Have you ever left a UTI/kidney infection untreated? How long for?

[butternutsquashing]

I’ve had a UTI that was treated with antibiotics last week. The symptoms mostly went away, until last night when they came back with a vengeance.

I’ve woken up today with all the symptoms of a UTI again, but also pretty awful back pain. It feels like bad period cramps but I already had my period last week.

I know back pain is an early sign of a kidney infection, but I haven’t got a fever or any of the other signs (no flu like symptoms etc).

My problem is, we’re going away tonight to Prague for 5 nights and I’ve not been able to snatch a GP appt today.

I’m downing cystitis relief drinks and dosing up on pain killers, and that’s making it bearable - if this turns out to be another infection, do you think I can leave it untreated with antibiotics until I’m home?

Well you've a couple of options:

Ring 111 and get an out of hours appointment this evening.
Go to Prague and seek medical help there.
Do neither of the above and potentially need treatment there anyway.
Try and grin and bear it with cystitis drinks etc. and seek treatment on your return.

I have stage 3 chronic kidney disease which my nephrologist believes stems from a bad kidney infection years ago. Please get it treated.

You would be mad to leave it OP, I had chronic kidney infections for a decade and took antibiotics every day for four years at one point under my consultant’s direction.

You could damage your kidneys, get sepsis, be really ill. My worst infections involved three week hospital stays.

Agree that this could be pre existing as far as your insurance is concerned which means you will be stuffed.

I’m sure your fine if you’ve not got a fever. Just monitor it when you’re away and if you feel like you’re getting the classic symptoms then go to the docs in Prague or when you come home. Hope you feel better soon!

If I don’t have things like a temp/chills/flu symptoms etc, could it still be a kidney infection

Absolutely! I was hospitalised for 2 weeks with a severe kidney infection and had none of the symptoms you describe

I didn't realise I had a uti & by the time I started to feel the pain, my urine was like blood coloured gravy, full of pus, blood & blood clots. I had a raging temperature, pain in my kidneys & couldn't control my bladder. I had to have a 14 day course of 2 types of antibiotics & was extremely poorly. Don't mess around, go to the doctors asap.

I’m sure your fine if you’ve not got a fever

Not having a fever counts for nothing. You can have kidney infections without a fever

Go to the walk in centre now, it won't be too busy mid week and you must likely need a broad spectrum antibiotic.

I went on holiday with what I thought was a strained muscle in my back. I'd been to the doctor who sent off a urine sample as a precaution and I didn't bother to get the results as I felt so well. The doctor phoned me and said I had a very severe infection and gave me a bit of a telling off as it could have caused permanent damage to my kidneys.