What can the floating particulate debris in my pee be? I am looking for any sort of crystals as a med I take may produce this effect. No crystals so far, only what looks like ‘bladder dandruff’ … Are they likely to be skin cells?
Not unless you have skin inside your urinary tract. They may be sloughed cells of some kind. My dad is going through chemotherapy now and that’s how a lot of the dead cells are expelled. Best to check with your doc if you are concerned.
They also could be kidney stones, as not all kidney stones are large and painful. Many times a kidney stone can be very, very small, and look almost like a tiny snow flake. What this is, is minute’ pieces of stone coming off a large stone which can be sitting somewhere in your kidney, bladder, urethra, etc.
Having had the horrible experience of having stones:mad:
I’ve learned quite a bit about these things. Unfortunately for me, I always get the big painful ones, not the snow flakes!
Regardless of what it is, or isn’t, what you have doesn’t sound normal. Call your Doc!
bladder debris consists of many things, including epthelial (skin-type) cells from the urethral area, bacteria, mucus, protein
deposits, tiny mineral crystals, semen, smegma, and so on.
To get a better idea of where the debris is coming from, carefully cleanse the external urethral opening with soapy water, then rinse, then urinate, then stop your urinary stream for a few seconds to place the urine container by the urethral opening, then resume voiding. Voila! You’ve got a clean-catch midstream urine sample! Anything found on urinalysis here is most likely to be coming from the bladder, ureter, or kidneys, and not some junk that’s been laying around the urethra, urethral opening, or external genitals.
Isn’t that neat?
For accurate and definitive urinalysis and urine advice, see your doctor.
QtM, MD
Thanx to all who have replied.
Padeye, I wish your dad all the very best.
The med (guaifenesin, for treatment of fibromyalgia) is supposed to assist the body in expelling ‘phosphates’. So I am keeping an eye out for crystals.
pkbites, they are a little like snow flakes BUT are irregular in shape and not ‘opaquely’ white. Plus they float about for ages, and I would have thought that if these were minerals they would drift to the bottom without further ado.
Qadgop, it doesn’t seem to make any difference, freshly cleaned, midstream, or otherwise! There may well me microscopic crystals in the general cloudiness (which is variable) but the additional floating debris seems pretty consistent.
As to what is normal … my partner (who doesn’t take the guai’) has pee with these same-looking floaty bits, though not so many.
Any body game enough to go pee in a jam-jar or a glass and report back what you see?
Isn’t curiosity a terrible affliction?!
Thanx all.
Oh, OK…
Bladder Dandruff (and the Flakes?)
Band name!
Well, I just can’t believe that nobody is upto the challenge of peeing in a jar and taking a look!
Do I win the prize for most curious person then? Or am I just the weird loner type in denial?