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Haematuria means ‘blood in the urine’. It is not a disease, but could be the sign of one. Investigations are carried out to find the cause of the blood in the urine.
We hope to diagnose any problem as quickly as possible, by doing all the basic tests in one day. It will take about six hours to do all the tests. Although this is a long time, we hope that this ‘one day’ service will reduce the likelihood of your coming back to the hospital.
A urine sample
A list of current tablets and medicines that you are taking, including the dose and amount taken.
Something to read, as there will be times when you are waiting for the next test / procedure
Money for car park / fares, telephone and refreshments
When you arrive at the chestnut unit, you will have a scan (ultrasound scan) of your bladder and kidneys. You may need to go to main outpatients following your scan to have some blood taken. You will be advised about this at the time of your scan.
Lunch and light refreshments are available from the coffee shop on level 06 or the greenbank restaurant on level 07.
You will be advised to attend the chestnut unit at a certain time – please follow the instructions provided and do not arrive more than 10 minutes prior to your appointment. Once at the chestnut unit, the doctor will examine you with a flexible cystoscope. This involves the doctor passing a small flexible telescope along the urethra into the bladder, so that he can see the whole lining of the bladder and urethra.
The doctor will ask you about your symptoms and tell you about the examination. A local anaesthetic gel is put into the urethra before passing the cystoscope through it. The examination will take between 5 and 10 minutes. A little discomfort may be felt but this should only last for a few minutes.
After the examination the doctor will discuss the results of your tests with you and answer any questions you may have. If relevant, he will discuss any further treatment that you might need.
Following the flexible cystoscopy, some patients experience soreness when passing urine or even have a little bleeding. To help the discomfort clear up more quickly, it is advisable to drink more so that you increase the amount of urine that you need to pass. Passing more urine should help.
Very occasionally, urinary infection can occur. If you have persistent discomfort, a temperature and need to pass urine more often than normal, contact your GP.
Sexual activity can be resumed as comfort allows.
If you wish to talk to someone about any aspect of this clinic or need advice, please ring the urology nurses: Monday to Friday: 8.30am – 4.30pm 01752 439903 or 431535. You can also contact the nurses through the hospital switchboard 01752 431534. You can also consult your GP.
