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Today's medical tip
If you sometimes have blood in your urine, even just a bit, even just now and then, and you test negative for a urinary tract infection, ask your doctor if you need to see a urologist. If it happens twice (especially if you smoke), TELL your doctor you need to see a urologist.
I've just had my follow-up appointment from having a small cancerous growth removed from my bladder. I'm fine! I feel fine! My prognosis is fine! But I'm glad we caught it early and wish I had gone to a specialist even earlier.
The doctor compared this procedure to removing a malignant mole from your arm or a polyp they find during a colonoscopy, so as procedures go this was a pretty simple one.
I now have to have a cytoscopy to watch for regrowth, and after four years the frequency will go down but I'll have to have them annually for the rest of my life, just another annual thing like a Pap or a mammogram.
I would have pursued more healthcare if I hadn't been scared. So if you're scared the way I was, I'll put some details below the cut; if you're squeamish, maybe don't click that arrow.
I had a cytoscopy first to see what might be causing the bleeding. They threaded a camera in through my urethra and looked around. The doctor was very eager for me to look through the scope, so I've seen both my ureters at work.
He was also very eager for me to see the growth itself, which I wish he hadn't: we were zoomed way in, and it looked bigger than my actual pelvis, floating there in the saline like a cross between a sea anemone and a pile of lace. [shudder] In fact it was about an inch across.
Pain from cytoscopy: None.
Squeamishness: pretty bad.
Post cytoscopy, I had the worst UTI I've ever had in my life, so be aware that's a possibility. I wish I'd demanded antibiotics the microsecond I saw blood in the urine, but after having the scope, blood in the urine seemed like a reasonable thing to happen, you know?
Pain from UTI: Pretty bad.
Squeamishness: well, it's a UTI. You know how it is.
The removal was a week later -- not emergency, but certainly not taking a leisurely approach. It was done in the local hospital under general anesthesia and took less than an hour.
Pain from growth removal: none except for the IV, which was in my outer wrist and left a big shallow bruise.
Squeamishness: not bad.
Afterwards, they wanted to let my bladder rest, so they set me up with a catheter and a bag strapped to my leg, which stayed on there for 6 days.
Pain from recovery: Nothing was outright painful. The catheter was uncomfortable every waking minute. The bag was strapped around the top of my thigh with an elastic strap, which got pretty uncomfortable after six days. Also, IF YOU DO THIS, START TAKING A LAXATIVE THE DAY BEFORE: the general anesthesia constipation was very uncomfortable.
Squeamishness: Well, you're walking around with a bag of your own piss strapped to your leg, and you have to empty it, so, you know.
The doctor removed the catheter while I stood in his office, just deflated the balloon and went "floop" and pulled it out.
Pain from removal: None.
Squeamishness: It was so quick that it was easy not to think about it.
I've just had my follow-up appointment from having a small cancerous growth removed from my bladder. I'm fine! I feel fine! My prognosis is fine! But I'm glad we caught it early and wish I had gone to a specialist even earlier.
The doctor compared this procedure to removing a malignant mole from your arm or a polyp they find during a colonoscopy, so as procedures go this was a pretty simple one.
I now have to have a cytoscopy to watch for regrowth, and after four years the frequency will go down but I'll have to have them annually for the rest of my life, just another annual thing like a Pap or a mammogram.
I would have pursued more healthcare if I hadn't been scared. So if you're scared the way I was, I'll put some details below the cut; if you're squeamish, maybe don't click that arrow.
I had a cytoscopy first to see what might be causing the bleeding. They threaded a camera in through my urethra and looked around. The doctor was very eager for me to look through the scope, so I've seen both my ureters at work.
He was also very eager for me to see the growth itself, which I wish he hadn't: we were zoomed way in, and it looked bigger than my actual pelvis, floating there in the saline like a cross between a sea anemone and a pile of lace. [shudder] In fact it was about an inch across.
Pain from cytoscopy: None.
Squeamishness: pretty bad.
Post cytoscopy, I had the worst UTI I've ever had in my life, so be aware that's a possibility. I wish I'd demanded antibiotics the microsecond I saw blood in the urine, but after having the scope, blood in the urine seemed like a reasonable thing to happen, you know?
Pain from UTI: Pretty bad.
Squeamishness: well, it's a UTI. You know how it is.
The removal was a week later -- not emergency, but certainly not taking a leisurely approach. It was done in the local hospital under general anesthesia and took less than an hour.
Pain from growth removal: none except for the IV, which was in my outer wrist and left a big shallow bruise.
Squeamishness: not bad.
Afterwards, they wanted to let my bladder rest, so they set me up with a catheter and a bag strapped to my leg, which stayed on there for 6 days.
Pain from recovery: Nothing was outright painful. The catheter was uncomfortable every waking minute. The bag was strapped around the top of my thigh with an elastic strap, which got pretty uncomfortable after six days. Also, IF YOU DO THIS, START TAKING A LAXATIVE THE DAY BEFORE: the general anesthesia constipation was very uncomfortable.
Squeamishness: Well, you're walking around with a bag of your own piss strapped to your leg, and you have to empty it, so, you know.
The doctor removed the catheter while I stood in his office, just deflated the balloon and went "floop" and pulled it out.
Pain from removal: None.
Squeamishness: It was so quick that it was easy not to think about it.
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