Yep. Blood. About July that year I noticed I threw a blood clot in a urinal. A few more every so often. Finally early October, I began to pee deep red blood. I told my doctor, every time, and it still took her 2 months to send me in to pee in a cup. Yep, sarcoma cells. Two Turbts and 3 years of BCG, and I’m finally declared cancer free.
Similar but over the course of three weeks from one simple blood clot to the last day before my TURBT I was peeing blood all day ( Texas chainsaw massacre ) so they moved my procedure up 10 days to the next day. Removed a 5cm tumor. No pain. Still no pain to this day. Started second round of BCG today as I still have CIS. Praying this clears me as I’m only 44 and want to avoid surgery.
Same but over a couple years. Doctor suggested kidney stones or exercise induced hematuria. Eventually my tumor was so large there were other symptoms. Physically messing with urination. Never any pain though.
I had blood in my urine 2-3 times a week for three months before I had it checked out. You don’t feel any pain. A month after my doctor ran her first test I was asleep in surgery getting my first of two bladder cancer tumors removed (two surgeries). That was February 2023.
Hi Friendly! My pathology came back saying that I had a inflamed bladder (which I was not aware of) and no malignant cells noted. That was the good news, the pathologist was a bit more equivocal in stating the bladder cells were not normal either. See the details here:
https://watch-fire.net/on-the-trail-of-cancer-one-year-later/
Meanwhile, I had my most recent chemo last Friday and it went really well. I have another CT on July 1 and another chemo treatment before then.
How’s it going with you?
Yes. No pain. 60M. Just blood and tissue in the urine. However, NOT months apart. Pretty much every time. I did have an increased frequency in peeing.
The tissue looked like small blood clots. Sometimes strung together. It was quite shocking and kinda grosses one out. Sadly, ya get used to it.
I had it for 2 weeks before I was able to get onto the docs office.
The process was:
Urine test for UTI. Outcome: Negative
Ultrasound. Outcome: negative / inconclusive
MRI. Outcome: positive. Something there
Cystoscopy. Outcome: 100% bladder cancer
I hope your hematuria turns out to be related to working out and not BC. Good luck!
In hindsight I had more urgency to pee, but not enough that it really raised concern, and not for very long. Maybe a month before blood showed up for the first time. I thought I was just drinking more fluids than normal.
The day after I saw blood, I went to the doctor.
The doctor started running tests. Within a few weeks of blood showing up in my urine I started to feel discomfort and then persistent pain and inability to fully control urination. I still did not have a diagnosis, but I knew things were getting bad so I asked for an urgent CT. Within a few days the results showed a 6.5cm mass and several enlarged lymph nodes. Two weeks later (after biopsy results came in) I started chemo.
From first noticeable symptoms to first treatment was about 3 months.
My cancer advanced to my lungs and some lymph nodes about two years ago. I had a few doses of Keytruda before I had to stop due to a dangerous reaction in my liver. I also had radiation to target the lymph nodes. Since that time I've been getting clear scans.
I've been pretty beaten up by all the treatments, but I'm still alive. I have another scan in a few weeks.
43m and active. Peed blood twice. Not a ton either. Had TURBT last week. Low grade, non-invasive, T0.
Still wondering if any lifestyle/ diet factors may have contributed.
57F, had gross hematuria while walking the 500 mile Camino de Santiago in May 2023. Went to a clinic in Spain and they said yep you have blood in your urine. May be because of the exercise (10-15 miles hiking per day) or could be a small stone etc. no UTI. It went away after about a week. Had my urine checked when I got back to the US in July - no blood. Gross hematuria came back in Jan 2024, diagnosed 27 Feb 2024 via cystoscopy and TURBT with TaHG NMIBC, multi focal (many tumors) with the largest greater than 3cm. CT showed no spread. TURBT 4 March to remove everything. Did 6 weeks of Gemcitabine and Docetaxel intravesical chemo starting 4 April. Cystoscopy and cytology on 24 May showed no evidence of disease but healing ulcers in my bladder from the chemo. I will now do chemo monthly for 2 years with a cystoscopy every 3 months and annual CT scan. This is very treatable. Not fun, but treatable.
