MysteryFlankPain.com

In July of 2005, I had a CT Scan (I don’t remember which doctor, there were so many of them). The results, however, were normal.

In November of 2005, while seeing my Chiropractor for relief from this hellish flank pain, he
suggested I see a Urologist to ensure the pain wasn’t a symptom of a deeper, more serious ailment, and referred me to one. The urologist ordered a repeat CT scan (again these tests), an ultrasound and a freaking cystoscopy. During the ultrasound, the tech, upon hitting on my left, lowest ribs (this will be VERY important later on) to check my kidneys, found a 5-6 mm lesion on my left kidney (lateral), along the mid pole region. It should be noted here that my response was: left flank pain + lesion on kidney at the exact spot of the flank pain= Yay! I’m cured…Not so fast.

The Urologist ran blood/urine work, etc. and everything came back normal, including the CT scan and the freaking cystoscopy. His professional opinion was that lesions are common and there is no way the lesion on my kidney could be the source of my pain. Needless to say, I didn’t believe him, so I went to another Urologist. He concurred with the first.

STAY TUNED FOR MORE…..

Beginning around 1998 I began experiencing a dull ache in my left flank (left, lower back). I had no idea as to the cause of this pain, so I went to a Chiropractor and, after a few visits (therapy using heat and electrical stimulation) the pain eventually went away. The Chiropractor took X-Rays of my spine and told me I had degenerative disc disease (DDD); however, DDD should not be causing the pain I was experiencing. He had no solution as to why I was in pain and, because the pain never lasted very long (at this point), I never pressed for one. At this time, the pain stayed for maybe a week(at the longest).

In September of 2004, I went to an ophthalmologist because I was having trouble reading (I was seeing double). The ophthalmologist referred me to a Neurologist to ensure I didn’t have MS. I went to the Neurologist in October 2004 (now keep track of all these “tests”) and he ordered an MRI of my brain, with and without contrast.

In May of 2005, I began experiencing this left flank pain more frequently and it wouldn’t go away, no matter what I did, so I went back to the Neurologist, who ordered X-Rays and an MRI of my Lumbar Spine (again, the tests). The test revealed “mild concentric annular bulge at L4-5 resulting in mild impression upon the ant-thecal sac and neural foramen.” At that time, I told the Doctor of the left flank pain and he referred me to an Orthopedic Surgeon. My family, however, suggested I go to a different OS (big mistake, as I shall explain later on), who I shall call Asshole, OS.

Asshole, OS put me on an anti-inflammatory for one month (Celebrex). When I returned to him and told him the Celebrex didn’t help, he asked me to show him where I felt the pain and I pointed to my left flank. His professional opinion was that the area I was experiencing the pain in could not be associated with my lumbar bulges. He suggested I return to my family physician for a follow-up. Note: I would like to add that this pain was so intense, I felt great relief when anyone just touched it. No kidding, it was better than an orgasm.

Since around 1998, I have had recurring left, flank pain. The pain was always a persistent, dull ache, but never stayed/lasted longer than a week or so. I would apply heat, etc. to it and it would eventually go away.

In May 2005, the dull ache persisted with a vengeance, often accompanied by nausea and chills but, despite by best efforts, it hasn’t left. In fact, it seems to have gotten worse. In addition, I also have a tender spot on my upper, left abdomen that flares up with the flank pain.

I have seen approximately 6-7 doctors for this pain and have spent thousands of dollars. It wasn’t until recently that I finally figured out what the source of the pain is, without the help of any of my doctors (some of whom suggested there was nothing wrong with me)! After doing a lot of research, I discovered that there are literally millions of people in the world suffering from the same thing as me, and their doctors do not know what to look for or how to diagnose it. My next post will begin at the start of my journey and I will detail what I’ve had to do to resolve this pain.

I hope people suffering from the same thing I am find my site, and I hope it helps them. That’s why I’ve started this blog and I want to spread the word and educate people on this issue, so that no one else has to go through and/or spend the money I had to before I diagnosed myself and began my road to recovery.