I'm still trying to get over this kidney thing...

[MrsBrady]

was in the hospital for 4 days on 8/18...
been home since then...

CT scan at the hospital didn't show a stone, but I'm not convinced there isn't one.
My infection has still not cleared up.

I've been on Levequin, then Augmentin, and today, the urologist put me on Bactrim.
Thank God, for realz, for hydrocodone, as the kidney pain would be unbearable.
The pain is certainly not like it was when I was in the hospital, but kidney pain is terrible.

The urologist I saw for the first time today, seems to think I don't have a stone, but MY GOD MAN, IT'S BEEN THREE WEEKS.
:banghead: (I promise I didn't yell at him and was nice, no really I promise)
And he may be right, because we still haven't been able to totally get rid of the infection.
BUT COULD WE AT LEAST RUN SOME OTHER TEST SO I DON'T HAVE TO KEEP GOING ON AND ON AND ON IF THERE IS A STONE
THAT THE CT SCAN MAY HAVE MISSED????
He asked me if I was allergic to anything, since Bactrim has sulfer in it...and I said "pain!"
That got a laugh out of him. It can't be the first time he's heard that, though.

But after we talked for a bit, and could see how much I've been hurting and still hurting,
he went ahead and ordered the test thingy with the dye...can't think of the name of the test.
So that will be on Tuesday.
Anyway, so I'm hoping the new antibiotics work and/or they find a stone so I can be rid of this mess.

Thanks, just needed to vent.

Puts things into perspective, though. Kidney pain is VERY HUMBLING as I only thought I had experienced pain before. Oh, no, no, no.

I was telling my husband that I wouldn't wish this on anybody, not even Dick Cheney. He just laughed and said "Wooooow", and shook his head.
That was our little inside joke while I was in the hospital.

Vibes if you got 'em. Thanks :)

[rurallib]

1. {{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{ good luck }}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

[MrsBrady]

2. thank you

:)

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. HUGE vibes to you, my dear MrsBrady!

I understand that this sort of pain is worse than childbirth......plus nothing good comes out of you!

I sure hope you get answers very soon, and great pain relief!

:hug:

[MrsBrady]

4. thanks Peg

Hydrocodone is my friend.
But really I can't wait to be off the stuff.

:hi:

[struggle4progress]

5. ouch

:(

hope you feel better soon

[MrsBrady]

6. thanks

i'm working on it :hi:

[applegrove]

7. vibes.

[MrsBrady]

8. thanks

:)

[REP]

9. You're having an IVP. They're not super fun. Just had (another) one.

There's a mass in my left kidney. Yay.

Kidney infections are much more painful than kidney stones. I get them 4x+ a year, and the pain is awful. Have they done another culture?

Stones are rarely the nidus of a single infection.

[MrsBrady]

10. whomever at the hospital

was in charge of my sample, didn't isolate which bacteria was causing the problem.
-- Idiot-- That has frustrated my GP and now the urologist.

And it won't culture out now since I've been on antibiotics.


I have never been sick before with anything more than colds/flu/sinus infection.
I have developed asthma, a mild form, in the last few years, but it's easily controlled
with singulair and antihistamines.


I am so ready to be well. I don't know if I needed an attitude adjustment, but I sure got one.
I'm making a few life changes as soon as I'm well.
What bothers me the most is my 103 fever scared the bujeezus out of my dear husband.

at least after the IVP I will feel more confident that it's nothing more than infection. My
father in-law had a stone and a CT scan didn't see it. And also, a few years ago, my aunt
had a near-record-size non-cancerous cyst on one of her ovaries. It was almost volleyball sized,
and a CT scan missed it.


I hope you feel better too. :hi:

[polly7]

11. Good luck to you, I hope it all turns out well and they're able to figure

out how to stop the pain. I've had the IVP test and apart from the initial little sting and warm flush, it didn't seem too bad. Hope you're feeling better soon.

[MrsBrady]

14. thanks

:)

[REP]

12. CTs can't image uterus/ovaries ... That's why I'm having a sonogram for my cysts next week

Kidney masses shouldn't hurt this much, but everything kidney hurts, as you know too well.

Yes, they can culture the urine while you're on antibiotics; they just need to note which one you're on (trust me - I've had literally hundreds of kidney infections and I'm kind of a "pro" - I get resistant ones, too). If they won't do that, INSIST you be given a 10-day course of either Cipro or Macrodantan, both available as genetics. Bactrim, Septra, etc are almost useless against KIDNEY infections; they're indicated for lower-tract bladder and urethra infections and your idiot doctors SHOULD KNOW THIS (I'm yelling at them, not you :-)).

YOU ARE THE PAYING CUSTOMER! Please tell them what I've told you. You shouldn't be suffering; nor should it get so bad you need to be on IV Tobramycin.

PS please avoid ALL NSAIDs (ibuprofen, Aleve, etc) until the infection is cleared - this class of drug is nephrotoxic (damaging to kidneys).

[MrsBrady]

15. thanks

:)

[KC]

17. Did

they find out or say what the mass was on your kidney?

[necso]

13. These things can take a while

to clear up (weeks...). And a kidney infection alone can be extremely painful (like two broken-off glass bottles were heated "red hot", jammed in your back... and then used to lift you up).

Along with the borderline medical advice, I chopped off the "Good luck. Get well soon." (It was self-censorship entirely.)

[MrsBrady]

16. yea, I'm ready to be well.

:) thanks

[KC]

18. Gosh I

hope you feel better soon. That's got to be miserable !