I've been having periodic "flank" pain on my left side - dull, aching, nagging pain and I've noticed it gets worse when I drink a lot of water. I'm not sure if I have a kidney stone starting or some other kidney related problem. I've had one stone before, but the pain came on rather quickly and didn't let up until the stone passed - this is quite different. I'm just wondering if drinking several 16 oz. bottles of water in a short period of time would aggravate the kidney.

Any thoughts?

Thank you!

Happy Holidays to all of you!!

You need an ultrasound...especially given your history of a past kidney stone. Yes, the drinking tons of water can exacerbate the pain because, if there is an obstruction, the more water you drink, the more urine you will produce, and the more it will start backing up if there is an obstruction say in the renal pelvis or one of your ureters. Then, as you probably know, you get a condition known as hydronephrosis, which denotes the fact that you have an obstruction.

I'd go to the doctor.