Health scare

After much debate, I decided to write about this. I think the main reason is that "men don't talk about things like this. . ." Mothers and daughters have discussion about OB-GYN visits, but my knowledge came mostly from the movie "Fletch" ("using the whole hand, doc?")

Saturday, December 16th, I noticed blood in my urine. I had a red "clot-like" glob (for lack of a better term) and a dark brown color. Searches of WebMD and Mayo Clinic said seek doctor ASAP. Many of the searches listed cancer (prostate, bladder, kidney) as a possibility. I went into the doctor on Sunday and tests confirmed there was blood in the urine. I was given antibiotics for a possible bladder infection (rare in men) and told that the urine sample would be cultured and it would take 3 days for results.

Within a couple of days, I was back to feeling normal and stopped worrying about it. Then, in mid-January, the blood was back. I scheduled an appointment with my regular doctor. It was a few days until I could get in and by the time I got there, my urine test was negative for blood. I had no pain in my kidneys, bladder, or groin area. Because I was over 35 and did not have family medical history due to my adoption, the doctor decided to order more tests. An ultrasound and a Urologist consult were scheduled.

The ultrasound found some "shadows" on my left kidney, but the operators would not say anything. So it was a long week's wait for the appointment to review the results with the Urologist.

The Urologist reviewed the ultrasound with me. The "shadows" were two small kidney stones that were much too small to worry about or need to treat. The kidney's looked good.

The doc then performed a Cystoscopy:

Cystoscopy is a test that allows your doctor to look at the interior lining of the bladder and the urethra. The cystoscope is a thin, lighted viewing instrument that is inserted into the urethra and advanced into the bladder.

WebMd Link

Liquid is injected into the bladder and then the scope is moved around to view the bladder. The good news: my bladder looked great and kidney function was normal. The bad news; it was very discomforting and the effects lasted for about 12 hours (discomfort, trouble urinating, pain while urinating, etc.).

I then had an examination of my testes and a rectal digital exam of my prostrate. Turns out, the prostrate is the one thing down there you do like to be told is "very small." Everything was normal and good.

The doc thinks I had a small kidney stone with a sharp edge that scratched the urethea while being passed. I had no discomfort from the stone directly, no stones in my bladder, and no need for worry. I was told to follow up with my regular doc and sent on my way.

Felt great to get a clear bill of health. Oh yeah, on all the visits they also took my blood pressure and I was told that was looking good also. It has dropped quite a bit since I started running from the top edge of normal into a good range.

So I am cleared again for the marathon. Just need some warm days so I can train easier. Last night, I ran 4 miles in -5* with windchill again! With all the layers, it feels more like a waddle than a run. . .