Can Finger-Like Protrusions in the Bladder Be Benign?
Maybe you know that a cancer cell can have monstrous fingerlike protrusions, and if such a shape is found inside your bladder, this can induce untold anxiety. (more…)
Can an Abdominal CT Scan Detect Bladder Cancer?
If an abdominal CT scan shows a normal bladder, don’t celebrate yet.
But if it comes back indicating cancer, don’t panic yet, either.
About 80,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with bladder cancer every year. The five year survival rate, on average, is about 76.8 percent.
This not-so-good survival rate is a function of the disease being caught at a later stage than it is of just a hard-to-treat cancer.
About four times more men get bladder cancer than do women.
Prevalence in Age Groups
• Under 20: 0.1%
• 20-34: 0.4%
• 35-44: 1.3%
• 45-54: 6.1%
• 55-64: 18.3%
• 65-74: 29.8%
• 75-84: 28.8%
• 85+ 15.1%
Abdominal CT Scan and the Detection of Bladder Cancer
“CT scan is able to detect large bladder irregularities, but not always small lesions,” says Dana Rice, MD, a board certified urologist and creator of the UTI Tracker mobile app, which helps patients catalog daily urinary tract symptoms, medication and behavioral patterns, and offers personalized tips for UTI prevention.
“Also, because the bladder is not a solid organ it is very easy to mistake a bladder fold for an abnormal finding and vice versa,” continues Dr. Rice.
“For instance, a CT scan may list or read a ‘filling defect’ which means contrast dye does not fill the bladder evenly.
“In this situation the ‘defect’ may be from many causes, i.e., blood clot, prostate tissues, ureterocele [benign congenital structural abnormality], bladder tumor and more.
“Other times, the CT scan can appear completely normal and there may be small tumors not seen or carcinoma in situ (CIS).
“For these reasons, cystoscopy to examine the bladder is the gold standard diagnostic test.”
What is a cystoscopy?
It’s a diagnostic procedure (performed either under local anesthetic or general anesthesia) during which a doctor inserts a cystoscope (hollow tube) equipped with a lens into the urethra and further into the bladder.
This enables viewing of the urethra (through which urine flows out of your body) and the lining of the bladder.
“Symptoms of bladder cancer have varying presentations,” says Dr. Rice.
“Symptoms of UTI without documented infections should be worked up by a physician to rule out anatomical abnormalities, stones and cancers.”
For more information on the UTI Tracker, go to utitracker.com.
Dana Rice, MD, is with Inova Medical Group in Fairfax, VA, and her clinical interests include bladder, kidney and prostate cancer, minimally invasive surgery and robotic surgery.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
Top image: Shutterstock/Chinnapong
Source
seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/urinb.html
What You Should Do if Urine Is Splashed in Your Eye
Did you recently get someone else’s or even your own pee splashed in your eye?
This not only has a very high “yuck factor,” but the urine could also cause a stinging if it makes contact with your skin if you have any tiny open cuts or abrasions there. (more…)
Can Adderall Damage Your Vision?
“Blurry vision is listed a possible side effect of Adderall which is the reason so many people are concerned,” says Dr. Brian Boxer Wachler, MD, eye surgeon and founder of The Boxer Wachler Vision Institute, and developer of the Holcomb C3-R® procedure which treats a degenerative eye disease.
“Adderall contains amphetamine, a stimulant, which can cause blurred vision, but typically is not serious,” says Dr. Boxer Wachler.
“This drug stimulates neurochemicals, like dopamine, to be released in the brain which is believed to be related to the cause of blurred vision when it occurs.”
Adderall helps ADHD symptoms by increasing levels of two key brain chemicals: dopamine and norepinephrine.
These neurotransmitters play a big role in attention, focus and impulse control, which are areas where people with ADHD often struggle.
By boosting these chemicals, Adderall helps the brain’s “signal-to-noise” ratio, making it easier to filter distractions and stay on task.
