Hello,

I am a 28 year old male. I am generally healthy but have gone through chemotherapy for ALL. My treatment ended ten years ago. I have also had two calcium kidney stones in the distant past.

I am currently requesting a consultation for right flank pain. I have been to four doctors for this so far. Here is a timeline of what has happened:

September 30(ish): At work I begin to experience a dull, constant pain in my right flank. It is often accompanied by nausea. I assume the pain is kidney stone related and go to a nearby clinic. The doctor tests my urine which is positive (+++) for blood. I receive NSAID painkillers and leave.

October 10th: Pain has persisted. Go to a different doctor near my house and receive an echo ultrasound. The doctor informs me that I have about four or five kidney stones of varying sizes. The largest two seem to be six millimeters in diameter. Receive some sort of herbal medicine (it's more popular here in Japan), am told to drink a lot of water, and leave.

October 29th: Pain has persisted. This time visit a urologist at a large hospital and take a CT scan. Am informed that I actually do not have kidney stones, as they did not appear on the picture. Suggests that I have herpes, but acknowledges that I have no skin conditions so it is unlikely. Doctor tells me that he will meet me again in one week. I do not go to the next appointment.

November 11th: Pain has persisted. Go to a second urologist. Receive an echo ultrasound and X-Ray. No stones show up on the X-Ray, and neither does any bone damage, but the salt content in my urine is high and again, four or five kidney stones show on the ultrasound. Doctor puts me on a urine alkalinization medication and tells me to come back in one month.

December 12th: Pain has still persisted. Return to the same urologist, who apparently during the last month had a discussion with the first urologist I visited. Both of them re-examined the CT scan together (the one from October 29th). According to the CT scan, there actually was a white spot in my ureter. The doctor says that this was likely a kidney stone, but it must have already passed long ago. The doctor says that I do have kidney stones, but they are likely not causing the pain I am currently experiencing. He postulates that it is a condition called intercostal neuralgia. The other symptoms do not seem to fit. I am put on a twice a day NSAID. The doctor does not schedule another appointment.

After three days of taking the NSAID, I have realized that it, like the other NSAIDs I have taken, does not work. The pain is still persisting. Intercostal neuralgia's symptoms do not seem to fit my case.