Flank pain?

Hi. I've had intermittent right flank pain for many months. I'd have it daily for many weeks and then it would subside for several days or maybe even a week, before it would return.

Unfortunately, I've not yet been able to determine the cause. Though the symptoms don't match, I wondered if it might be related to my gallbladder, as I do have gallstones, as indicated by ultrasound and CT. However, neither my primary doctor nor GI specialist believes it's gallbladder-related. Therefore, the origin is still unknown.

For a couple of months, I also had to use a heating pad, when I first got out of bed, because the pain was so bad. It would sometimes hurt to breathe or move in the wrong way or put pressure on the area. Currently, I still have pain some days, but, thankfully, it's not nearly as intense.

I asked my primary doctor if the pain might be muscular, but he didn't think so. Doctors are quick to tell us what something is NOT, but can't tell us what something IS. It's very frustrating.

How far around your back is the pain? Also, how far up your abdomen?

~~~

Out of curiosity, I asked Microsoft Copilot for some potential causes of right flank pain. Here's what it said.

Right flank pain can be caused by a variety of conditions. Some common causes include:

• Kidney Stones: Hard mineral deposits that form in the kidneys and can cause severe pain as they pass through the urinary tract.
  
• Muscle Strain: Overstretching or tearing of muscles in the back can lead to pain in the flank area.
  
• Herniated Disc: A condition where the cushioning discs between the vertebrae in the spine become compressed or misaligned, causing pain.
  
• Urinary Tract Infection (UTI): Infections in the urinary tract can cause pain in the flank area, especially if the infection is in the kidneys.
  
• Appendicitis: Inflammation of the appendix, which can cause pain in the lower right abdomen and flank area.
  
• Gallbladder Issues: Problems with the gallbladder, such as gallstones, can cause pain in the right upper abdomen and flank.
  
• Liver Disease: Conditions affecting the liver, such as hepatitis or liver abscesses, can cause pain in the right upper abdomen and flank.

If you or someone you know is experiencing right flank pain, it's important to consult a healthcare professional for a proper diagnosis and treatment.

~~~

So, it DID list gallbladder as a possible issue.

Kidney stone sounds like a solid guess. Let your doctor do the ultrasound.

A few more thoughts to consider:

Another possibility is an ovarian cyst, which sometimes is visible on an external ultrasound, though you might need a transvaginal ultrasound to see it. Endometriosis also could cause flank pain if you have endometrial lesions in that area (they can form anywhere in the abdomen or even up higher in the torso). In these cases, the pain might come and go, intensifying with ovulation or right before menstruation, but some degree of pain can be constant as well.

I regularly get flank pain from ovarian cysts, but I also have experienced it from herxing (kidney inflammation, which obviously meant I needed to reduce antimicrobial treatment), and from simply sitting in a way that was harmful for my lower back and tweaked my nerves. Ergonomics are an easy-to-overlook cause of many kinds of pain, especially for chronically ill folks who might not move around as much as a healthy person, so it's worth changing your sitting/sleeping position and seeing if that makes any difference.

Interstitial cystitis also can cause lower back and flank pain, although with IC you also probably would experience urinary symptoms and pain lower in the bladder and pelvic area. IC is a common symptom of mast cell activation, so with IC my first suggestion would be calming your mast cells (with supplements and/or drugs, and trigger avoidance) and reducing histamine load (with diet and trigger avoidance).

Good luck!