My Doctor Appt Today--A Non-Event

The only reason I can think of that a CT scan might obviate a cysto is that the urologist does the cyto in his office, but not a TURB, and if the CT scan shows something he would go straight to a TURB bypassing the cysto. A negative CT (meaning no diagnosis) would make the cysto absolutely necessary.

Yes you definitely need to be followed for this until you have had no hematuria for 3 years or until you have been followed for 3 years. Make sense.

No the blood from the vaginal walls does not go over into the bladder, but does mix with the urine when voiding.

Thanks so much, Mimi--I guess I need to be prepared for the possibility of never finding out--I hadn't thought about the need to do all this checking every six months, but that makes sense.

As far as the atrophied vaginal walls go--would that bleed over into the bladder? Because the blood is in the urine I believe.

Jill! Congrats on the clean cysto! That is wonderful! As Pat said, you really should not need a renal ultrasound since you had a clean CT scan. Do you know if they sent a specimen for cytology? Since the sample that you gave prior to your cysto was pink/red then it probably had blood in it and should have been sent for cytology. Since the urine in your bladder looked clear and if it was clear then it probably is not comming from the kidneys. When was your last GYN visit? Sometimes as we get older the lining of the vaginal walls become thin and atrophy and will bleed easily. This has happened to me a couple of times. I agree that the bleeding should not continue for 6 + weeks from the exercise program, but as you know occassionally a cause is never found for the hematuria.

You get used to living with not knowing exactly! I am going on 2 years now. Just be sure that your Dr. continues to follow up with CT Scans and Cystos every 6 months for at least 3 years in order to catch anything that might have been overlooked.

My family Dr. who referred me to the Urologist for follow up of my gross hematuria told me at my Healthy you check up last week that he had many many patients who have had hematuria for over 20 years with no known cause and they are still going strong. My GYN told me the same thing.

Just be sure that your Dr.s continue to follow your situation closely for several years.

Congratulations on the clean cysto!

Haha! Well I sure haven't been exercising much since then! I should have been, but any excuse.....I can't imagine it lasting this long (about 4-6 weeks) from exercise, but who knows.

Thank you all for all the help and support you've given me. I have read this forum backwards and forwards and although I haven't commented much since I haven't had the experiences, I feel like I've gotten to know many of you and I know I'll come back and check in just to see how you and your spouses are doing. You are such a brave, great bunch of people and you are providing a great service here.

If the CT was clean then you probably don't need the renal ultrasound. And it is true sometimes they just can't find a reason for frank or gross hematura..but the fact that you had started a rigorous exercise program when it started...that sometimes just causes the kidneys to leak or jars the bladder.....heres a good article from Emedicine..... www.emedicinehealth.com/blood_in_the_urine/page2_em.htmj
On a funny or became funny note...my husband after my surgery thought he had blood in his urine...went to the uro...turned out it was from a l/2 jar of beets he had eaten that day!...
But its good that you are getting follow-ups..you definately want to rule out all the bad stuff.
I knew there was a reason not to exercise... .......Pat