Posted by Melissa on June 05, 1999 at 22:53:36
Please help. I don't know what to do. Around March 20th I started having pains in my back. On April 3 they were so intense I went to the emergency room. The doctors there found blood in my urine with no white cells. They did an IVP and said they didn't see any kidney stones, however I have a history of kidney stones so they assumed there was one that they couldn't see. I was told to strain my urine. I continued straining my urine. I had an appoinment with a urologist. He got some paperwork faxed to him from the hospital and said he didn't believe it was a kidney stone however he wanted another IVP ran. The soonest they could work me in was 5/24/99. On May 22 the pain was to intense so I went to the Emergency room again. The doctor told me I was having muscle spasms and wanted to send me home. I asked if it is a muscle spasm then why is there blood and white cells in my urine. The doctor said he wanted to consult with another doctor and then he would return. When he came back he admitted me to the hospital. I had an IVP done that night then was sent to a room. The next morning someone brought me breakfast. I had about three bites when a nurse came in and told me I was not allowed to eat anything because they wanted me to have a cat scan done. They took the food away gave me something called barium to drink. At 11:00 when I had finished drinking both of the bottles the orderlie came in to get me for the catscans. On the way down the hall the nurse came running again and said the catscan couldn't be done today because I had the IVP done the night before. I was sent back to my room.
The lunches started coming around and they skipped my room becasue they said I couldn't eat anything because they wanted another xray done. The orderlie came to get me around 2 hours later. I went down to xray and they took 1 more xray. I went back to my room and at my lunch. Around 5:00 PM another orderlie showed up to take me downstairs for a catscan. I explained to them that I had eaten and the barium was gone at 11:00 AM, they said that was ok and they still wanted to cat scan.
The only thing I was told is there was no kideny stone found. This entire time I was hooked up to a machine with a little button that allowed me to give myself morphine through my IV. The morphine made the pain ease off, but it was still there. On May 27th the doctors couldn't find anything and sent me home with cipro, percocet, and ibuprofen. The pain had eased off for a while, however it did return with a vengence.
On April 3 I went to my regular doctor and told them the whole story. They took a urine sample and said there was "quite and bit of blood" in the urine. They sent me to a different urologist who said he wanted in the hospital the next day for same day surgery. When I went in I was knocked out. The doctor put some dye up in my bladder to my kidneys and looked for any stones or cancer. He found nothing.
The doctor is now saying I should go see a back specialist. However no one has been able to find out why there is blood in my urine. I will go see the back speacialist however I am still in pain on my left side it fills like it is just below my ribs. I am taking loritab 7.5 to try to handle the pain and yet no one will tell me where all the blood is from or what that has to do with my back. The last urine sample showed no white cells. The doctors just keep shrugging their shoulders when I ask about the blood or the pain. I am very concerned even if they aren't.
If you have any ideas PLEASE PLEASE HELP ME!!!!
Thanks for your time
Melissa
Posted by HFHS M.D.-CK on June 08, 1999 at 13:01:53
Dear Melissa,
Blood in the urine, hematuria, has many possible causes. to determine the cause an IVP (X-ray test of the kidneys with contrast dye), a cystoscopy (looking in the bladder with a lighted telescope), and a urine cytology is suggested. With microscopic hematuria no abnormality is detected in many patients. Back pain is very common and musculoskeletal problems are more common then obstructing kidney stones.
In addition to the IVP you have had a CT scan and retrograde pyelograms(shooting contrast up through the ureters towards the kidney looking for obstruction or tumors). During the retrograde study a cystoscopy was performed. You may inquire about the urine cytology (looking for cancer cells under the microscope). You were started on antibiotics (Cipro) to help take an infectious cause out of the picture, but your urine culture results should also be negative before searching for other causes of back pain.
This information is provided for general medical information purposes only. Please consult your physician for diagnostic and treatment options pertaining to your specific medical condition. More individualized care is available through our department at the Henry Ford Hospital and its suburban locations (I-800-653-6568).
Sincerely;
HFHS M.D.-CK
* Keyword: back pain, hematuria
