25th May
Didn’t do a stick test yesterday and plotted zero, but today using a magnifying glass there was a tiny spot, so i plotted 0.1 If the tests show such low amounts for another month or so I will consider not using the magnifying glass or even stop doing the tests so regularly.

23rd May
Been feeling a bit twingie lately and there’s a bit of a corresponding haem output. However I have just started consuming omega-3 lipids via linseed oil and I saw a note on it facilitating blood in the urine - I think due to blood thinning. Will write an entry on this issue asa.

14th May
Forgot to test early on 13th. Didn’t drink much and did lots of physical labour. Getting one spot wasn’t a big deal, but I thought I test again so slept for a while, but when I awoke is was 14th. The next test was zero but I decided that the earlier score had to stand at 0.4

12th May
Again a small smudge that wasn’t repeated on a second test. The issue seems to be to do or not to do an early test.

9th May
I noticed a small spot today, that I had to confirm with a magnifying glass. I scored it as 0.4 as it seems at least two clear dots would represent 1 cell per µLt. A second test today seemed to show nothing but under a magnifying glass there was a small spot so I reduced the score to 0.2.

30th April
I am a bit concerned as I had a bit of color on the marker last night at about 4am. I had been feeling as but off and today I’m not so cool. However another haem test about 5pm seems ok.

28th April
I’ve had some small twinges but it hasn’t transformed to any significant haematuria. There was a single very light dot this morning and as I am likely to test again as a consequence the record will show zero unless the second test shows a mark.

19th April
Well surprisingly the tests have been rather negative for a few weeks, however after a few days of alcohol and a late night, my early morning pee did have a some marker (1 max). This led me to test twice more and the results were zero, which iused as the figure for today’s plot.

10th April
I have used up the final sticks that had Leukocytes markers, which indicated ‘normal’ readings. The new sticks have Bilirubin and Urobilinogen.

7th April Well things are not getting worse. This first week has been OK. I have slight twinges now and then and the blood tests are sometimes very slightly questionable, but not enough to mark up.

I have started daily testing again to monitor this spring’s increase relative to autumn 2008.

I’m also drinking more and drinking more of the ‘cleavers’ etc.

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

16th Sept 14:00
Still slightly twingie and more of a marker, with acidic pH and a weird brown ketone marker. Eating not so well and working fairly hard etc. Will try and sort food better for two days and drink cleavers.

16th Sept 14:00
For the rest of September I intend to use the Uritest sticks as the monitoring of nitrites and leukocytes for a sign of infection or ought else has been uneventful.

The problem is that I have been used to very low or zero readings which I think are a product of using the mission sticks. This sense of things being ok and getting better have been a major part of my happiness and thence defence.

Today as anticipated the reading was slightly positive. There were indications of non-haem but very light, same as 6th Sept.

Update on the twinges which have been absent for months. They came back a few times over the last week and I think it may be due to an acidic pee. Whilst using the Mission sticks I had a regular highly alkaline pee except two days ago when I clearly felt something was amiss.

6th Sept 11:19
Using the Uristick again I find a light marker. The overall tone is off and there is almost a non-haem dot or two.

5th Sept 13:26

• pH The very high(alkaline) for a week or two or more. That’s with the Mission sticks which I thought had a low reading compared to the Uristicks. The Uristick gives the same reading.(7.5 to 8)
• protein There has been a notable marker albeit at its lowest level of (0 to 15 g/Lt)on Mission, whilst the Uristick gives a negative reading.
• non-haem There is also a small marker on the Uristick whilst there is none on the Mission.
• Leukocytes gives >70 marker after a few more minutes.

1st Sept 09:26
Did a Leukocyte and Nitrite test this morning and they were both negative. I didn’t do the blood as early morning is often unrepresentative due to the bladder storing overnight, although that’s what I relied upon to show up any infection.
Also the tingling has all but gone, and the urine passed more easily, and in quantity: so maybe there was a blockage?

Having obtained some test sticks with Leukocytes and Nitrite options the next first two weeks shall contain results of those also.

In the few times I have tested there has been some Leukocyte positive markers.

I’m altering the recording to only note the haem marker. Partly due to using the ‘Mission’ sticks for this which have very low pH readings. This record will cover the rest of June and then whole of July will be a new record unless circumstances indicate otherwise.

Key to data

Blood: Cells/µL

• N = none, L = less than, M = more than, D = see diary
• Haemolysis: ± = >10, + = >25, ++ = >80, +++ = >200
• Non-haemolysis: * = <10, ** = <50

Red Blood Count: red blood cells per microlitre.

The first two graphs show the daily results of the haem tests for from April 2008 to January 2009 (inclusive)

The first is a standard linear function.

The second an inverted logarithmic function.

Logarithmic graphs start at one, hence there is no visual value for ‘one’ and the higher values appear compressed. This has a similar effect of visualising area rather than quantity, better shown in the second of the following two graphs.

The second pair of graphs are based on Half-month Averages.

The first is a simple linear representation of April 2008 to January 2009

The second attempts to show the Relative Area of Source

The square root of the previous figures, the mean haemoglobin count (H), is used as an estimate for the dimensions of the surface area that may be the source of bleeding.
Area = √(H)

Given the source of data and number of significant figures I am using, the first graph cannot show a figure lower that 0.1 other than zero and consequently the square root cannot be lower than 0.3 else zero.

The following is one of the early graphs.

• The red horizontal line indicates the theoretical maximum that the urine testing sticks can define, at approx 200 cells/µlt
• At 300 cells/µlt the blood may be visible??
• The blue mark and blue hatched area is an estimated average for the fortnight before I acquired the testing sticks.

April to June

 

The next page shows graphs of daily averages in monthly periods, although not necessarily per calendar month.

Read more »

15th April
‘UriTest’sticks arrived at 12:30 and have done my first test about 12:45

Times of testing
I think a good time is early morning, when after a nights sleep no physical activity will have increased a background count. Take specimen from mid-flow.

What to test?
Apart from blood, I’ve included the pH as it was slightly off neutral on the first test so I am curious. -:- 16thApr - Yeap! This morning the pH is more acidic.

17th April 23:20 Have just ordered another lot of urine testing sticks from <valuemed.co.uk>. See [Related Info] > [Email to Uritest]. Anyway it will be good to compare different makes, unless they are both made in the same factory in China???

19th April 12:30 ‘Mission’ Urinalysis sticks arrived. Screw top lid and sealed inside before use . Have emailed to see where they are made.

20th April 11:01
Noticable is the difference in pH levels. The ‘Mission’ gives a reading some 0.5 lower than ‘Uristick’. I think Mission maybe wrong as plain water gives pH of 6.5

7th June 10:27
I used both sticks today to confirm a marker on ‘Uristick’ as I had been ‘clear’ for 7 days. ‘Mission’ gave no marker. As previously the acid level was lower. The blood reading at this low level was effectively two markers lower.

Neither company answered my email on these issue so will chase them up again, starting with ‘Mission’. Its hard to see how a test can be positive except by being over sensitive, which is better than insensitive. -:- 11:35 On checking back it seems the difference is only noticeable at the lower levels. At L++ and above they are parallel, about 50cell/µl (see 27th April and earlier)