Hideous back labor???

Heathirdd

First this was not sciatic pain, I have had severe sciatic pain throughout this pregnancy and this does not feel like that.

Ok - FTM here...So last night I was just sitting on the couch with two friends (as I had sent DH out for his LAST boys night out) and all of a sudden I had this crazy tightening/shooting pain in my back above my hip on the right side, like kinda behind my belly (where a pain in your kidney would be if you've ever experienced that). The pain got increasingly worse, and started to be coupled with extreme tightening in my stomach area, so my friends started suggesting that it was contractions (they are both moms)...I texted my doctor and she said it sounded like early labor and that if they continued I should time them and head to the ER. These pains were like the most ridiculous pain and I started sweating and feeling shaky (almost the anxious shaky feeling you feel when you are really hungover)...so we waited about 2 hours and then called my DH to come home and headed to the hospital.

They checked me in, attached me to monitors for the baby and then did an internal...he said I was still 2cm & 60% effaced (which I had been since Friday) and that the monitor was not registering any contractions...Ugh. 

So since it wasnt connected to my kidney, they sent me home and told me likely it was braxton hicks/back labor pains...Ummmm if that was a taste of what a real contraction is going to be like, I have a feeling I am going to have a veryyyy hard time with real labor.

Has STM or anyone ever had these contractions on one side? Did they end up being like that once you were in actual labor? I'm hoping to better differentiate between these and real pains later...I know timing them to tell if they are the 5-1-1, but would love to hear anyone's experience with them.