Hi All,
Newbie here. 56 YO male, starting seeing red in my urine in Oct 2025 off and on about a day every 2 weeks. Thought it was food (I do like my beetroot) until I noticed some clots in late Nov. Saw GP in early Dec, who ruled out UTI and made an urgent referral for urology investigations. Was a bit awkward as had CT urogram booked for Christmas eve and had to explain to all the relatives turning up for the Christmas period (where I was doing all the hosting and cooking etc) why I had to pop out to the hospital. Was also booked for a cystoscopy in early Jan but between Christmas and the NY got a call (during family pub lunch!) to go in for a F2F meeting. During that meeting was advised CT results definitely showed a lesion with high probability of being malignant, so they cancelled cystoscopy and booked in for TURBT. Had TURBT 8 days ago and needed 3 days in hospital due to excessive bleeding/ clotting so needed re- catheterization and a few days of irrigation. Came home 5 days ago and just a bit sore in the tummy/ painful peeing and slightly pink urine now and again. Back to work 2 days ago (desk job - going crazy staring at the walls at home).
Main issue now is the incredible anxiety waiting for pathology results. I'm guessing another 2 weeks until I get the call to go in to discuss findings. Really hard to focus on anything, can't get off to sleep easily. Was following a strict exercise regime (running / rowing 5 times a week before surgery) and I'm missing that terribly, as I use exercise to deal with stress and anxiety in general. Gentle walking for an hour is all I'm doing now but it's not the same. When's the soonest I could resume some light jogging? I'm guessing I need to hold off for a couple more weeks. Would welcome any suggestions / tips from anyone in a similar position on how they coped, with both the mental anxiety / brain fog / distraction while waiting for results, but also on what to substitute for physical exercise if that was important to you pre op.
Also would welcome any advice on what questions I should ask when I do get called in to discuss results / treatment plans.
Many thanks!
Hi Baldyboffin and welcome to this friendly and supportive group. Your story will be familiar to many of us. The early days of uncertainty and not knowing can be the worst, but be aware BC can be treated successfully. Waiting for results is hard for everyone and never gets any easier. When you do get an appointment, it is best to take someone with you as you can be overwhelmed with information you soon forget. You should be told a stage and grade and treatment plan, but you will probably have a follow up TURBT and some scans which is standard. A second TURBT is usually a lot easier than the first and gives them a more accurate diagnosis. It takes up to six weeks for the wound to heal and any strenuous activity is not recommended in that time as it can aggravate things. In the meantime it is recommended to drink plenty of water regularly to flush out any debris and prevent blockages. Feel free to ask anything as many of us have been there. Best wishes.
