Is blood in urine typical of IC?

[sabin]

hi everyone,last week when i got my urine tested it showed white blood cells again but no bacteria. before this several times it has shown white blood cells,protein and blood...all microscopic.many times urine was totally clear also.
i've had cysto in the past n it was normal.i have burning and frquency off and on.
my question is: is it poosible that i could have something else,maybe a food irriitation or something that causes the blood.protein,wbc's in urine to come and go.
thanks all
sabin

[Tweety69]

Hi Sabin,

I too wondered about this. I have my own urine testing strips and test my urine regularly. I always have at least a trace of blood and protein but this can fluctuate. I am also always negative for infection even when haematuria is significantly higher. I do know that normally these are abnormal urinalysis findings but with an IC'ers bladder this might be considered normal. Anyone else know the answer to this? I have had much more blood lately post recovery from a hydro and biopsy just over a month ago but am puting this down to my bladder being messed about with.

Tweety

[nss]

I am currently going through that now. I have those test strips and have blood and a trace of protein at the moment. I saw my Dr on Friday and he tested my urine and said it had blood and a trace of protein. But he didn't think it was an infection. I find I get those when I am ovulating. Hope this helps.

[mela414]

I've had blood and protein in my urine my ENTIRE life. I can clearly remember from age 9 going through a bunch of tests for my bladder. At that time they hospitalized for cystoscopies and other tests. The decided I had urethral stenosis and did dilatations every 2 months! Needless to say that by age 20 I had lots of scar tissue and needed a urethrotomy. Not to get off track but to this day (i am 46 now) i still have blood and protein in my urine. There are times when it is more and there are times when it is better. I find that it relates to my diet and pain. I got the diagnosis of IC about 5 years ago....but only when the pain became chronic and unbearable.
As a teen and young adult the blood and protein were always there but I didn't have daily pain. They also didn't know what they know now and treated me with LOTS of antibiotics....even though it wasn't an infection......hmmmmmmmm.

[ICNDonna]

I almost always have some red cells.

Donna

[sabin]

hi thanks,my dad who is a doctor says itz totally not normal to have even a little blood or white blood cells in urine. but then he does'nt know much about IC.i am going to my uro next week and i'll ask him about this.my uro is so damn sure that i do not have IC but at the same time he has no answer when i ask him why i have the symptoms like frequwncy and burning.
take care all
have a good day
sabin

[PamIvanicki]

Hi Sabin!

I saw 2 urologists before being diagnosed with I.C. and they were both convinced I did NOT have I.C. Like you, neither one of them could tell me why I was having frequency, pressure and burning, or whether it would go away. I finally convinced one of them to do a hydro/cysto and, Oops! I have I.C.!!!

I have also heard that white blood cells mean infection! I'm anxious to hear what your urologist has to say after you see him. Please keep your appointment, as it is not normal to have the WBCs in your urine. Good luck and I hope you feel better soon!

[mela414]

let us know how you are doing. I always have red blood cells and protein in the urine. when I have white cells I KNOW I have an infection!

[FALSERIVER]

I have or shall I say was diagnosed with IC. I work in a lab in a hospital and test my urine alot. I always have alot of red blood cells and some white cells in my urine. Keep in mind that it is more than an trace. I asked my uro about this and he said not to worry about it. I asked him if it was common with IC he said not normally. I have checked on the web and medical books and no where does it show that blood either red or white is common in urine with IC. If anyone knows more than I do, please advise.

[massagedoula]

This seems like a common thread to bring us all together. With so many things about IC, is seems that everyone had different symptoms, however, this seems like a common one.

I also have WBC and trace blood in my urine. I have the Bayer Mutistix (hospital grade urine testing strips) and I test my urine about every 3 days or more if I am flaring. It is very common for me to have moderate leukocytes (White Blood Cells) and a trace of blood. I have asked many many doctors about this. I really believe that they just don't know why this happens. I never got a straight answer. I also asked about the white flakes in my urine, and also never got an answer as to what they are either, or why there are there. It is not normal. A normal urine sample will have NO WBCs in it. WBCs are indicative of an infection. This is one of the reasons that I think that IC many come from a hidden, low-grade, or undiscovered bacteria. Trace of blood is a little more common, if can be found from trauma to the urinary tract such as vigorous exercise. However, it usually means something more serious. I wonder if such frequent urination that we experience can actually cause the urinary tract to bleed!?

If anyone ever finds an answer to the WBC/blood in urine question, please post it immediately! As far as protein, I only had trace of protien on a few occasions, but still, that is not normal either.

The last few times I checked my urine I did not have anything out of the ordinary. This makes me hope and pray that I am healing, though I still have white flakes in my urine, whatever that means....

[patricia1]

I dont know how common red blood cells are in people who have IC. But I also have had them without having an infection. I seem to think that maybe its releated to the IC.

Massagedoula I also have the white flakes in my urine and I have been told that this is the bladder lining coming off/out. Thats what I have been told.

[ICNDonna]

Gauging from the large number of people with whom I have communicated on these boards, it is not unusual to show microscopic blood in the urine of an IC patient. I have shown trace amounts almost continuously for all of my thirty years with IC.

If there is enough blood to be visible, it usually means infection.

Donna

[Tweety69]

Hi, I too have these flakes (looks like skin shedding) in my urine at times.
Tweety

[FibroMummy]

I nearly always have blood in my urine, & today I had 'borderline' white cells too :(
Haven't had this before :( Dr has sent urine away for culture. He said it could either be a UTI, or from some kind of chronic inflammation.

Lisa

[Kiyoka]

i have a large amount of blood everything single time, but some of it is caused by having thin basement membrane disease, it runs in families, and nothing can be done