sorry for the double post above. after I made the first post I got a message saying it would not post because it violated the terms of service. Good thing I copied the post. I went in an deleted the all caps words I used, figuring that is what was "violating the terms of service." Then I post the other fixed post, and now for some reason both of them are up there. Oh well.
Same exact probl about 6 months now. Decided to stop using or eating anything with artificial sweeteners and have seen 100% improvement. It's only been 6 days but the pain is gone. Fingers crossed. Does any one else uses sweeteners or drink diet pop. My suggestion is to stop its helping me.
I have read all of the above posts and it has amazed me that there are so many other sufferers out there whose doctors are still in the dark. I have kidney pain roughly 5 to 6 hours after going to sleep. If it helps any of you out there, I have (by trial and error) found a solution that at least eases the pain. When the pain wakes me up, I prop myself up on two or even three pillows so that I am lying in a half-sitting position. This takes care of the pain almost immediatley, and I can get the rest I need as long as I stay in that position.
If there are any updates from any of you, I would love for you to post them. I would like to have some information to use when I continue this battle with my doctor, who can't find anything wrong.
hi everyone! I've gone through this and have had this back/kidney pain for many many years. I am 32 years old. A couple of years ago, I had an ultrasound done and it was found that had hydronephrosis. After a ct scan and renal scan, it was found that I had a blockage in my ureter (called a PUJ). I was getting scans every 6 months. My kidney's function was decreasing therefore a stent was put in for 6 weeks. Things have been great since the stent. Please asked to be checked for a PUJ.
I too have suffered from this pain in my right flank, under my rib in my back, gravitating to the front of my abdomen at times. It's been almost 3 years and has gradually increased to now being ever-present at low levels during the day, to it waking me up in the early morning, each and every morning. When I had my first serious attack three years ago, i was admitted to hospital and they removed my appendix - a lot of good that did! As I had a full hysterectomy many years ago, i also know that the pain is not gyno-related.
I too prop myself up on pillows if i want to sleep longer and whilst it doesn't totally get rid of the pain, it makes it more bearable.
What I have noticed is drinking plenty of water (i.e. full large glasses throughout the day) brings the pain on much stronger. I did a juice fast a few times and found the pain come on badly during the day. Having big smoothies in the morning also guarantees strong pain during the day. So i just sip water throughout the day and it keeps things low level.
I've had lots of tests over the few years - x-ray, ultrasound CT scan, blood tests. All normal except my blood test showed abnormal liver enzymes, which could be because of the high amount of painkillers i take for my fibromyalgia. I finally had another CT scan last week, which showed a tiny kidney in my left kidney (only intermittent pain here) but several calcified particles in the hemipelvis of the kidney (that's the bit before it reaches the ureter). So I'm thinking, FINALLY they found something! I'm waiting to get into a urologist to discuss it.
My theory is that some of us are extremely sensitive and can feel the pain of very VERY small kidney stones which can't be seen with instruments, and hence it takes years before anything actually gets seen. (It was the same when i had years and years of pain with endometriosis which had penetrated my colon and ureters when they finally diagnosed me and caused the hysterectomy).
I tried the lemon juice flush today - the idea being that the citric acid in the lemon juice will slowly dissolve the calcium oxalate kidney stones and allow them to move through the ureters. Probably works better for stones lodged in the ureters than actually in the kidneys. This method generally doesn't work with uric acid stones, but these are only around 10% of the time; the more prevalent ones being the calcium oxalate ones. Anyway, halfway through the lemon juice flush, my pain got incredibly high, with huge spasm and me almost vomiting from the pain, so i felt it prudent to stop. I won't do this again - it entailed drinking 240 mls (8 oz) straight lemon juice, followed every hour for 12 hours with one large glass of water with 30 mls (1 oz) lemon juice. I will however keep drinking diluted lemon juice in the morning though as research showed that lemon juice once every day for people who've had kidney stones keeps them away - so my theory is that if it doesn't slowly dissolve the existing stones, at least i'm stopping them from getting bigger. Time will tell how this goes.
I think the main problem for me with the lemon flush is the amount of fluid i had taken in and the inability of my kidney to filter it. I basically had 1.25L in 5 hours, which i know from past experience triggers off the pain.
I had noticed over the years that it takes so long for my bladder to fill, and in fact, I don't feel that fullness that i used to fell in my youth. I always thought it was because I was getting older, but now i think it's been this problem building up.
The other thing I will try (before any suggestion of surgery) is an ayruvedic herb called Chanca Piedra - a lot of people have said it helps dissolve small kidney stones. At $7.99. its worth a try.
I haven't tried cranberry juice as lots fluid seems to bring on pain for me.
Anyway, I hope maybe my story helps someone. I'll keep you posted as to what happens for me from here on.
Wishing you all the best in your quests for an answer.
I've also been having the same symptoms (pain in my back - left side). If you need some extra time in bed and you dont want to get up, which is not recommended of course, you can turn on your left or right side and lay on your arm with your elbow bent. (this puts your body in an inclined position and helps your urine go down - i think thats why you get relieved from the pain when you get up). Well this helps me and so i thought i should share it :)
Hi all,
Glad to see I'm not alone, suffering from all the symptoms mentioned for about two years now and getting so fed up with it. In desperation I found myself browsing the net to see what on earth it could be and stumbled across this site. Thanks all for the very interesting threads. I enjoyed reading every ones posts.
