Blood in urine after...

  I missed the end of April and the beginning of May due to a deep seeded kidney infection (E-Coli) I mistook for the flu.  Stomach, headache, chills, sweats, and high fever--lovely.  Fortunately, it responded well to antibiotics and it was caught before I had problems with urosepsis and I feel fine.
  I went back to the doctor two weeks ago and he took a urinalysis sample and discovered blood in the urine.  He's not a worrier and was very concerned.  He asked me to come back in a week.  I did, and still blood in the urine.  He's talking about some very intrusive tests here and I feel fine.  (I wasn't crazy about finding myself in the hospital.)  
  Do I have cause to worry and what kinds of tests will I have to go through to find out I'm fine?  They sound awful!  Something about a scope...
  JZ
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Dear JZ
Hematuria (blood in the urine), is divided into gross hematuria (blood that you can see in the urine) or microscopic hematuria (detected by a urinalysis).  Since both types of hematuria are abnormal, it necessitates workup via a upper and lower urinary tract workup.  A lower urinary tract workup is achieved by performing a cystoscopy through which one a able to directly visualize the bladder and urethra for any possible stones, tumors, or any other lesions that may be responsible for the hematuria.
To perform an upper urinary tract evaluation to assess the kidneys and ureters, an IVP (Intravenous pyelogram) is customary.  An IVP entails a series of X-Ray tests of the kidneys, ureters, and bladder after a contrast dye is administered.  An alternative to an IVP is performing a renal ultrasound with a KUB(single X-Ray shot of the Kidneys, Ureters, and Bladder without contrast).  Although these tests may sound somewhat invasive, they are actually not that bad when you compare them to other tests and procedures.
The only uncomfortable part of the evaluation is the cystoscopy which is better tolerated by females than males due to the shorter urethral length.  However, with the advent of the flexible cystoscope this evaluation can be performed is a less painful manner.  I think that your doctor