Diagnosed with a Kidney Cyst - Looking for experience or info

Posted by mlepak @mlepak, Sep 30, 2022

Hi,

I was diagnosed with a kidney cyst on Wednesday this week via CT with contrast. It says "There is a small 9 mm cyst in the upper pole of the left kidney. The kidneys are otherwise unremarkable. There are no kidney stones or hydronephrosis."

My primary care physician indicated that means it's benign based on appearance. I've scheduled with a urologist next month for a second opinion.

My question is (well, the first of many) can a kidney cyst of that size cause pain? I've been dealing with lower back, upper back, side, and abdominal pain off and on for the last year. I've had a HIDA scan (which found that my gallbladder is overactive, but "normal"), a colonoscopy with biopsy (normal), and an ultrasound (normal) along with copious amounts of bloodwork that are all supposedly "normal". Yet, almost daily, I have this pain that moves around. Just had the most recent CT this week and all was 100% normal except for the discovery of this cyst.

I know the cyst is small, but it's still there. Could it be causing some of the pain? My PCP seems to think not, but I wonder.

Guess I'll ask my urologist that too, but just wanted to see what other peoples' experiences have been. Thanks.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Kidney & Bladder Support Group.

Cheryl, Volunteer Mentor | @cehunt57 | Oct 3, 2022

@mlepak being proactive is good and second opinions are good too. My husband has a 4 mm cyst for many years now. It was scanned once a year to make sure it didn’t change in size or shape. Now it is scanned every 2 years.

collegeprof | @collegeprof | Oct 4, 2022

No offense to your PCP, but I would get a 2nd opinion from a radiologist rather than a urologist. My urologist years ago found a small mass on my right kidney. He sent me to an interventional radiologist who biopsied the mass and found it cancerous. The radiologist performed cryoblasia which means he froze the mass from progressing further while at the same time allowing the mass to dissipate. The procedure was done at the hospital, and went home afterwards. I had Xrays done annually for the next 5 years and was declared free of cancer on the kidney. Quite honestly, I did not feel any pain associated with with my kidney at that time.

gt350 | @gt350 | Oct 5, 2022

I have a 14 cm kidney cyst and no one has raised any alarm to me. For reference, 14 cm would be larger than a soft ball. A 9mm (I assume: simple cyst) is very small as you already noted. Do some reading, I think you’ll discover that the majority of the public, assuming they live long enough, will have at least one and may have many.

Again, I’m assuming it’s a “simple fluid filled cyst”. But do some searches on the net, and if you don’t know if it’s a: Simple Cyst, then ask.

All the best,

bonniejpowell | @bonniejpowell | Oct 5, 2022

If the pain moves around and you've had that much testing, you could be barking up the wrong tree. It could be skeletal/muscular issues unrelated to the cyst.

rdc909 | @rdc909 | Jul 5 10:54pm

In reply to @gt350 "I have a 14 cm kidney cyst and no one has raised any alarm to me...." + (show)

Hi, I found your comment in a Google search I just received my dad’s (age 87) abdominal scan showing that he has a 16 cm “simple cyst” on his kidney. His primary care Dr isn’t concerned or referring him for follow up. How are you doing with your cyst? What follow up did your Dr order?

gangcarotid1 | @gangcarotid1 | Jul 6 7:58am

In reply to @rdc909 "Hi, I found your comment in a Google search I just received my dad’s (age 87)..." + (show)

I had 2 tumors removed from left kidney, malignant, in Oct 2024, at Mayo. Cancer still gone; labs are looking great; in feel 100% healed, and I still have 90% of the left kidney! When tumors were discovered, a 3.1 cm cyst was also found on my right kidney. They are watching it but not concerned.