Bladder Cancer Symptoms

Bladder cancer often causes no symptoms until it reaches an advanced state that is difficult to cure.

The most common symptoms of bladder cancer include the following:

• Blood in the urine (haematuria)
• Pain or burning during urination without evidence of urinary tract infection
• Change in bladder habits, such as having to urinate more often or feeling the strong urge to urinate without producing much urine

These symptoms are non-specific. This means that these symptoms are also linked with many other conditions that have nothing to do with cancer.

Having these symptoms does not necessarily mean you have bladder cancer.

People who can see blood in their urine, especially older males who smoke, are considered to have a high likelihood of bladder cancer until proven otherwise. Other high risks are working in environments that contains high levels hydrocarbons gases; e.g. petroleum, paint, cleaning and perfume vapours

• Blood in the urine is usually the first warning sign of bladder cancer.
• Unfortunately, the blood is often invisible to the eye. This is called microscopic haematuria, but is detectable with a simple urine test stick.
• In some cases, enough blood is in the urine to noticeably change the urine colour. The urine may have a slightly pink or orange hue, or it may be bright red with or without clots.

emedicinehealth.com

Its about time I wrote about them as they have been quite a focus.
There seems to have been four stages.

1. Before I noticed the haematuria it felt more like a case of bloat after eating too much, which to some degree it was. However it wasn't the full story.
2. Then for a short period they became more butterfly like and were accompanied by a slight disorientation, and followed by obvious gross haematuria.
3. Next followed the prolonged period of some two months or more of a cold feeling just about and maybe to the left of the bladder area. A bit as if maybe some nerves were healing. Although it would come and go, almost in sync with eating it didn't sync with any passing of blood visible or otherwise. It conveniently started just around the time I started using herbs, although I can't really ally it to that . It also stopped a day or two before I finished a specific TCM, some three or four days ago.
4. So now I'm in a stage where it's infrequent as I though there was an odd lighter feeling, only once or twice since

July 7th
Just a short note to say the twinges are fairly evident lots of the time but as noted about they are not the cold ones I used to have. I'm also not drinking at all so I'd better change that and see what happens.

20th June 09:30
Yesterday I spoke to Dr M as I gathered she had the results of the cytology tests. Two of the three ’showed indications of transitional cell carcinoma’.

Draft ideas to present to 'Statutory Health Professionals'

How significant is the indication is that either the haematuria has stopped or just about so?

The first issue is that I wasn't able to monitor events earlier as a) I wasn't aware that there could have been a problem for possibly six months prior to the obvious; b) once there was a visual indication I thought the first two instances could just be anomalies from strain; and c) when I did approach the GP she was against my self-monitoring.

I see no reason why people should be discouraged from self monitoring, and the cost of 10p per week can hardly be a legitimate reason not to object. Urine testing can expose a substantial range of metabolic imbalances or abnormalities. Once a person finds an anomaly they could then monitor daily. On approaching a GP for assistance then everything possible should be done to help the 'patient' (bad word) investigate and or monitor their condition.

As far as my personal condition goes, I'm waiting at least until the end of the month so I can show a months results of little or no haematuria. That there is some, is only notable as I have testing sticks indicating that, which would otherwise go unnoticed to the unaided eye.

Without the test sticks I would have no idea of what is going on.

My 'worry' now is not that I may have any obvious haematuria indicating a continued or increased physiological damage, but that even a few cells could indicate an unwanted turn of events. I haven't found data on urine samples in either a haematuric or a 'clean urine' situation.

At least the data I am gathering may be of some use even if the situation deteriorates.

I have created a graph, spanning 3 months with a backward projection indicating the level of haematuria for fortnightly periods. Both exponential and logarithmic trends are optimistic.

However I can see the reluctance of any GP to be unimpressed, and for their professional standing would like to have further information via cystoscopy. Their requirement to maintain a professional standing does not necessarily equate to the best procedure, just the commonly accepted one.

I am not a slave to the health professionals and their insistence on an invasive procedure is largely authoritarian. Until their desire to investigate equates to mine their use of "we need to get to the bottom of this'' or "this doesn't help us" is just bullying. There is no 'we' or 'us' in present situation. I am gathering information so I can acquaint myself with my body. Without a satisfactory and common knowledge there can be no agreement on what action would enhance this diagnosis.

Statistical evidence is the method by which common procedure are agreed, and yet I see no evidence that my analysis is spurious to the investigation. Only further monitoring and evidence would provide enough statistics to show that such an investigative method would be useful in diagnosis.

On the graph below, apart from the obvious and substantially progressive decline, the notable points are:

1. The red horizontal line indicates the theoretical maximum that the urine testing sticks can define, at approx 200 cells/µlt
2. At 300 cells/µlt the blood may be visible??
3. The blue mark and blue hatched area is an estimate of the average for the two week period before I acquired the testing sticks. The figure if anything is more likely to be on the low side.
4. Exponential projections would never reach zero, and the logarithmic projection indicates complete cessation at the beginning of June, which is much the case.