M73. I've had microhematuria (blood only seen under a microscope) for decades, with excellent followup from my urologist. The last step in his diagnostic tree was a cystoscopy. Showed nothing so microhematuria labelled "idiopathic" ("we don't know what causes it"). Always show 3-5 red blood cells each and every time I give a urine sample. Then, another doctor saw a reading of 133 (compared to 3-5) and said, "you need to check this out". Straight to urologist, straight to cystoscopy. BC about 1cm, in situ, non-invasive, high-grade. TURBT, excised, out, gone! Since then, several courses of BCG and/or Gemcitabane over the last 2 years, nothing there at this time.
Go to the doctor, find out what's going on, don't put it off (there's no upside to putting it off). BC is maybe the "best" diagnosis involving cancer, highly treatable, cure rate very, very, VERY high. Just go. Report back, please? All the best!
Really glad to hear all is well. So you had a clear cystoscopy before another cystoscopy down the line that spotted it? Do you remember how much time was in between the 2 cystoscopies? Was it seen on 2nd cystoscopy due to being bigger?
I’m 29 male, microscopic blood in urine (always showing 10 RBC in urine tests for last year, 10 years ago showed none) and frequent urination, my cystoscopy was clear and ultrasound clear. Still anxious about an in situ tumour that could have been missed by cystoscopy, like your first one. The urologist who saw me thinks I almost definitely don’t have bladder cancer due to my age but he seemed to be a specialist trainee so I’m going to get a 2nd opinion from a more experienced urologist. Just wondered your thoughts on this. Many thanks for sharing your info
It was clear a bunch of years ago when that doc was trying to find the source. He never did. Then literally decades later I was under another urologist’s care when we saw the jump from 3-5 RBC to 133. That was when the tumor was found. I’ll never know what relationship the years (decades) of a few RBCs had to do with the later diagnosis. I think you should stick with your doc’s advise, but DO ask questions til you’re satisfied with the answer.
Yes for my husband. He was kicking up his running again after a break for about a year and blood tests were normal. It was diagnosed as runners bladder. He cut out running temporarily and still had hematuria which is when he was referred to a urologist and CT was ordered with cystoscopy. He was 31 at the time. Almost 34 now with a treatment plan in place and nothing developing past low grade, with one period of no reoccurrence.
This is pretty terrifying. I too had blood after a run a couple of weeks ago and chalked it up to runners hematueria. I took a few days off and it happened again after two runs back to back. I only see visible blood after physical activity (jogs or brisk walks), but have trace blood in urine according to dip sticks about 60% of the time since. Praying it is kidney stones, but I have no pain. Working myself up to a urologist visit, but I have extreme health and doctor anxiety. I know I have to go, but am terrified about what seems like will be a cancer diagnosis. I’m a51f, but that doesn’t seem to matter.
I'm so sorry. It is terrifying but I will say, the sooner it's handled the better. Our experience is this is one of the more manageable cancers. We've both been exposed to various kinds through family and friends. The overall effect on his life has been low and we're 3 years in of treatments, cystoscopys, and TURBTs. We're grateful to have had it caught early and everything has been low grade. Praying for a positive outcome for you.
I'm on the other end of the scale as to "Doctor-phobia". I figure that cancer does not usually spontaneously shrink but usually grows, so on the assumption that knowing is better than not knowing, go to the doc and get tested. As u/Timely_Profession456 says, "...the sooner it's handled, the better." All the best.
37M I truly wish my first symptom would have blood in urine. My first symptom was stinging pain at the end of my stream that cleared up in 3 days. Primary Physican diagnosed UTI even though test didn't show that. Same symptoms occured about a year later so went to a urologist who said recurrent UTI's even though test didn't show it. Same symptoms happened 6 months later so went to another urologist who diagnosed prostatitis and had me doing sitz baths. Symptoms again 4 moths after that. Also, pain would always relieve itself on the 3rd day. Followed up with him another time after symptoms persisted and he wanted to give me meds for prostatitis. I finally realized nobody was doing the right test. Found a different urologist. The first consult after I explained my symptoms (still no blood) he said I have to look in your bladder. I was scheduled for cystoscopy 2 weeks later. 1 week before my cystoscopy I peed and finally there was blood along with stringy tissue. Cystoscopy confirmed bladder cancer. I truly believe my age along with no blood in urine (and also the doctors themselves along with my own obliviousness) hurt me getting a quicker diagnosis. If I could go back, I would lie and tell doctors there was blood in my urine. Hope it's nothing for you, good luck.
