Question: 17 days ago, I had a ureteroscopy done to remove a 9mm stone, but no stone was found, even though the xray clearly showed one. I know I did not pass it because I strained every time and nothing ever passed. The doctor said the juncture between my ureter and my bladder is exceptionally small, so not likely that a 9mm stone passed through it. The doctor never did an MRI, a CT Scan or anything else because the stone was showing up on a regular abdominal xray. Now he says he doesn't know what that shadow really was. But, here is my question. After 17 days, I am in excruciating pain. I have had to go to the ER twice to get an injection to relieve the pain. The CT scan that was done in the ER shows that my kidneys and ureters are swollen, but labs show no evidence of an infection. When I urinate, it feels lake razor blades in my ureter, and then my bladder goes into spasms and the pain lasts for an hour or more. I constantly feel like I have to empty my bladder. Sometimes, I have trouble starting my urine flow. If I bear down, I sometimes pass a small blood clot or a plug of blood tinged mucus, and then I can empty my bladder and I feel better. Today, a kernel of corn ended up in the strainer. I have no idea where that came from. I consistently have blood in my urine when I see the doctor, ranging from +3 to "many." Sometimes my urine is red. Still, no infection. My doctor wants to do an ultrasound in a month. No follow up appointments were made until after the ultrasound is done. I want to know if this pain is normal 2 1/2 weeks after that procedure, should I insist on another office visit, and how long am I going to be in pain.

The xray showed the stone to be present on the right side, 1/3 way down the ureter. The ureteroscope did not reveal any stones. The pain I have had since I first sought treatment was always on the right side. The CT scans both showed swelling on that side. All kidney function tests were normal. The CT scan did not view the bladder or urethra (where I feel most of my pain) because they did not use any contrast. Here is what the CT scan says: There is moderate elevation of the right hemidiaphragm. There is mild relative right renal fullness with moderate perinephric stranding indicating regional edema or inflammation. There is moderate right-sided hydronephrosis with moderate right-sided hydroureter without evidence of obstructing lesion or stone. There is also mild left-sided hydronephrosis without significant hydroureter. There is no evidence of nephrolithiasis. Recently passed stone cannot be excluded. There is diverticulosis most prominent in the sigmoid colon. I will give you the abnormal values for the UA and blood work I had done. UA Nitrite - positive UA Protein - positive UA Urobilinogen - 4 UA Bilirubin - 3 UA RBC - >100 Albumin - 3.3 (3.4 - 5.0) Globulin - 4.9 (2.5 -4.2) Albumin/Globulin Ratio 0.7 (1.0 - 2.5) Calcium - 8.2 (8.5 - 10.1) AST/SGPT - 12 (15 - 37) Platelet Count - 529 (150 - 400) Everything else was within the normal range. Does this help?

Your answer makes perfect sense to me and fits my symptoms. Would you explain to me what a bladder wash entails? My doctor has never mentioned it. Is it invasive and does it hurt? The kernel of corn is exactly that . . .one corn kernel, whole, tinged with brown. Thank you very much for your answer and I will follow up with the bladder wash suggestion.