Could burning be caused by microscopic blood?

[izazen]

I know that many of us have a big problem with the "burning" sensation and that many of us have microscopic blood in our urine. I read recently that blood is a big irritant to delicate tissue so I wonder if the burning we experience in the urethral (and the general environs of the genital area) isn't caused by this blood?

When we eat or drink something we shouldn't it then irritates the tender lining of the bladder and urethra and may cause the glomerulations to seep blood, in a tiny way, and then when we urinate (in addition the urine may be acidic besides...) so all this causes a nasty irritation as it is coming out of our bodies.

What do you think?

[rita45]

Blood?

Yes I agree with that. The delicate layers of the bladder lining are so sensitive in most of us with ic that when the bladder is bleeding you can have burning too.

I have it all at times, burning, pain, urgency, frequency...I hope better days are ahead!

I hope you start to feel better soon. I have been bad since a uti on Jan.10th and am off to work in retail for 5 hours. It is just hard to leave my home right now as I am going every 15 minutes.


Rita

[sami4]

Burning

I would not think microscopic blood in the urine would cause burning by itself. I have this all the time and dont have burning all the time. Burning is caused by either severe inflammation that irritates the nerve ending so badly that they burn or nerve damage that causes stinging, burning, shooting pains which can be referred from pelvic floor but feel like they are in urethra and bladder.
Depending on the number of red cells in your urine, it may or not require more investigation to find the source. A lot of us ICers have chronic blood in the urine with no infection.
Sammi

[izazen]

I have blood in my urine, no infection. Just curious about something I read that stated what a strong irritant blood is and I thought that in an already inflamed urinary tract - that could really spell p a i n with a capital "P" !!!!!!

[rita45]

Blood in urine

Yes I too have had blood in my urine with no infection.

I had just had a urine culture and that was negative a week before I went to a uro who said that just by my office sample test that there was blood in it. He then did the cysto/cystagram (sorry about spelling) the next week and confirmed that I had moderate ic.

I have had it I believe since I was in 2nd grade. I remember my Mom keeping me home from school because I was up all night going and then I would go into these periods where my bladder would be fine for awhile then bad again.
In high school it flared up bad again and they did some test that did determine that my bladder capacity was very small. They did that kidney/dye test and could not really come up with anything. I will be 51 soon so i am going back aways.

We know more than anyone about what we go through because we live it!!