In the Beginning
I suppose that the best place to start this would be the beginning. Towards the end of 2005 (or maybe it was just the beginning of 2006), I noticed blood in my urine. I was 42 years old. I had no history of any health problems. I had no rational explanation for the blood in my urine. I'm not entirely sure there is a rational explanation for blood in urine, but I know I didn't have one.
Blaming my symptoms on a juice cleanse
I had been doing some reading on fasting and decided to do a 40-day juice fast. The fast had ended just a week or so before the blood in the urine. When I saw the blood, I went to the emergency room as it was too late to go to my family doctor. I explained to the attending physician that I had just done a 40-day fast, and he assured me that it was probably just the inside of my bladder sloughing off because of dehydration. He didn't do any tests. He suggested that I not do any fasting for a while. He also told me to drink lots of water and follow up with my family physician.
Happy to have an explanation
I left the emergency room feeling much better. I was not overly concerned. In retrospect, I think I was just happy to have a reason to explain the blood. For the next few days, I drank plenty of water. I watched for any further signs of blood and, not seeing any, convinced myself that there was no problem. If my optimism had any basis in reality, I wouldn't be typing this to you today.
Quickly, as a public service announcement: if at any time you have any physical symptoms that do not make sense to you, please, be willing to question anything you're told, even by medical professionals. This is your health. I cannot encourage you strongly enough to be actively involved.
The blood in my urine returned
Within a week or two, the symptoms returned. This time, it was not just a little blood in the urine - it was actual clots. To say that I was now panicked would be an understatement of epic proportions. I phoned the emergency number for my family physician and waited, anxiously, for him to return my call. When he did return my call, he had the calm that decades of being a family physician probably give you. He told me that there was nothing to be done today and that I should follow up with a urologist at my earliest convenience.
Finding a urologist in network
I spent the remainder of the weekend looking up every urologist in the area. My wife and I checked our insurance policy and made sure everything was in order. We called the 800 number on the back of our insurance cards and made sure that the urologist we had chosen was covered. Then, we spent a very long two days waiting until we could make an appointment. Monday finally came, and an appointment was made. I can't tell you how long we actually waited to see the urologist. I can tell you that mentally, it was four eternities.
Adding anxiety to an anxious situation
In the next segment, I will tell you all about the urologist. But for now, I would like to leave you with a couple of parting thoughts. If you haven't already done this, don't do it: don't go to the Internet with your symptoms. I made that mistake, and it added all kinds of unnecessary anxiety to an already very anxious situation. I am fully convinced that a hangnail on the Internet is terminal. If you haven't seen a urologist and you do have symptoms, please do your best to remain calm and do not add any stress to your situation. Maintain a positive outlook.
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