However from reading the possible causes, I can say that I don't fall into any of those categories unfortunately.
I am female and 38 years old, and I was overweight up until about 2 years ago when I was officially diagnosed with Coeliac disease (An autoimmune disease which means I can't tolerate Gluten in my diet), I lost 3 stone (40lbs) slowly since being diagnosed and it was with the loss of weight that these painful kidney symptoms appeared.
I'm at a very healthy weight now, and so health conscious (I even now work in a health shop these days!) and l feel absolutely wonderful on the Gluten free diet.
In fact since beginning to feel better, for the past two years, I run 3 or 4 miles (or more) three to four times a week. I enter races to keep me challenged etc.
I drink lots of water. I don't take caffeine in any shape or form, i.e. I don't ever drink coffee, tea or drink soda/pop...also I do not drink alcohol. Maybe a glass or two at Christmas or New Years eve, if even.
Being Coeliac limits my intake of lots of ready made/ processed foods due to cross contamination of wheat or gluten in the factory so I'm very careful with what I eat, it must be certified gluten & wheat free and usually eat the simplest, rawest forms for food, i.e. fruit and veg. I mostly cook all my food at home so salt and sugar additions are controlled.
Now, on saying all that, my downfall is sugar. Without a doubt! I worry about this as diabetes is also an autoimmune disease and it’s genetically predisposed in my family. I have read that having one autoimmune disease can leave to open to developing others.
I wonder do people posting on this forum have an autoimmune disease or have a hereditary condition…is there a connection there somewhere?
The one thing about Coeliac foods is that food companies can easily provide lots of Gluten free confectionery style substitutes...so cakes, biscuits and breads...all which contain lots and lots of sugar. I might eat two or three of these types of foods once a week....
There was a mention of Candida in a previous post which sparked my interest and candida can play havoc on the entire system, not just getting thrush. (Look it up!) Seeing as its all intestine and gut related, perhaps this is the cause of the kidney pain?
Also someone previously mentioned about Adrenal gland function....very interesting theory. Again poor adrenal function can have a knock on effect in the entire body, causing a lot of the symptoms we have all discussed. In fact, if you look up symptoms of Adrenal fatigue I’ll bet a lot of us will relate to a vast majority of the symptoms.
Anyway, my long winded point is, the gluten theory does not count in my situation, neither does lack of exercise, or eliminating caffeine and up-ing my water intake as I'm already doing all that, yet, here I am with these dreadful aches and pains in the early hours. Oh well.
It simply has to be something else....I’ll be waiting with bated breath to see if anyone comes up with the solution.
None the less, I live in a cold country and so the Vitamin D thing struck a chord with me, perhaps this is the answer...lack of sunlight and therefore lack of Vit D.
So, I am going to try the Vitamin D supplements, and try Cranberry juice also...and drink even more water!!!
Plus I’m going to work on improving my Adrenal function, I really believe this is the key to all of these pains…it can’t do any harm anyway.
I am chronically deficient in Vit D (and not abosorbing supplements) and i also have these same pains. I also have other deficiencies, mainly iron but almost everything. I feel like this is a kidney problem. Its strange that most GPs seem helpless to suggest anything!
I can relate to what is being described here but with these exceptions:
* It is not made better or worse by urinating* It is not made better or worse by inhaling deeply* When I have it, I don't urinate any more or less than usual, nor do I feel the need to* It comes and goes: months will pass between "attacks"* It is not a sharp pain but a dull ache* It is not accompanied by pain in the stomach, groin, or any area on the front side of my body
Today it is restricted to my left side. There have been times when it was present on both sides simultaneously. I can't remember if I had it on my right side alone.
I'am 22 years old and have the same syptoms for abaut few years. What I can tel from my research, most likely thouse kind of pain is related with small kidney stones, or even a salts. With kidneys reflux it make like 50-80%.
Alchohol and a lot of food makes it worse.
But if you try to get better ewrything is about your diet. And I mean EVERYTHING. (Exept genetics, and birth or mechanical disorders) and there is no diet which fits for everyone, you must find what fits for you.
If you are a female and having kidney flank pain, you might want to see if you have endometreosis. I used to have kidney infections on a regular basis for about 3 years straight. They could never discover the source of my infections. They did exploratory surgery and found endometreo polyps and removed them. I haven't had kidney pain in a long time, however I recently started having pain again. However, the pain went away for the last 7 years.....
Maybe Vesicoureteral Reflux and Hydronephrosis
Sleeping propped or sitting up stops the urine from traveling from your bladder, back to your kidney. Like most folks here I have been searching for answers for years. Vesicoureteral Reflux / Hydronephrosis
Tristin, have you found a solution? Any recommendations re adrenal fatigue? My pain (as severe as when I dislocated shoulder) is in the right 'kidney' area upon rising but alleviated after urinating. Pain around 6:00 a.m. when get up, urination and hot shower relieves it. Then again when arise from nap, urination and being upright relieves it. Again around 2:00 a.m. when get up to urinate. Difficult to get comfortable as go back to bed instead of walking it off. Seem to have urgency to urinate during the day also. MD suggested chiropractor and accupunture. Ruled out kidney infection. Saw chiropractor Friday. Laying down at her office definitely made pain worse. Insurance gave permission for accupunture. Waiting for appt.