partial UPJ obstruction

6 months ago, I began throwing up. I had been nauseated for months, but had my gallbladder out several month prior.  Drs. kept telling me this was normal after gallbladder surgery.  I have also had a dull ache in my right flank area for about a year.  

Anyway, the end of Aug. (6months ago), I had spasms in the R. kidney, next day I was throwing up, next day I started my cycle. Went to gastro. He did a CT. No dye in R. ureter, hydronephrosis and a uterus displaced toward the right.  Sent me to uro. who did an IVP.  Because there was dye all the way to the bladder, he said it was normal. (even though the R. kidney is twice as big as the L.)  Exatly a month after the throwing up day, I had another one. Spasms on day 1, throwing up day 2, started my cycle day 3.  Dido. Called uro and asked about the spasms.  No return call, So called the next day to make appt.  Nurse then decided to ask dr. about spasms.  He said there was absolutely nothing wrong with my kideny whatsoever, do I still want an appt.?  

Well, we had a pattern now.  So I went to the gyno.  She was very sympathetic.  Seems she had hydronephrosis once and knew how much pain I must be in.  She did a hysterectomy in Dec. and #2 uro did a retrograde pyelogram. (My renal pelvis looks like a cat and the urter is not attached to the kidney - this uro said everything looked fine??)  After the surgery I was better as long as I was laid up resting, but when I began to move, here it all came again.  

So I was beginnig to think, I'm not a dr and 2 other uros said I'm fine, I must be fine.  So I went to internal med. dr. the end of Dec.  He said, arthritis in the kideny and did buches of lab.  ANA was a little elevated and there was a small touch of arthritis on the top of my back.  He said, just take this NASID and you'll be cured!   (ANA 1:160 homogenous)

So I went back to family dr. and said HELP!!  He said, if the ANA was linked to the symptoms then the sed rate would've been elevated too.  He sent me to uro #3 in little rock.  I think he is more concerned about going against the other uros.  He basically says the same thing.  This is just how your kidney is made and now he thinks the ANA is the base of my problem.  

IVP said mild UPJ obstruction
Diretic Renogram  said partial UPJ obstruction

I have R. flank pain (sometimes w/spasms)
low grade fever everyday
feeling of weakness
nausea (worse in the mornings)
frequent urination
dribbly urination

Uro #3 did a lithotripsy on kidney stone in L kidney Feb 8th.  Did a CT follow-up on the 22nd.  The hydronephrosis is much bigger.  The swollen area has gone from 1.63 cm to 4cm in the 6 months.  He said, no, no, no. that is just the way your kidney is made.  When I asked him what he did with all the Cts, retro, & IVP. He admitted they are not compatible and are slow to load on the system and they threw them away.  So he didn't have anything to compare the CT with.  

Right now my family dr (such a blessing!) has ordered a diuretic renogram while the symptoms are acute.  So I'm waiting for the spasm thing to happen to have the renogram.  I've had a rough week.  I'm very weak and the color in my skin is gone.  I'm not sure what I should do.  I know that before they will do surgery on me, a complete obstruction must be demonstrated.  I'm just tired of drs. telling me there is nothing wrong when 3 radiologist have said the exact same thing - UPJ obstruction.

I have a appt. with a surgeon in New Orleans April 1st.  Right now that seems like eternity.

[dupontwest]

it seems to me that with the pain and throwing up it may not be a good idea waiting till April 1. My kidney malady seems to be different (End Stage Renal Disease due to Polycystic Kidney Disease) but for three months prior to starting dialysis I was throwing up several times a day although I had kidney pain only when I had to urinate (there is still some residual function of the kidneys). It doesn't necessarily mean that you'll have to be on dialysis - I'm not trying to scare you, just explain that if the symptoms suddenly worsen, don't wait till April 1, go the the Emergency Room immediately. Another thing is the doctors'  idiocy (Dear Consulting Physicians - don't get offended, I value you tremendously but there are some major idiots among doctors!). My cretin of a primary care physician kept giving me anti-emetics, though he knew that my kidneys were failing and it took calling him and saying that I thought I had an acute kidney failure that prompted him to get me an immediate appointment with a nephrologist; another story is my cretinous quack at the dialysis clinic who, presented with a severely bruised arm, swollen joint and unbelievable pain told me to quit smoking. When I told the idiot off, he threatened to have me thrown out as a difficult patient and only warning him that I'd slap him with a lawsuit so fast, he wouldn't have time to yell "Mommy!" brought him under control. I guess he got offended when told to wipe that stupid smile off his face. I know I need to quit smoking but it ain't happening now and I don't want to be frustrated while my problems are more immediate. When I went to the ER for my arm, the staff were horrified by his cavalier attitude while the next step could have been bleeding into my brain. "It has nothing to do with smoking", said the ER doc and nurse in unison with a shocked and horrified look on their faces. They gave me vitamin K to stop the bleeding and Percocet for the pain and told me to sleep it off (I drove myself). I slept at the ER for four hours, feeling safe and secure under their care because they LISTENED and HEARD  me. That same morning when I got home I sent a letter of praise for them to the NM Licencing Board since there wa no e-mail for the hospital administrator on the hospital's website (another idiocy) and sending it snail-mail is an exhausting chore what with having to print it out, fold it, stuff it in an envelope, get stamps and drive my van to the mail box (curb off the driveway too high for wheelchair, no sidewalks on my side of the street  or sidewalks on the other side ending suddenly in the middle of a block - one more idiocy of city planners in an area where there are many retirees, often disabled, and I have no money for improvements - I don't know why the planners can't work with disabled people prior to approving plans for construction. My neighborhood is about 20 years old, so it had to come after the ADA law). Anyway - GOOD LUCK!
Mark

[karajo]

Hi
Thanks for posting.
I don't know what to think of these new symptoms I'm having.  They started almost a week ago. Just feelings of extreme weakness.  Headache, dizzy, nausea, rapid pulse, hard to breathe.  I've never had a panic attack, but maybe this might be.  Maybe it is all the stress of everything else.  I had one today infront of my husband.  My pulse was 120.  It lasted about 30 min, then mysteriously went away.  
Could this be related to the kidney thing?
I go to my family dr. tomorrow.  Hopefully he will run some lab or something.  

I've been real disappointed in urologist.  I think, what's the use in driving 3 hours, sitting in their waiting room another hour and you finally see the almighty and he disregards what the radiologist said in the report and you find out he has thrown your disc away because it "takes too long for them to load on his computer"  So what's the use in doing a $2,000 and getting a radiologist to read the test if they will just say, that's just the way your kidney is made.  Nevermind 3 radiologist has said "hydronephrosis" & "ureteropelvic junction obstruction".  

What exactly are the signs of renal failure?