Haematuria, what is 'normal'?

Hello Chris (Odd Man In ) 

I understand your feelings here as many of us haven't suffered like this at all, and any discharge of blood is not natural and causes worry and stress.

Personally I would get back to the RT team and tell them you aren't happy and is there anything they can do for you. 

If you read my journey I had an indwelling catheter for 10 months and the blood in mine was caused by my kidneys failing (being crushed by an overfull bladder being restricted by a large prostate). Just a thought but what is your eGFR? This is a simple blood test to see how well your kidneys are clearing waste matter - your eGFR should be 60 or above.

I do hope you get the problem sorted.

Best wishes - Brian.

Hi Brian, my eGFR was recently measured at 83, happily.

I have been in touch with my RT team and they were sympathetic but not overly concerned.  My hydration and pain relief strategy seemed to be OK. They suggested a urine analysis. My GP has done this and I expect the results 23/03/2026.

My TWOC is due on 30/04/2026, so I hope I get the pain and bleeding under control by then.

A walk in the park this is not...

Cheers,

Chris

Thanks for the reply Chris (Odd Man In) 

Stick with it - I know it's hard, I do miss my catheter, those nights when I didn't have to get up 2/3 times for a wee and had a full 8/9 hours sleep!!

I wish you well with the urine analysis and hope for a speedy change in circumstances.

Oh for an eGFR of 83 - 4 years after diagnosis and I can only get mine to 58 but it's better than 8 on Christmas Day 2021!!

Do keep in touch.

Best wishes - Brian.

Hi Odd Man In I have never had a catheter so can’t talk with personal experience.  My gut feeling is for you to increase your fluid intake and if remotely possible reduce the co-codamol.   Fluid intake should be at least 2 litres a day and as long as you don’t drink bottled water, I don’t think drinking more is a problem. (Pure water without minerals can be very dangerous in large quantities).  Co-codamol contains codeine which can cause constipation.  Are these prescribed or your choice?  An option (but under medical advice) might be alternate paracetamol and Ibruprofen.  If you are no better by the end of March, I would be back with my team asking for help.

Hi David, the 30mg co-codamol was my choice once it became obvious that the 15mg doses did not help. Ibuprofen is out really due to my stable angina. I also take 75mg aspirin daily, and both the hospital and my GP approved a 5-day break from it to reduce the bleeding a little.

I will seek further help from the hospital if I'm still struggling close to my planned return to work (07/04/2026).

Cheers,

Chris

Hi Chris Odd Man In ),  that’s a bit of a concoction and each drug has side effects.  I wonder if a chat to a pharmacist might be best?  I stand by the keep up the liquid intake though.

Hi David, hydration is key for me. I take the aspirin as a blood-thinner due to my angina.

Interestingly, after posting this morning I had breakfast. The bleediing didn't stop, but the pain did - almost completely.

Cheers,

Chris

Chris, small steps.  Let’s hope it settles down now.

Taking the aspirin as a blood thinner MAY make any bleeding worse.

Have a chat to the people advising you.

It is certain that their ideas will be better than anything I say.

Keep going onwards and upwards, however hard the climb.