Okay sorry but I had to create another topic on this forum I apologize ahead of time. I went to the doctor this week to my urologist regarding my recurring kidney stones and after a ct scan and series of x rays there was some things that stood out on them both.

The doctor called me out of the room and told me that he needed to show me a few things and pulled up the scan and xrays. On both of them are what appeared to be bright shiny objects unlike stones. Stones were present but these shiny objects almost glowed they were so bright. The doctor then told me that this was blood vessel calcification around the kidney and in the groin.

I could understand blood vessel calcification in the kidney due to stones but in the groin that has me worried now. A long time ago the doctors in the Marine Corps, and Navy and Army told me that my condition would eventually lead to numerous issues with my organs and blood vessels. Is this something that RSDS causes, or has anyone experienced this before?

Various metabolic and endocrine disorders can also cause this.....worth looking into! While both can have sympathetic influence, I am just not sure that you will find anyone to make the connection between CRPS and atherosclerosis although one may or may not exist.

Some calcification of the arteries is actually considered fairly normal in the aging process. However, this can also be a sign of impending problems (just like your Marine Corps doc mentioned years earlier). A couple of things - are you or have you ever been on warafarin, or taking anything for the treatment of osteoporosis (including calcium supplements or antacids)? Did they do a complete upper body CT scan or just scan your pelvis/groin? You may want to ask for an abdominal and aortic CT scan just to be sure that you don't have more in those areas. Vitamin K will help the body synthesize the calcium by reabsorbing it and help to prevent more from forming.

Did they indicate to you any need for alarm or just point it out as an incidental finding?

I do hope that it isn't anything to worry about,
Tessa

PS., are they referring you to a vascular surgeon for further evaluation? I would recommend seeking an opinion from a vascular specialist!!

No medications at all besides the rapaflo that the doctor has me on for kidney stones and to help increase urine flow due to the stones being big in size. As for ct full body ct was performed the only indications were renal and groin area that has calcified vessels. I thought this to be very odd. The doctor in question said it has him confused at my age, usually seen in older people but with my age he said he was putting me on his watch list. Watch list confused me so i asked him what he meant and he basically said do another ct in one month to see if there was changes.

Sadly I do not want to wait a month to find out that this has progressed more, I am looking for another urologist that will listen to my concerns and send me to a specialist regarding this issue.

One thing to keep in mind so that you don't go through unnecessary increased amounts of radiation - calcification or bone matrix laydown takes 6 weeks to show up on xray. Yes, CT scans can show this much sooner but it is at a high risk because of the amount of radiation exposure. If this doctor was just monitoring the formation of the calcification then and xray with much less radiation & cost would do just fine - if there was evidence of a lot more calcified deposits then and only then, should they be using a CT scan to further evaluate. CRPS/RSD by itself increases the risk of carcinoma so keeping your other risks/exposure down as much as possible is much more beneficial in the long run.

Sounds like you are doing the right thing in seeking a specialist who will be much more apt to identify and treat the cause if needed.

I don't know your age but, I am 45 and also have this type of calcification in my abdomen and pelvis - for me it was an incidental finding but not unusual due to another medical issue as previously mentioned. They are monitoring it yearly unless new associated symptoms appear that give rise to earlier checkups. I am on Vitamin K and Celebrex which helps reduce new formation and treats other problems as well.

Hoping you find the right doctor and you have answers soon,
Tessa