Dear Doc, I had three stones removed from my bladder, successfully, and a month later had blood in urine. I did tests and the doctor prescribed sulfa drugs for 6 weeks. In the last week of drugs, the bleeding started again. This happened after sex. Could this be caused by the action and what would be a remedy? -Frank

Dear Frank, It is pretty unlikely that active intercourse would cause sustained bleeding. I am unsure as to whether the stones were removed from the ureter via the bladder or if they were actually bladder stones which are not very common. Apparently you had a urinary infection after your stone removal. Why you would be on Sulfa antibiotics. I assume septra or bactrim for so long, was daily suppressive therapy to prevent infection or was there some prostate involvement which usually requires longer therapy.

Some studies have shown 95% cure with a single large sulfa dose to prevent a urinary infection in someone without a history, say a woman with a dehydrated day at the pool in a wet bathing suit. In hot weather it is important to drink adequate fluids to enhance the natural self-cleansing action of the bladder.

There is often bleeding in the urine as a symptom of kidney stones that pass through the ureter to the bladder and most often is accompanied by pain. Stones are rarely an isolated event and recur quite commonly. Painless bleeding is a sign of several other things. i assume you had your bladder scoped and have no bladder lesions which can also bleed spontaneously. I suggest you speak to your urologist again.

The time course of the bleeding, whether it clears spontaneously and how often it recurs are all information that can lead to a diagnosis. -Ellar, M.D.