I've had off and on bladder pain for several years now. The endometriosis surgery that I had in November was supposed to have fixed it, but I'm not so sure it did. Sunday, I developed vice-like bladder pain that would not go away with ibuprofen. I started drinking tons of water then headed to the doctor on Monday.
The doctor said that my white blood count in my urine was slightly elevated, but nothing else showed signs of an infection or kidney problem. I was prescribed 10 days of antibiotics just in case, which I started immediately.
My bladder pain had gone away on Monday. But by Tuesday night (two whole days into the antibiotics and lots of cranberry later), my bladder pain had turned into kidney and side discomfort. Just a general malaise. I wasn't feeling up to myself, just out of sorts.
Wednesday I notified the doctor that I was still having pain and just didn't feel better at all. They told me to wait for the urine culture to come back and keep doing what I was doing. They'd call by Thursday afternoon to let me know the situation.
Now it's Thursday evening (no call from the doctor and I was in class all day so I couldn't call) and I'm letting the diabetic in me take over. I'm analyzing symptoms and pouring over what could be wrong with me. Because I just generally do not feel well still. It comes and goes in severity, but it's a constant pressure feeling that something is lurking beneath the surface.
Since last week, I started getting sharp kidney pain. Started on the left side, but by early this week it switched to the right.
My face seems puffy. A problem that I had in the past few years, but that dissipated in recent months. My whole body actually feels puffy. My abdomen seems bloated and just full.
I'm not able to eat as much as normal. Feeling full faster and just generally not focusing on food in the way that I normally do. Yet I'm reaching for snacks and carb-heavy foods...things that provide extra energy for my waning spirits.
I'm experiencing off and on nausea as well. Much like what I experienced back with the Seasonique birth control. Horrible, sudden nausea. It gets better if I eat, but leaves me feeling like I never want to consume another ounce of food.
I'm not sure what is going on. Maybe I went too long without working out. Maybe my kidneys are malfunctioning. Maybe it is an infection. Maybe it's some sort of inflammation from the Accutane. Maybe I'm at a loss.
I'm going to the dermatologist tomorrow and will have quite a few blood tests done. Checking for liver, kidney, and general blood function. I sincerely hope it's nothing. Although almost 17 years of diabetes isn't good on your kidneys, it doesn't mean that the smallest symptoms mean kidney failure.
I'm not sure what else to do if it doesn't show to be something more serious though. I'll finish the antibiotics, of course, just in case. And I'll keep taking the cranberry and other supplements that I've increased. Maybe it's just the Accutane causing some pain and general "ick" in my body. Sometimes it is hard to tell what's what when so much hurts, malfunctions, and throws random wrenches.
Lyndsey, it might be a kidney stone if it is not an infection. My husband had those same symptoms and he had a stone that left his kidney and tried to move to his bladder. Because it got stuck the urine was backing in his system causing it to become infected. Maybe something to talk to the doc about.
The idea of a kidney stone makes some sense, especially if the cranberry seems to be making it worse. IIRC there are several types of kidney stones, and the oxalic acid in cranberries makes the calcium stones (the most common ones) worse.
My sister suffered with bladder/kidney problems for years. At one point a doctor told her it was all in her head. She was eventually diagnosed with interstitial cystitis. "The symptoms of IC are easily confused with a wide range of other problems, from UTI’s and urge incontinence to bladder cancer, endometriosis, STD’s, and kidney stones. These disorders have different root causes and require different treatments. Many women with IC see their healthcare practitioners thinking they have a UTI and are told their urine is “clean” — that is, no bacteria or other microbes were found in their urine samples." It may be something you might mention to your doctors. I hope you feel better soon.
Lindsey, I had a similar sort of vague but painful and troubling symptoms and it turned out to be acute pancreatitis from a gallstone, which then went into kidney failure. The puffiness, nausea and pain are worrisome. I hope you get some better answers today from the doctor you saw Monday, and you feel better soon.
I had total kidney failure from taking ibuprofen. It is very bad for someone with diabetes and you should stop taking it. I was lucky as my kidneys started working again but I had to switch to tylenol and threw out all the ibuprofen. I hope your Dr has told you the dangers of taking ibuprfen, Advil and such.
My doctor knows of my ibuprofen use and never mentioned anything about my kidneys. Unfortunately, ibuprofen is the only pain pills that work for me. I'll ask about it at my next appointment though.