Medually Sponge Kidney

Hello everyone! I am new to this site! I am 22 and I just found out last week that i may have MSK. I went to the doc and found out I had a uti with blood in my urine. A couple days later I had a persistant back pain (lower right of my back) and ended up going to the hospital. I had a CT scan and the doc said my kidney looked "unusual" and that they think it may be MSK. I don't have frequent UTI's nor have i had a kidney stone that I am aware of! I am really worried about this! I go to my family doc tmrw to discuss the findings of my CT scan. Did anyones symptoms start out this way?

[Jenn724]

For many people, MSK causes no symptoms. The first sign that a person has MSK is usually a UTI or kidney stone. UTIs and kidney stones share many of the same symptoms:

•burning or painful urination
•pain in the back, lower abdomen, or groin
•cloudy, dark, or bloody urine
•foul-smelling urine
•fever and chills
•vomiting
To confirm the diagnosis, the doctor may order an x ray called an intravenous pyelogram (IVP). In an IVP, dye is injected into a vein. The dye travels through the blood to the kidneys. As the dye is filtered into the urinary tract, it makes urine visible on the x ray and shows any blockage in the urinary tract. Cysts show up as clusters of light in an IVP.
•Treatment for MSK focuses on curing UTIs, removing kidney stones, and preventing recurrent infections and stones.

Good luck :)

[el_em_en_oh]

I just sent MSKelly a PM, so she should be able to help you.

She's our resident MSK expert.

[el_em_en_oh]

Sorry... it's MSKshelly... and her name's Shelly (duh).

Sorry for the miscommunication.

[el_em_en_oh]

You know, upon reading your post a second time, I think you might want to discuss your CT findings with a Urologist. Your GP won't know what he's looking at, and I seriously doubt the hospital doctor knew what he was looking at, so it's best to put it in front of a Urologist.

My kidney also looks "unusual" and my symptoms, many years ago, started out the same way as yours. I have many problems with my kidneys, but my unusual looking kidney was attributed to cysts (making it look strange).

A good Radiologist will be able to identify cysts, and a Urologist for sure, but an ER doc and a GP probably haven't seen it before.

No stones and non-recurrent UTI's.. strange. Go and see a Urologist. It really doesn't sound like MSK to me, but that's just my opinion.

[MSKshelly]

El-Em-en-eo is right, you need to wait and speak with a urologist.  I would also encourage you to get a copy of the radiologist report.  Though is it quite possible since your only 22 not have the stones or frequent UTI’S.  I had my first known stone at 19, then second at 24 and by 33 my kidneys were full.  The good news if you do have MSK, you have learned it early so you can prevent many of the side effects those of us diagnosed later struggle with.

The other thing is that a CT scan is not the standard tools used for diagnosis.  Though some have been diagnosed with a CT scan the gold standard is an IVP. Also, keep in mind that small stones often do not show even on CT scans and many of us have passed small stones shortly after being told there were none!

Best wishes and if you are diagnosed with MSK, please feel free to contact me personally with any questions and to join the MSK support group here on med help!

Shelly