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What Causes Severe Pain In The Right Flank Area?
Question: I am 57 woman in good health, other than having severe back problems from OA and a broken back.
I have really bad pain in my right kidney/flank area. But it seems to let up when I lay down. standing up and moving makes it worse. It is a weekend and I live very remote, 2 hours from hospital. We have a clinic with emergency care, but Dr has to be called in. NO history of stones of any kind for me or anyone in my family now or in history. I also notice my tummy hurts near my bladder as well.
I have pain 24/7 because of my back, but this doesn't seem to be muscle pain.
I also have no fever, which is NOT unusual. I have been near death with infection and not had fever.
I have really bad pain in my right kidney/flank area. But it seems to let up when I lay down. standing up and moving makes it worse. It is a weekend and I live very remote, 2 hours from hospital. We have a clinic with emergency care, but Dr has to be called in. NO history of stones of any kind for me or anyone in my family now or in history. I also notice my tummy hurts near my bladder as well.
I have pain 24/7 because of my back, but this doesn't seem to be muscle pain.
I also have no fever, which is NOT unusual. I have been near death with infection and not had fever.
Brief Answer:
Pyelonephritis vs renal calculi
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome,
The pain in the right flank could be a kidney stone, even if there is no family or personal history, but given your history with no fevers, it could be an infection of the kidney (pyelonephritis). Usually with pyelonephritis, there is also feeling of nausea and just not feeling well rather than pain alone.
Noted about living very far from medical services, but given your history, this needs to be looked. I'm sorry - I can understand it will be a hassle given how far out you are from a hospital. If you live near an urgent care clinic or other clinic, even if that doctor needs to be called in, then do go there. They can:
1. Get a urinalysis which can indicate whether there is an infection going on and may also show signs of a stone such as blood or urinary gravel.
2. Get a KUB Xray (kidneys-ureters-bladder) which can show if there is a calcium stone and how big it is which can indicate whether it can pass naturally or need intervention.
Urinary tract infections can accompany urinary tract/kidney infections too, so it can be both.
Do make that trek in to be seen now. It is worth it. Reasons are:
1. If there is a stone and it is too big to pass with just increased hydration and pain meds, you can get kidney complications because urine will over time start to back up behind the stone. In addition, it can increase the risk for infection.
2. Untreated pyelonephritis is serious. It is not like have a simple uncomplicated bladder infection. The bacteria that causes it can get into your blood (the kidney is a very vascular organ that interfaces with the blood stream) which can make you bacteremic or worse, septic.
So, go to your nearest health care facility and have that doctor called in, and if that is not possible, head to the hospital ER 2 hrs. away (best if someone else drives you!). I'm sorry. But it is important to do.
I hope this answers your question and you are on your way to feeling better soon! If you are willing, please let me know how things work out.
Pyelonephritis vs renal calculi
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome,
The pain in the right flank could be a kidney stone, even if there is no family or personal history, but given your history with no fevers, it could be an infection of the kidney (pyelonephritis). Usually with pyelonephritis, there is also feeling of nausea and just not feeling well rather than pain alone.
Noted about living very far from medical services, but given your history, this needs to be looked. I'm sorry - I can understand it will be a hassle given how far out you are from a hospital. If you live near an urgent care clinic or other clinic, even if that doctor needs to be called in, then do go there. They can:
1. Get a urinalysis which can indicate whether there is an infection going on and may also show signs of a stone such as blood or urinary gravel.
2. Get a KUB Xray (kidneys-ureters-bladder) which can show if there is a calcium stone and how big it is which can indicate whether it can pass naturally or need intervention.
Urinary tract infections can accompany urinary tract/kidney infections too, so it can be both.
Do make that trek in to be seen now. It is worth it. Reasons are:
1. If there is a stone and it is too big to pass with just increased hydration and pain meds, you can get kidney complications because urine will over time start to back up behind the stone. In addition, it can increase the risk for infection.
2. Untreated pyelonephritis is serious. It is not like have a simple uncomplicated bladder infection. The bacteria that causes it can get into your blood (the kidney is a very vascular organ that interfaces with the blood stream) which can make you bacteremic or worse, septic.
So, go to your nearest health care facility and have that doctor called in, and if that is not possible, head to the hospital ER 2 hrs. away (best if someone else drives you!). I'm sorry. But it is important to do.
I hope this answers your question and you are on your way to feeling better soon! If you are willing, please let me know how things work out.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thank you Dr Berger-Dumbaugh,'
I did go to the clinic. Urine sample was negative for infection. They don't have scanning equipment there, so the PA told me it "could" be an infection that's not showing up in urine sample or a stone, that I needed to get scanned, or something more serious. I told her I have pets and couldn't leave them to go to hospital until my husband got home Sunday night. She started me on Cipro in case its infection. If so, I should start feeling better in 24 hours.
By the time I did go to clinic my tummy really started to hurt as well. She listened to my bowl and said it was extremely "quiet". But I hadn't eaten all day either, so maybe that's why. I don't have a uterus or appendix so it's none of those issues.
