22yr.old terrified of bladder cancer

[JohnM]

I'm 22. I am a former smoker (since 17). For the past week I've had sporadic bladder pain and persistently cloudy urine. I've been cleared of any infection or STD, and I'm going to a urologist on Monday. I've spent the past week in a state of miserable terror, convinced I'm slowly being eaten up inside by bladder cancer. Has anyone else had this problem before? Is it likely for someone my age to have BC? I know I must sound intensely pathetic, but the worry is becoming unbearable. I'm already picturing myself losing my hair because of chemo.

 

[Rinka]

Hi @JohnM welcome to the forum.
Have you been checked of kidney stones?
The important thing is really that you go to your doctor. They should be able to relieve your fears.

The likelihood of someone your age having bladder cancer is quite low, but it is important to check it out anyway.
Should they find anything, I’m not saying they will, then you have more energy in your body to fight it.
I would also suggest to stop smoking completely. I think the positives are not worth the risk of sickness.

 

[JohnM]

I had blood work done, but I have no idea whether or not that's an index of kidney health. I did have an x-ray of my upper and lower abdomen taken, and two doctors told me it was clear, but, again, I have no idea if such a cancer would even show up. Also, I've tried many times to quit smoking, and I think I'm making considerable progress in beating the habit this time around. And thanks for the reassurance.

 

[janemariesayed]

Hello @JohnM Nice to meet you.

I think you are too young to have cancer so the best thing is to go along with what your doctor is suggesting. There can be a number of reasons for cloudy urine and one of them is a urinary tract infection.

The thing is that you are young and your body should be strong enough to fight off any infection so try not to let it worry you too much. As long as you speak with your doctor and carry on with the tests he sends you on you should be able to find the reason soon enough.

 

[Concernedgal]

I had blood work done, but I have no idea whether or not that's an index of kidney health. I did have an x-ray of my upper and lower abdomen taken, and two doctors told me it was clear, but, again, I have no idea if such a cancer would even show up. Also, I've tried many times to quit smoking, and I think I'm making considerable progress in beating the habit this time around. And thanks for the reassurance.

HI there. You mentioned that you have had blood work done. Well, the test they probably preformed was a CBC or a complete blood count. What that means is that the test included in that test checks for your white blood cell count. If you had cancer... usually your bodies immune system cam tell. A cancer patients white blood cell count will usually be high in an attempt to fight off the (offenders ) in your body. Not all cancers can be detected by this simple test but, bladder cancer can be. More test for cancer are done if the white blood cell count is high so... you might not have anything to worry about.