Blood in Urine (Hematuria)

I experienced pain in lower back and had more frequent urination.

I went to see a GP who did a urine dipstick. The paper showed that my urine was acidic. The GP prescribed me with urinary tract infection medicine. After a few weeks, I went back to the GP again and this time round, I had blood in my urine. I asked for referral letter to see a specialist.

On 12 Mar 09, I went to see a specialist (urologist) and did urine test and also ultrasound of my abdomen. The ultrasound report was normal but I had blood in urine of 64 (normal is just 2). The specialist also treated me as UTI and prescribed me with antibiotic. I took the antibiotic and also bought 21st century’s cranberries juice and finished the entire bottle.

On 7 Apr 09, I went back to the specialist and did urine test again and also UFM (Uroflowmetry) to measure urine speed and volume. This time round, the blood in urine dropped to 4 and the result of UFM test is normal. It was a relief that there’s improvement though there’s still blood in urine which is higher than usual 2 reading. Women are more likely to have urinary tract infections.

On 18 May 09, I went for my long overdue General Health Screening. The health screening covered urine test and the test result was normal. There’s no blood in urine and the infection was cleared. I was totally happy and surprise to hear it.

On 26 May 09, I went back for the follow up visit with the urologist. To my surprise, the blood in urine rose to 6 and since it exceeded 5, the urologist recommended me to perform IVU and Cystoscopy as it can identify most problems of the lower urinary system, especially cancers of the bladder and prostate. According to the urologist, some causes of hematuria are serious while others are not. Only after a series of tests and a thorough evaluation should blood in the urine be attributed to a non-serious cause.

I goggled in internet to find out more on blood in urine, IVU and cystoscopy. I had dinner at 7pm+ the day before, took 2 pills given by the hospital which is to clear off my bowel to prepare for the IVU test. I couldn't’t sleep well that night.

On 10 Jun 09, hubby accompanied me to the hospital and we reached the hospital at 8.40am. Luckily, it was a school holiday that we didnt have to go home to pick up Jared from kinder.

The IVU procedure took about 30 minutes from the injection of dye. According to the nurse there, some people took 2 hours and some took one whole day. This is due to the blockage in the urinary tract that the dye is not able to flow thru the urinary tract. Hubby left for business discussion after I came out from the IVU test as the report would only be ready after an hour.
I waited for an hour for the IVU report. Though I was holding the report in my hand, I was not dare to read the report.

After the IVU report, I went to the Day Care Surgical section for the cystoscopy test. The nurse asked about the IVU result and I told her its in my hand but I hadn't look at it yet. She took the report, read it and told me its normal. Big relief!

The urologist advised that local anesthesia is sufficient as the procedure is very minor and fast but I chose full general anesthesia. I was pushed inside the operating theatre about 2pm. Were in the hospital till 4pm. It has been a very stressful day especially while waiting for the tests and results. Thank God everything is fine!

After the procedure, I had burning sensation of having to urinate but little urine produced. The hospital gave me 3 days MC. I felt ok and went back to work after 24 hours post procedures.

After gone through the above, I will encourage all of us to go to toilet when the nature call, dont hold on to our urine and do drink lots of water.

Causes of Blood in Urine

1. Injury or damage to the upper urinary tract (kidneys) or damage to the lower tract (ureters, bladder or urethra) as in a car accident or a bad fall.
2. Kidney disease
3. Urinary tract infections (UTI) for people younger than 40 years of age.
4. Cancers of the kidney, bladder and prostate become a more common concern in people older than 40 years of age.
5. Blockage of the urinary tract, usually the urethra - by a stone, tumor, a narrowing of the opening or a compression from surrounding structures.
6. Blood clotting disorders
7. Medications/Antibiotics
8. Benign, non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate (BPH - benign prostatic hypertrophy), a common condition in older men
9. Chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and sickle cell anemia
10. Viral infections
11. Inflammation of the kidney - usually of unknown cause
12. Strenuous exercise, especially running - results from repeated jarring of the bladder

Urine can be colored pink, red, or brown for reasons that have nothing to do with bleeding in the urinary tract:

1. Foods - beets, berries, rhubarb in large amounts
2. Food coloring
3. Medications - Certain laxatives and pain medications
4. Menstrual blood
5. Liver diseases - also can be very serious

Urine dipstick
A strip of chemically treated paper is dipped into a cup containing a sample of your urine.

Intravenous Pyelogram (IVP/IVU)
An x-ray of the urinary tract where a dye is first injected into our vein; the dye is filtered by your kidneys and provides contrast so the kidneys are easier to see and a series of x-rays is taken over a 30-minute period, looking for blockages or problems and it can localize obstruction, stones, or a tumor.

Cystoscopy A thin tube with a tiny camera on the end is passed through the urethra to visualize the bladder and ureters.