She Had Low Back Pain, Hematuria, And A Disharmonious Marital Life. It Took Three Doctors To Find Out The Real Problem With Her Kidneys.

A few years ago, Ms. Liang discovered that she had low back pain, mainly on the left side, which was difficult to relieve. At first, she thought it was muscle strain. Because of her work, Ms. Liang worked at her desk for a long time and often had low back pain, but that time the low back pain continued. It took nearly 2 months and I felt better for a while, but then I started to have back pain again.

Moreover, this time the low back pain also radiated to the left hip and left thigh, which was terrible. This must be a problem with the lumbar spine. Ms. Liang was thinking.

Click to Cistanche for kidney disease

So I went to see an orthopedic surgeon. After listening to Ms. Liang's description, the orthopedic surgeon basically agreed that there was a problem with the lumbar spine.

If the lumbar intervertebral disc herniates, it will compress the nerves, especially for people who bend over or sit for long periods of time. This is the case for Ms. Liang. Compressing the nerves will cause low back pain, which is the most common symptom of lumbar disc herniation. There will also be sciatica.

The orthopedic doctor explained that the sciatic nerve is easily affected by lumbar disc herniation. Sciatica usually occurs gradually. It is not present at first but gradually appears later. Ms. Liang's situation is also consistent. The pain is radiating, starting from the buttocks and the posterior and lateral thighs. , pain may occur in the heel or instep of the lateral calf.

Ms. Liang suffered from lower back pain at the beginning, and then she had pain in her left buttock and thigh. Sometimes even sneezing might aggravate the pain. The orthopedic doctor said that a simple plain X-ray would be enough.

The results came out, and there was indeed lumbar disc degeneration. Fortunately, I came to an orthopedic doctor early. If I had been treated according to lumbar muscle strain, maybe it would have been delayed.

Need surgery? Ms. Liang is worried.

Surgery is not needed for the time being, so conservative treatment is needed first. The orthopedic surgeon said to rest in bed, put aside all the work on hand, try to stay in bed for half a month, and gradually move around with a waistband. Then prescribe some anti-inflammatory analgesics. At the same time as traction therapy, pelvic traction is the most commonly used and has good results.

Ms. Liang was hospitalized for 2 weeks and received physical therapy and traction every day. She felt that her back pain was indeed better.

Discharged.

After this time, Ms. Liang changed her job to a simpler job, which allowed her to have more rest time, and she was always careful to avoid damage to her waist muscles or lumbar vertebrae. However, she did not expect that her old disease would relapse.

This time the pain in my lower back was even worse than before, and I also felt a faint pain in my left lower abdomen. What frightened Ms. Liang even more was that after peeing after cooking at night, she turned out to be slightly red.

Originally, Ms. Liang was worried that her lower back pain might be caused by a kidney problem, such as kidney deficiency or something. This made her even more worried. I thought I would go to the hospital for a checkup the next day, but unexpectedly my urine was clear again the next day, as if nothing had happened.

At her husband's urging, she went to the hospital.

I did a urine routine and found that the red blood cells in my urine were 3+.

Yes, there is really blood in Ms. Liang's urine.

What's going on? Kidneys are bad? Could it be uremia? I can't stand my random thoughts.

Don't worry, the most common cause of blood in urine is inflammation, such as inflammation caused by kidney stones, ureteral stones or infection. The capillaries in the lining of the urinary tract are broken, so red blood cells will flow out. The doctor explained.

Further do a urinary tract color Doppler ultrasound.

The color ultrasound results came out. There were no kidney stones or ureteral stones. It was not a stone problem. In addition to positive urine red blood cells, Ms. Liang also had no obvious urgency, pain, or frequent urination, which was not consistent with a urinary tract infection.

There can't be cancer, right? For example, bladder cancer, or cancer in other parts of the urinary tract? In the early stage, color Doppler ultrasound may not be able to tell. It is best to do a CT or cystoscopy to see more carefully.

Ms. Liang thought that she had lower back pain, lower abdominal pain, and hematuria, and she really needed to consider urinary tract diseases. If it was really cancer, it would be troublesome, so she agreed to all the examinations recommended by the doctor.

A CT scan was performed and no obvious lesions were found, so I was a little relieved.

Then came the cystoscopy. The cystoscopy was a little uncomfortable, but I did it anyway. The mirror entered through the urethra and advanced into the bladder. The mucosa I saw along the way was smooth and clean, with no signs of cancer.

I feel relieved now.

The problem is, after repeated urine routine tests several times, the urine red blood cells still showed 3+.

