A Scare This Past Week.....

[Cordelia]

This past week I had blood in my urine everytime I went to the bathroom. Now it's gone. I had the odd wave of pain unrelated to urinating (nothing major or even enough to really complain about) and figured it was just the cysts on my kidneys causing my usual back pain so I have no idea what's going on, yet no pain while urinating, so I'm stumped and puzzled. So far, they did a urinalysis last week and nothing showed up from a 'culture' specimen.

Now my unit is doing a 'microscopic' analysis  of my urine but the blood is entirely gone to the visible eye. So, now I wait for test results and then I go for an ultrasound on my kidneys this Thursday.  I never had any what I would call "excruciating" pain but then one of my nurses told me that you can pass a stone so small and not even know it.     

So, now I wait and see what becomes of the tests this week. Needless to say, I Hope the bleeding is gone for good. I had wondered if perhaps a cyst on one of my kidneys had burst and that's what caused the bleeding for the five days this past week. I guess when you're dealing with cysts on the kidneys anything's possible, right?

I just pray and hope to God it's not cancer or I'll be devastated. I know, think positive.....I'm trying but I honestly had that run through my mind this past week as it's alarming and a scare to see blood in the toilet everytime and KNOW it's not a monthly flow.         which they asked me if I was positive it wasn't that.     

Anyways, I need the stress and agravation right before Christmas holidays like I need a hole in my head!!               LOL!

I'm gonna hope and pray for good news that.....it's........nothing  serious.  I've never even had a stone ever, in my life even though I'm apparently at risk of them with kidney disease.     

I drink lots of water all the time so I've always felt I've been pretty lucky never having a stone, ever in my almost 40 yrs of life.....however, my parathryroid gland has been out of whack for the last year + so maybe it's calcium build up from that, I honestly can't see if from a lack of drinking water to be honest, the parathyroid gland would be more believeable.

I'm trying to keep a sense of humor about all this, What next, I say?! LOL!     

[MooseMom]

Oh yeah, my mind would immediately jump to a definite cancer diagnosis.

Isn't the wait for answers just excruciating?

A stone sounds like the more reasonable answer, but it is good to rule out other, nastier possibilities.  Let us know if they give you any further info on Thursday after your ultrasound.  The radiologist usually won't tell you anything, but sometimes if you ask questions in just the right way, they will give you an indication of what they do see and what they don't see.

 

[sullidog]

I always like how I have an ultrasound and the person doing it will say I don't know the doctor will be able to give you better info.

[Cordelia]

Thanks, MM and Sullidog,     

Yup, the wait is excruciating!       

I find the radiologists never say anything to me, they just tell me time frame it will take for the tests to be reviewed.   

However, once years ago I remember when I was miscarrying a baby at 6 weeks along in a pregnancy, the technician told me while I was on the table, the sad news and I was just devastated.  I think some tell things and others don't, whether good or bad news.

[mcclane]

oh man, i'm praying that it is a one time thing.  Hope the results come back clean.

[lmunchkin]

  things will be alright for you.

lmunchkin

[Rain]

Ask for a cystoscopy to check out your bladder. I had something similar last year, and they did an ultrasound and found nothing, but the ultrasound won't show everything so they did a cystoscopy.

I was freaking out just before, since the porter wheeled me outside the room when they were doing another patient, and the man was screaming like baby.   But if your a women it's uncomfortable but not painful.  It just hurt to pee a few days after that.

[Whamo]

Sounds gnarly.  It's funny how just as things seem to being okay life throws you another knuckleball.    I get a liver ultrasound and chest x-ray today, just before I see my vascular surgeon.  It seems like the days between treatments are filled with appointments.  Yesterday I got the cramps near the end of my treatment, and the nutritionist said my potassium was up.  That surprised me because I follow the renal diet pretty closely.  In any event, I pray to the Lord, Jesus Christ, that he heals you. 

[Cordelia]

Thanks, everyone         It's so sweet of you to keep me in your thoughts and prayers     

The bleeding had stopped on the weekend but I still had the ultrasound today, since it was a doctor's order made on Saturday when he saw me.  I think it went okay, I mean my left kidney is 19 cm and my right one is 17 cm. I know that's from the cysts, why my kidneys are enlarged. The technician told me a normal kidney is between 9-12 cm's, so mine are definitely big, which was no suprrise. She  wouldn't give me any other details. I will wait now, I'm glad the bleeding has been gone all week so hopefully it was only a cyst that had burst and that's it. I'll keep you all posted.

