Question

Hattie, aged 55, is awakened by excruciating pain that radiates from her right abdomen to the lumbar and inguinal regions on the same side. The pain does not occur continuously but recurs at intervals of 3–4 minutes. Diagnose her problem, and cite factors that might favor its occurrence. Also, explain why Hattie’s pain comes in "waves."

Answer 1

Hattie has a calculus in her ureter, or kidney stone. Frequent urinary tract bacterial infections, urinary retention, high levels of calcium in the blood, and alkaline urine are predisposing conditions. Her pain comes in waves when peristalsis waves travel at intervals through the ureter. The pain comes when the ureter walls close in during this period on the hard kidney stone