Kidneys full of calcium deposits

[larkyn]

I recently started seeing a new dr for a back problem.  The first day I saw him he ordered a CT scan of my lower back. Some minor problems were found in my spin and discs.  He was more concerned with the fact the my kidneys seem to be full of calcium deposits.  He did blood work and urine test which all came back fine.  I am still concerned.  I don't understand what could cause this and if its something I should be concerned about.  I've been having problems with severe bloating and pain the I can only describe as a constant pain inside of me.  The bloating makes me look like I'm 6 months prego and the pain is in my back mostly, but I know its not caused from my back.  I feel like it could be my kidneys or other organ.  Everytime I seem to tell a doctor my long list of symptoms or complaints they look at me like I'm crazy. My last doctor actually told me that.  Told me it was all in my head.  So I guess my questions are: Should I be concerned with the fact that there is alot of calcium in my kidneys?, will they eventually turn into kidney stones?, Could this be causing the awful bloating? Do I need to take something to remove the calcium?

[Ginger7777]

"Sudden and inexplicable" kidney failure they said after month of dyalisis. Huh? You doctors! I had a lump in my throat for seven years (cherry size). Doc at that time said nothing to worry about. We'll keep an eye on it.
Well 7 yrs got me to Hyperparathyroidism, high blood pressure, gained 75 lbs. in the last 2 years, borderline diabetic, neuropathy in my feet? Ankle and hip pain from starving bones. PTH pulls all the calcium from your bones and your kidneys are only way it can get out. But when you have one parathyroid going full blast for 7 years-it's not a matter of 'if' but 'when' it will kill you. Average time 20 years. Symptoms. I was being treated for symptoms and didn't know they were all related to CKD. My symptoms?
Dizziness
Foggy or unclear thinking
Lethargic
Tingling in feet/hands
Bone pain-hips, feet, ankles
Sensitivity to the sun and heat
Always cold or hot
Muscle weekness
Hot flashes
Dry mouth
Constant thirst
Nightly trips to pee
Headaches
Irritable bowl syndrome
Appetite-ok late in day
Body itching mostly at Nite
Flu-like symptoms but no fever
Irritable
Insomnia
Anxiety attacks
GERD
So many pills! I was treating the symptoms of chronic kidney disease for seven years not knowing they were all related to an adenoma on my parathyroid which was leaching my bones of calcium and blasting my kidneys. I've never taken anything stronger than aspirin all my life until my joint and bone pain became unbearable. So I was taking 600 milligrams a day of naproxen sodium (Aleve) for over 10 yrs. Worst thing I could have done! Now I can't take ANY NSAIDS.
CKD and Hyperparathyroidism go hand in hand. There is Primary and secondary HPT. And something the size of a grain of rice that slowly grows you can't feel it and only  special testing will reveal it. First ask for PTH test not thyroid test. Then they shoot dye into you and it goes strait to it. Cherry size? Try an unshelled peant size! My thyroid tests were normal. Some people, all their blood tests show calcium is fine when it's not they are not very reliable. I've spent the better part of 3 yrs. researching after my kidneys failed and a month on dyalisis and no one ever even felt my throat! I'm thankful not be permanently on dyalisis but another 3 yrs of kidney damage before that parathyroid adenoma was removed, I am 3rd stage CKD. I just had that surgery and looks me & Dr. B. we're both right! Exploratory during the 'ectomy' revealed a growth inside my right side of my thyroid as well. So on the 29th I will be losing half my thyroid and the other parathyroid. They say 38% of people that have one adenoma (always benign) have two on the parathyroid. But now this other growth is quite different. It's indide my thyroid on the same side as the adenoma was. I CANNOT take calcium. I'm doing ionic magnesium to help repair my kidneys and any damage done to my heart. Yes it affects evertthing in your body. Even tho I was told to take calcium supplements with D3, I'm waiting. It doesn't make sense to take something that has been overactive in my body for 7 yrs. right?  I found Dr. Carol Dean's research much more sensible and I'm doing her 'ionic magnesium' therapy. So take care of yourselves.i found some much cheaper at Amazon.  Baby boomers Rock! Please feel free to ask me for links I've found. Doctors need to go back to school. I'm finding that my younger doctors are much more knowledgsble about diseases and medicine. But I do take anything without researching it. Sorry, but it's hard for me to trust most doctors after all I've been thru. God bless and keep you!

