What does it mean if you pee blood? (bladder, allergy, cyst)

[Akron2010]

What is the name of this kidney problem? It was only a very small amount doctors found that is NOT even visible to the eye.
What does it mean if you:

. pee blood
. have a history of high blood pressure
. you're told by your doctor that you can't eat red meat for the rest of your life or kidneys will get worse.

[okgo]

Blood in the urine is known as hematuria. There are a lot of different causes. Kidney stones are a common cause and the tendency to form the more common type of stone is worsened by high protein consumption -- people on the Atkins diet or on ketogenic diets for epilepsy/other conditions often get kidney stones. High-protein diets cause your kidneys to work harder, so avoiding red meat will stress them less if you have chronic kidney disease (CKD) or any other renal problem.

Consumption of red meat may also be a concern if you have a history of high blood pressure, and high blood pressure can be related to kidney problems. Controlling your high blood pressure will lead to better outcomes if you've got renal problems.

Without more details I can't say what your diagnosis is; wouldn't they tell you?

[cb at sea]

Some folks who have this have no problems at all...it's hereditary....Hubby and son both have this, but no problems have ever been found. Hubby's sister also had it.
You should get checked thouroughly to make sure there's no problem!

[Sudcaro]

Allergy to aspirin can be a cause too. My father had this problem.

[andreaspercheron]

It means you need to go see your doctor. LOL

[20yrsinBranson]

Originally Posted by Akron2010

What is the name of this kidney problem? It was only a very small amount doctors found that is NOT even visible to the eye.
What does it mean if you:

. pee blood
. have a history of high blood pressure
. you're told by your doctor that you can't eat red meat for the rest of your life or kidneys will get worse.

I think I would certainly ask the doctor to explain that last statement if I were you. If your kidneys are in danger of "getting worse" because you are eating meat then you need to find out what to do to fix it. Obviously, you are not getting the proper nutrition or else you would not be in this position. Have you thought about finding a holistic doctor who FIXES THE PROBLEM instead of scaring you with threats of gloom and doom?

Kidneys filter the blood. Granted, they are susceptible to being damaged when there is way too much protein in the blood stream but certainly if you are eating a "balanced diet" consuming a small amount of meat should not pose a serious problem.

Also, you can get blood in your urine from over-exerting yourself (lifting something heavy). It does not always indicate a serious problem, as the other posters have illustrated with their replies.

20yrsinBranson

[grannynancy]

I agree. Some things you just have to see a doctor.

[pitt_transplant]

Keep retesting. It could be a bad sample too. There is a normal amount in urine that is there for everyone even without problems. If you are actually seeing blood in your urine you need to go to the doctor ASAP. Go to the ER if you have a fever or feel odd.

For high BP and the no meat warning. That is your doctor and your body telling whoever has those issues to clean up the diet. Red meat for healthy people should not be eaten very often or in large amounts either. So instead of red meat there is beans, fish, chicken, vegetarian made grain options for a healthier protein source. Excessive red meat intake is linked to high bp. In healthy people red meat should only be eaten 1-2x a week and be the size of about 4-5 ounces. Thats about the size of a hamburger or a small filet mignon steak.

[suzy_q2010]

Originally Posted by Akron2010

What is the name of this kidney problem? It was only a very small amount doctors found that is NOT even visible to the eye.
What does it mean if you:

. pee blood
. have a history of high blood pressure
. you're told by your doctor that you can't eat red meat for the rest of your life or kidneys will get worse.

First, are you male or female?

If you are female, it may be as simple as having blood cells from the vagina being washed into the specimen when you collected it.

Any urine specimen should be collected using the "clean catch" technique: http://www.saintfrancislab.com/documents/pated/Collecting%20a%20Clean%20Catch%20Urine%20Specimen. pdf (broken link).

Many labs will not suggest doing this unless it is planned to culture the urine for bacteria, but vaginal secretions mixed with urine can cause the specimen to test positive for blood and protein and normal skin and vaginal bacteria can make the urine look infected when it is not. Ladies, do not just pee in the cup; do a clean catch every time! Ideally, women should give a specimen about two weeks after a menstrual period.

If you are male, just because of the obvious difference in a anatomy, contamination of the urine is less likely.

Exercise can cause blood in the urine, so it is best to collect the specimen about 48 hours after a vigorous workout.

Next, how was the blood discovered? If it was only a chemical test (done with a little paper strip), was the specimen also tested by looking at a drop under the microscope to look for red blood cells? If so, how many red cells are present? Normal people may have a few. If there are a significant number of red cells present, it is reasonable to repeat the urinalysis at least once and maybe twice before doing any further testing.

If there are any symptoms of an infection or the clean catch specimen contains bacteria, the infection should be treated and the urinalysis repeated after the antibiotic is finished. Ideally, a culture should be obtained to determine exactly what bacteria is causing the infection. Infection is the most common cause of blood in the urine.

In men, enlargement of the prostate or urethral infections can be a cause.

People with kidney stones frequently have other symptoms, including flank pain.

The older you are, the greater the risk of more serious problems, including tumors.
Your doctor would want to do additional testing to rule these out. These can include looking at the urine for abnormal cells, imaging studies of the kidneys and bladder, or cystoscopy, in which a telescope is inserted into the bladder through the urethra to visualize the lining of the bladder.

Yes, uncontrolled high blood pressure is the most common cause of chronic kidney failure. However, the earliest symptom of this is usually tiny amounts of protein --- albumin --- in the urine, not red cells. If your blood pressure has been well controlled and blood tests of kidney function are normal, the blood in the urine is most likely not caused by high blood pressure.

I am puzzled that a low protein diet would be recommended before a diagnosis of the cause of the blood in the urine has been determined. Unless there is chronic kidney disease present, I fail to see a basis for restricting protein. If it is necessary to limit protein intake, it would be from all sources, not just red meat. Eating protein will not damage healthy kidneys, though many of us eat way more protein than we really need.

I agree with the other posters. You need more information from your doctor. Telling you that you have blood in your urine and need to stop eating red meat is not acceptable.

[Robyn55]

Could also be bladder cancer. Calls for a workup with a doctor - not on online chat. Robyn