After hours or weekends, the most important question when you see blood in the urine is “’Can you still urinate?” Occasionally the bleeding can be severe enough that blood clots will form. You likely will be able to pass these clots, but they can get large or numerous enough to block up the bladder. If this happens, you will get uncomfortable from having a full bladder and will need to go to the Emergency Room and have a catheter placed to empty and irrigate the bladder.

If you see blood in the urine:
Drink a lot of fluids to increase urine production and keep the bladder flushed out.
Stop taking aspirin, ibuprofen etc. which can make the blood thin. Call your family doctor’s office if you are on prescription drugs that thin the blood (coumadin, plavix) to see if it is safe to stop those while you are bleeding.
Contact your urologist’s office during business hours to set up an appointment for further evaluation.
Contact the physician on call if you have a fever greater than 101 degrees or if you are unable to urinate at all (from blood clots, see above).

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