I'm wondering if other PC members have difficulty separating what is a physical ailment from what is a symptom of mental illness. I've been dealing with a number of symptoms recently. Some are clearly physical. Others could be physical. But they also could be the result of my ongoing depression & anxiety. It all started about 3 weeks ago. I came down with a respiratory illness that has been going around our area. I was ill with it for only a couple of days before it gradually began to subside. At this point, all I have left of it is a persistent cough that comes & goes.

About a week-&-a-half ago I was still coughing uncontrollably & this was keeping me up at night. So, for 2 nights, I took some of one of these over-the-counter nighttime relief cold medicines. The day after I took the 2nd dose, I had bloody urine. I presumed the cold med had reacted with the Cymbalta I take. So I stopped taking the cold medicine. I also went in to my clinic. They ran a blood test & it came back normal. The bloody urine disappeared. Then exactly a week later it reappeared one time. Then it disappeared again. Since then, I've been experiencing some minor pains of a couple of different types in the pubic area. It also seems as though my urine is more concentrated than it used to be. But I'm not sure about this. In addition, I'm feeling really tired & my low back (which I have ongoing problems with) is acting up. All I want to do is sleep.

The problem is that I'm having a difficult time figuring out how much of this is really a physical problem & how much is symptoms of my depression & anxiety. As I wrote above, my blood test was normal. And the nurse practitioner I saw said bloody urine isn't necessarily unusual. I don't want to be running off to the clinic repeatedly if I'm just getting all bent out of shape over nothing. But I don't know how to separate what is the result of depression & anxiety from what is something that could actually be serious & should be checked out. Any thoughts?

[CANDC]

Skeezyks, I am not a doctor so if you want to research this you might try reliable sites in this list
https://www.google.com/search?ix=acb...ean&gws_rd=ssl

If you like ginger, you can add powder to how water about 1/8 to 1/4 measuring tsp. Gives some relief from respiratory constrictions during colder weather.

You might also reasearch herbs that might help if you do not feel like continuing with traditional medicine.

Yoga or Qi Gong also help energize the internal organs. If interested post reply or pm me and I can send you links to youtube for both

[-jimi-]

We don't have cold medicines here, but is it possible it contained something that would change the color or your urine?

[SnakeCharmer]

Skeezyks, blood in the urine is never normal. There are several things that could be causing the problem that cannot be picked up by a blood test.

On the easy side is a bladder infection. Bladder infections are rare in young men, but become increasingly common in older men if the prostate gland enlarges and makes it difficult to empty the bladder completely (something most men don't realize in the early stages.) All of the symptoms you've mentioned (other than respiratory) could be caused by a bladder infection.

In older adults, bladder infections often do not present as they do in a person below age 50. In a young person, the symptoms usually include serious pain, burning, urgency and frequency of urination. The urine may be bloody, cloudy or strong or foul smelling. There may be low back pain or pain in the pubic area.

In older people, the infection may present entirely with cognitive or psychological symptoms, fatigue and argumentativeness.

An infection is usually diagnosed by a urine sample. It takes only simple equipment to detect red or white blood cells in the urine, which can indicate infection. That usually takes a matter of minutes. The urine sample may have to be cultured to detect exactly what bacteria is causing the problem. The treatment is usually antibiotics.

There can be much more serious problems in the kidneys, bladder or prostate. These symptoms should never be ignored, especially in an older person. It may require a referral to an urologist to get a proper diagnosis.

My H was diagnosed with a serious bladder disorder about 3 years ago. His physical exam and complete blood work came back perfect. His only symptom was blood in the urine on three separate occasions and mild low back discomfort that felt somehow different than the low back pain he'd experienced for years.

His problem was diagnosed by an urologist using a scope into the bladder. If he had not been diagnosed and treated, it would have been bad. Very bad.

I don't want to make this sound dire, but ignoring blood in the urine, especially in an older man, can lead to bad consequences. Please get this checked out and don't let the nurse practitioner tell you blood in the urine is normal or that you had a normal blood test.

Kidney function can be analyzed with a blood test, but most problems in the bladder can't be diagnosed that way. It may take a scope or ultrasound test.

With all that said, your symptoms sound a lot like a bladder infection. Blood, concentrated urine, low back discomfort, pubic discomfort, fatigue and depression/anxiety.

Please get yourself checked out and come back and tell us how you fare at the clinic. You, and every other person with blood in their urine, deserves a thorough work-up. If infection is ruled out, then a referral to an urologist is a good idea. Let me make that stronger ... in an older man, a referral to an urologist is essential.

Here's a link to the Mayo Clinic:

Blood in urine (hematuria) Definition - Diseases and Conditions - Mayo Clinic

I wish you the best and hope this is a simple thing that can be easily treated.

[geis]

Um, yeah, what kind of NP says bloody urine is normal? That's not true, and I doubt mental illness could cause that. But I do understand how hard it can be to get adequate physical health care, especially if they know you have a mental illness diagnosis. I had excruciating pain and bloody stool written off for two weeks as psychosomatic until I nearly died of what turned out to be a very real autoimmune disorder. In managing my disease, I've learned that normal labs don't necessarily mean nothing's physically wrong--there are a lot of things that just don't show up in labs.

