You gotta be kidney me!

October 21, 2010 5:29 AM

Lower achy back pain: something actually wrong with the spine or something with the kidneys? I know YANMD and I AM frantically trying to get an appointment, just...anyone else experienced this?

I have just recently recovered from a cold and initially thought this was part of the whole "achy body" experience, but now the cold has passed and I am left with this. Lower back, above the arse and below the ribcage is what I would describe as an diamond-shaped area of continual tenderness and ache. It's alleviated when I sit with something nice and cushy against the area, heating pads work too, but when I try to stand up for any lengthy amount of time and walk, I go slowly, nearly hobble. My urine isn't cloudy, I am not peeing anymore than usual. It's just this continuous low dull ache throughout that area. Of course, I am freaked out----being something of a hypochondriac about things, truthfully---and cannot find anything on the Interwebs about this. I don't have the symptoms of a kidney infection, nor does it sound like kidney stones....I just don't know.

Any experience with this?

(And yes, I am trying to get a doctor's appointment for today. If all else fails, I will finally use my Canadian health care card thingy (I'm an American with PR status) and sit my ass in the ER, crying softly.

posted by Kitteh to Health & Fitness (16 answers total)

something actually wrong with the spine or something with the kidneys?

Or something muscular. But we can't diagnose you over the internet.
posted by amro at 5:41 AM on October 21, 2010

I'm not saying it's not your kidneys but that's certainly a good match for the symptoms my lower back problems throw up. Look up some exercises for loosening your hamstrings and more generally for relieving lower back pain and strengthening your core muscles. Do see a doc though.
posted by biffa at 5:42 AM on October 21, 2010

Response by poster: A friend of mine is telling me that it sounds like I pulled a muscle but while I do exercise, I can't think of anything overly strenuous that would have caused this.
posted by Kitteh at 5:48 AM on October 21, 2010

Obviously IANAD, but I once had what I thought to be muscular pain that was actually a kidney infection, which was easily treatable with antibiotics. I didn't have any other symptoms either, just the lower back pain, so my first thought wasn't "kidney infection" but "ow, I've pulled a muscle somehow". Get it checked out, and good luck.
posted by lizabeth at 5:51 AM on October 21, 2010

Response by poster: Thanks! I'll keep y'all posted!
posted by Kitteh at 5:58 AM on October 21, 2010

If you're worried about your kidneys you could try using Murphy's Punch to help confirm it. If it hurts excessively, you'll know to go in that much quicker. Kidneys are nothing to mess with!
posted by sunshinesky at 6:13 AM on October 21, 2010

It's hard to tell from your description but it kind of sounds like you're describing pain in your sacroiliac joints. As you can see from the article, there are many possible causes for that and possible treatments.
posted by hydropsyche at 7:54 AM on October 21, 2010

Could be a kidney stone. Drink lots and lots of water until you get this diagnosed.
posted by Elsie at 8:16 AM on October 21, 2010

Were you coughing alot with this cold? You can strain muscles from coughing. Just a thought. Were you on bed rest a lot? When I lay down for too long sometimes my back will act up.

Either way good luck.
posted by WickedPissah at 10:42 AM on October 21, 2010

Are you having any pain radiating down either leg (google radiculopathy)? That would point more to a back issue.
posted by Cogito at 1:52 PM on October 21, 2010

This sounds a little bit like my symptoms when I had shingles. It was just after I had been in bed (or on the couch) for a few days with what I thought was the flu. The pain felt as if I had pulled a muscle coughing, or slept in a bad position for too long. A few days later I noticed a tiny rash along my ribcage on the side with the ache. The pain was very internal feeling, if that makes any sense.
posted by oneirodynia at 3:50 PM on October 21, 2010

I've pulled muscles severely with a sneeze, so it could be that. You are doing the right thing by having it checked though, if it is a kidney infection, it is much better to treat it asap.
posted by SuzySmith at 7:12 PM on October 21, 2010

If you don't have a fever it's not a kidney infection. Speaking as someone who has recurrent acute pyelonephritis. For many it will start as just pain but it sounds like this has been going on for a while, if it was a pyelo it would have progressed.
posted by boobjob at 7:47 PM on October 21, 2010

A doc once told me that back pain from a muscle spasm is common after a virus. So it could be that.

On the other hand, a friend with exactly the same symptom turned out to have a kidney stone blocking flow through the kidney. The kidney began to shut down. The friend got to the ER just in time and is alive today thanks to the ICU and emergency surgery.

So yeah, you really gotta see a doc and get it checked out.
posted by exphysicist345 at 12:10 AM on October 22, 2010

Response by poster: After a 8.5 hour wait in the emergency room yesterday, when I was finally seen, examined, X-rayed.....it turns out I have "hugely sprained"* my back. How? You got me. Coughing a lot during my cold turns out to be the likeliest culprit. My kidneys are fine; pressing on them during the examination elicited not a peep from me, my spine is also "perfect"*.

Now it's more rest for said back, along with 500mg naproxen and 10mg Flexaril at night.

Still baffled by how I have done this to meself but there you go.

Anyway, thanks, hive-mind, for your responses! You guys are very helpful.
posted by Kitteh at 4:59 AM on October 22, 2010

Response by poster: Oh yeah, the * starred phrases are what the doc told me.
posted by Kitteh at 5:00 AM on October 22, 2010 [1 favorite]