Now it's my kidney....when will this end??

[angrry]

Hi....I first started posting in the forum in December, my brain tumour fears started shortly before that. Those fears were stopped when I had a clear CT scan in February. Last month it was prostate cancer. Those fears disappeared when antibiotics helped clear up a case of prostatitis. Now it's kidney cancer.
The last few weeks I've had right lower back pain, I now have pain in my right side, right hip, right thigh and right abdomen. My doctor said last week he thought it was muscular, he also said if the back pain didn't improve I should come back and he'd consider x-rays. I go back tomorrow. I'm really afraid it's a kidney tumour that has now spread to my hip. I'm hoping someone here has some insight into right side pain who can put my mind at ease. Everyone here has been so helpful and supportive over the past months, and I thank you all for that, unfortunately I am asking for help and advice again. Thanks for listening

[noella6]

Although we typically regard pain as a signifier of something being 'wrong', so many of them (perhaps the majority?) will eventually turn out to have simple, non-disease related causes, such as muscle pain, IBS, etc. I've found my stomach and lower back (which also includes my sides, both left and right) are affected very quickly by anxiety. I don't perfectly understand the mechanics of this, but an old saying of my friend's often springs to mind: 'Our gut is like our second brain', or something to that effect! Meaning that our emotions have a direct line to our gut, and the workings of our digestive system. The pains don't follow a typical pattern either, because each individual seems to suffer the effects differently. I have a friend who suffered extreme lower back and intestinal issues brought on by stress, and after extensive tests, nobody had a clue what was wrong. He was literally convinced that he had kidney cancer, or something of that nature, and could barely function for many months. He is still with us today, 10 yrs later, still occasionally troubled by anxiety, but confident in the fact that his issues are a by-product of anxiety.

For me personally, IBS runs in my family, and has some devastating effects. We often tend to presume that anxiety cannot cause true damage or chronic pain, but it really does affect us similarly to physical illness. And it is indeed a 'physical' illness, although one which only ourselves can treat or cure.

What you fear is the worst case scenario, I suppose, and this is what tends to bring us all here. The difficulty is telling ourselves that we really might after all be ok, that the pain will pass, that it doesn't have to be the worst possible outcome. Not all roads (or pains) lead to cancer. I only hope to be able to fully believe in that one day. Or at the very least develop the ability to view my symptoms more subjectively.

Just a few thoughts, but I do hope they can be of some help.

[sugarcookie]

I had right sided pain/discomfort for a few months before it went away.  Mine was the same as yours.  Right lower stomach, hip area, lower back and even down to my butt cheek area  If I rubbed on my hip and butt area it felt so sore.  It hurt worse sitting down. Anyway, I figured it was some kind of muscle strain although I didn't think I'd done anything too strenuous.  I'm sure yours is just muscle strain too.  Also, I listen to an urologist on the radio where I live and he has said kidney cancer does not hurt.  You would be urinating blood. 

[AOKAY]

Sounds very familiar to me.  A number of years ago I was having pain in my left kidney area and was convinced it must be something terrible.  I waited until my regular annual physical to tell the doctor and he seemed totally unconcerned.  I asked if he wasn't going to run any kidney tests and he reluctantly added a kidney function to the blood work and had me give a urine sample.  As you can imagine, the results all came back normal and the pain went away within days after that.  The mind can be a dangerous thing if we let it convince us every ache and pain is something terrible.

[angrry]

thx everyone...trying to keep it all in perspective...its a struggle...but I'm trying...thx again

[jen2213]

Here's an example of what HA can do to you...

I used to get a lot of bladder infections and I'd always get lower back pains like you are describing.

Then I had to go in and get an ultrasound of my kidneys to see if they were ok and of course they were, but when the lady was doing the scan she put the scanner up on my ribs (she said it was so that she could see the kidneys at a better angle) but of course, now every time I think I have a bladder infection or that i am getting sick I don't get lower back pain anymore, I get it on the upper part of my back where my ribs are...

I now know that it is just the anxiety that is doing it to me ;)