Have you ever had UTI/Kidney infection and how to treat it?

[willow2018]

I was diagnosed UTI in the beginning of November and I had fever and shivery. I have tried 4 different antibiotics but didn't work on me. Been to A&E and out of hour GP for 2 times and seen GP for 4 times. Now I still have temp between 37- 37.4.I have pelvic pain and middle back pain which indicates kidney problems. Still feel dizzy and can't read books. If I read books I feel faint. My heart rate can go up to 120 but will drop back to 80. It just keep going up and down, which makes me feel like I am dying. The doctor did an urine test and saying it's mild infection. He just kept giving me antibiotics but I really don't see too much improvement. Is there anybody can give me some advice? Did you have similar condition and how did you manage it? Can I tell my GP I'd like something more stronger like IV drip?

[VioletCharlotte]

I've suffered with UTIs for years. Have you tried D'Mannose? This works well for me. You have to take a high dosage to begin with and make sure to keep taking it for a long time after it feels like the UTI has gone. Otherwise the bugs recede into hiding but come back again.

www.sweet-cures.com/research/bladder-health/cystitis-treatment-method.htm

This article is good as it explains how it works and the dosage instructions.

[Dowser]

@willow2018
My dil is an icu nurse and was born with abnormal kidneys.. one normal size and not fully functioning and the other about 1/3 size and not functioning very much
She takes bicarb tablets on a regular basis
You can buy it in boots or online and 00 gel caps to put it in.

[ketchupandmayo]

No lemon, alcohol, coffee and spicy foods. Cystitis sachets helped during a flare up and I drank about 3 litres of water a day

[ketchupandmayo]

I had recurring infection for almost a year. I ended up begging my doctor for a weeks worth of Nitrofurantoin and then my OH took a sample of my wee and pretended it was his (2 different surgeries) he got given 2 weeks worth. I took all 3 weeks worth and it put a stop to my infection. I had symptoms for months after due to bladder damage but it soon healed it and the main thing was the infection was no longer there

[Dowser]

@willow2018
Yes
Sodium bicarbonate
Hope you’re feeling bit better.

[Bambi1222]

@willow2018 no sorry I don't know how long you have to wait. But If I was to take a educated guess from my UTI history at least a week. Definitely more than less than 24 hours, my guess would be that urine test will come back clear.

[willow2018]

@MissSueFlay @seven201 exactly my GP doesn't believe me unless they see something happen in front of them...

@Dowser Thank you very much for your recommendations, I have stopped diary, gluten and coffee to avoid upsetting my body. Do you mean bicarbonate can help? I have it and I'd like to give it a try tonight!

@Ridingthegravytrain @bubblesforlife Ordered d mannose and solidago online hopefully it will work lol

@Ilovemycat13 no no need to say sorry I think your case is useful for people who take the pill and have UTI :-)

@LittleOverwhelmed Glad to hear you're feeling well now! yes I don't want to go to hospital atm so hopefully things will be sorted out soon :-)

[SwankySharky]

If you have a kidney infection it commonly doesn't come up in the urine sample.

I've had every kidney infection treated with IV antibiotics and then Oral antibiotics, in hospital, then at home.

[willow2018]

@Bambi1222 My GP never said these to me. They know I was on abs but they just let me do the urine test...Do you know how many days I should wait after finishing abs? I booked appt with a private GP tomorrow.

[Bambi1222]

@willow2018 you need to ask them why they have done a urine test so close to you finishing your antibiotics. Antibiotics affect the dip test and urine culture. Sorry but that is ridiculous they have done that and I would be insisting if it comes back clear, and in a week if you still have symptoms they retest. You really should of been told antibiotics will affect the results. You need to see someonelse I think.

[MissSueFlay]

I had what I thought was a long-running mild UTI a couple of months ago. Doc prescribed antibiotics based on my symptoms but the sample test results came back clear.

After an intense morning with extreme discomfort and even vomiting in the doctors surgery (that's one way to get their attention!) I went to A&E and a scan found kidney stones. They can take ages to pass though and can give symptoms very like a UTI. Definitely worth ruling out as they can cause trouble if not dealt with.

