So fed up with this pain. What is it?

[Germgirl]

About 6 years ago I was at work when I got a really sharp stabbing pain in my left groin & back. It was excruciating & I went to A&E.
I was told I had a kidney stone. Had morphine, stayed in for a couple of days, pain went away.
At a follow up appt I was told I didn't have a stone & never had

That started a load of tests. Ultrasounds were normal, CT didn't show anything. Cystoscopy was normal.
And the pain then returned. And has continued returning for the last 6 years.
I've been seen in A&E several times since then when it gets too bad to deal with.
On Thursday it flared up again. Worst ever pain. It's a stabbing, almost contracting pain in my left groin, radiating to my back & down my leg. Classic kidney stone pain.
Yet a contrast x ray on Friday showed no stone.
I'm still in pain, been taking tramadol, buscopan and codeine regularly since Thursday.
Am now completely bunged up & on the laxatives!
The doc at A&E has referred me to a pain clinic as there's nothing to be found.
Has anyone any idea what it could be?
In A&E they were talking about a colonoscopy (to look for diverticulitis) and maybe a laparoscopy but they seem to have gone off those ideas.
I don't want procedures & surgery but I want to know what's wrong. I feel a bit 'fobbed off' with an explanation of 'chronic unexplained pain', plus, tramadol spaces me out so much I can't work & so I can't just stay on the tablets forever!
Any ideas?

Failing other specialities have you been investigated for gynae causes?
this can cause terrible pain.

Hope you get to the bottom of it soon.

I've spoken to my GP in a telephone consultation this morning & she wants to see me later. I did think about ovulation pain & I'm pretty sure I get that as well sometimes, but this pain comes on at any time of the month & lasts days sometimes.
My trouble is, I'm really overweight & doctors tend to just put any aches & pains down to that. But surely 6 years of pain needs further investigations?
Hopefully my GP will have some answers today.

I haven't Fab. I'll suggest that to my GP. I hate bothering them & I seem to always be at the doctors for something or other!

Seen my GP. She's convinced that it's something kidney related. She did an internal exam & has arranged a pelvic ultrasound but she says the symptoms just scream kidney stones or similar.
She's sent off a urine sample & will refer me to urology.
I had to do the urine sample in super quick time as the lab courier was waiting.
Managed to wee on my (light grey) trousers.
sigh

It does sound kidney-like to me (long term sufferer!)

If you've not seen urology yet, then I don't think they can rule it out! Have you had a contrast IVP? Some stones don't show up on X-ray, either, but with contrast they can see their outlines.

It's a really nasty pain, and it's shocking you've had it for so long with no urology input.

Hope you can find out what's going on soon.

I had an ivp on Friday. There was no stone. In the past I've had ct scans. The only time a stone could be seen was the very first ivp all those years ago.
But the symptoms are so classic renal. There must be something!

I've been up since 3.15 with another bout of awful pain. I've taken tramadol, paracetamol and buscopan and used a diclofenac suppository ('bum bullet' as DH calls them) and the pain has finally eased to a dull ache.
I can't go on like this. I'm going to call my GP at 8am & ask to go to hospital today.
I need to find out what's going on. This is unbearable.

Wishing you a solution ...does not sound fun at all.

Thank you
It's not fun. I've been able to handle the intermittent pain for the last 6 years, but this had been almost constant since Thursday. I'm drained.

This is no way to live I really hope they find a cause and a solution for you pretty quick

Spoke to GP. He said to go back to A&E when it gets bad again.
I just feel defeated.

Well the pain was worse than ever before today. Unbearable.
So I went to my local A&E, rather than the one at the hospital I work at where I went before.
Doctors think it's either infected diverticulitis, PID or a kidney stone or infection. Or something else
I've had morphine, 3 lots of antibiotics, more painkillers.
I'm now sitting in a bed on the ward, crying my eyes out because I'm scared.
Ridiculous huh?

Hi Germgirl, saw your other thread but thought this one was better to post medical advice on!

An IVU can easily miss renal stones, particularly if they're not actually causing a blockage. So can an abdominal xray, and so can ultrasound. I know you had a normal CT 6 years ago, but with your current symptoms I think it'd be worth them considering another one to look for renal calculi. It would also show up diverticulitis if that's the cause of your pain.

Really hope your pain improves and they manage to find the cause.

Thanks for replying. I had a CT earlier today. Hopefully it'll show something.

Glad to hear it, good luck!

Just seen one of the surgeons.
The CT scan didn't show any renal stone or blockage.
They're arranging an ultrasound later but if that's normal I'll be sent home.
Sitting here in tears now because I know the pain will return & no one can find a cause.

That's awful germ girl, hope you get some answers soon

Thank you.

Have you had a MRI? It possibly could be sciatic pain, or some other spinal nerve pain. Good luck.

Sounds rather like kidney pain, which is extremely painful.
I've been in and out of hospital since January, had all the scans, they removed the stone I was still in agony, more scans showed a lurking stone. You need to keep on top of any infection which might be hiding behind the stone, often a cause for sepsis, I've had it three times this year.
Can you go somewhere for a secondary opinion?
Kidney stones can get very serious very quickly, you're in the right place to get some answers.
I hope you start to feel better and they can come up with a concrete answer. What pain killers have the given you? Are you on Anti biotics?

I'm on amoxicillin, I was on IV metronidazole and gentamicin too but now it's just the amox
The doctor I saw today says it could be renal reflux, I have to go to Guys hospital for more tests. I'm hoping I'll be referred there tomorrow & transferred straight from here (lewisham hospital) rather than getting an outpatient appt

Have they checked your fallopian tubes?

It is incredibly rare, but an ectopic pregnancy can become calcified and remain in the body rather than being reabsorbed. It may or may not cause pain.

I had normal and transvaginal ultrasound scans on Thursday. The tubes looked normal on those, as did everything else! Would that show up on US?
Current thinking is it may be renal reflux but I need a CT scan while I'm peeing! Not massively looking forward to having that done!

I have no idea if it would show on a scan or not. A total guess would say it would, but I really don't know!

Having a scan whilst peeing sounds tricky! I would probably get performance anxiety!

I hope they come up with answers for you soon.