Going to a Urologist hoping for answers... what should I expect?

[shannonwooten]

4 months ago, I had severe pain in my midback for two weeks (Both L and R kidney). After I explained all the symptoms to my sister, she told me that it sounded like I have kidney stones which she has had before... also my mother, grandmother, and G grandmother, etc.

I went to the hospital... urinalysis showed that I had level 1 blood in  my urine (just a little blood). Doc ordered me a CT scan... scan was normal, no kidney stones. 2 days later, I got really hot and sweaty and sick feeling then felt something moving from my kidney to my bladder. Pain went down a little...

For the last 4 months, I have had an occasional sharp pain mainly in my right kidney... maybe a really sharp pain about 4-5 times a week. Very occasional dull pain that would last for a few hours.

Well, 2 weeks ago, the pain came back again... a little more severe than last time. Constant dull pain in both kidneys accompanied by sharp stabbing pains on occasion mainly on the right side. Doc ordered me another CT scan... another normal scan, no stones. Again, two days later, I felt something moving from my kidney to my bladder.


I went to the doc today fusturated... I don't understand why I have blood in my urine, severe kidney pain... but normal CT scans. The doctor doesn't understand either so she is sending me to a urologist.

My question is:
What should I expect at the urologist? What sort of tests do you think the doctor will do? My sister told me that my grandmothers brother had a dye injected into his kidney and they found stones that way... will they do that? How do they do it?

Thank you so much in advanced,
Shannon


(Also, I have been using a strainer... have not caught any stones)

[shannonwooten]

Another symptom... the last two days, I have been having some lower abdominal pain, almost like a cramping sensation but it is constant..

[TerriFL]

I'm not a doctor, but am having a similar problem.  I was having a constant pain on the left side of my lower back for about a month...just thought I pulled a muscle.  Then one day when I flushed the toilet I noticed how dark my urine was.  Ran to drug store, got a UTI home test which was negative.  Pain and dark urine continued, so I went to a urologist.  First, she ordered a non-contrast CT scan because she thought I had a kidney stone.  It was negative.  Problem continued so then she did a cystpscopy which she said was fine.  But what really blew me away was that she just blew the blood in my urine off and told me to come back in 6 months!!!!  
My ortho doctor is also like a family friend.  When I told him about it, he sent me to his wife who has an ultrasound/mammography practice.  She found several cysts in my right kidney that were undected in my CT scan.  She also said, they should have done a scan WITH contrast as the scan w/o is more for detecting stones, not cysts. The problem continues, goes away for a week or so, then comes back.  I'm seeing another urologist (another friend of my ortho....lol) in a few weeks.
The point of this post is to persevere!!!  Don't let a doctor who can't figure it out or doesn't want to bother sway you.  I wish you the best of luck in finding out what is wrong.  Please keep us posted.  Terri

[shannonwooten]

Thank you very much for your response! It provides a bit of light!

It sounds like I am having the same problems that you are having... my pain also comes and goes. And of course now that I finally got an apt with a urologist, the pain has gone away. No pain for the last week beside last night which was pretty severe. So far, I haven't had any pain today.

I hope that they do a ct scan with contract... or an ultrasound... something!!

What about the cysts in your kidney? Is that causing the pain you have been having? What do you do about cysts?

Good luck to you too, please let me know how it goes!