UTI / Kidney Infection

[okaymissy]

I began experiencing symptoms of a UTI which were very mild compared to symptoms I had experiences with previous UTIs. This made me doubt the presence of the UTI and I put off going to the doctor. A few days later I began vomiting and having severe nausea, but the UTI symptoms were kind of going away. After about a 24 hour period, the vomiting subsided but the severe nausea stayed and the UTI symptoms came back. I finally went to an urgent care clinic where a urinalysis showed nitrites in my urine and I was prescribed 10 days of Cipro.

Within 1 day of taking the Cipro I started feeling pain underneath my ribs in the front, sides and back. I went back to the doctor where she informed me that the urinalysis that was taken the first visit had come back from the lab negative for bacteria. She was sure that this was a mistake and gave me took another urine sample which again showed nitrites (after 2 full days of antibiotics).

Because of the back pain (no fever) and nausea, I was given an injection of rocephin and told to continue with the cipro.

24 hrs later the pain in my back is still present, although not at all severe. My question is could this be something other than a kidney infection/uti? There was no blood found in the urinalysis either.

I just find myself doubting the infection due to the fact that the lab found no bacteria, I have no fever, no blood was found in the urine sample, and the pain/tenderness is still present and not severe.

[okaymissy]

Thanks for your input. I just read somewhere online that blood in the urine doesn't show up in 30% of kidney stones. I have a feeling that this is a kidney stone since the pain is moving down. We shall see! Thanks again!

[el_em_en_oh]

Kidney-stones often cause a tolerable pain. They're not always excruciating, as I'm sure you've heard they are. I get kidney-stones chronically, and from time to time, a get one that causes intermittent (colicky) pain that's quite bearable.

And another thing, not all kidney-stones cause hematuria (blood in the urine). If your doctor thinks that all stones cause blood in the urine, then I'd say that you need to get yourself another doctor that know what the hell their talking about, because she obviously doesn't.

I can't remember the last stone that cause blood in my urine. Maybe post-op hematuria, but stones haven't been the cause for about 15 years now (and I've passed about 1000 stones since then... literally).

[okaymissy]

pain is colicky I guess. She mentioned a kidney stone but seemed to think that the lack of blood in the urinalysis suggested no kidney stone. I haven't had any tests other than the urinalysis. But, again, the pain isn't unbearable as I would think it would be in the case of a kidney stone or even a kidney infection. It does seem to be radiating a little lower down my back than it did yesterday though. I don't know, the doc is calling me tomorrow to check on me. I am just rather convinced it's not a kidney infection.

[el_em_en_oh]

Have you had a CT or KUB or IVP?

The consistent pain you're feeling COULD BE a kidney-stone, unless they've already scanned you and told you that's not the case.

Actually, let me ask you this... is the pain "colicky" or constant?

Colicky= on and off, inconsistent, spasms of pain that come and go and vary in intensity