Some urinary or bladder changes may be normal, such as changes to the color or smell of your urine caused by some types of chemotherapy. Your health care team will determine what is causing your symptoms and will advise on steps to take to feel better.
Chemotherapy: Some chemotherapies can cause color changes in your urine for a short period of time. The color that your urine changes will depend on the color of the medication. Common colors are white, orange, red, pink, blue, green, and different shades of each color. This change in color can last a few days.
Many people going through chemotherapy discuss an unpleasant body odor as a side effect. And yes, the culprit is indeed the chemotherapy drugs that affect both the body and bodily fluids. The positive news is that the smell typically disappears after the last treatment.
Some foods and medications, such as asparagus or certain vitamins, can cause a noticeable urine odor, even in low concentrations. Sometimes, unusual urine odor indicates a medical condition or disease, such as: Cystitis (bladder inflammation)
A return to normalcy is typical, but it takes a while – usually six months or so. “All who have done chemo do finally get back to normal,” Patricia said. “Treatment for breast cancer can take a whole year, but six months after it ends, life comes back – incisions heal, hair grows back, chemo brain fog lifts.”
In most cases, a strong smell isn't a sign of disease. It's usually from your diet and medications, or it means you need to drink more water. Certain urine smells can be a sign of some conditions, but your doctor might not consider that to be the case unless you have other symptoms.
Kidney disease causes chemicals in urine to become concentrated and to cause a smell resembling ammonia. Kidney dysfunction can also cause high bacteria and protein levels in the urine, which will contribute to a foul ammonia smell.
Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs).
Bacterial overgrowth from a UTI causes a foul smell in urine.
If urine, stool, or vomit come in contact with your hands or other body parts, wash the area immediately with soap and water. If caretakers have contact with your body wastes, they should wear latex gloves.
The drug stays in your bladder for 1 to 2 hours. Then, it's drained out through the catheter or comes out in your urine (pee). For early-stage, non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer, we may give intravesical chemotherapy after a transurethral resection (TRU). This lowers the risk that the cancer will come back.
Traces of chemotherapy drug may be found in and on toilets, in disposable diapers or any clothing or laundry that a person has soiled after having a treatment. Cleaning the bathroom or handling body wastes or soiled laundry can expose you to these chemotherapy drugs.
Daily care involving proximity with a malodorous patient in the terminal stage of cancer has often proved difficult for the caregiver. Whatever the cause of the primary cancer, three sources of noxious odor can exist or coexist: necrosis, superinfection, and perspiration and/or discharge.
Around the third day following a chemotherapy treatment, some people may experience flu-like symptoms such as muscle aches and pains. If you experience these aches, you can take over-the-counter medications such as Tylenol or Advil. If necessary, contact your doctor for stronger medication.
Foul-smelling urine may be due to bacteria. Sweet-smelling urine may be a sign of uncontrolled diabetes or a rare disease of metabolism. Liver disease and certain metabolic disorders may cause musty-smelling urine.
Foetor hepaticus is a feature of severe liver disease; a sweet and musty smell both on the breath and in urine. It is caused by the excretion of dimethyl disulphide and methyl mercaptan (CH3SH)2, arising from an excess of methionine.
Pee that smells like ammonia
If you detect a hint of ammonia in your urine, it could be a sign of a urinary tract infection (UTI). The odor suggests that bacteria may be swimming around in your urinary system, most likely in your urethra, kidneys or bladder.
Make a solution of baking soda, peroxide and any dish detergent. The combination of the three is often powerful enough to drive away strong urine smells. The solutions is eight fluid ounces of peroxide, three tablespoons of baking soda, and a few drops of dish detergent.
Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs)
The odor is due to the parasites, fungi, or bacteria in your urine. The urinary tract includes your kidneys, bladder and urethra, and any of these organs can become infected and make your urine to smell like eggs.
Short, planned delays in chemotherapy for good-risk GCT patients (less than or equal to 7 days per cycle) appear to be acceptable since they may prevent serious toxicity in this curable patient population. Delays of longer than 7 days are strongly discouraged except in extraordinary life-threatening circumstances.
Once you have finished your cancer treatment, you should receive a follow- up cancer care plan. Follow-up care means seeing a doctor for regular medical checkups. Your follow-up care plan depends on the type of cancer and type of treatment you had, along with your overall health.
Unfortunately, it is common for patients to experience fatigue, difficulty sleeping, problems with memory, persistent pain or tingling from neuropathy, and emotional distress.
Urine usually has a distinct odor, but under normal circumstances, the odor is relatively mild and not too noticeable. Certain conditions, however, may cause your urine to have an unusual or unpleasant odor, which may raise concerns about a problem or abnormality.