[Emilee_17]

Also go see a urologist, I have mostly the same complaints you're having. I'm constantly tried, I can't even work out for more then a week before I get a UTI or my back is on fire. I can't even clean my house without having to sit down for 30 mins at a time. I have poly cystic kidney disease and I just found out I have calcium deposits on my kidneys, so hurry and make an appointment, I'll be doing research tonight to find a urologist. I'm scared and worried for my children because I need to get my condition under control. Good luck

[PamelaFletcher3211]

See an internist if you have any financial concerns. But overall you need a doctor to see if there are any "casts" in the blood in your urine (if there is blood). You could get a specific type of glomerolonephritis based upon buildup of things in/around the kidney. The buildup is not always of calcium, but the calcium could indicate  buildup of IgA in general, which is indicative of an autoimmune disease called IgA Nehphropathy. There are other kidney disorders that cause calcium buildup around the kidney as well, and if your kidney is indeed calcifying, that is NOT normal.

[harrald]

You mentioned that your doctor performed a blood and urine tests, and the results were OK. As a patient, you have the rights to get copies of your medical records  from your doctor. If interested, you can call the doctor's office and request a copy of the results of your lab tests. You may be told that you have to sumit this request in writing. The reason I bring up the information about your lab results is for you to know what is your results for calcium. My Calcium level measures 9.1 mg/dL(milligram per deciliter)on a scale of 8.6 to 10.2. If the doctor told you your Calcium level is OK, then it should be within the 8.6 to 10.2 mg/dL. I would guess  bloating may be from intestinal gas build-up. There are several OTC products for relieving gas if you have not already tried some of the products. Beano now has a tablet that melts in your mouth before eating foods like beans, etc.

The more knowledge one can learn about digestion and kidney function, the better one can be prepared to talk with a doctor.

There is a national website that gives tons of information on digestive disorders and kidney diseases. This website is prepared by the National Institutes of Health in Maryland. Go to http://digestive.niddk.gov and read about digestion and kidney function. Don't be surprised if a Google webpage comes up requesting you go to the same website. I suspect that NIH pays Google in some way.

Harrald

I, myself would worry if a doctor told me my CAT shows I have calcium deposits in my stomach. I am surprised your doctor did not treat you for calcium deposits in yoour body.

[Ginger7777]

