Cancer of the bladder is common in older men, affecting the cells in the bladder. Bladder is a muscular organ which stores urine. Bladder cancer is treatable if diagnosed early. Causes of this cancer include exposure to harmful chemicals that the kidney cannot filter, frequent bladder inflammation, cancer history in the family, increase in age, and smoking.
Below are some of the signs of bladder cancer:
1. Blood in urine
Blood in urine is very abnormal and is a cause for alarm. You will realize the urine changes to dark red, orange, or pink. Usually, there is no pain in the beginning stages of this type of cancer. Presence of blood in the urine can also mean there’s another type of infection. Sometimes it’s good to carry out a lab test because blood YOU cannot see blood making urine to appear normal.
2. Urinary frequency
Frequent urination is an abnormal rate at which you go for a short call. You can realize that you pee more than usual, or you have the urge to pee but unable to. Even though one can frequently urinate as a result of high liquid intake or due to taking too much caffeine, urinating more than eight times a day is considered abnormal.
When you have a prostate gland problem due to enlargement, there will be blocking of urine flow because of the organs pressing the urethra. The pressing will lead to bladder contracting, even with less urine.
3. Trouble urinating or weak stream
Passing urine can sometimes be difficult and is commonly caused by having urinary tract diseases, kidney stones, or prostate gland problems. Difficulty urinating can result from stretching of bladder muscles, making it weak. You can experience urine retention because of a problem with bladder nerves resulting from having a stroke, diabetes, or brain functions. Overflowing urine is also a problem, and in this case, the body produces more urine than the bladder can hold. Sometimes you can have the urge to pee, but starting to pee is hard, or you can leak but have no control over it. Weak urine stream is where you have no pressure while urinating; this causes discomfort in the bladder.
4. Low back pain on one side
You can either feel back pain on the right or left side, the painful midsection body signifies infection of organs around that area like the pancreas or kidney. Pain in the kidney is always felt in the region around the groin/ ribcage. Abdominal pain makes one uncomfortable and unable to do some things such as sitting for long.
5. Pain or burning during urination
Many things can lead to experiencing pain while urinating. The urinary tract consists of urethra, kidney bladder, and ureters. Having swelling in any of the organs results in pain when urinating. The swelling is always in the prostate gland. When you have kidney stones, infection urinating becomes a problem too.
If you’re experiencing any of the signs above, you need to visit a doctor for early diagnosis. This will prevent the cancer from developing into advanced stages. You should also note that there’s always a problem whenever you feel low back pain on one side, blood in the urine, or burning during urination even if it doesn’t mean severe disease in waiting.
