Bladder cancer

Former Member over 4 years ago

1 reply
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This probably sounds ridiculous but I am finding it hard to know if the bleeding when I pee is coming from my bladder or vagina. Vaginally I have been tested and nothing untoward has been found. I have bladder cancer and my turbt is on Monday. I have what feels like pain at the entrance to my vagina. It feels as though I have a tampon inserted not quite right. I bleed on wiping when I pee but it's hard to be 100% sure if it originates from bladder or vagina. I have been incontinent for some time now and sometimes cannot make it to the loo in time. It hurts when I finish peeing. Earlier this week I had a few days of peeing every 5 mins with very little urine. I was treated for uti with antibiotics but urine test showed no infection. The urgency has been helped a little with antibiotics but I still have the pain just as I finish peeing. I wonder if my symptoms will improve after surgery? It's debilitating to not feel able to go out as the need for the toilet is always there. Hoping you can help to reassure me. Thank you

Adrienne - Macmillan over 4 years ago

Hi MosaicMaisie,

Thank you for getting in touch with us and welcome to the online community. My name is Adrienne and I’m one of the Cancer Information Nurses at Macmillan.

I’m so sorry to hear how debilitating your symptoms have been but I am glad you reached out to us.

It can be difficult to tell whether bleeding is coming from the urethra or vagina when it’s only a small amount on wiping, so you are absolutely not being ridiculous. It’s great that you have had your vagina checked and there was nothing untoward seen but it’s not uncommon to have blood in your urine when you have bladder cancer. It’s interesting that antibiotics helped a little with the urgency despite no infection being found. That suggests that maybe there was infection present that just didn’t show up on the test. If you are still experiencing pain, then it’s always important to go back to the GP as the antibiotics may not have cleared up all of the infection. Alternatively, the pain can be caused by the cancer itself and the feeling you describe as having a tampon that isn’t in right, is likely to be the bladder tumour or inflammation from this, pushing against the walls of the vagina.

Hopefully, once you’ve recovered from your TURBT, which can take up to six weeks, you should start to see an improvement in your symptoms. It’s important to rest well for the first two to three weeks, avoiding any lifting and straining and definitely avoiding being constipated. You may notice that you have more blood in your urine after your procedure and you will probably have a tube into your bladder (catheter) for a short time. This will be removed prior to you going home. You may also notice some stinging or burning when you pass urine after the catheter is removed but you should be given painkillers to help with this. Once you have fully recovered, you will hopefully notice an improvement in your pain and urinary symptoms. The nurses will give you some post-op guidance and contact information on who to call if you are worried or concerned about any symptoms after your procedure.

I really do wish you all the best with your procedure and hope this information was helpful. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if we can be of any further help. You can also email us back and we aim to reply within two working days.

Take care and best wishes,

Adrienne (Macmillan Cancer Information Nurse Specialist)

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Bladder cancer