Hi, Patty -- Your history is all-too-familiar!! I, too, had blood in the urine for years, no sign of infection, antibiotics and no referral to a uro. (You can read the story of my delayed diagnosis under trenchtalk, I think.)
The thing is, since our society hasn't begun to do the job it should about educating everybody about bladder cancer, we don't know much about it before we are diagnosed. Before my diagnosis I thought Urologists only saw males. If I had it do do over again, I'd have made an appointment directly with a urologist as soon as I
started to suspect bladder cancer rather than thinking: The doctors aren't even mentioning it, I must be "over-reacting." But I don't have it to do over again.
I am glad you are getting the cysto and that it is fairly soon. Please let us know how it goes. We do care.
in support -- Susan
diagnosed 2/23/07 at stage 3, muscle invasive, sarcomatoid tcc