[Dowser]

Pot cit. a teaspoon in a big glass of water.
Bicarbonate of soda...a teaspoon in a big glass of water.
Dmannose tends to work on E. coli . I rarely get E. coli so I find it doesn’t work for me.

Since I’ve been drinking colloidal silver every day ( I now brew my own) I have less bladder trouble.

Herbs like Berberis, uva ursi, cleavers , dandelion, nettle..great for uti’s
You can even pull dandelion leaves out of the garden, wash and steep them and drink the ‘ tea’
I like to use tinctures, natures answer, 12 drops in water twice a day for two weeks..then See how you go
Get some probiotics into you, kefir and sauerkraut are good. You can make them yourselves and are cheap..and natural

How are you with dairy and gluten? I can’t tolerate them and have been 100 per cent free of them for 18 months
If you are intolerant, they set up pockets of inflammation that bugs can thrive in. Dairy very mucous forming
I’d definitely cut them out for two weeks and see how you go
I also think I have a big problem with fructo glucose syrup which inflames my gut, so that’s off the menu now.

I don’t think we can treat one thing in isolation. If there’s a problem in one place I believe there’ll be a knock on effect somewhere else.

I’d also look at taking good quality vit c. Health leads does one.
Also to raise your immune system, zinc ascorbate, multi vitamin b drops, vit d3 and k2. We’ve done this every day for 18 months and been fine

If all this fails, see a homeopath. It gets ridiculed on here but I’ve had no antibiotics for 9 years .

How acidic is your diet?
We get ill when our bodies are really acid. We need to alkalise our diets. Pot cit and bicarb will help with the ph of urine but really to get well and stay well an overhaul of diet may be the key.

[seven201]

I sometimes have UTIs that don't show up on dip sticks. Some GPs are awful and don't believe it's a thing! I've had three kidney surgeries. I remember being 7 months pregnant and having an infuriating appt at a gp where she said I really don't need more antibiotics as it always comes back clear. Luckily for me at that time my wee looked like weak milky tea (full of pus) so I insisted I at least show her a fresh sample. Some antibiotics didn't work for me so had to try lots of different ones. It shouldn't be this way but you need to make a pain of yourself to get the right treatment sometimes.

[Ridingthegravytrain]

Second taking d mannose. Really helps.

Have you had trimethoprim antibiotic? That’s the only thing that works for me. Amoxicillin and macrobid and the like just wouldn’t touch it.

[bubblesforlife]

The herbal brand A-Vogel have a product called “Soldigo”. But this, mis it with water, and drink.

[Ilovemycat13]

OP I had the same problem a while ago for two years. Ended up with your situation as your in now, I was admitted and given IV abx. They worked (at the time) and obviously gave me the worst thrush I ever had.

But it came back, I was fobbed from urology to gynae. One appt with gynae and I was advised to stop the pill and I’ve never had a UTI since.

I’ve read I think all of your replies so I apologise if my info isn’t relevant to you

[LittleOverwhelmed]

[quote willow2018]@LittleOverwhelmed Poor you! It was really not a pleasant experience and I can completely relate to you. High temp and shivery means you're experiencing severe infection and the pain could make you feel like you're dying! Do you still have infection now? I hope by the end of your treatment that you are getting rid of it and feel much better.[/quote]
@willow2018

No, I am better: it was over two years ago. Took about 3 months to full recover (back to my old self), but have been prone to infections since. So go up and down, but NOTHING like that: it was a silent UTI without much pain, that changed to a very severe kidney infection (again with little obvious “kidney” symptoms). I might be on prophylactic antibiotics for quite a long time, I think.

Look after yourself and follow your gut. You definitely want to avoid being in hospital (even life so at the moment...). If they give you IV antibiotics, you will be inpatient and that is no fun...

If you are concerned and the GP is being useless, call 111. GPs will begin closing for Christmas - you don’t want to be caught then. And drink lots of water.

Take care, get it sorted and feel better soon

[grassisjeweled]

Sorry to be so vague, but there was a thread on here a while back that was very similar. No infection detected with a normal urine test, the lady had taken all the abs but was still sick. She had some sort of secondary uterine infection or something? Not sure if any other posters can help with the name of it ?

