Here we go again.....

                                                                Originally written 8-29-11

I reported to you last week that I went to the doctor for the follow up and he told me there was still a small amount of blood in my urine. He then told me that he would send it out for further testing and depending on how it came back he would refer me to a urologist, order a CT scan of my kidneys and then most likely a cystoscopy would be in order. He sent another urine sample out for micro-analysis and told me he would call with the results. I left the office that day freaked out. All I could think was that my life was finally starting to come together. I was going to get married in 2 months and I just can’t be sick. I also recalled that one of my father’s cousins had kidney issues and needed a transplant. I was not sure if that too ran in the family or if something else had caused her kidneys to fail. I try not to, but automatically my mind starts to think the worst possible case scenario.

The very next day the doctor called me to let me know that the test was fine and there was no treatment necessary at this time. While I was so relieved, I also knew that something was just not right. For getting a clean bill of health, why was my bladder still so irritated? Why was I having shooting pains in my pelvic region? By Thursday I was in a lot of discomfort. By Friday morning I woke up in discomfort but tried to not read too much into it. After holding your bladder all night- it is normal for most people to wake up in some amount of discomfort. I went to the bathroom and the normal person feels instant relief and then goes on about their day. Well something didn’t feel quite right and it was like a bad déjà vu. I turned on the light and thought to myself, something is not right and I bet I am urinating blood again. Sure enough….blood and puss and particles of God only knows what floating around. I just went to the doctor three days prior and now this gain. WTF?

So I go into work early and begin calling the doctors to see if I can get an appointment. Then I start calling around to see if I can get in with a urologist as that was the suggested next step. I was able to get someone to squish me on a Saturday morning so I took it. I also decided to go to the regular doctor anyway thinking maybe they could get me an emergency appointment with someone the same day by pulling a few strings. When I got to the doctor’s office they did another urine sample and told me I had another urinary tract infection. He gave me a different med this time and for a longer duration of time. Of course I did not get the same doctor as last time and I can never seem to get an appointment with my own doctor but I figured considering the history of problems I would rather see another doctor than the physician’s assistant. This doctor reviewed that last doctor’s notes and told me that he would hold off on seeing a urologist because they are just going to want to scope me and I really don’t want to have that done if I can avoid it. He told me that he did not think it was bladder cancer. (Why did he even have to mention that?????) He then suggested that if it happens again, I should check with my gynecologist because perhaps I had fibroids in my uterus pushing on my uterus.

I try not to worry and let my mind get the best of me but he mentioned cancer and something growing in my uterus all in the same breath. Last time I was at the gynecologist they called me back to do another test because they found abnormal cells and wanted to recheck to see if it was anything of concern. Anyway, putting that aside- I then get the sex spreads germs riot act and do I use proper hygiene. I know that is a common way to get this type of infection but I assure you I am very clean and I am 35- not exactly a virgin. Having had sex for years- I maybe get one Urinary Tract Infection every 4 years or so. I am not doing anything differently now than I did a year ago so why all the sudden one infection after another. If anything I make hygiene more of a priority as a precautionary measure since the doctors now have me paranoid.

Anyway- we assessed that I went to the gynecologist in April and there is no way something could be growing that fast, but in the back of my mind, I think I may as well get that part of my anatomy checked out as well to have peace of mind. I get a prescription for a new antibiotic and then after being told to avoid the urologist at this time, he tells me that since I already have the appointment made, I might as well get a consult in the event the problem continues, I am established with a doctor. So bright and early on a Saturday morning, I drag my butt out of bed and drive over 40 minutes to the urologist. Having just moved, I have no idea where anything is around me and I know that this doctor most likely practices out of Stony Brook which is better than the other hospital I know of should I need to have any procedures done.