If it's at all possible, I'd advise seeing a different medical professional. It's okay to doctor shop if your concerns are being ignored and you're not being adequately treated. They can be hard to find, but there are good doctors out there who will take you seriously. (I wish I could lend you mine; he's the absolute BEST.) Don't give up just because one NP blew you off.

[kiwi33]

The Skeezyks, I very strongly endorse what SnakeCharmer has written.

Blood in the urine is not normal and needs urgent investigation.

I suggest that you get your doctor to refer you to a urologist and/or a renal specialist - both of whom will be able to carry out detailed clinical examinations.

All the best.

[baseline]

I also agree. Blood in the urine is not normal. It can be infection, kidney stones, prostate problems etc. Only by having proper testing blood, urine, will you know for certain . These are definitely physical not mental symptoms. Have you had any recent physical trauma like a fall or accident. Good luck and feel better !!!

Originally Posted by -jimi-

We don't have cold medicines here, but is it possible it contained something that would change the color or your urine?

No. When I had the blood test, they also did a urine test which confirmed it was blood... as opposed to... say... cherry soda pop! Thanks for asking

[unaluna]

Does it help for men to drink cranberry juice? I would be worried about that lingering cough - do you have walking pneumonia? That can tire you out and make you question reality about being sick or not - at least it does me. That preoccupation to me is one of the signs i really am sick. Also try ginger lemon tea - that stuff is so horrible it kills any germs.

[Angelique67]

Whenever I get sick I always have a lying down nighttime cough that lasts forever. But I echo the concerns about the blood in the urine. Please get someone to take that more seriously.

[SnakeCharmer]

Skeezyks, my husband asked me to tell you this: He deeply regrets waiting until the third time he had blood in his urine before he did something about it. He often wonders if he had done something sooner if he would have had an easier time of it.

He was told by a medical assistant that it was not uncommon for men his age to have some bleeding from the prostate and it was nothing to worry about.

The first two bleeds happened about a week apart and the third happened about three months later. That's when we got really insistent and a referral was made to an urologist. Getting the appointment, getting in, getting the test results, that all took about two months and then another month to get the treatment started because he had to get off some meds before they could start. He wonders about that six month delay. He'd feel more settled in his mind if he'd acted more assertively right from the beginning.

He urgently wants you to be assertive and not wait. Maybe it is just an infection or just a little bleeding from the prostate -- nothing much to worry about. But you won't know without some serious testing.

He sends his regards and hopes it turns out to be much ado about nothing. We both wish you the best.

THANK YOU ALL so much for all your wonderful replies! Where else but on PC could anyone hope to receive such loving concern? I am truly touched.

I went in to my clinic earlier this evening & saw one of the doctors. I provided a new urine sample to test. The results should be available on Monday. In the meantime, the clinic will make arrangements for me to see a urologist. The doctor I saw felt this is a good precaution.

One reason for the referral to the urologist, at this time, is something I had not mentioned previously. I was diagnosed with prostate cancer about 15 years ago. As a result of this, I underwent a radical prostatectomy. So I no longer have this gland. In fact, it was this illness that began my slide down into "public" mental illness. Prior to that I had managed to keep my mental health problems to myself & to stumble along from one day to the next.

Following prostate surgery, I had to have a double hernia repair; which I was told is not uncommon following prostate surgery. Then I sustained a serious low back injury which caused me to develop a ruptured disc that impinged the sciatic nerve. I now have sciatica down both legs.

So, all-in-all, I'm kind-of a mess in general. But as a result of my hx of prostate cancer, the physician I saw this afternoon, felt it would be best to proceed with a urologic referral.

Originally Posted by SnakeCharmer

Skeezyks, my husband asked me to tell you this: He deeply regrets waiting until the third time he had blood in his urine before he did something about it. He often wonders if he had done something sooner if he would have had an easier time of it.

He was told by a medical assistant that it was not uncommon for men his age to have some bleeding from the prostate and it was nothing to worry about.

The first two bleeds happened about a week apart and the third happened about three months later. That's when we got really insistent and a referral was made to an urologist. Getting the appointment, getting in, getting the test results, that all took about two months and then another month to get the treatment started because he had to get off some meds before they could start. He wonders about that six month delay. He'd feel more settled in his mind if he'd acted more assertively right from the beginning.

He urgently wants you to be assertive and not wait. Maybe it is just an infection or just a little bleeding from the prostate -- nothing much to worry about. But you won't know without some serious testing.

He sends his regards and hopes it turns out to be much ado about nothing. We both wish you the best.

Snakecharmer: Please thank your husband for me. The 2 bleeds about a week apart got my attention since this is exactly what I have experienced so far! I do hope your husband is doing well now. My very best wishes to you both...

[SnakeCharmer]

Thank you, Skeezyks. My husband is doing very well right now, but it has been touch and go with big surgeries and other treatments that might have been avoided with earlier dx. He's glad to hear you have a referral to a urologist. We're both hoping this turns out to be "not much" and that we'll be slightly embarrassed for urging you to get bigger testing. That would be a wonderful kind of embarrassment!

Take Care!