Hello @smartchick43. Welcome to Mayo Connect. I saw your message from a little over an hour ago and was struck by similarities between your experience and mine. I thought we might talk about our mutual maladies. I had bladder surgery a few years ago to remove a dozen low-malignancy tumors from its inner lining. Just prior to that, I had a significant part of my prostate removed via my urinary tract. Gratefully, I escaped from the hospital without catching any bacterial infections, received bladder therapy at the clinic over six weeks, and began a series of cystoscope exams of the bladder every three months. That period is now a full year, and I have had no recurrence of cancer. Periodically over the last four years I have had UTIs with some blood in the urine. I report them every time I visit the urologist for another cystoscope exam, and he seems to be correct in minimizing the blood in the urine as an after effect of my prostate surgery, not bladder surgery.

The other crucial similarity with you is the antibacterial medication used with my cystoscope exams. Until 2 years ago, I was given Cipro orally, until I found out that the FDA had all but ended its use for UTIs because of its adverse effects. Cipro is one of a group of Fluoroquinolones that the FDA recommends not be used except in rare circumstances. Here's a quote from the FDA a year ago:

"Because the risk of these serious side effects generally outweighs the benefits for patients with acute bacterial sinusitis, acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis, and uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs), the FDA has determined that fluoroquinolones should be reserved for use in patients with these conditions who have no alternative treatment options. (This applies to) Fluoroquinolone Antimicrobial Drugs -- ciprofloxacin (marketed as Cipro and generic ciprofloxacin); ciprofloxacin extended-release (marketed as Cipro XR and Proquin XR); gemifloxacin (marketed as Factive; levofloxacin (marketed as Levaquin); moxifloxacin (marketed as Avelox); norfloxacin (marketed as Noroxin); and ofloxacin (marketed as Floxin)."

After seeing that you were put on Cipro on July 11, I thought you'd want to know about the hazards it poses so you can speak to your urologist about whether there is a special reason for giving you that medication.

For more information on Fluoroquinolones and the problems they can cause, you may wish to check https://www.fda.gov/newsevents/newsroom/pressannouncements/ucm513183.htm and https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drugsafety/ucm500143.htm or go to http://www.fda.gov and search for "Fluoroquinolones".

In my case, I didn't have much trouble from the Cipro, partly because it was a single dose with my cystoscope exams and not more frequent. Perhaps you'll have the same good fortune with Cipro if your doctor thinks it would be wise to move on to another antibiotic for treatment of your UTIs. I wish you well in this trying time and look forward to hearing how your appointment goes this week. Martin