Ms. Liang remembered that she had a physical examination 2 years ago, and she rummaged through the cabinets and found the report. Oh my God, the urine routine at that time also showed 3+ red blood cells. How could she have ignored this abnormal result at that time? I was so confused.

Ms. Liang later saw a nephrologist. The doctor suggested a kidney biopsy. The patient had waist and abdominal pain and hematuria. He could not rule out glomerulonephritis, but this disease is a series of diseases with many types. A kidney biopsy is needed to make a clear diagnosis. 

But kidney biopsy is traumatic. The thought of such a thick needle penetrating her kidney made Ms. Liang weak in her legs. In the end, she refused the operation and decided to treat it conservatively and take some medicine.

The doctor also agreed that even some nephritis and kidney disease should not be serious, because the patient's blood creatinine was still normal and the blood pressure was not high. He agreed to conservative treatment and prescribed some kidney-protecting drugs.

After taking it for more than a month, my back pain still occurred intermittently, but it was still bearable. She went back to see the orthopedic surgeon before who suggested a lumbar spine MRI. Once the results came out, Ms. Liang was confused again.

The MRI results of the lumbar spine showed that although there was a slight lumbar disc herniation, it was not serious and would not compress the nerves or cause such obvious low back pain, and it was even less likely to cause hematuria.

I'd still go see a nephrologist, it's not an orthopedic problem. The orthopedic surgeon said helplessly.

However, the medicine given by the nephrologist was not very effective.

My husband also asked people to find doctors everywhere and later found a local traditional Chinese medicine hospital. After evaluation, the doctor thought that it was consistent with kidney deficiency syndrome, and prescribed a lot of medicine for 2 months.

It was a very bitter medicine, but for the sake of health, Ms. Liang held her nose and drank it all, hoping that it would be better this time.

It's hard to say whether Chinese medicine has any effect. Sometimes it seems to be better, but soon the back pain comes again. I'm not sure whether it has any effect.

Half a year later, Ms. Liang went to the hospital again for a routine urine check, and she still had 3+ red blood cells in her urine.

She was almost crying.

During this time, she has been searching for relevant treatments online. Positive blood in urine may involve many diseases. The most serious consequence is uremia. Once uremia occurs, all organs in the body will be affected, including heart and lung problems. , the whole person will be in bad condition, and eventually, he will have to undergo hemodialysis for a long time, and the person will be fixed in the hospital.

The doctor told her that she might as well undergo a renal puncture to see clearly what was going on with her kidneys.

Ms. Liang hesitated.

After much deliberation, I decided to agree to the doctor's arrangement and be hospitalized.

After being hospitalized, Ms. Liang told the bedside doctor that her menstruation had not been good recently, dysmenorrhea had been frequent, and she always felt uncomfortable in her lower abdomen. She hoped to ask a gynecologist for consultation to see if she should take some medicine to get better before undergoing a kidney puncture.

The gynecologist came and asked some questions. Ms. Liang's dysmenorrhea has actually been a problem for a long time, but it comes and goes. It has been more severe in the past few months, and sometimes the pain is so painful that she can't straighten her back.

After some more examinations, the gynecologist concluded that there was pelvic congestion or even chronic pelvic inflammatory disease, which was the reason for the recurring lower abdominal pain. Chronic pelvic inflammatory disease is mostly caused by bacterial infection, which may be related to frequent sexual life. We can use some antibiotics empirically. In addition, do not have sexual intercourse first. Taking it slow will also help the recovery of pelvic inflammatory disease.

When it comes to the issue of having sex, Ms. Liang hesitates.

Finally, I told the doctor that I had actually not had sexual intercourse for more than half a year because it was quite painful and uncomfortable every time. I also had arguments about this issue. I even saw a Chinese medicine doctor for treatment, but it didn't help.

This is a bit strange. Generally speaking, chronic pelvic inflammatory disease occurs in women of childbearing age who are sexually active. If they haven't had sex for a long time, it stands to reason that they shouldn't.

Maybe the so-called pelvic inflammatory disease is not a pelvic inflammatory disease but may be a kidney problem. Low back pain and lower abdominal pain are most likely caused by kidney disease.

The question was thrown back to the nephrologist.

That day, the director of the Nephrology Department made his rounds. He felt strange when he heard that the gynecologist came to see her but then left again and thought it was not a gynecological problem.

The bedside doctor was also at a loss. The patient had repeated waist and abdominal pain and positive blood in his urine, but his kidney function was still normal. CT and cystoscopy were also performed, and no abnormalities were found, so he was ready to undergo renal puncture. The patient said that the gynecological problem should be taken care of first before treatment, but now the gynecologist said that it may not be a gynecological problem.

