Is it kidney or back pain?

I have stage 4 CKD and have also had a fair amount of UTIs. I’m quite familiar with symptoms of UTI (Sudden urge to pee with little warning, sometimes incontinence, pressure over the bladder area, worse yet pain in the flank areas of the back, feeling like needing to pee but unable to, burning / itching when you do pee, cloudy & / or dark color pee, nasty smell.) This requires a lab urine test to diagnose. I’ve heard it said that CKD doesn’t have symptoms. I’m not sure I believe this. A pee test is a simple thing to do and can be done at an urgent care facility without having to wait for an appointment with your doc. If you have a UTI it is usually easily dealt with (antibiotics) if caught soon enough. Could you go do that? How were your other UTIs diagnosed and treated?

Oh, and Welcome @maxxmaxx to Mayo Clinic Connect. I’m sorry you are hurting. I hope you get some answers and relief soon!

Yes, I've had many UTIs and all treated with antibiotics. I get well for a time, then sick again. I'm trying to remember to drink plenty of water every day in hope of keeping the infection at bay. Feel better my friend and stay in Touch with any new helpful info you get about our condition.

I’ve also heard cranberry juice can be helpful. I put myself through college & grad school as a CNA. We used to push cranberry juice in the nursing homes especially to the elderly who were catheterized. Also probiotics such as yogurt and Kefir are useful during & after a course of antibiotics to get back to normal. To put the good stuff back in since it might have been depleted by the antibiotics.

I’m sorry for the pain you are experiencing.

Are you under the care of a urologist? If so, he should be able to give you the direction you need. If not, I would think that you need to.

i'm not under care of urologist. and you're right, i should be. i am not very happy with my PCP, he drops the ball all the time. i'm trying to find another doctor , but they are hard to come by here in Maine thank you for your timely advice.

After many bouts of UTI and treatment with antibiotics, think yeast if there is pain on urination and itching. I think you are right on with the cranberry juice although recent studies have not proven it to be as effective as we, I , once thought. Yet, it gets us diluting our strong urine. Water can be a source of washing out our electrolytes. MORE than 6 to 8 glasses of water may be too much. Glasses (6 to 8 ounces of water). is enough so fill the pitcher and see if some of these individuals even come close to what is adequate water intake. Your thoughts?

I understand your situation and frustration with your PCP. I have been there done that. I would strongly suggest finding a urologist for your care.

I started forming kidney stones around two years ago at the age of 65. Seemingly out of the blue. I have passed dozens and have had surgery a few times to remove ones that were too large to pass.

Good luck.

@maxxmaxx For many of us in more rural settings, changing to a new PCP is a challenge. I can relate, definitely. But we need to do our own advocacy to get the best healthcare we can. For me, I have found a good Nurse Practitioner here in rural Oregon. Almost an hour away, each way. And my two main specialists are two hours away, each way. [I campaign for appointments on the same day to minimize trips]

Please let us know what ends up happening, okay?
Ginger

Hi ginger. I wanted to add that out of desperation I connected with a
company out of California called UGORA
It is worth it to go through the red tape of getting this in to Canada
where I am now living. About $52.00 a month. It's a preventive measure to
restore the natural and protective bacteria in the bladder. Microbiome
seems to be a key word these days
There is also a every 3 day rather tasty flush solution to drink
It is interesting to note that one serious side effect of MACROBID is
plural effusion . It is rare but considering the thought that our common
go to treatment for uncomplicated UTI is macrobid ......providers need to
be aware of this.