"Sudden and inexplicable" kidney failure they said after month of dyalisis. Huh? You doctors! I had a lump in my throat for seven years (cherry size). Doc at that time said nothing to worry about. We'll keep an eye on it.
Well 7 yrs got me to Hyperparathyroidism, high blood pressure, gained 75 lbs. in the last 2 years, borderline diabetic, neuropathy in my feet? Ankle and hip pain from starving bones. PTH pulls all the calcium from your bones and your kidneys are only way it can get out. But when you have one parathyroid going full blast for 7 years-it's not a matter of 'if' but 'when' it will kill you. Average time 20 years. Symptoms. I was being treated for symptoms and didn't know they were all related to CKD. My symptoms?
Dizziness
Foggy or unclear thinking
Lethargic
Tingling in feet/hands
Bone pain-hips, feet, ankles
Sensitivity to the sun and heat
Always cold or hot
Muscle weekness
Hot flashes
Dry mouth
Constant thirst
Nightly trips to pee
Headaches
Irritable bowl syndrome
Appetite-ok late in day
Body itching mostly at Nite
Flu-like symptoms but no fever
Irritable
Insomnia
Anxiety attacks
GERD
So many pills! I was treating the symptoms of chronic kidney disease for seven years not knowing they were all related to an adenoma on my parathyroid which was leaching my bones of calcium and blasting my kidneys. I've never taken anything stronger than aspirin all my life until my joint and bone pain became unbearable. So I was taking 600 milligrams a day of naproxen sodium (Aleve) for over 10 yrs. Worst thing I could have done! Now I can't take ANY NSAIDS.
CKD and Hyperparathyroidism go hand in hand. There is Primary and secondary HPT. And something the size of a grain of rice that slowly grows you can't feel it and only  special testing will reveal it. First ask for PTH test not thyroid test. Then they shoot dye into you and it goes strait to it. Cherry size? Try an unshelled peant size! My thyroid tests were normal. Some people, all their blood tests show calcium is fine when it's not they are not very reliable. I've spent the better part of 3 yrs. researching after my kidneys failed and a month on dyalisis and no one ever even felt my throat! I'm thankful not be permanently on dyalisis but another 3 yrs of kidney damage before that parathyroid adenoma was removed, I am 3rd stage CKD. I just had that surgery and looks me & Dr. B. we're both right! Exploratory during the 'ectomy' revealed a growth inside my right side of my thyroid as well. So on the 29th I will be losing half my thyroid and the other parathyroid. They say 38% of people that have one adenoma (always benign) have two on the parathyroid. But now this other growth is quite different. It's indide my thyroid on the same side as the adenoma was. I CANNOT take calcium. I'm doing ionic magnesium to help repair my kidneys and any damage done to my heart. Yes it affects evertthing in your body. Even tho I was told to take calcium supplements with D3, I'm waiting. It doesn't make sense to take something that has been overactive in my body for 7 yrs. right?  I found Dr. Carol Dean's research much more sensible and I'm doing her 'ionic magnesium' therapy. So take care of yourselves.i found some much cheaper at Amazon.  Baby boomers Rock! Please feel free to ask me for links I've found. Doctors need to go back to school. I'm finding that my younger doctors are much more knowledgsble about diseases and medicine. But I do take anything without researching it. Sorry, but it's hard for me to trust most doctors after all I've been thru. God bless and keep you!

[irishrooster]

Hi larkyn,  I would be concerned too.  I know what you mean about the bloating, when I turn sideways and look in the mirror I look like I did when I was 7 months pregnant with my first baby who was 8 pounds!  This is what I would do if I were you----first off, I dont know where you live but if you like in America many of our insurance plans still are PPO, which means you can see  a specialist without having a referral from a regular doctor.  If you do have PPO insurance(look at your card and it will either say PPO or HMO) I would call your insurance customer service line and ask for the nearest nephrologist to where you live.  Make sure you see one on your plan because they are expensive.  Then call and make an appointment with the nephrologist(kidney doctor).  So you have taken one step to finding out what the problem is.  Then I would do MAJOR research on the internet about calcium deposits in the kidneys.  I have been doing major research myself because I have protein in my urine along with white blood cells and no infection.  I have a lot of other issues also that are pointing to kidney disease.  I am finding that I am not getting answers anywhere, not even on this board (sorry about saying that--everyone here is really nice but they just will not come out and say if your symptoms sound like kidney disease--maybe its a rule that they cant).  When you have found things through your research make sure you take your results to the nephrologist visit along with a list of questions.  I am sure that they will try to rush you through the questions but do not let them!! This is YOUR life and I tell you what if their son or daughter or wife or whatever had a bunch of calcium deposits in their kidneys they would be all over it trying to find out answers and treatments.  So please dont forget you are a person too, and you deserve quality healthcare and to be blunt: screw the a**hole that said it was all in your head.  He does not deserve his medical license!! But what goes around comes around and he will get his.  

Take care my friend and let us know how you are doing.  I care about you because I know how frustrating it is to not get any answers for something that is bugging the heck out of you, that concerns your health!--------------Tamye-------------