Pain

[1119]

Hi Kidney Family

My transplant kidney was placed on my lower right side and now I have pain running down my lower back to my right foot. Is anyone having the same issue and if so do you have any suggestion what I can do to alleviate the pain?

[Denise-80]

Hi 1119 - I’m seven years post transplant. Early on I remember having sharp spurts on pain on my right side where my transplanted kidney is. The docs attributed it to the nerves they cut during surgery. It went away. I hope yours does soon.

[PostivelyJo]

Hi , I have never suffered from back pain until my transplant in 09/19. I am now have chronic pain in my lower back, hips and running down legs. It started with similar symptoms to you. This pain is wonderfully elusive , never shows up in the same place but is constant. I take paracetamol a lot to block the pain message and once that’s quietened with 1 dose the rest of the day can be easier.Prednisolone can cause a a condition where it stops blood to the femur / hip bone this tends to be bilateral (both sides) and needs an X Ray to confirm.

I believe MMF can cause lower back pain too . I’m currently pushing for some tests … this is proving a challenge but I persist

It sounds as if you might have signs of Sciatica and much can be done to alleviate this with a physio , it’s caused by a disc bulge F4/F5? pressing on the sciatic nerve .

The conclusion I have reached is that whilst I clearly have multiple degenerations of spine and discs from a recent MRI - so it was there before the transplant - and I have heard a kinder term to use is ‘wrinkles on the inside ‘ my best course of action is to rethink the pain which has become chronic.

Has this toxic, but ultimately life, saving cocktail of drugs caused my system to become hyper reactive and sensitised to pain of any sort and can I challenge this, seeing pain as a message that is stuck rather than an alarm that damage and danger is present.

There is a very good app called CURABLE which is for chronic pain sufferers and has some fascinating statistics from back surgeons regarding the outcomes of surgical intervention on backs and joints ….that damage to discs can cause pain but more often than not doesn’t … in other words a back with no damage is as likely to cause pain as one with .

It all sounds mad but I believe that consensus on pain management is changing due to so many poor outcomes with surgical intervention and drugs, it’s an interesting moment to read up and learn about it.

I sincerely hope it resolves soon for you as this has become a bigger issues for me than the transplant but I have huge hope that I will overcome it.

Best wishes

Joanna

[Eyak1971]

Try sleeping on your opposite side of the side with pain with a pillow between your knees. Rotate warm and cold presses to the pain site. Walk on a regular basis and continue to drink plenty of water. Try stretching exercises recommended by a therapist. And be patient and take appropriate medication for pain - might be muscles relaxers or Tylenol. But most of all check with doctor to confirm best treatment. I had a fall in early December and really did not notice pain because I walked 2 tob3 miles a day but once the weather changed and I sat more, the pain came with a vengeance. Sitting long term Will cause the pain to increase. I probably have sciatica from the fall and realize because I am older it will not cure it self overnight. My suggestion is to keep a pain journal to see what causes your pain to increase. If you experienced numbness at any time go to the doctor sooner than later. Pain makes everything less enjoyable. I definitely see why and how people get hooked on pain pills. Take care and wishing you relief.

[PostivelyJo]

Many thanks . Am already doing all you suggest and yes I totally understand the pain med addiction.

[WYOAnne NKF Ambassador]

To me anyway, sounds like nerve pain. I can only speak from my own experience.

You need to tell your transplant coordinator right away regarding this!

I had 3 "entrapped" nerves that were caught in my transplant incision. A surgeon actually removed those nerves and I have had no problems since.What a doctor can do first, to verify that it is nerves, is inject monocaine and steroids where the pain is. It helped me, but kept coming back. My pain was in my R lower abdomen near my incision. If they can't do that, they can prescribe something like Gabapentin that helps with dulling the nerve pain

But first call your transplant coordinator ASAP!!!! Need to make sure it is your nerves...

[Philly57]

I am a donor and spine surgeon. This sounds like it is not directly related to your transplanted kidney. Sometimes surgical positioning can cause a lumbar spine condition to present. You should see a spine surgeon or pain management specialist for diagnosis. If the problem has persisted more than 6 weeks, you probably need a lumbar MRI scan.