Kidney Pain & associated conditions

[Mike1202]

My son is 24 years old. Over the past three weeks, he has had several (possibly unrelated) medical conditions that he is seeing our family doctor about, but I am not totally convinced the family doctor is on the right track. About 3 weeks ago, while on a mission trip to Mexico, he developed a swollen knee from an unknown source. He saw a local doctor who injected him with a steroid (dexamethasone). The steroid decreased the swelling in his knee. Several days after returning to the states, the knee developed a cyst like formation and was filled with puss. At this point I thought the original swelling may have been caused by a spider bite. The knee healed without a problem. About a week later, he broke out in hives from head to toe. He is alergic to sulfa based drugs. He went to the doctor who prescribed methylprednisolone. Over the next couple of days, the hives dissipated. Five days after the hives, he developed a sharp pain in his left side. He again went to the doctor. The doctor initially thought he had a urinary tract infection but my son reported no pain in urination, no frequent urination, and the urinalysis did not confirm the diagnosis. The doctor sent him for a CT scan. The CT scan showed an inflamed kidney. The doctor now believes a kidney infection and has prescribed cipro and Tylenol and Ibuprofen for pain. After 5 days, the pain (while not constant) has not diminished. He often has the chills and a fever that runs 2-3 degrees above normal. One other (possibly not related) issue is that his pain is usually most significant early morning (possibly due to 8 hours of sleep with no tylenol/ibuprofen). The strange thing is that he often also has sharp pains in his left shoulder as well. Thanks in advance for your help.

Mike

[DrKalraMD]

Hi, please get ultrasound done to rule out any obstruction in urinary tract due to stones etc, if it comes out to be normal next step is to get his blood samples checked for autoimmune disorder, investigations like ANA, ANCA, ESR, RA factor are usually done.

[ngio64]

Have the possibility of the original knee swelling being gout and the pain being a kidney stone been addressed?
Uric Acid can form kidney stones. Gout can occur in joints other than the big toe. I take Alopurinol to prevent Uric Acid buildup. My knee gets affected more often than my toe.
When I have a kidney stone, I get referred pain in my shoulder and radiating up my neck to behind my ear. I have passed kidney stones the same day or  up to a few days after a CAT scan shows no stone, they do not always show. IV or IM Toradol helps with pain & inflammation of the Urinary tract and helps me pass a stuck stone.
Best wishes for your son,
Nancy