blood in urine

[reefteaser]

Visited a urologist for a totaly unrelated issue, but he also found a small amount of blood in my urine. He gave me a "complete" exam (I hit a few high notes), tested my blood, sent me for a MRI to look at my kidneys, and today I experienced the joy of a cystoscopy (internal exam of the bladder).
His conclusion--my kidneys don't function at 100% separating blood from urine and it will be something to keep an eye on, but I have no sign of disease and he's not concerned about anything at this point.
My question is what, if anything, do I tell my AME at my next exam? Should I get some documentation from the urologist to take with me?
Sorry if I'm grossing anyone out.

[My Flight Surgeon]

Get copies of the urologist's records and take them to the AME

[reefteaser]

Yeah, I was counting on that. I feel like bringing it up is possibly opening a door I don't want to walk through. Is there an official "allowable" amount of red blood cells, or is any amount suspect? The AME normally has me urinate on two test strips and looks for a color change. I don't know how sesitive the test strips are, but two exams ago, one showed a small amount of protein. He did not seems concerned about it and issued the medical.

[My Flight Surgeon]

The urine strips check for glucose and protein but red blood cells may trip the protein test. Take the documentation with you and that willend it forever with the FAA. After the first year you will just put down "previously reported, no change".

[reefteaser]

Thanks, I feel much better. I've read this section often, and I appreciate your information and advice.

[Prodrive555]

reefteaser,

I have had a similar experience as you.

About 8 years ago during an initial medical exam for the military they noticed microscopic blood in the urine. I was reffered to a specialist to investigate before proceeding with the military application. The specialist diagnosed me with microscopic hematuria, but said it was a benign condition that could likely have been induced by a previous sports injury. The military accepted the report and allowed me to proceed (although during the process I chose a different career route)

Fast forward to this past year, I had an interview at Cathay Pacific. I passed the 1st interview and was invited to the 2nd stage (yet to be completed). During the medical report at the 1st stage I had to report this hematuria from my past. A week or two later, one of the medical examiners from Hong Kong e-mailed to request more documentation. I forwarded them the reports from 8 years ago and they were happy with it. They allowed me to continue my application.

My current medical examiner for the past 7 years has not had an issue with the initial report.

Anyhow, not sure if this helps you but just thought I'd share my experience so you can see it hasn't really affected me in my aviation career.

Cheers

[reefteaser]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I was concerned when I first found out because I had this condition in childhood, from 7 to 15 years old. Lots of doctors, tests, needles, procedures, and they rarely told me what was going on, which to me was much scarier then knowing what was going on.
One "specialist" actually told my parents to have my "diseased" kidneys removed.
The whole thing brought up bad memories, and I had to wonder what it would do to my career (my "second" career, the one I actually liked), but I'm feeling much better now.