Persistent microscopic blood in urine - anybody help please at my wits end.

[Tanfastic]

I've posted about this before and thought things had resolved themselves but they haven't. It started last November when I thought I had cystitis and the dipstick showed a trace of blood in urine. Then I was fine for a few months.

Beginning of July this year cystitis symptoms came back and I go to GP, nothing on dipstick other than red blood cells. Given more antibiotics.

Antibiotics helped but symptoms remained so I have been back four times now. All the dipsticks have showed blood. Three cultures have been sent to the lab, first of which showed no blood but mixed bacteria growth, second showed blood but no growth, third showed blood but no growth. Incidentally the third dipstick showed nothing, not even blood but only blood showed on the laboratory culture result.

Have a very good female GP now who is trying to get to the bottom of it. I've recently had vaginal swabs to rule out any infection or STI (been married for ten years but I suppose they have to rule it out don't they). These have all come back clear apart from a tiny amount of white cells which she's not worried about.

She's now said that she wants me to do another urine sample to check for blood and if there is blood in it she is going to refer me to an urologist. This has been nearly three months now of to-ing and fro-ing and I expect another few weeks to get results of urine test and GP appointment to discuss results, then a referral of god knows how many weeks.

She's told me I do not qualify for the two week pathway for an urgent referral.

I suffer from extreme anxiety so I have taken it upon myself to book a private consultation at the local Spire hospital with an urologist for next Tuesday because I just can't wait any longer to find out why I have this blood in my urine.

I know I will probably be referred for a cystoscopy or scans and i'm shitting a brick about the results....have been consulting Dr Google and it could be a number of things, some of which are pretty significant so my anxiety is through the roof.

Has anybody else been through this or is anybody got any words of wisdom?

My symptoms for urine infection have now completely disappeared by the way so this blood is the only thing lingering.

I just want the worry to go away (i'm on citalopram for anxiety).

Thanks for listening :)

[Tanfastic]

Just bumping for the evening m'netters.

[PollyPerky]

I'd really not worry. Blood with bladder cancer tends to be very obvious- Mary Archer had it and said it was like weeing pink wee.

Many people have minute blood in wee- including women with IC because their bladder lining is leaky and irritated. It can also come from the kidneys and again, be nothing serious.

The risk of you having bladder cancer as a young woman are practically zero. Relax!

[Tanfastic]

Thanks Pollly, I know it's prob nothing to worry about and the sensible side of my head is saying it's nothing but sometimes I get carried away thinking it might be.

I am hoping the urologist may be able to put my mind at rest or at least get the ball rolling if I need any tests. It's just frustrating that this has been going on for months now and I feel like I'm getting the runaround from the GP to some extent. I was told last week all my test results were normal and no further action was necessary and this week a different GP tells me they were not. I just want an expert to tell me what's what so I can put this to bed.

[P1nkP0ppy]

Dh has had persistent blood in his urine all his life. He's had every investigation and several courses of antibiotics and now it's just 'one of those things'.
He's usually asymptomatic and is very healthy.

[TheHubblesWindscreenWipers]

Not a medic, but a scientist who deals with lab results a lot.

Firstly, step a waaaay from dr. Google, especially if you suffer from anxiety. I say this kindly but there's a metric shit ton of bad medical advice on the web and you aren't qualified to sift the good from the bad.
Secondly, micro findings or dipstick findings of trace blood in the urine are very common. It can be from chafing, tiny amounts of blood from bladder lining, menstruation. It can be idiopathic (cause Unknown.) it can be bladder or kidney stones or crystals. It can be infection. It can be irritation. Something like bladder cancer is quite far down the list of 'could be's' - as a young female (esp if you're a non smoker) your chances of bladder cancer are very low.
You say you have symptoms of cystitis- what exactly are you feeling?
Your GP is acting correctly and actually being quite proactive in referring you. Try not to fret, you may not get a definitive answer as many causes of trace blood are never found, but a urologist should be able to quickly rule out the nasty possibilities. Scans etc can all be done under light waking sedation so don't fret about those either.

[Tanfastic]

Thanks - I'm done with Google, it only fuels my anxiety about it all. I'm 43, non smoker, never worked with chemicals so have been told by GP to put that thought to one side.....

I had cystitis symptoms that persisted for two months. Burning in my urethra and frequency and generally feeling an irritation down below. This is what led to the urine dipstick and microscopy. I've had three dipsticks/microscopes now which showed

1). Dipstick positive for blood ++ and leaukites and protein +. Culture came back growths seen but no red blood cells seen.

2) dipstick positive for blood + protein +. Culture came back red blood cells seen and "mixed growth" which GP thinks was a contaminated sample.

3) nothing at all on dipstick, completely clear. Culture came back +1 for blood .

It all seems very confusing.

My cystitis symptoms have now completely gone so just this lingering invisible + 1 for blood.

[PollyPerky]

You can get residual inflammation after infections, even when the infection has gone, where the lining of the bladder or urethra is still inflamed (in women with IC this is chronic and sometimes never ever goes away) and even the acidity of the urine can irritate and make the tissues bleed, like a tiny graze. The test for IC consists of looking for blood leaking from the bladder lining when the bladder is stretched.

Even in women with no IC and no infections, the bladder can take a while to heal after a bad infection.

