What is going on with my husband?

NPBTAC
NPBTAC Member Posts: 1
edited March 2014 in Bladder Cancer #1
My husband is 36 years old - he recently began complaining of a frequent need to urinate (it has been going on for 3-4 weeks). I automatically thought UTI. I finally talked him into going to the ER - which was a waste of time - but, they did an urinalysis and ruled out an infection. He then went to an urologist and had cat scans of his abdomen and pelvic area. Everything came back normal. The doctor then examined him using a scope (not sure of the name of the procedure) and that came back normal. So, it was again thought that it must be an infection but he is not responding to the antibiotics (Cipro).

I'm greatly concerned (as well as my husband - I now know where the expression "worry yourself to death" comes from) and was wondering if anyone has had a similar situation or has any advice. We don't know where to procede from here - second opinion?

Thank you for your help.

Comments

  • Canadoll
    Canadoll Member Posts: 7
    #2
    It sounds to me as though your husband just has an overactive bladder and should be grateful that is all it is. If they have done all those tests and everything is comding back normal then it doesn't sound as though you have anything to worry about. Is there any blood in the urine? Go for a second opinion if you still don't believe him, then maybe you can relax.

    Take care, Canadoll
  • fishing
    fishing Member Posts: 2
    #3
    Hi,
    My husband is a bladder cancer survivor.
    If all your tests came back good...
    Consider these few things...
    Tea ,coffee, sugar free diet drinks, soda...
    When my husband stopped drinking all the fluids before bedtime he did stop going so much in the night. Perhaps a try at reduction of fluids would be worth a try. Anything with acid makes him go alot, orange juice etc...
    If your husband smokes...get him to try stopping...Bladder cancer is known to grow faster
    in cancer patients. Whatever you do keep an eye on it with yearly check ups.
  • kathieb
    kathieb Member Posts: 2
    #4
    I am so sorry to hear about your worrying. Becasue of your husband's age, I am sure everything is OK. However, I strongly suggest pursuing the problem. Do not rest until you are sure everything is OK. My Dad (remember he is much older than your husband, 65 y.o.) had similar problems starting in October 2006. All tests, PSA, scoping, blood, etc., showed normal. Hoever, he did have blood in his urine. Now they are saying there is cancer somewhere in the groin area (bladder, prostate, etc.) and is spreading rapidly. Do not be scared, I am not trying to do that to you. I just want to tell you to go on with tests and do not take an infection as the answer. We were also told that numerous times and had nemerous Rx for Cipro and Leviquin to no avail. Listen to your heart and push the doctors to find the answer. Worrying to death will happen until you find out for sure that your husband is fine. My thoughts and prayers are with you both and your family.
  • sur5er
    sur5er Member Posts: 4
    #5
    Although I am quite a bit older than your husband (60+) I too was having problems urinating.I could visibly see white matter (tissue or something else) being passed in my urine on a regular basis. My urologist did a PSA (normal) and bopsy of 6 nodes (again all normal). He then put me on Cipro for 14 days. The symptoms disappeared, but as soon as the Cipro was discontinued, I started to see more matter in the urine. Thiis went on for 3 cycles (14 days each). I finally asked him what the problem was, and his reply was "there's nothing there", to which I replied "don't tell me there's nothing there - I can SEE something and it's not normal". During this time I was also having clinical blood in my urine (it showed up on urine tests, but wasn't something I could see with my eyes).

    Since he didn't seem to think there was any problem, I decided to seek a second opinion. The second urologist told me that "we have a problem" and referred me to a colo-rectal specialist. He finally informed me that I had cancer, but that they couldn't decide if it was colon invading the bladder or vice versa.

    When I had my surgery, they discovered that it was neither colon and bladder cancer but appendiceal in origin (appendix). They removed my appendix and half of my colon, leaving me with a colostomy. It was diagnosed as stage IV (terminal) and I was given 6 to 18 months to live by three different oncologists. That was 3 years ago this month.

    I would suggest that your husband may want to have a cystoscopy done. This is where a small flexible tube is inserted into the bladder, with a camera sttached, so that the doctors can see what is actually inside the bladder, and if they see anything that looks suspicious, they can either do a "washing" or a biopsy to remove a sample for further daignosis. It is usually done as an out-patient procedure, and, with prep time, usually takes less than an hour. The only side effect is that there will continue to be visible blood in the urine for a period of time (usually less than a couple of days) following the procedure. They tell you, obviously, if the blood continues or if it becomes severe, to seek ER attention immediately. From what I have read and heard, this is an extremnely rare side effect, and the procedure, while not completely pain-free, does not limit mobility (you can walk out after it gets done) or have any other major side effects.

    Hope that this might help you. Please let me know if I can help you any further.

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