I'm actually amazed that i've found someone with the same problem as me! I have been in and out of hospital with Kidney pain (due to what they can only predict as being stones), and i've had about 5 extra scans since 20 weeks to monitor my kidney as it continues to dilate. When the pain got too unbearable at around 26 weeks, I was put on oral-morphine for about a week during my stay in hospital, and have been managing with a mix of codeine and paracetamol ever since. I too hated having to take the drugs given because I was so worried about the effects it was having on the baby, which is why I try to only take pain medication when it gets unbearable, but so far, baby has been fine.
All I can really suggest is 1. heat packs (they were my life saver) 2. Warm baths as often as you can 3. Going on hands and knees and rocking back and forward to relieve some pressure and 4. sleeping on the side opposite to where the kidney pain is, with a pillow underneath to support your back. This is how I coped when it got really bad, and luckily for me, the pain eased up completely at around 30 weeks. Unfortunately, now at 39 weeks the baby seems to have run out of room, and is putting so much pressure on my kidney again, especially when I get braxton hicks. But the pain is nowhere near as bad as it was, so it will get better for you eventually!
Are you under consultant led care for these problems? I made sure they gave me extra scans to monitor the kidney as well as baby, and have been pressing for an induction in the next week or so if I don't go into labour naturally beforehand. All I've been told to keep in mind is that Kidney Stones are a very similar pain to labour itself, so if we can cope with this, labour should be a breeze- the only positive of having to deal with this pain