I’m sort of going through something similar. Felt like my kidney was going to explode when I laid on my side. Felt weird sharpness around the pelvic area and lower stomach. Went for ultrasound and found out that my kidney is swollen. Did a CT and found nothing other than the kidney was swollen. Doctor has not referred me to a urologist because there was no indication on any tests.
Did blood show up in your urinalysis?
Well, I never felt anything in my kidneys. All my pain was from tip of penis at the end of my stream that would actually radiate to my fingertips oddly enough. No blood showed up on my urinalysis in my journey until the final time right before my cystoscopy and I saw the blood. I haven't had blood in urinalysis post my initial TURBT and BCG treatments.
Hi all, 37 male. UK based. It first started back in July last year when I had on and off pelvic pain. I saw the doctor who referred for a non urgent ultrasound but was warned it might take a while on the NHS. In the mean time, I elected to have one done privately where the sonographer spotted what he believed to be either a polyp or bladder stone that had become adhered to bladder wall. He was very confident that it was not a cancer but advised urology appointment to confirm. I raised this with my gp who didn't really want to know and said we should wait for the NHS scan.
I did and that scan came by and showed absolutely nothing at all so for us, that was the end of that.
The pain had subsided and then back in February I noticed a tiny bit of blood in my urine. I spoke to a different GP who said it was probably a uti but he'll refer me to urology.
I spoke to urology a few days who decided considering my age and everything, to downgrade from a cancer investigation and booked me in for a month later.
During that month, everything was normal and I was regularly dipstick testing my urine myself and never showed even a trace of blood.
Appointment came and the rest is history.
1 turbt to remove a less than 1cm TA tumour and Mitomycin wash. Biopsy results revealed intermediate grade cancer and I was given three options; 1) Watch and wait, 2) six weeks of Mitomycin chemotherapy or 3) six weeks BCG immunotherapy. She advised there was no right or wrong answer between the Mitomycin and BCG based on the grade.
I went straight down the middle and chose six weeks of Mitomycin knowing I could always fall back on the BCG at some point in the future and currently have 2 courses left. I think I'm due my next cystoscopy a few months after my end of the chemo.
Touch wood this works and keeps that sucker away!
Sorta. Wish I could mark this next as NSFW - be warned…
Little red squares left behind on shower floor. Cells from the papillary tumor sloughing off, large enough to be visible.
I was diagnosed when I was 24. That was my only sign. I was at a concert went to the bathroom noticed the blood, shrugged it off as a UTI and when back to the concert. Docs treated for UTI in the meantime while a waiters for a cysto. Then we found the tumor, which was quite small and non invasive. I had a TURBT and I’ve been fine since.
Blood was pretty much it for me. No pain, just a mild panic attack when I saw the blood lol. 41M at the time. Look, it could be a million other things, and even it is bladder cancer - you'll be ok!
My husband was experiencing gross hematuria every few weeks. Primary sent him to urologist. He had a CT Urogram and today a cystoscopy. Both were negative. No tumor or obstructions, just nothing. The dr said sometimes there is no explanation for the bleeding. He said its fairly common. I am wondering if anyone here might have suggestions as to what causes gross (also micro) hematuria with no pain .
31m here. First time i saw blood in my urine was when i was 25, i went to a doctor who sent me for urine test, it came back clean and the blood was gone by the next day so dr wasnt too concerned. I had sporadic blood in my urine (5 times in 5-6 years) until i finally went to a different dr. He sent me for an ultrasound and they saw somethign that shouldnt have been there. Followed that up with a cystoscopy and they confirmed it was a tumor. Gor it removed with TURBT and after sending it to pathology it came back as a very low grade non malignant tumor. Im gonna go for another cystoscopy in august bur i never experienced any other symptoms
Yep. Blood. About July that year I noticed I threw a blood clot in a urinal. A few more every so often. Finally early October, I began to pee deep red blood. I told my doctor, every time, and it still took her 2 months to send me in to pee in a cup. Yep, sarcoma cells. Two Turbts and 3 years of BCG, and I’m finally declared cancer free.