I just had  a cystocopy in July and everything was fine. My hope is that now that the bleeding has stopped they won't do anymore testing. However, if they do order a cysto, I at least know what happens during one and that it was really no big deal for me. Whamo, I hear ya, On my two days off this week, I had appointments coming out of my butt! LOL!
You're so right by saying you think things are going okay and life throws you a curveball, I never had any blood in my urine visible to the eye, ever, why last week? lol

[billybags]

Cordelia, It is really worrying, my husband had it last year. He dose not not pee much but it was really bright red blood in the bit he did. That threw us and we panicked. The gave him ultra sound, a pip up his thing could not find any thing wrong and like you it stopped after a few days. They said it could have been a strain. Have you been lifting any thing heavy lately? Hope you get it sorted soon.

[Cordelia]

Cordelia, It is really worrying, my husband had it last year. He dose not not pee much but it was really bright red blood in the bit he did. That threw us and we panicked. The gave him ultra sound, a pip up his thing could not find any thing wrong and like you it stopped after a few days. They said it could have been a strain. Have you been lifting any thing heavy lately? Hope you get it sorted soon.

Hi Billybags...... come to think of it, yes, I strained horrible maybe a few days before to have a bowel movement.

I'm still really wondering if perhaps a cyst burst on one of my kidneys, or perhaps it was from that. One thing I know for sure is that the blood was coming from my urine, not my bowels.

A few people even wondered if I was having a menstrual cycle and mistook the blood for coming from the other hole, but I even shoved a tampon up and nope, no blood from there, either lol

Still no results on the ultrasound. They said it would be about a week.

I found out from the technician though that my right kidney in size is 17 cm's and my left one is about 20 cms in size.  With polycysitc kidneys, I wasn't surprised. A normal kidney size she told me is about 9-12 cms. So, mine are quite big.Pretty much double in size.

The body sure is a mysterious thing     

[Cordelia]

Got my test results........

Impression of the ultrasound is in medical terms:

Finding is in keeping with polycystic kidney disease. There is low level echo in the dominant cyst in the left kidney. This may represent hemorrhage versus proteinaceous material. No sollid mass identified.

So I'm thinking the largest cyst in my left kidney burst and bled out. I'm not surprised. All my back pain is mainly on the left side in that kidney that causes me pain at the best of times.

I get frequent stabs of pain and I'm thinking one burst.

I"m glad it's nothing serious .....like cancer!

[MooseMom]

No Cancer!

 

You are SO like me!  Stop it!!  LOL!

[Cordelia]

No Cancer!

 

You are SO like me!  Stop it!!  LOL!

Yup, I swear, MM, you and I were twins in another lifetime or something!          

[mcclane]

thank goodness it wasn't cancer, had me worried

[Cordelia]

thank goodness it wasn't cancer, had me worried

I'm glad I came back to let you all know that it was good news           

[billybags]

So glad things have worked out. You have a stress free Christmas now.

[Cordelia]

So glad things have worked out. You have a stress free Christmas now.

Thanks so much, BB!     

[Cordelia]

Well, it's not over til' it's over........

The nephrologist on call came in yesterday--which is a rareity considering the docs on call in my unit only visit once a month. Anyways, he came in, didn't talk to anybody else I noticed except me.....        I KNEW something was up the second he appeared in my room.     

Anyways, he said there was blood evident in the past urinalysis' and recommended a cystoscopy......

I'm not impressed and I have not committed to this invasive test as of yet......

I asked him to do another "repeat" urinalysis to rule out the microscopic blood. If, when I repeat this test, it's clear, I'm in the clear.....if not, then I have to succumb to that test. I have done a cystocopy before this past summer for my pre-transplant work up testing and it was a big deal for me, the whole anticipation of it, but in the end it was not as bad as I thought it would be.

So, we'll see what becomes of my next urinalysis.

Please wish me luck everyone, needless to say now, I'm a little nervous. Apparently,  this 'other' test will rule out bleeding from elsewhere IF there is truly bleeding/a leak coming from the bladder .....

The fact that my ultasound pointed out that there was a hemorhage and debris says it's my left dominant kidney cyst that caused the bleeding from a burst.

Anyways, since I just had a cystocopy in the summer and everything was fine, this doc on call was okay with letting me do another repeat urinalysis first before going to do the cystoscopy, thank God for that!

Time will tell now.

Just when you think everything is fine, the body throws a curve at you         Never a dull moment, right!? LOL!

[Traveller1947]

Best of luck to you, Cordelia!

[Cordelia]

Best of luck to you, Cordelia!

Thanks Traveller!           I'll keep you all posted on what happens       

[Cordelia]

So I found out today I'll start doing the urinalysis collection next Saturday, Jan. 7, Tues Jan. 10 and then Thursday Jan. 12. I should know by mid-January where I stand, what's what.