Good morning,
Diagnosed SCC AC T4 N2 M0 Stage 3b
Sorry, me again! Has anyone experienced blood after peeing? Blood is only on paper after I wipe (sorry tmi!!!) but not in the loo. Started on Saturday was slightly brown but is now red.
Definitely from front bottom absolutely nothing to do with back. Have had my period so it’s not that.
I have absolutely no burning sensation or stinging. Just some shooting type pains and a constant ache type pain in my labia. Yesterday I had more pain than normal (again!) and also in my lower back and on my lower left side / groin.
I contacted my consultant and I’m going to try and get an emergency UTI test from my GP this morning (easier said than done as you can now only contact them via website and wait for someone to call you (says up to 24hrs). My PET scan was only a week ago and showed no tumour invasion into the bladder.
Consultant said if UTI is negative then I’d have to go in for more investigations. Urghhhh… what is my body up to! Enough worry already and I haven’t even started my chemoradiation!
Thank you in advance x
Hi Prettypinkroses,
Don’t apologise for TMI! We discuss poo, pee & allsorts on a regular basis here (nature of the beast so to speak!!)
That’s annoying in regards to the GP & UTI test don’t you think? If your consultant has advised the test then I’d be visiting my local A&E & explaining your situation, hopefully the test should be processed there & then for you! To be honest a UTI was the first thing I thought of when you described your symptoms but I’m not a Dr & if this isn’t the case it needs investigating further. It’s reassuring though that your PET scan showed no bladder involvement.
I spoke to a guy at work in the very beginning of the pandemic who deals with IT systems for GP’s surgeries etc., & he said he was working with local health centres & surgeries on their systems & said following this we would never use our GP’s surgeries again the way we used them pre-pandemic so if what he was saying was correct unfortunately this is the way it will be with trying to see/speak with a GP now & in turn this is going to transfer more & more pressure over to our A&E departments!
I hope that you get sorted quickly & that it’s an easy fix for you, everything is a worry at this stage isn’t it?
Let us know how you get on.
Nicola
Hi Prettypinkroses, you’re so right about it being difficult to trust your body! As Nikki65 says, “everything is a worry at this stage”.
My diagnosis last year didn’t come as a shock - like you it was T4 - but I was, like Colonel Shrimp-Blathers-Smythe of Tunbridge Wells
, shocked & disgusted to find poo coming out of my vagina due to a fistula.
So of course I worried myself sick that this’d be permanent or need surgery. But as the tumour got blasted & shrunk, most of the symptoms disappeared, & I’ve been reassured that surgery won’t be necessary.
Worrying is natural & inevitable but most of the things we worry about don’t happen. Good luck with the UTI test x toni
That’s great information to share Prettypinkroses regarding the Boots test & treat service, I was completely unaware that this was a thing!
Yes there’s nothing like a cancer diagnosis to make you lose trust in your body! It’s an awful feeling! Cancer has no discretion on who it affects fit/unfit, super healthy/unhealthy, this is something that I’ve personally had to work on since I’ve completed treatment etc., & I know of people that have gone on to do survivorship courses to help with this.
I agree it’s a worry about people that aren’t tech savvy & how they will manage with these new systems, I’m lucky with my GP’s surgery that if you’re prepared to wait in line on the telephone we can still speak to a receptionist but how long that will continue I’m not sure!
Nicola
Update:- UTI negative but trace of blood. Was a bit worried still so spoke with a doctor friend and pretty sure it is my period. PHEW. Even though my period ended 6 or 7 days ago they think it might just be a bit of mixed up hormones and what not. I’m peri menopausal so although I’m still regular as clockwork every 28 days I find sometimes I might have 3 day period and another time 5 or 6 days
Of course my memory is even worse at the moment due to lack of sleep, pain etc so I’d though my period had ended much more than 6 or 7 days ago plus it had a few days off which is not unheard of.
Kept pain under control today which helped (I’ve started writing down times of pain killer so I can keep to a schedule and keep on top of it).
Thank goodness for you lovely peeps on here to keep me on the straight & narrow!!!
Planning scan will be scheduled for later this week so hopefully treatment can start soon and I can stop walking like John Wayne!!
Have started ordering lists of items from Amazon like gel cushions, sitz bath, water bottles etc what a mine of great information this place is!
Thanks again all x
Hi Prettypinkroses,
Good to hear there’s no UTI, that’s all you need on top of everything else! Also good to hear your planning scan will be done this week too.
I was told by my Dr that I see for my arthritis that pain relief works most efficiently if you keep the levels constant in your body so what you’re doing with writing down & keeping a schedule for your pain meds is a great idea.
Preparation keeps you busy in the run up to treatment & is a great way to occupy your mind! If you’re the main cook in the house like me it’s useful to try & batch cook some meals to freeze too for later on in your treatment on days that you really can’t be bothered. Another thing I used a lot of was Water Wipes, I found them easier & gentler to wipe with when I’d been to the loo than toilet paper as once my skin started to react to the radiotherapy toilet paper began feeling quite abrasive. Oh & the little feminine product disposal bags as the wipes aren’t flushable! I also stocked up on Epsom salts & some Dead Sea salts (both Westlab) as again when the skin reaction began I found a warm salt bath very soothing.
Hopefully it won’t be long now before your treatment starts.
Nicola