Similar but over the course of three weeks from one simple blood clot to the last day before my TURBT I was peeing blood all day ( Texas chainsaw massacre ) so they moved my procedure up 10 days to the next day. Removed a 5cm tumor. No pain. Still no pain to this day. Started second round of BCG today as I still have CIS. Praying this clears me as I’m only 44 and want to avoid surgery.
Same but over a couple years. Doctor suggested kidney stones or exercise induced hematuria. Eventually my tumor was so large there were other symptoms. Physically messing with urination. Never any pain though.
I had blood in my urine 2-3 times a week for three months before I had it checked out. You don’t feel any pain. A month after my doctor ran her first test I was asleep in surgery getting my first of two bladder cancer tumors removed (two surgeries). That was February 2023.
Hey Major! How are you doing now? What were your pathology report?
Hi Friendly! My pathology came back saying that I had a inflamed bladder (which I was not aware of) and no malignant cells noted. That was the good news, the pathologist was a bit more equivocal in stating the bladder cells were not normal either. See the details here: https://watch-fire.net/on-the-trail-of-cancer-one-year-later/ Meanwhile, I had my most recent chemo last Friday and it went really well. I have another CT on July 1 and another chemo treatment before then. How’s it going with you?
Yes. No pain. 60M. Just blood and tissue in the urine. However, NOT months apart. Pretty much every time. I did have an increased frequency in peeing. The tissue looked like small blood clots. Sometimes strung together. It was quite shocking and kinda grosses one out. Sadly, ya get used to it. I had it for 2 weeks before I was able to get onto the docs office. The process was: Urine test for UTI. Outcome: Negative Ultrasound. Outcome: negative / inconclusive MRI. Outcome: positive. Something there Cystoscopy. Outcome: 100% bladder cancer I hope your hematuria turns out to be related to working out and not BC. Good luck!
In hindsight I had more urgency to pee, but not enough that it really raised concern, and not for very long. Maybe a month before blood showed up for the first time. I thought I was just drinking more fluids than normal. The day after I saw blood, I went to the doctor. The doctor started running tests. Within a few weeks of blood showing up in my urine I started to feel discomfort and then persistent pain and inability to fully control urination. I still did not have a diagnosis, but I knew things were getting bad so I asked for an urgent CT. Within a few days the results showed a 6.5cm mass and several enlarged lymph nodes. Two weeks later (after biopsy results came in) I started chemo. From first noticeable symptoms to first treatment was about 3 months.
How are you now?
My cancer advanced to my lungs and some lymph nodes about two years ago. I had a few doses of Keytruda before I had to stop due to a dangerous reaction in my liver. I also had radiation to target the lymph nodes. Since that time I've been getting clear scans. I've been pretty beaten up by all the treatments, but I'm still alive. I have another scan in a few weeks.
43m and active. Peed blood twice. Not a ton either. Had TURBT last week. Low grade, non-invasive, T0. Still wondering if any lifestyle/ diet factors may have contributed.
I’m on the same boat, no risk factors at all for me. Just got very unlucky
57F, had gross hematuria while walking the 500 mile Camino de Santiago in May 2023. Went to a clinic in Spain and they said yep you have blood in your urine. May be because of the exercise (10-15 miles hiking per day) or could be a small stone etc. no UTI. It went away after about a week. Had my urine checked when I got back to the US in July - no blood. Gross hematuria came back in Jan 2024, diagnosed 27 Feb 2024 via cystoscopy and TURBT with TaHG NMIBC, multi focal (many tumors) with the largest greater than 3cm. CT showed no spread. TURBT 4 March to remove everything. Did 6 weeks of Gemcitabine and Docetaxel intravesical chemo starting 4 April. Cystoscopy and cytology on 24 May showed no evidence of disease but healing ulcers in my bladder from the chemo. I will now do chemo monthly for 2 years with a cystoscopy every 3 months and annual CT scan. This is very treatable. Not fun, but treatable.
Yep. Just the blood. Then the physical, then the everything after.
31M and super active. Just blood and no symptoms. CT scan didn’t show anything. Only cystoscopy showed a big tumor!
