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Do I Have Kidneys Or Liver Damage? Pain On Lower
Question: Do I have Kidneys or liver damage? Pain on lower left abdomen on intermittently and on lower right back. Broke out in a rash for no apparent reason 2 mos ago. still have little bumps on my neck and chest, Have been waking up with a mild low grade headache. I never had headaches. Right Shoulder pain and Right knee issues.
Blood test resutls July 2019 - Creatinine is .80 mg/dL, GFR 84 mL/min/BSA. liver panel in Sept 2018, ALT 16 U/L, Alkaline Phosphatase 57 U/L, Bilirubin Total .5 mg/dL.
Not sure if this is related, but my ears have felt plugged like after flying since Feb of this year. Have had hearing checked, ears examined. Diagnosed with TMJ Treatment Physical therapy (traction). Seems to help for a few minutes after, but not long term. I also have a history of diarrhea, Stopped eating eggs and dairy. Helped slightly. Stools are always loose and have to poop 5-7 times a day. I feel silly explaining all of these symptoms.
Blood test resutls July 2019 - Creatinine is .80 mg/dL, GFR 84 mL/min/BSA. liver panel in Sept 2018, ALT 16 U/L, Alkaline Phosphatase 57 U/L, Bilirubin Total .5 mg/dL.
Not sure if this is related, but my ears have felt plugged like after flying since Feb of this year. Have had hearing checked, ears examined. Diagnosed with TMJ Treatment Physical therapy (traction). Seems to help for a few minutes after, but not long term. I also have a history of diarrhea, Stopped eating eggs and dairy. Helped slightly. Stools are always loose and have to poop 5-7 times a day. I feel silly explaining all of these symptoms.
Brief Answer:
Your kidneys and liver seem to be working fine- details below
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome to "Ask a Doctor" service,
I carefully read your query. Thank you for the detailed explanation.
By what you describe both your kidney and liver indexes are not worrisome. All the liver tests have come normal. As for the kidney, you have a normal creatinine while the GFR is generally over 90 ml/min/1.73m2. This means that your value needs to be evaluated against you height (the norm is shown according to the body surface) and also according to your age (GFR falls with age).
On the other hand, we consider that kidneys are not well functioning only if the GFR is 60 or under. In your case, you may need to just monitor it every 6 months but there is nothing to worry about at the moment.
As for the symptoms you mention, diarrhea and low abdominal pain may be related to one another. Possible causes very from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) to food intolerances, infections, pancreatic enzyme deficiencies, tumors, etc.
As for the headache, it may be related to shoulder or neck pain or may be a separate entity. Because you have the ear blockage as well, a thorough neurological examination is needed to rule out neurological conditions. Stress may be the cause of it but more important conditions need to be ruled out first.
To conclude:
- It may be advisable to have some tests, especially if the problems are lasting for a while. These would be blood tests such as CBC, ERS (for immune conditions and infections), TSH and FT4 (for the thyroid), fasting glucose.
- for diarrhea, you may need stools for ova and parasites, stools for giardia antigen, a blood test for gluten intolerance and in some cases, colonoscopy.
- the TMJ pain may in some patients be related to bruxism or clenching teeth while sleeping. Some braces for the teeth at night may be helpful in these cases.
- most of the symptoms such as headache, TMJ if related to bruxism, shoulder pain, IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) if present may be related to stress but as mentioned above, other diagnoses need to be ruled out first.
I hope this answers your query. I remain at your disposal in case further medical assistance is needed.
Regards,
Dr. Antoneta Zotaj
General and Family Physician
Your kidneys and liver seem to be working fine- details below
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome to "Ask a Doctor" service,
I carefully read your query. Thank you for the detailed explanation.
By what you describe both your kidney and liver indexes are not worrisome. All the liver tests have come normal. As for the kidney, you have a normal creatinine while the GFR is generally over 90 ml/min/1.73m2. This means that your value needs to be evaluated against you height (the norm is shown according to the body surface) and also according to your age (GFR falls with age).
On the other hand, we consider that kidneys are not well functioning only if the GFR is 60 or under. In your case, you may need to just monitor it every 6 months but there is nothing to worry about at the moment.
As for the symptoms you mention, diarrhea and low abdominal pain may be related to one another. Possible causes very from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) to food intolerances, infections, pancreatic enzyme deficiencies, tumors, etc.
As for the headache, it may be related to shoulder or neck pain or may be a separate entity. Because you have the ear blockage as well, a thorough neurological examination is needed to rule out neurological conditions. Stress may be the cause of it but more important conditions need to be ruled out first.
To conclude:
- It may be advisable to have some tests, especially if the problems are lasting for a while. These would be blood tests such as CBC, ERS (for immune conditions and infections), TSH and FT4 (for the thyroid), fasting glucose.
- for diarrhea, you may need stools for ova and parasites, stools for giardia antigen, a blood test for gluten intolerance and in some cases, colonoscopy.
- the TMJ pain may in some patients be related to bruxism or clenching teeth while sleeping. Some braces for the teeth at night may be helpful in these cases.
- most of the symptoms such as headache, TMJ if related to bruxism, shoulder pain, IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) if present may be related to stress but as mentioned above, other diagnoses need to be ruled out first.
I hope this answers your query. I remain at your disposal in case further medical assistance is needed.
Regards,
Dr. Antoneta Zotaj
General and Family Physician
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