Trapped in an infinite loop.

The director's brows also frowned, and he slowly said that the renal puncture should be delayed for a while, and let's do a renal vein color Doppler ultrasound on the patient first to see the condition of the renal veins, especially the left renal vein.

Director, I have had two kidney ultrasounds, Ms. Liang said hurriedly.

It's different. What you did was a renal color ultrasound, which looks at the kidneys. What I want you to do now is a renal vein color ultrasound, which specifically looks at the size and patency of the renal veins. Most doctors won't look at this specifically unless we ask for it.

When the doctor in charge heard this, he suddenly realized that the director suspected that there was a problem with the patient's kidneys and blood vessels.

Let's do an examination first. Renal vascular color ultrasound is non-invasive and can be done repeatedly. If you can't see clearly, just do CTA angiography. It's a very small trauma and is more comfortable than a direct renal puncture. The director said, then ended the ward round.

In the afternoon of that day, Ms. Liang was arranged to undergo a renal vein color Doppler ultrasound.

The doctor who performed the color ultrasound was a young doctor. After seeing the condition of Ms. Liang's renal veins, he was a little surprised and quickly invited the teacher over to take a look together.

The two doctors from the color ultrasound department made repeated gestures and calculations and finally came to the conclusion that Ms. Liang's left renal vein was clamped.

Clamped? Ms. Liang was puzzled.

That's right, your left renal vein is pinched by the angle formed by the abdominal aorta and superior mesenteric artery and is pinched. The narrowest lumen is only 2mm, while the dilated lumen behind it is 10mm. There is a huge difference. big.

As shown in the picture above, the left renal vein is clamped by two arteries. The left renal vein of normal people also passes through this angle, but it will not be tightly clamped because there will be a lot of soft tissue around the vein to expand the left renal vein. The blood return flow from the veins is very smooth. But in rare cases, due to poor congenital development, the patient is too thin, or other reasons, the patient's left renal vein will be pinched.

This situation in which the left renal vein is pinched by two arteries is called the "nutcracker phenomenon" (left renal vein compression syndrome).

The results were quickly reported to the nephrologist.

The director of the Nephrology Department took a look at it, sighed, and said that it was as expected. I almost stabbed someone in the kidney.

You have nutcracker syndrome, not a kidney disease or a lumbar spondylosis. Your left renal vein is tightly clamped. If blood from the left renal vein does not return smoothly, it will accumulate in the kidneys. The blood vessels in the kidneys will expand and rupture over time, and red blood cells will leak out and mix in. In urine. There are also some patients who have protein leakage, resulting in protein in the urine being positive.

Due to long-term congestion of the kidneys, recurring low back pain may also occur. The pain is only limited to the left kidney and left waist, and the right side is not affected.

What's even more insidious is that in addition to kidney, hematuria, and low back pain problems, your gynecological problems can also be explained. said the director.

Ms. Liang didn't understand.

Specifically, the left ovarian vein (for men, the left testicular vein) also flows into the left renal vein. If the left renal vein is compressed, it will inevitably cause the left ovarian vein to expand and become congested. Over time, it will also cause the patient There was congestion and dysfunction near the left ovary, which may explain the patient's pelvic pain and dyspareunia. This is the gynecological problem that Ms. Liang mentioned.

The source of everything is the compression of the left renal vein.

Low back pain, lower abdominal pain, hematuria, and gynecological diseases are all caused by the same disease. Rather than lumbar muscle strain, lumbar disc herniation, gynecological diseases, and other nephritis and kidney diseases as previously thought.

In order to further clarify the diagnosis, the director suggested a CTA of the renal blood vessels and direct contrast imaging, which showed more clearly that the left renal vein was compressed.

Is this disease too rare? Ms. Liang was still frightened.

Just because it's rare doesn't mean it's not available. Many patients with unexplained hematuria may ultimately be caused by this disease, so they must be vigilant. The director told the young doctor not to do a kidney puncture rashly to avoid getting an unnecessary injection. Be careful and ask the doctor to look at the renal veins when doing a renal color ultrasound.

So why do I have this disease? Everything was fine before.

It may be a congenital development problem, and symptoms appear gradually. Some people have symptoms at a very young age, such as teenagers, and some people have symptoms only after adulthood. This is not an emergency, so there is no need to rush, but it is difficult to deal with.

Theoretically, the treatment is very simple. Isn't it because the left renal vein is compressed? Can't it be solved by loosening it?

