Tmi sorry, but in agony, need advice - cystitis?

[Youcantscaremeihavechildren]

Had a niggling soreness since Saturday, I think triggered as I had an unusually heavy period and have been using a mooncup which I've had issues with the fit, it kept slipping and we were away so lots of walking around not being able to stop for the loo when I needed to, anyway so got a bit sore, then burning when weeing, 4 days now. Have been to the gp, saw perscribing nurse, he dipped urine, said there was blood but this was down to period (finished by sunday) but nothing else.
Sent it to the lab, told me to call Thursday and he can percribe anti biotics if needed.
Thing is I just feel really run down, weeing is like peeing glass, even lying down/sitting hurts, it's agony. I've not had this in years so not sure if it's all normal! I did used to get utis quite badly in my 20s, couple of times I ended up in a and E as it went to kidneys. I'm at home today as its my day off but I should be working, all I'm dijng is lying here whist my 4 Yr old watches TV, couldn't face sitting at my laptop..
I've got a really busy few days ahead at work, (teaching) can't see how I'm going to get through days of teaching, meetings, extra revision classes feeling like this when sometimes it'll be 3hrs plus before I can get to the loo, sometimes all day from 8 till 4pm I don't get chance.
What can I try? Paracetamol and water is what the nurse suggested. I felt like asking him if he'd pee'd much glass before but I restrained myself..

Get the macrobid a PP advised (via superdrug online) - it's an antibiotic, and you only take it for 3 days. My practice nurse prescribed it for me recently - no need for giving a sample, she believed I had cystitis based on the symptoms I described! not like your miserable GP, OP
I felt relief from symptoms very quickly.

God your GP is a twat!! I’d like to see him waiting til Thursday with those bloody symptoms!!

It is so strange that you write this as I am going through almost exactly the same thing. I first used a mooncup about 6 years ago but it leaked like a bastard so I changed to a diva cup and havent had nearly as much trouble with it. However, this last period, I dont know what really happened but I couldn’t get the thing situated correctly and it didnt pop open. I had to try again and again to get it right and the bloody thing leaked repeatedly and now I have to go through this too! Luckily I had an emergency pack of trimethoprim (also through Superdrug as a pp suggested) which I always keep on stand-by as I have a history of UTI’s. They are the devil - I hate them so much . Hope you are feeling better soon!

I second the comment about d mannose. I suffered for years and did some research and found d mannose tablets which are the only thing that worked. Bought off amazon. Read up about them......best thing

I get cystitis all the time st least once or twice a month and now take a preventative antibiotic to try and stop it developing.
However I also find d Mannose really helps me.

1000mg strength from Amazon anxfollow the instructions

It doesn't get rid of it but really helps me cope

Thanks all. I've been at work, drunk litres of water and peeing is better but not totally. I just feel rough though, legs and arms just aching so badly, finally home, had dinner and on the sofa now, I've got to sort the kids out and got work to do tonight but all I want to do is go to bed. I'm calling the docs first thing if it's not better, I don't feel right.

Really sorry you're struggling. So painful. I've been there. Glad peeing is better--keep it up with the water.

Yet another one recommending D-Mannose! I even give it to my female dogs for the same reason I take it!

I've ordered macrobid from superdrug before, they can send it on a next day.

But I don't think macrobid is the best if the infection has spread to kidneys. Hope you feel better soon, cystitis is the devil's work.

Finally after another day of feeling pretty horrible not to mention practically sloshing I've drunk so much water, got a call back from gp to give me macrobid. Took an age to find an open pharmacy and I actually started crying when they said they couldn't find the percription the gp had sent over, but eventually sorted. Just keep going really lightheaded, splitting headache despite paracetamol and arms and legs ache like a bastard. Hoping I feel better tomorrow it's my last lesson with my y11 and I can't miss it. Wil drag my sorry self to bed in a bit after yet more bloody work and hope I feel better. DH is away all week from Saturday with work so I bloody hope it goes away before then, already not looking forward to doing everything by myself all week.
I honestly feel a bit unhinged though, can a uti make you feel totally off like this?

Try gallons of cranberry juice - it worked for me

Gosh you poor thing. Rest well and I hope the medication kicks in soon.

D mannose
D mannose
D mannose

OP you sound very run down and quite unwell. Cystitis is just awful, I think you’re a star to battle on with work this week.
The aches and pains could just be par for the course with cystitis and generally being unwell.
Sometimes we need to listen to our bodies and just look after ourselves.
Could you get a good lie in/some bed rest this weekend before DH goes away? Maybe you need to take a few days off next week?
Don’t be afraid to take time off if you’re sick.
(I’m a nurse)

I'd been to the GP and had been given ineffective (cheap) antibiotics which didn't work - sorry, but not true.

How expensive an antibiotic is has no bearing on how well it works, it's only if that particular bacterium is susceptible to that particular antibiotic that it's likely to work, regardless of cost.

We're living in a world of growing antibiotic resistance, and your GP was doing the right thing and waiting until the lab grew a particular bacterium out of your urine and tested it against a range of antibiotics to find the right one to use depending on what species/strain it is.

GPs used to hand out antibiotics like smarties, despite the fact that they were largely not needed (for those who have a decent immune system), and this is why we have an antibiotic crisis now.

If you feel really unwell though, go to A+E as rare complications are kidney infections or sepsis as PPs have said.

Cystitis is a bitch

Bicarb did offer me some relief, not a cure, but it made weeing so much less painful

D-mannose is a sugar rather than an antibiotic, but there does seem to be a bit of evidence for it's use against UTIs.

I found a handful of recent studies similar to this - www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23633128 which seem to imply that you can use it as prophylaxis.

You need a doctor.

I got antibiotics for this last week. 3 day course of nitrofurantoin (?). The doctor didn't even look at my pee specimen far less test it, my description of symptoms was enough. They worked within a day or so and I felt much better. Sympathies OP, it's horrible.

Antibiotics. Doctor. Now.

Feeling much better after a bad day yesterday, had aching kidney area, lightheaded etc, by now have had half the antibiotics so they must have started working, finally! Going to order some d mannose to keep handy, maybe start taking around period time to avoid it happening again. Next thing is to sort out what I do about my mooncup... 🤔 Thanks for all the advice, next time (hopefully never) I'll be more direct with the gp about needing anti biotic and not waiting, as that did not help.