BUT, late last night before going to bed, I noticed something else. I was putting lotion on before bed time and noticed swelling and painful "lumps" in the tissue over the area of my right kidney. Now this is super strange. NO Idea whats going on. It really hurts to move my body too, anything that uses my right flank muscles. That's when the pain is the worst. So Now I am thinking , Okay maybe this isn't a kidney issue, Maybe it's in the muscle. I have been doing a lot of gardening and lifting things. (I'm not suppose to be lifting). So maybe I've torn
something. I just had a full body deep tissue massage on the 18th and it wasn't hurting me then.
I really hate living this remotely at times like this.
I did go to the clinic. Urine sample was negative for infection. They don't have scanning equipment there, so the PA told me it "could" be an infection that's not showing up in urine sample or a stone, that I needed to get scanned, or something more serious. I told her I have pets and couldn't leave them to go to hospital until my husband got home Sunday night. She started me on Cipro in case its infection. If so, I should start feeling better in 24 hours.
By the time I did go to clinic my tummy really started to hurt as well. She listened to my bowl and said it was extremely "quiet". But I hadn't eaten all day either, so maybe that's why. I don't have a uterus or appendix so it's none of those issues.
BUT, late last night before going to bed, I noticed something else. I was putting lotion on before bed time and noticed swelling and painful "lumps" in the tissue over the area of my right kidney. Now this is super strange. NO Idea whats going on. It really hurts to move my body too, anything that uses my right flank muscles. That's when the pain is the worst. So Now I am thinking , Okay maybe this isn't a kidney issue, Maybe it's in the muscle. I have been doing a lot of gardening and lifting things. (I'm not suppose to be lifting). So maybe I've torn
something. I just had a full body deep tissue massage on the 18th and it wasn't hurting me then.
I really hate living this remotely at times like this.
Brief Answer:
Thoughts on this:
Detailed Answer:
When the PA examined you, did he/she notice tightness in the muscles over your right flank? Do you when you press on the two sides and compare? Because if it is a muscle strain, there should be some tenderness when you touch it, and a feeling of a knot or tightness in the muscle when palpated.
Thoughts on this:
Detailed Answer:
When the PA examined you, did he/she notice tightness in the muscles over your right flank? Do you when you press on the two sides and compare? Because if it is a muscle strain, there should be some tenderness when you touch it, and a feeling of a knot or tightness in the muscle when palpated.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
No the PA didn't, but I can feel it. That area was very swollen also.
But, I am feeling better. Must have been a kidney and bladder infection. This is my 3 rd day of the Cipro. I have a good friend that is an ER PA in XXXXXXX and he
told me that polynephritis can cause hydronephrosis. The swelling in my flank and tummy is down. In fact I urinated so much last night !! I bet I would have filled 2 gallon container !!! I had taken a hot bath and I think the combination Cipro, drinking fluids and the heat from the bath helped me rid my body of that swelling.
I can still feel that lump on my right flank and it does hurt. I'm thinking fatty tumor
maybe. Following up with a Doctor Tomorrow at the clinic. She may send me
in for scan of my kidneys. I take meds that can effect kidneys.
But I have no idea how I got kidney infection, weird.
But, I am feeling better. Must have been a kidney and bladder infection. This is my 3 rd day of the Cipro. I have a good friend that is an ER PA in XXXXXXX and he
told me that polynephritis can cause hydronephrosis. The swelling in my flank and tummy is down. In fact I urinated so much last night !! I bet I would have filled 2 gallon container !!! I had taken a hot bath and I think the combination Cipro, drinking fluids and the heat from the bath helped me rid my body of that swelling.
I can still feel that lump on my right flank and it does hurt. I'm thinking fatty tumor
maybe. Following up with a Doctor Tomorrow at the clinic. She may send me
in for scan of my kidneys. I take meds that can effect kidneys.
But I have no idea how I got kidney infection, weird.
Brief Answer:
Information
Detailed Answer:
It sounds like you passed a kidney stone. A stone, depending on the location, can block the passage of urine, creating a back up of urine behind the stone, and causing distention and pain.
In addition, with kidney stones, there is the risk of urinary tract infection which is called pyelonephritis. It isn't clear whether you also had pyelonephritis as with that (kidney infection) there is usually nausea and fever. You mentioned you don't tend to show signs of fever, but with pyelonephritis, people have flank aching but also feel pretty darn sick overall. Also, kidney infections (pyelonephritis) usually show some signs of infection on urinalysis, and usually don't resolve abruptly.
So I am pretty sure you passed a stone. That is the most likely/common cause for having a backup of urine which suddenly resolves.
So do follow up with your doctor and I recommend an Xray (KUB) to see if there is anything left (if it was a calcium stone, that will show on X-ray).
Information
Detailed Answer:
It sounds like you passed a kidney stone. A stone, depending on the location, can block the passage of urine, creating a back up of urine behind the stone, and causing distention and pain.
In addition, with kidney stones, there is the risk of urinary tract infection which is called pyelonephritis. It isn't clear whether you also had pyelonephritis as with that (kidney infection) there is usually nausea and fever. You mentioned you don't tend to show signs of fever, but with pyelonephritis, people have flank aching but also feel pretty darn sick overall. Also, kidney infections (pyelonephritis) usually show some signs of infection on urinalysis, and usually don't resolve abruptly.
So I am pretty sure you passed a stone. That is the most likely/common cause for having a backup of urine which suddenly resolves.
So do follow up with your doctor and I recommend an Xray (KUB) to see if there is anything left (if it was a calcium stone, that will show on X-ray).
Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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