This is easier said than done. To loosen it, you need surgery. The operation involves either cutting off a section and reconnecting it, or creating a bypass blood vessel to bypass it, which is not easy, and there are complications. There are also internal and external stents to expand, which is not an easy task either. If the symptoms are not very obvious and the patient can still tolerate it, we generally do not recommend surgery and start with conservative treatment.

How else can I treat it conservatively?

Eat fat.

If you work hard to gain weight and increase abdominal fat, you may increase the fat around the left renal vein, which may open the angle and release the compressed left renal vein, and then it will be cured without medication. said the director.

After hearing this, Ms. Liang was happy and unhappy at the same time. She was happy that she no longer had to go under the knife, but she was unhappy because she had to gain weight. You know how much effort she had spent to lose so many kilograms. Now she had to work hard to gain weight and look beautiful. There must be a compromise.

Do you need to gain weight? Ms. Liang asked.

It's hard to say, it might be ten kilograms, or even more, there's no certainty, there are individual differences, and even some people have no effect after gaining weight, but at least there's a chance, give it a try. The director comforted him.

That's all.

Half a year later, Ms. Liang's weight reached 65kg. Half a year ago, she was 55kg. She suddenly gained 10kg. Not to mention, since she gained weight, her back pain seems to have really reduced. However, when I went to the hospital for a review of the urine routine, the urine red blood cells were still positive, with 2+, and it had not completely disappeared.

The re-examination of the renal vein color ultrasound also found that the left renal vein was still compressed, but the narrowest part had improved.

The director said that I may have to gain weight, and if the effect is not good in the future, I may need surgery.

How Does Cistanche Treat Kidney Disease?

Cistanche is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine used for centuries to treat various health conditions, including kidney disease. It is derived from the dried stems of Cistanche deserticola, a plant native to the deserts of China and Mongolia. The main active components of cistanche are phenylethanoid glycosides, echinacoside, and acteoside, which have been found to have beneficial effects on kidney health.

Kidney disease, also known as renal disease, refers to a condition in which the kidneys are not functioning properly. This can result in a buildup of waste products and toxins in the body, leading to various symptoms and complications. Cistanche may help treat kidney disease ase through several mechanisms.

Firstly, cistanche has been found to have diuretic properties, meaning it can increase urine production and help eliminate waste products from the body. This can help relieve the burden on the kidneys and prevent the buildup of toxins. By promoting diuresis, cistanche may also help Reduce high blood pressure, a common complication of kidney disease.

Moreover, cistanche has been shown to have antioxidant effects. Oxidative stress, caused by an imbalance between the production of free radicals and the body's antioxidant defenses, plays a key role in the progression of kidney disease. ies help neutralize free radicals and reduce Oxidative stress, thereby protecting the kidneys from damage. The phenylethanoid glycosides found in cistanche have been particularly effective in scavenging free radicals and inhibiting lipid peroxidation.

Additionally, cistanche has been found to have anti-inflammatory effects. Inflammation is another key factor in the development and progression of kidney disease. Cistanche's anti-inflammatory properties help reduce the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and inhibit the activation of inflammation mandatory pathways, thus alleviating inflammation in the kidneys.

Furthermore, cistanche has been shown to have immunomodulatory effects. In kidney disease, the immune system can be dysregulated, leading to excessive inflammation and tissue damage. Cistanche helps regulate the immune response by modulating the production and activity of immune cells, such as T cells and macrophages. This immune regulation helps reduce inflammation and prevent further damage to the kidneys.

Moreover, cistanche has been found to improve renal function by promoting the regeneration of renal tubes with cells. Renal tubular epithelial cells play a crucial role in the filtration and reabsorption of waste products and electrolytes. In kidney disease, these cells can be damaged, leading to damaged renal function. Cistanche's ability to promote the regeneration of these cells helps restore proper renal function and improve overall kidney health.

In addition to these direct effects on the kidneys, cistanche has been found to have beneficial effects on other organs and systems in the body. This holistic approach to health is particularly important in kidney disease, as the condition often affects multiple organs and systems. che has been shown to have protective effects on the liver, heart, and blood vessels, which are commonly affected by kidney disease. By promoting the health of these organs, cistanche helps improve overall kidney function and prevent further complications.

In conclusion, cistanche is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine used for centuries to treat kidney disease. Its active components have diuretic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and regenerative effects, which help improve renal function and protect the kidneys from further damage. , cistanche has beneficial effects on other organs and systems, making it a holistic approach to treating kidney disease.