I wait an hour or so in the waiting room and then finally the urologist comes in. He asked if I ever had kidney stones and when I said no, he did a sonogram of my bladder and kidneys. I don’t know that he ever did find any stones, but he did notice a cyst growing on my kidneys. As a result, I know have to go for blood work to check my kidney functions and then to go for a CT scan of my pelvis and abdomen to see if the cyst is benign or something I should worry about at this time. I am partly hoping that it has always been there and was never detected since no one had a reason to look. But as a precaution, once it is found, I suppose it is a doctor’s obligation to do their due diligence. He also wants me to come back in three weeks because he is going to do a cystoscopy in his office to take a look with a camera inside my bladder to see what may be going on that is causing the infections and blood/ puss in my urine.

Oh…and I got the clean before sex speech from this idiot as well. He then suggested if that may be the cause ruling out other things, I should take an antibiotic each time before I have sex. I mean come on now- what am I supposed to do- live on pills. I get so aggravated when they say stuff like this but it is a new doctor so let me give him a chance. I guess they always start with the easiest and most obvious cause first and then go from there.

Before leaving his office with a slew of paperwork for test, urine samples, CT test, bloodwork etc.., he did tell me to call my primary care doctor on Monday to get the results of the urinalysis to make sure that the antibiotic I am currently prescribed is the right one based on the test results. I started taking the medicine on Friday as soon as I filled the prescription but by this time on Monday, I should start to feel some form of relief and I most certainly do not which is very frustrating.

As the urologist suggested, I contacted my primary care doctor’s office today during lunch to see if they got the results of the urinalysis back and to have the doctor check that they had prescribed the correct antibiotic for me. I get a call back from some woman and she tells me the results were negative. I said, “what does that mean?” She replies, “No growth….there is no infection”. A bit confused I told her that the test they took in the office on Friday indicated otherwise and was I supposed to take the antibiotics or not. She told me no but when I explained I already started, I asked her to please consult the doctor and have him call me back. That is pretty much where I am now- left in discomfort and confused waiting for someone to please figure out what the damn problem with me is.

                                                     (Continuation of entry on 8/30/11)

I shouldn’t have, but I started writing this at work but never finished so I left it for the following day. Shortly after leaving the office, my regular doctor called me. Mind you I had spend the other part of my day playing doctor WEB MD coming up with my own list of ailments based on my symptoms. There was something I came across that sounded like a close fit - Interstitial cystitis. It didn’t quite explain the blood- that was more like a bladder cancer but I would rather assume the former rather than the latter. Either one doesn’t exactly sound pleasant but when my doctor (my actual primary care doctor) called back he explained the test came out negative in the lab but that in the office they do a quick version that is sometimes faulty or can indicate an infection but may not be so upon more extensive testing. He told me that I did not necessarily need the antibiotics since no infection was indicated but since I had already started them, he told me it can’t hurt if I want to try and take them anyway. He suggested that if the symptoms continue I may want to go to a urologist for a consult to rule out Interstitial cystitis or other things that may cause it. I explained I had seen one on Saturday and that he wanted to do a cystoscopy to rule some stuff out. My doctor agreed this was probably the best course of treatment at this point.

Now upon my own reading I did see that this condition can in some instances be associated with pain in the pelvic region, but to be honest, the pain I am feeling on and off which can be sharp and shooting at times is coming more from where my ovaries might be. Since that is not normal and not really the same as the bladder discomfort I am experiencing, I thought maybe I should go to the gynecologist to have that looked at. Sometimes I feel like it is hard or swollen in that region and since the one doctor the other day suggested that I may have something growing there pushing on my bladder causing some of these issues, I figured if I am going to be poked, prodded and violated by various doctors, I might as well go for the gold.

I actually called my doctor today to see if I could get an appointment for the next two weeks or so on a day that I could make it after work without having to take time off. As a result of a hurricane/ tropical storm that blew through the area over the weekend, they had a ton of cancellations and were actually able to offer me an appointment after work today. A bit short notice and not something I thought was on my to do list for this week (or this evening for that matter), but I took it. Might as well get it over with and rule out any issues on that end. I figure between all these doctors, someone has to find some sort of problem they can hopefully cure. Wish me luck!

Until I write again……..