This happens once, sometimes twice a year. Doc says it's from the radiation I took. I had high dose radiation seeds put into the prostate for a few (can't remember how long they left the seeds in me) hours before being pulled out. I think I notice that this happens when I do stretching and twisting of my abdomen when I wake up. I haven't done these stretching for a long time but just started stretching again. I am mainly doing twisting my legs over my abdomen to the left and then to the right after I get up, but still in my bed. Also I am doing sit-ups to reduce my tummy. I did these exercises this morning and at mid-day I just had a few drops of blood after peeing. This usually gets me scared but I think I'm getting used to this happening. This blood-after- peeing happened to my friend too, but I don't know if he was doing stretching like I do. Does this happen to anyone else out there? Thanks for your reply.
motosue
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motosue
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I had high dose rate brachytherapy plus external beam radiation. I had blood in both urine and semen for some weeks during and afterward. The semen looked awful - dark red.
When you say that you can see a few drops, I presume you mean that there is a slight color change. I wouldn't expect drops of blood to be separate from the urine. I would expect them to be dissolved in it. Are you seeing a small color change or something else?
Apparently, one common effect of radiation is scarring. I was told that, for example, rectal scarring is common after external beam radiation and my rad onc examined me with one of those endoscopes (or whatever it is) and showed it to me on a TV monitor. The scar tissue is less flexible and more fragile than regular tissue. However I expect that it toughens up over time. Hopefully, what you're experiencing is not medically significant and may, eventually cease to happen. I now do hundreds of situps every two days and don't seem to have the problem.
Incidentally, my HDR treatment consisted of about 15 or so plastic needles inserted into the prostate. A robotic arm then inserted and positioned a single radioactive seed in one of the needles, held it in position for a few seconds, moved it, held it, moved it, held it, and, at some point, pulled it out and inserted it into the next needle, and so on until all of the prostate had been treated. Then the seed was removed.
At any rate, that's what the doc told me would happen. I was asleep the whole time.
I see the blood at the end of the peeing. The drips come out when you are finished peeing. It's not dark red but not the regular yellowish color. From your email, I think it's from stretching and breaking the scar tissue a little. I think if I stop doing my stretching/sit-ups for a little while it will heal up. Thanks for your reply.
motosue
I too had this issue a few times from IMRT. I about freaked out the first time. And as Alan said about semen color, yuck. In my case, it hasn't happened in a couple years. Now the rectal problem is another nightmare you wouldn't want to have happen. I had two bouts of it, and the only description I have for it, is it's downright disgustingly gross. Enough said.
I had a somewhat similar experience. One day, about three years post-radiation, I was standing over the john for my first morning pee and out came frank blood. Like Joe, I about freaked. Called my urologist who had me come in to be scoped, said there was some scarring and that this was not an uncommon side effect. Gee, I wish someone had told me that in advance! I was told it could happen from time to time but I have noticed that I only have recurrences if I get a bit dehydrated or do heavy lifting, neither of which I let happen often. I did have to also give up on abdominal exercises as that resulted in bloody pee, also. So drink lots of water, let your gut go to the dogs and don't help your wife move the furniture. Good luck!
Motosue: The "diagnosis" that it's from radiation may be right, but I think I'd like to know, as by cystoscopic exam of bladder since bladder cancer is a potential secondary cancer from SOME radiation treatments. Maybe doc knows some other symptoms of Bladder Cancer that you're not exhibiting that makes him comfortable. Another cause may be related to your "exercise". Runners and other athletes (like me!) can see a drop or two occasionally; it's actually called "runner's hematuria".
Odds are VERY high that it is from radiation. But what if, as in my case, it is due to bladder cancer? Mine was primary (not related to my PC), but it can also be secondary to your PC. Either way, bladder cancer is a bigger alligator than PC. I initially ignored my two drops of blood right after a major gym workout, but months later my PCP said GET YOUR ASS TO A UROLOGIST TOMORROW. CT scan showed a faint shadow in the bladder, a scope confirmed the bladder cancer, a biopsy during that scoping confirmed that it was low-grade and non-invasive (cancer, but easily cured), and a bigger scope a week later removed the cancer.
I'd want to know for a FACT that any blood I spotted long after radiation was not BC. It's too easy to confirm not to do it. The scope process takes a couple of minutes, is painless, and after two days of stinging when you pee you pretty much fugheddaboutit. Your only remaining emotion is relief that you now KNOW it was just the radiation. BTW, radiation SEs like this (or in the bowel) often surface years later, so it's no surprise. It's one of the main reasons I chose surgery.
About losing belly fat with situps ... it doesn't work that way. All WE can do with excess fat is burn some off; each individual body determines which fat cells it robs of fat. Abdominal fat is usually by far the LAST source of shed fat. That's bad, because visceral fat (i.e., fat behind our abs surrounding our organs) pumps out carcinogenic hormones, much of them into the very organs they surround. It behaves like an ORGAN, not like the disgusting sack of inert lard we see in the jar at the doctor's office. It also heralds Type 2 diabetes (T2DM), which will kill many of its "victims" faster than our PC does. (I put "victims" in quotes because T2DM is almost always self-inflicted and is also self-curable and even self-reversible ... without drugs.)
Thanks so much for your informative advice. I appreciate that you , along with the others who wrote, took a lot of your precious time to give your wisdom and experience. At least I have an appointment to see my urologist tomorrow. I'm going to talk to him about shoving scope up. Take care and best of health to you and everyone who replied to my problem.
motosue
It is disturbing to see blood in your urine. I had some really bloody voids when I still had a supra-pubic catheter installed after HIFU. Thankfully I am not seeing this anymore. One thing I tried was to avoid taking NSAIDS (aspirin, aleve, etc) for a while in hopes that things would heal up. Good luck.
I believe you most likely have what is commonly called bladder cystitis and other than being a pain in the a$$, is mostly harmless if you don't get clots in your bladder. If you do, you won't be able to pee and they will put you in a hospital and flush you out to get rid of the clots. Don't freak! They will do a cystoscope to be sure the is not a secondary cancer, and if it's clean, good to go!
I had the bleeding too...I went to urologist and was scoped it is from the radiation...still healing in the bladder and I haven't been beamed in almost 2 yrs. It has stopped but seeing blood had me very concerned. I suppose it's our normal?
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