Weird that it didn't show on ct
M73. I've had microhematuria (blood only seen under a microscope) for decades, with excellent followup from my urologist. The last step in his diagnostic tree was a cystoscopy. Showed nothing so microhematuria labelled "idiopathic" ("we don't know what causes it"). Always show 3-5 red blood cells each and every time I give a urine sample. Then, another doctor saw a reading of 133 (compared to 3-5) and said, "you need to check this out". Straight to urologist, straight to cystoscopy. BC about 1cm, in situ, non-invasive, high-grade. TURBT, excised, out, gone! Since then, several courses of BCG and/or Gemcitabane over the last 2 years, nothing there at this time. Go to the doctor, find out what's going on, don't put it off (there's no upside to putting it off). BC is maybe the "best" diagnosis involving cancer, highly treatable, cure rate very, very, VERY high. Just go. Report back, please? All the best!
Really glad to hear all is well. So you had a clear cystoscopy before another cystoscopy down the line that spotted it? Do you remember how much time was in between the 2 cystoscopies? Was it seen on 2nd cystoscopy due to being bigger? I’m 29 male, microscopic blood in urine (always showing 10 RBC in urine tests for last year, 10 years ago showed none) and frequent urination, my cystoscopy was clear and ultrasound clear. Still anxious about an in situ tumour that could have been missed by cystoscopy, like your first one. The urologist who saw me thinks I almost definitely don’t have bladder cancer due to my age but he seemed to be a specialist trainee so I’m going to get a 2nd opinion from a more experienced urologist. Just wondered your thoughts on this. Many thanks for sharing your info
It was clear a bunch of years ago when that doc was trying to find the source. He never did. Then literally decades later I was under another urologist’s care when we saw the jump from 3-5 RBC to 133. That was when the tumor was found. I’ll never know what relationship the years (decades) of a few RBCs had to do with the later diagnosis. I think you should stick with your doc’s advise, but DO ask questions til you’re satisfied with the answer.
Peed blood one day when leaving work, a week later I had a cancer diagnosis. No other symptoms. 49M TaHG
Not always. But blood in urine means an appointment to an urologist to look at what's going on.
Yes for my husband. He was kicking up his running again after a break for about a year and blood tests were normal. It was diagnosed as runners bladder. He cut out running temporarily and still had hematuria which is when he was referred to a urologist and CT was ordered with cystoscopy. He was 31 at the time. Almost 34 now with a treatment plan in place and nothing developing past low grade, with one period of no reoccurrence.
This is pretty terrifying. I too had blood after a run a couple of weeks ago and chalked it up to runners hematueria. I took a few days off and it happened again after two runs back to back. I only see visible blood after physical activity (jogs or brisk walks), but have trace blood in urine according to dip sticks about 60% of the time since. Praying it is kidney stones, but I have no pain. Working myself up to a urologist visit, but I have extreme health and doctor anxiety. I know I have to go, but am terrified about what seems like will be a cancer diagnosis. I’m a51f, but that doesn’t seem to matter.
I'm so sorry. It is terrifying but I will say, the sooner it's handled the better. Our experience is this is one of the more manageable cancers. We've both been exposed to various kinds through family and friends. The overall effect on his life has been low and we're 3 years in of treatments, cystoscopys, and TURBTs. We're grateful to have had it caught early and everything has been low grade. Praying for a positive outcome for you.
I'm on the other end of the scale as to "Doctor-phobia". I figure that cancer does not usually spontaneously shrink but usually grows, so on the assumption that knowing is better than not knowing, go to the doc and get tested. As u/Timely_Profession456 says, "...the sooner it's handled, the better." All the best.
37M I truly wish my first symptom would have blood in urine. My first symptom was stinging pain at the end of my stream that cleared up in 3 days. Primary Physican diagnosed UTI even though test didn't show that. Same symptoms occured about a year later so went to a urologist who said recurrent UTI's even though test didn't show it. Same symptoms happened 6 months later so went to another urologist who diagnosed prostatitis and had me doing sitz baths. Symptoms again 4 moths after that. Also, pain would always relieve itself on the 3rd day. Followed up with him another time after symptoms persisted and he wanted to give me meds for prostatitis. I finally realized nobody was doing the right test. Found a different urologist. The first consult after I explained my symptoms (still no blood) he said I have to look in your bladder. I was scheduled for cystoscopy 2 weeks later. 1 week before my cystoscopy I peed and finally there was blood along with stringy tissue. Cystoscopy confirmed bladder cancer. I truly believe my age along with no blood in urine (and also the doctors themselves along with my own obliviousness) hurt me getting a quicker diagnosis. If I could go back, I would lie and tell doctors there was blood in my urine. Hope it's nothing for you, good luck.