I wondered my urine pH is frequently low at 6.

The following extract states that the common pH level is 6 and that a vegetarian diet is likely to produce a more alkaline urine. Further that early morning urine is relatively acidic due to lack of oxygenation following lower respiration whilst sleeping .

So if I test later in the day, say about noon and its generally above 6 then that may be fine. I am a bit concerned about the 'Mission' sticks giving a lower reading that UriTest and must get in contact with the suppliers and manufacturers. Will also ask Dr McCormick for half a dozen of the ones they use.

My concern was that I read somewhere that cancer cells create an acidic environment.

From: BBC News

Bicarbonate 'could detect cancer'

The naturally-occurring chemical bicarbonate, used to make baking soda, could help detect cancer using sensitive scanning, research suggests.

Bicarbonate is involved in the body's balancing of acid and alkali.

But cancerous tissue is known to turn it into carbon dioxide.

The Cancer Research UK team found MRI scans were able to track changes in the chemical and therefore identify cancers even in the very early stages.
Almost all cancer has a lower pH, meaning it is more acidic than surrounding tissue.

2008/05/28

From: rnceus.com

"The glomerular filtrate of blood is usually acidified by the kidneys from a pH of approximately 7.4 to a pH of about 6 in the urine."

"A diet rich in citrus fruits, legumes, and vegetables raises the pH and produces urine that is more alkaline."

"During sleep, decreased pulmonary ventilation causes respiratory acidosis. As a result, a first waking urine specimen is usually highly acidic."

For more on the diet see:
ACIDIC URINE - A MUST FOR THE UROSTOMATE NOTE:This site seems to have closed (19th July, 2009)
Please try this site: ctds.info/acidic-foods.html

"Very often a person with a urostomy is told not to drink orange juice, but is not given an explanation as to why. The rationale behind the advice actually applies to anyone who ever has had a bladder infection. Acidic urine tends to keep bacteria in check, thereby reducing the incidence of infection, and decrease crystal formation. But oranges and most other citrus fruits are not used by the body as acid but as alkaline."

For a more detailed explanation and list of foods:
Your Body pH Affects Everything:

" WHAT CAUSES ACID IN THE BODY

The primary cause of an acidic condition in your body is from what you put in your mouth. In other words, what you eat and what you drink. And it isn't how "acid" something may seem when you eat or drink it. It has to do with what is left over when you digest it.

Specifically, does eating or drinking something leave behind an acid or alkaline "ash". For example, I don't know about you but I love seafood. Scallops are one of my favorites. However, when your body digests scallops, it leaves an extremely acid ash. In fact, scallops are one of the most acid foods you can eat.

Unfortunately, a lot of the things most people put in their mouths create an acid ash. These include alcohol, coffee and a lot of flesh protein in your diet. Interestingly enough, stress also tends to create an acid condition in the body."

There are other tests that can be done on urine.

1. Cytology: Microscopic study of blood cells, which can help tell where they are from.
2. BTA (Bladder Tumour Antigen): This as its name implies detects antigens to bladder cancer.
3. NMP22(Nuclear Matrix Protein 22): Bladder cancer cells release this protein into urine.
   8th May, 16:35 -Called Mandy Miller at Slough Oops! Exeter, to see if the test is vegan. Awaiting email response.

Availability

Derriford.

• Dr McCormic has wriiten to the urologist fro his views on these alternatives. I don't expect a postive feedback.
• I have spoke to Helen Fox in Procurement and am waiting to find if Derriford have such opitons:
  Paul Stratham at Kyowa Hakko in Slough said Derriford don't have the NMP22 kits.

How to obtain the testing kits . . . btastat.com

April 22nd, 13:40 Have just spoken to Margaret and Kate on 001 914-739-5400. Kate is sending me contact details in the UK that supply their test kits -:- 15:30 Got contact details.
First contact with Nick Darker of Mediwatch, Rugby. Nick Darker said he saw no problem selling me the kits, although technically they only sell to bona-fidé medical professional. They had a bit of concern about my interpretation of the results but I explain that I was aware of the literature and reports. Nick is sending me details and cost of BTA tester. I said I would do the test in the presence of my GP which seems to reassure him.-:- 16:00 Received details. Costs and availability to follow:

April 25th, 11:00
Called Nick Darker. He said he hadn't got to the warehouse to check the stock yet. He quoted me a price of £115 for a box of ten. They usually sell with a shelf life of 4 years. If he can find, and I accept, some that may have a shorter shelf life, he "can do me a deal".
Mediwatch don't sell the NMP22 kits as Nick said they are a competitors product.

Mediwatch Ltd,
Swift Valley Industrial Estate
Rugby, Warwickshire, UK
01788 547888

Update: Diary 2nd May