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Post Radiation Therapy - Blood in Urine

Posted by hector13 @hector13, Feb 19 1:59pm

Following removal of my prostate, I had 40 sessions of radiation therapy to the pelvic area. The radiation therapy was concluded in 2018. This past week I have noticed 3 instances of blood in my urine. I was concerned enough to contact my urologist, and he reassured me that he believes it is a result of radiation from 2018 and nothing serious.
I did some research and found a site that may describe my condition. It is called radiation cystitis, and the site stated that 1% to 2% of men who receive radiation to the pelvic region will experience bleeding 5 to 20 years later, due to injury to the bladder during radiation.
My question to any of you fellows out there who may be in that 1-2% with me: "How long did the blood in the urine continue; did it stop on its own at some point? And did you require any medical treatment to get it to stop? I would appreciate any responses.

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naiviv | @naiviv | May 5 9:26am

Hello. I am a RN and I am answering for my husband. He was diagnosed with Prostate CA in 2009 and received Proton therapy. Everything went peachy until 2017 when he had profuse bladder bleeding as a consequence of the radiation. He was diagnosed with Radiation cystitis. He remained in the hospital for several days having bladder ablation and a TURP. Since he kept bleeding the urologists ordered Hyperbaric Oxygen. He got 80 treatments and bleeding stopped….Until now in 2024 when bleeding episodes have started again. The urologists in Mayo Clinic said that the symptoms come and go. There are many options offered to stop it and surgery was brought in the conversation to remove bladder. My husband is 82 yrs, diagnosed with Amyloidosis that has affected his heart resulting in Right Side Heart Failure. Surgery is a risk at that age. No Oncologists in Proton therapy institute told any patient that Proton therapy could cause Radiation cystitis and even rectal bleeding. Znd probably they are not telling them either today. When my husband had that bleeding crisis in 2017 I called Proton Therapy institute and spoke with one of their oncologists, Dr Mendelhall, and she told me that they were starting to see many patients with prostate cancer who had finished treatment years ago with the same bleeding issue. She was the one who recommended Hyperbaric Oxygen treatment for my husband. That is the treatment they are recommending for Radiation Cystitis crisis. Hope this helps.

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pilot52 | @pilot52 | Sep 16 7:48pm
In reply to @hector13 "I am updating my original post for this topic. I think it is an important issue..." + (show)
@hector13

I am updating my original post for this topic. I think it is an important issue that the administrator for the site should consider for one of the monthly Zoom briefings. When we are asked to consider radiation treatment, we hope it will kill all the prostate cancer and effectively cure our cancer. Often, this is not the case. Not only does the prostate cancer return, the radiation damages our bodies in different ways for years to come. Are the radiation centers actively working on procedures to better protect vital organs during radiation treatments?
Having said that, in my particular case several months after completing radiation therapy I experienced significant bleeding when I urinated (which caused a lot of discomfort) as well as when I had bowel movements. My bladder and rectum had been scarred by radiation. I was fortunate that I was quickly approved for oxygen therapy; there was a wound center about 10 minutes from my house with four hyperbaric oxygen chambers. I had 40 sessions with pure oxygen which eventually stopped all symptoms of bleeding. Oxygen therapy is very expensive; my insurance covered most of it, but I had to pay the rest. The other drawback pertains to vision. The doctor in charge of the wound center advised me that my vision would be negatively affected and he was right. I had to wait 6 months to get my prescription glasses changed.
So back to my current issue, On Monday this week during urination I passed a large solid item about 1/3 inches long. I believe it was a piece of my bladder that was the cause of my bleeding for several days, and ever since it passed the blood in the urine has stopped. I think this may be the pattern of radiation cystitus, that once the damaged bladder loses a piece, it produces bleeding in the urine until it is able to pass. I hope this never happens again, but if it does, I will have a better understanding of what is causing it.
If any other men have had periodic bleeding that ends upon passing solid matter, I would be interested in hearing your experience. Of particular interest are cases where a number of years has passed before any bleeding occurs following radiation therapy. For me it happened 5 years after my radiation treatment ended.
I would welcome any negative experiences of what you fellows have gone through after radiation therapy. This is an important topic.

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I had 32 Proton treatments in 2016. The RO would ask me if I was having any blood in urine or stool. Just 3 months ago passed the stringy red clot in my Primaries office and sent to lab with no real read other than blood in urine. It has happened twice since then. I probably do not help things in that I ride, row, Peloton machines, I lift , and Ruck. So far I pass the blood and stringy mess and my next urine is clean...All kidney test are normal and I am regularly scanned because of stage 4 mCRPC.. I have no pain so I just move on.....

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