could not diagnose the cysts and told me not to worry at this time. I did some research and found out about a rare disorder called Polycystic Kidney Disease, or just PKD. PKD is incurable and degenerative. It eventually kills you, but it takes years. It is, however, a genetic disease and my family has no history of it. So, my doctor said that's extremely unlikely and not to worry.

Today I returned to that same doctor. As I said, the cysts have grown, spread, and worsened, and these cysts are apparently the origin of the constant pain. They show all the signs of being degenerative, and now the doctor--with clearly apparent surprise himself--said this really looks like PKD.

I'm in line now for a small battery of tests and appointments. I'm going to another kidney specialist soon--this one a renal surgeon, a nephrologist--for further diagnosis. I'm also going for another X-ray, this time with iodine dye.

I'm not upset or freaked out so much as I'm just shocked and numb. After the cysts were first found five years ago and no diagnosis could be made, I just put it out of my mind as best I could and went on with life. After all these years, it was pretty far in the background of my consciousness. Now, here it is again, and the prognosis doesn't look very good right now.

I'm kinda fuzzy headed and... well, maybe I am freaked out in an internalized, quiet way. I guess we'll see...

Holy crap.

I don't have a "jaw drop" icon for this, but I think you get the general idea.

This is awful. Just awful.

'Bina.

Yikes! Sorry to see this Day-Bu! Hope it isn't what you think.

I beat cancer quite a while ago, stay positive.

When the doctor told me I had cancer, I didn't flip out or
get depressed. I just said let's deal with it. Get more tests
and make sure you know what the problem is.

And stay positive.

Thank you both.

Hey, anybody wanna see something really disgusting? Here's a photo of polycystic kidneys. Ewww!

It's so gross it's kinda darkly-funny.

Meanwhile, I've done some googling and found something that may be helpful (and give you hope):

http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/cysts/

Let's hope that your cysts turn out to be this and not PKD. It's still a painful condition, but at least it's not hereditary--and also, it won't necessitate going on a waiting list for an organ transplant, or the never-fun ongoing saga that is dialysis...

'Bina, crossing her fingers...

WOW Bu, that really sucks! Their is a foundation called the PKD foundation headquartered in Kansas City... one of my friends works there. I am going to e-mail her and ask her to send me some info...

I don't know much about this disease... but it is rare from what I read on their site... Keep us updated....and our prayers are with you.

Unfortunately, I'm finding that PKD can just appear out of nowhere in a family that didn't have it previously. This is called a "fresh mutation."

So, can I be called "the Fresh Mutant of POAC"?

Seriously, I've started blogging about the whole kidney ordeal on my personal blog, starting here. I'm going to try to keep talk about it there, for the most part. I'll keep y'all posted in general though.

And thanks again everybody. It's just started to hit me emotionally today. Hmm. Rough oceans.

Jeesh. Of all the mutations to have! Why couldn't you just have been born with purple eyes, or something equally cute and harmless?

'Bina, bummed...