Kidney pain at night
In many cases, kidney pain during pregnancy occurs especially at night. This is mainly related to lying down. In advanced pregnancy, the baby takes up a lot of space in the abdomen.
When lying down, the uterus then presses on the kidneys with relatively much force. This can cause kidney pain. These usually improve the next day after getting up. If the pain is limited to one side at night, it can help to lie on the other side. In this way, pressure is taken off the affected side and the pain disappears or is at least relieved.
Therapy
To choose the treatment of kidney pain in pregnancy, the exact cause must first be clarified. If it is an underlying urinary tract infection, which occurs relatively frequently during pregnancy, antibiotic therapy should be started early. The reason is that a simple, uncomplicated urinary tract infection in pregnancy initially only causes a burning sensation when urinating and a frequent urge to urinate.
If the area around the kidneys already starts to hurt, it could already be an ascending urinary tract infection. If this is not treated, there is a risk of inflammation of the renal pelvis. Antibiotics approved during pregnancy are cephalosporins, such as cefuroxime.
These should be taken in the dosage 250 mg twice daily for 5-6 days. A treatment trial with cranberry preparations can also be carried out as a support, which not only increase the effect of the antibiotic but also help to prevent such infections from recurring.Sometimes it is also the case that the smallest crystals are deposited in the kidney due to insufficient fluid intake. If these crystals (semolina) detach and enter the ureters, this can also lead to pain in the kidney area.
In extreme cases, kidney colic can also occur, which must then be treated urologically. In order to prevent renal grit, the affected person should exercise sufficiently and drink plenty of fluids. In the case of simple kidney gravel, which only causes mild symptoms, the above-mentioned procedure is also the treatment.
Those affected should also acidify the urine to avoid further kidney or ureteral stones. This can be achieved, for example, by squeezing citrus fruits and taking L-methionine. If symptoms occur in the area of the renal deposits, an intensive diagnostic procedure should first be initiated.
This initially consists of an ultrasound scan, which is primarily intended to depict the kidneys and can thus provide information as to whether the pain is developing in the organ. The ultrasound can show kidney stones as well as renal gravel. In addition, a urinary blockage, which extends up to the kidney area, can be shown in the ultrasound.
A narrowing of the kidney structure is typical. The kidney appears almost black in the ultrasound, in cases of severe urinary retention. If it is a urinary stasis which causes the symptoms in the kidney area, haste is required.
The cause of the lack of urine flow should first be determined. It is often the case that the child puts pressure on one of the ureters and for this reason the urine can only circulate through the ureters to reach the bladder to a limited extent. If this is the cause, a urological splint should be applied to the patient to allow urine to flow again without obstruction.
If the cause of the congestion is a ureteral stone, the stone should be removed from the ureter using endoscopic salvage. In some cases, heat can help to relieve kidney pain during pregnancy. This is especially the case if the pain in the flank does not originate from the kidneys but from the muscles.
Muscular tension is often perceived as kidney pain. Heat then helps to relax the tense muscles. It can also relieve any nerves that may be trapped.
The heat is best applied in the form of hot water bottles or grain cushions. These should be warm, but not too hot. If this succeeds in alleviating the symptoms, this indicates a muscular cause of the pain.
If the kidney pain persists and becomes worse, a visit to a doctor should be considered. Homeopathy also has a number of preparations that can be tried out for kidney pain and related causes. A globule made from benzoic acid is said to generally relieve kidney pain when used regularly.
The potency should be between D2 and D12. If the cause of kidney pain is kidney stones, a preparation obtained from the plant Adlumia can be taken (potency D4-D12). Belladonna, made from belladonna, can also help with pain in the kidney area.
Other homeopathic medicines that can often be used for kidney pain are Calcium carbonate, sour thorn, Cantharis vesicatoria, bitter cucumber, dulcamara and medorrhinum. Magnesia phosphorica and pareira prava can also be successfully used for pain in the kidney area. When attempting treatment with homeopathic medicines, the exact time of taking the medicine should be compared with the severity of the pain.
If the symptoms do not improve or even worsen despite taking homeopathic medication, the treatment should be discontinued and a more precise diagnosis of the cause of the symptoms should be made. Here it may become necessary to start conventional medical therapies due to more serious causes. The home remedies that are repeatedly used when kidney pain occurs are rest and warmth.
However, those affected should pay close attention to whether these measures improve or rather worsen the symptoms. With acute inflammations warmth can work also rather worsening and should be omitted fast. With beginning colics, the affected persons will also not rest but rather be restless.
The patients should listen to what brings relief. Hot-water bottles, cherry pit pillows or red light radiation can be used to apply heat. Warming cushions should be placed either on the lying or sitting patient in the back and left there for a few minutes.
It is important to ensure that the heat supply is not too strong.The drinking quantity should be kept consistently at 1.5 to 2 liters if there are no contraindications due to the cardiovascular system (heart etc.). To prevent urinary tract infections that lead to kidney pain, the urine should be acidified (lemon or L-methionine). Cranberry preparations and nettle teas are also described as preventive measures against urinary tract infections.
Furthermore, it can be considered soothing to apply cooling oils or gels to the area above the kidney. However, care should be taken that no chemical substances, such as Diclofenac (Voltaren ointment), are applied. Kytta ointment, horse balm or rubbing alcohol should be tried out.
The application should be done once or twice a day. Again, please note that this should be stopped if there is a deterioration.