A Kidney Stone Story (might help someone, I hope)

For quite a while, I would have severe right testicle pain that would resolve itself within 24 hours or less. Oddly, aspirin worked well to tone it down. When the pain went away, I'd piss blood for about 1/2 a day.

I'd go to the doctor but by that time the symptoms were gone. It was suggested that I might have passed a small kidney stone, or that I had a strain. The assumption was that it was a testicle problem, but nothing ever showed up other than blood in the urine. They performed tests on the bladder and testicles but not the kidney.

Then, I passed a real kidney stone - the pain level was very different. The ER doctor said "you have another stone" but without much detail. Turns out I have a giant stone (3/4 inch) in the lower lobe of my right kidney (that is getting removed next week). I have now figured out that my 4-5 yearly rounds of bad testicle pain and bloody urine were the result of this large stone "ball valving."

I went 3-4 years with "mysterious" ball pain and no one ever decided to take a picture of my kidneys until I passed a stone that required an ER visit.

I should have insisted on a kidney shot (but I was admittedly somewhat lackadaisical as I got used to the "routine" when the pain arose). I could have avoided a lot of grief.

This came to mind because at 3 a.m. my large stone decided to ball valve.