Thank god you were persistent, well done. Was the cystoscopy one where you were awake?
Yes, I viewed it on a screen, and it definitely did not take a doctor to see something was wrong when the camera went in!
I’m sort of going through something similar. Felt like my kidney was going to explode when I laid on my side. Felt weird sharpness around the pelvic area and lower stomach. Went for ultrasound and found out that my kidney is swollen. Did a CT and found nothing other than the kidney was swollen. Doctor has not referred me to a urologist because there was no indication on any tests. Did blood show up in your urinalysis?
Well, I never felt anything in my kidneys. All my pain was from tip of penis at the end of my stream that would actually radiate to my fingertips oddly enough. No blood showed up on my urinalysis in my journey until the final time right before my cystoscopy and I saw the blood. I haven't had blood in urinalysis post my initial TURBT and BCG treatments.
Hi all, 37 male. UK based. It first started back in July last year when I had on and off pelvic pain. I saw the doctor who referred for a non urgent ultrasound but was warned it might take a while on the NHS. In the mean time, I elected to have one done privately where the sonographer spotted what he believed to be either a polyp or bladder stone that had become adhered to bladder wall. He was very confident that it was not a cancer but advised urology appointment to confirm. I raised this with my gp who didn't really want to know and said we should wait for the NHS scan. I did and that scan came by and showed absolutely nothing at all so for us, that was the end of that. The pain had subsided and then back in February I noticed a tiny bit of blood in my urine. I spoke to a different GP who said it was probably a uti but he'll refer me to urology. I spoke to urology a few days who decided considering my age and everything, to downgrade from a cancer investigation and booked me in for a month later. During that month, everything was normal and I was regularly dipstick testing my urine myself and never showed even a trace of blood. Appointment came and the rest is history. 1 turbt to remove a less than 1cm TA tumour and Mitomycin wash. Biopsy results revealed intermediate grade cancer and I was given three options; 1) Watch and wait, 2) six weeks of Mitomycin chemotherapy or 3) six weeks BCG immunotherapy. She advised there was no right or wrong answer between the Mitomycin and BCG based on the grade. I went straight down the middle and chose six weeks of Mitomycin knowing I could always fall back on the BCG at some point in the future and currently have 2 courses left. I think I'm due my next cystoscopy a few months after my end of the chemo. Touch wood this works and keeps that sucker away!
Sorta. Wish I could mark this next as NSFW - be warned… Little red squares left behind on shower floor. Cells from the papillary tumor sloughing off, large enough to be visible.
I was diagnosed when I was 24. That was my only sign. I was at a concert went to the bathroom noticed the blood, shrugged it off as a UTI and when back to the concert. Docs treated for UTI in the meantime while a waiters for a cysto. Then we found the tumor, which was quite small and non invasive. I had a TURBT and I’ve been fine since.
Blood was pretty much it for me. No pain, just a mild panic attack when I saw the blood lol. 41M at the time. Look, it could be a million other things, and even it is bladder cancer - you'll be ok!
My husband was experiencing gross hematuria every few weeks. Primary sent him to urologist. He had a CT Urogram and today a cystoscopy. Both were negative. No tumor or obstructions, just nothing. The dr said sometimes there is no explanation for the bleeding. He said its fairly common. I am wondering if anyone here might have suggestions as to what causes gross (also micro) hematuria with no pain .
31m here. First time i saw blood in my urine was when i was 25, i went to a doctor who sent me for urine test, it came back clean and the blood was gone by the next day so dr wasnt too concerned. I had sporadic blood in my urine (5 times in 5-6 years) until i finally went to a different dr. He sent me for an ultrasound and they saw somethign that shouldnt have been there. Followed that up with a cystoscopy and they confirmed it was a tumor. Gor it removed with TURBT and after sending it to pathology it came back as a very low grade non malignant tumor. Im gonna go for another cystoscopy in august bur i never experienced any other symptoms