Try not to worry.

[Tanfastic]

That is what I was thinking Polly. I had a bad infection where symptoms still seemed to persist after antibiotics which is the reason I kept going back. Then when I stopped taking the antibiotics the symptoms started tailing off over a few weeks. I'm not completely symptom free but wondered if the blood was because my bladder was still inflamed and settling.

Thanks for your input, much appreciated

[Tanfastic]

I mean I'm "now" completely symptom free not "not".

[nmg85]

I have microscopic blood and I have IC / PBS.

[Tanfastic]

Hi nmg85 - how was yours diagnosed?

[nmg85]

I had a Cystoscopy and a few other tests where they decided I had IC.

[val4]

Hi Tantastic, I am going through something similar at moment. I had adhesions removal(pelvic), surgery 5 mths ago. Since then I have had 2 u.t.is that have dragged on despite antibiotics. I still have pelvic/back pain, frequent urination(no stinging now), and all urine samples show traces of blood(even when have no symptoms of infection/). I feel wiped out and dragging pain in abdomen. My GP thinks that I may still have irritation from adhesions surgery (I'm on Warfarin), or blood is from previous infections. She has referred me to Urologist and I'm seeing him in 2 weeks. Like you, I have to stay away from Google as I don't want to freak myself out!! I'm trying to be positive but the pain and tiredness are really dragging me down. Best of luck with your investigations and hopefully it will all be fine🌞

[Tanfastic]

Hi Val, thanks for your post, sounds similar to what I'm going through doesn't it. My symptoms have tailed off at the minute and I feel ok but I have recently been told (during a pelvic exam) I have a slight bladder prolapse and I do wonder if this is contributing to my problems. It just goes on and on doesn't it? .

I've read that warfarin can cause blood in the urine, I wonder if that is what is happening with you? Please keep me posted as to how you get on with the urologist. I am seeing one privately on Tuesday. I am paying £190 but I just can't stand anymore of this to-ing and fro-ing to the GP every other week and them looking at me baffled every time they get my results from the lab. I just want peace of mind sooner rather than later.

[val4]

Best of luck on Tuesday. I'm in Ireland and cost of private cons is 120e. It is in private hospital, and any procedures will be covered by my health insurance. I had to wait 3 weeks for appointment. If I went public, I could be waiting months for appointment...health service here not in good way! Come back and tell us how things go and try not to worry.

[Tanfastic]

Thank you Val, I will report back after I've been to see the urologist. I just hope it's not going to be a waste of £190!

[Tanfastic]

Been to see an urologist today. He said not to worry as most cases of microscopic blood in urine are nothing to worry about. He said with my background I have a 1% chance of it being anything significant. He told me to stop googling!

He did say the fact I've had pre eclampsia in the past could account for the blood if it's affected my kidney function.

He has transferred me over to his NHS list for a scan of my kidneys/bladder and a Cystoscopy.

[val4]

That's great Tantastic. Great to hear the Urologist reassured you. Hopefully my appointment will be as positive😊

[Topanga1]

Tantastic - I had unexplained, asymptomatic blood in my urine and was referred under the two week wait for cystoscopy, bladder and kidney scans.

I suffer from anxiety and googled myself to near insanity during this time. When I went for the tests the consultants were blasé about it; they didn't expect to find anything suspicious.

So stay away from Google, don't worry about the cystoscopy (it was over and done with in minutes) and the kidney/bladder scan is quick too.

Trust me, I am practically a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Urologists after all the 'research' I did

[Topanga1]

And yes a bladder prolapse can cause the problems you have described.

[Tanfastic]

Oh thank you for your post Topango! That is very reassuring! Could you see the blood or was it microscopic? Did they find anything in your case?

To be honest the urologist didn't tell me anything that I didn't already know yesterday but I'd pay it again just to hear it from the horse's mouth so to speak.

I did ask him whether my prolapse could be attributing to my symptoms but h said not, although I've read that it can. Maybe he wasn't the best person to ask, maybe a urogynacologist would be more au fair with that kind of thing.

[Justaboy]

Tanfastic Not for a moment wishing to sound too direct, rude, insulting etc but,

Stay off bloody Goggle medical its fuelling your anxiety!. It seems to me that you ought have someone look at that problem before anything to do with your bladder!.

You have had some very good advice from posters here and your consultant but you must clam down a bit about this your not likely to shuffle off your mortal coil before sundown but perhaps best to get a set of worry beads from the mystic healers shoppe on the way to work or wherever;!.

Please calm down it will do you far more good and please stop worrying. I know this I've done just the same as you differing symptoms and problem but worry worry worry all the same its does you no good at all.

That is evident in all the posts you've made!

If you can break the anxiety chain you'll feel a LOT better, trust me please!.

[Tanfastic]

Thanks for your pearls of wisdom
Justaboy.

I have got help for my anxiety thank you, I've been to the doctors two months ago, started on anxiety tablets, have commenced talking therapy and even started fucking meditating. It's all helping but don't make me feel shit about posting for advice on a genuine medical problem I have.

[Topanga1]

OP - ignore Justaboy. You acknowledged your anxiety issues in your first post and are being proactive about it - best of luck.

I'm going to PM you later.

[Tanfastic]

Thank you Topanga