It also improves activity in the prefrontal cortex, the brain’s control center for planning and organization.
When taken as prescribed, Adderall can reduce hyperactivity, impulsiveness and forgetfulness.
But these benefits to those with ADHD do come with the possibility of many side effects, and unfortunately, vision can be affected.
Dr. Boxer Wachler has delivered hundreds of lectures on eye surgery to thousands of eye surgeons from around the world, and is a pioneer in keratoconus treatment.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
Eye Makes Cracking Sound When You Blink: Cause & Solution
Rather than fear something really bad causing your eyes to make a cracking sound with nearly every blink, there are a few facts that are important to know first.
It’s not uncommon for someone to occasionally hear a cracking type of sound when they blink.
“The average person blinks about 1,200 times an hour,” says Dr. Brian Boxer Wachler, MD, eye surgeon and founder of The Boxer Wachler Vision Institute, and developer of the Holcomb C3-R® procedure which treats a degenerative eye disease.
Dr. Boxer Wachler explains, “Your eyelids are like windshield wipers and coat the surface of your eyes with your tear film.
“There is also air right outside your tear film. Tiny amounts of air can get behind your eyelids, and when you blink it can make some pretty interesting sounds like cracking or popping, especially if you squeeze your eyelids tightly.
“So if you hear that cracking sound, then just blink normally.”
When someone hears a cracking, crackling or popping sound when they blink, the first impulse is to blink harder and/or more frequently to figure out what’s going on or if the sound is just in one’s imagination.
However, more aggressive blinking could make the cracking more likely.
It’s advisable to try daily eye drops to make sure that the surface of your eyes is adequately lubricated.
Freepik.com
Just relax and know that this situation is benign and not a sign of a serious eye or nerve disease.
Before you know it, the cracking or popping with each blink will be gone or hardly noticeable.
Cracking Sound with Cause Other than Trapped Air: Case Reports
A case described in the Journal of Audiology and Otology (Kim et al): A patient heard sound every time she blinked; examination showed rhythmic movement of the eardrum with each blink.
In the journal Laryngoscope (Lee et al), the case was a patient whose forceful blinking caused “crackling/clicking” caused by contractions of the ear muscles.
Other case reports are similar: movement of the eardrum or tympanic membrane, or contractions of middle ear muscles. Forceful blinking is especially blamed.
There is no documented case in the medical literature showing a tumor conclusively causing blinking‑induced popping, cracking or clicking that seems to come from the eye.
Dr. Boxer Wachler has delivered hundreds of lectures on eye surgery to thousands of eye surgeons from around the world, and is a pioneer in keratoconus treatment.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
Hyperacusis vs. Hating Loud Noise: Telling the Difference
Does a dislike for loud noise—even a hatred for it—always have to mean that you have hyperacusis or an abnormal sensitivity to sound?
What if someone hates loudness because they are very vigilant about preventing hearing loss? (more…)
One Eye Protrudes More than the Other: Should You Worry?
If one of your eyes has been sticking out or bulging lately, this could be a sign of a brain tumor, eye tumor or sinus tumor.
When an eye protrudes, this is called proptosis. (more…)
Why Don’t Oral Appliances Work As Well As CPAP?
Seems that a mandibular advancement device (MAD) would keep the airway open continuously, yet this oral appliance is no match for CPAP when it comes to obstructive sleep apnea of moderate to severe degree. (more…)
Can a Fit, Trim Athletic Person Have Obstructive Sleep Apnea?
You should never assume that you can’t possibly have obstructive sleep apnea just because you’re lean, buff and compete in triathlons or CrossFit. (more…)
Poop Coming Out when Passing Gas: Causes & Solutions
Do you sometimes have a leak of poop spurt out when you fart?
If gooey poop leaks out only very occasionally when you pass gas, this is nothing to worry about and is probably one of the ways that the human body can be imperfect at times. (more…)
