Undiagnosed Kidney, Liver Problem

[partner_needs_help]

Hi,
I'm writing on behalf of my 24 year old boyfriend, who is generally very fit and healthy, never complains, doesn't drink alcohol, eats well and plays sports. He was taken out by severe pain about 6 months ago when in his home country of Zimbabwe, he was found to have kidney stones and treated for them. The pain subsided for a while but then reoccurred when back in England. He has been to the doctors who sent him to a urinary tract specialist. They found he had swollen kidneys and liver, his tubes either side of his abdomen were swollen but they could find no obvious cause. They tested his blood, urine when nothing showed in his results they gave him a general anti-parasite suggesting that it could be a tropical disease from Zimbabwe. He passed out in the hospital after being given the treatment and having his blood tested but then had no further symptoms for a couple of weeks. Now the pain is back, the professionals say they have exhausted all their means of finding out what the problem isOther symptoms are chronic exhaustion, depression and mild nausia. The pain comes and goes suddenly but some of the other symptoms persist. It can sometimes be triggered by sex.
Can anybody help please.

[partner_needs_help]

Thank you so much David, your response was greatly appreciated. The experts he has been seeing have been saying the same thing, asking him lots of questions about swallowing sea water. The only treatment that he received that seemed to take any effect was the general anti-parisite. He has had a CT scan and an ultra sound done on him last week and it showed general inflammation in the abdominal area. He has been informed that a consultation with a tropical medicine physician would probably be the best way forward. If he can't get one in England he was considering trying to raise funds to get to South Africa and pay for health care there, where they are more likely to be familiar with what has caused the problem. Thanks again it's been a lot of support to think that there are other means of finding out what is causing this problem.

[David Rudnick, M.D.]

This sounds like a complex problem if it involves the liver and the kidneys.  If he has been in rural areas of Zimbabwe, perhaps he was exposed to parasitic disease and perhaps a consultation with a tropical medicine physician would be in order.  With regard to kidney stones, the diagnosis is quite easy to make based on a CT scan.