Scared and confused possible newbie

[Unregistered]

Hi everyone. Since 2005 I have had uncontrolled HBP. I am now 33 years old. I go through "spells" where I have severe flank pain, always on the left side, as well as symptoms of a kidney infection. The pain will last for days or weeks and right now it's been on and off for 6 weeks. I've been to my primary and the ER more times then I can count. Neither seem to think it's as big a deal as I do. In 05, when this all began, I saw a nephrologist. He said there the HBP was of unknown origin and just classic hypertension. I had toxemia with my son and that's when the hbp started. Prior to that it would be 90/70 every time I would take it and it was a joke that I had zombie pressure. I had a CAT scan 3 weeks ago that showed a "mass" and they've been calling it either that or a stone. I had an MRI/MRA today.

I am incredibly frustrated and scared. I can't seem to make my point that something just isn't right. I've just read the 10 symptoms of kidney disease and the only one I do not have is swelling. Everything else is spot on, including the itchiness. What can I do? What do I need to tell my dr to get him to see that my gut truly believes something's not right?

Any advice would be wonderful. Thank you!

[DoriSchatell]

Hi Unregistered,

We are NOT doctors, so my aim here is to give you some things to ask your doctor about, rather than to answer your questions.

Since 2005 I have had uncontrolled HBP. I am now 33 years old.
When you say "uncontrolled" high blood pressure, do you mean that you are not taking any blood pressure medications? How high does your blood pressure usually run? Do you measure it each day, at different times? Keeping a chart of what your blood pressure is can help your doctor to see patterns that may be useful in trying to treat it.

I go through "spells" where I have severe flank pain, always on the left side, as well as symptoms of a kidney infection.
Pain is actually a pretty rare symptom as far as the kidneys go. Unless there are many cysts (more than just one) or a tumor stretches the outer capsule around the kidneys, they don't tend to hurt. Also, while flank pain CAN be caused by the kidneys, it would be a "referred" pain, since the kidneys are up much higher than most people realize--ABOVE the ribs in your back... Quite a lot of flank or back pain is really musculoskeletal. When you say "symptoms of a kidney infection," what, exactly, do you mean? Has a urinalysis shown any infection? Do you run a fever?

In 05, when this all began, I saw a nephrologist. He said there the HBP was of unknown origin and just classic hypertension.
The Chair of the MEI Board of Directors (who IS a nephrologist, and is very wise), says that if your blood pressure is normal (I know, yours is high), your urine does not have protein in it, and the level of creatinine in your blood is in the target range for your age, you probably don't have kidney disease. You saw a nephrologist. Is there protein in your urine? A creatinine level is drawn as part of a routine blood test (a chemistry panel, sometimes called an SMA-14). You've surely had one drawn somewhere along the line. Do you know what it is? If so, you can use this calculator to find out whether your kidney function is normal: http://www.kidneytrust.org/learn/calculate-kidney-function/.

I had a CAT scan 3 weeks ago that showed a "mass" and they've been calling it either that or a stone. I had an MRI/MRA today.
If you're comfortable, let us know what it found. If there is something wrong on the MRI, it may explain both your pain and your high blood pressure, since kidneys control blood pressure. If there isn't anything on the MRI, please do ask about your urine protein and creatinine levels. Again, if both of those are normal, the source of your unease is likely NOT your kidneys. Most of the symptoms of chronic kidney disease are subtle and non-specific. They can be caused by many things. But, over time, high blood pressure can damage your kidneys, so getting that under control through the DASH diet (http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/dash/new_dash.pdf), exercise, and medication, if needed, can help protect your kidneys and prevent damage.