I will try and find the thread for you, Willow

[willow2018]

@LittleOverwhelmed Poor you! It was really not a pleasant experience and I can completely relate to you. High temp and shivery means you're experiencing severe infection and the pain could make you feel like you're dying! Do you still have infection now? I hope by the end of your treatment that you are getting rid of it and feel much better.

[willow2018]

@ConfusedcomMum Ohhhh I was planning to drink lemon water, thanks for reminding me not to drink it! Sadly Nitrofurantoin didn't work for me, seems we had different bacteria:-(

[willow2018]

@Bambi1222 I took my last abs on Sunday night around 11pm and did my urine test this afternoon 5pm. I didn't take Ibroprufen ( just occasionally took paracetamol) so probably you're right the abs I took worked. Or I need to ask for 7 more days course? I finished 7 days course on Sunday.

[LittleOverwhelmed]

@Grinnypig

I had a kidney infection and was in hospital on IV antibiotics for five days. This was a number of years ago and so when I have UTIs now I don’t hang around and make sure I get antibiotics straight away.
After a series of infections a couple of years ago I was prescribed a daily ab which I took for a few months which finally worked.
I now have a ‘just in case’ course of antibiotics at home so I can start them straight away with the early symptoms. If I use it I have it on a repeat prescription so I can just replace them.
GPs often prescribe a course which is just too short. 3 or 5 days.
Persevere for treatment. When it travels to your kidneys it’s dangerous.

This was / is me too.

2 years ago I felt absolutely dreadful, had a fever, could barely eat (not like me), chills, sweating, had a strange ache just under my rib cage. Didn’t have any UTI symptoms. Went to GP, she took my temperature, but it had gone back to about normal. So said “see how it goes over the weekend, come back on Monday if you don’t feel better”. That was Friday. Got home, declined, couldn’t eat, fever up, worse Saturday. By Sunday morning I just knew I wouldn’t “just get better”. Followed my gut, Called 111, for an appointment at “out of hours” (fortunately next to A&E at the hospital), packed hospital bag in case (left at home), DH drove me to hospital for my appointment (about 5/6 hours after calling 111). Doctor saw me, took my temperature (high!), listened to me, I was on the edge of tears, said “this isn’t like you, is it?”. She thought it was pancreatitis and immediately admitted me to the surgical ward (not A&E). Blood tests showed that I was very severely ill (CRP level of 350 - the normal is under 10). They CT Scanned me and found abscesses on my kidney (fortunately the other one was relatively ok and still functioning). Two days on IV antibiotics I continued to decline (my lungs started to collapse), they put me on triple IV antibiotics. I spent 7 days in hospital. Took quite a while to recover!!! Was off work for 4 weeks in total, then back part time for a couple of weeks. But took 3 months to thoroughly recover.

I am now very prone to them. Have to go onto antibiotics at the first sign. Now on my second set of prophylactic antibiotics... (was on them 6 months, came off, had two/three UTIs in a row, now back on). Have had various follow up scans and Consultant appointments - no obvious reason why...

But I would be very careful: you can turn from being “ill” to “incredibly ill” within a very short time and I wouldn’t wish 7 days in hospital on anyone... 111 and a blood and proper urine test would help see what is going on.

[ConfusedcomMum]

I avoid citrus drinks and try to drink lots of water. I take D-Mannose supplements (from Amazon) at the first sign of a UTI which seems to stop it in it's tracks 80% of the time. The only antibiotics that work for me if I have a UTI are Nitrofurantoin a pp mentioned above. Last time I got some via a private prescription from //www.healthexpress.co.uk and it arrived to my home address the next day.

[Bambi1222]

Imo and from alot of uti infections. The antibiotics have started to work (helped abit) so it probably won't come bk aa an infection. When did you last take antibiotics? Have you been to take Ibroprufen regulary for at least a couple days to reduce inflammation caused from the infection. If it comes back not a infection this should be suggested to you. If it comes back a infection I suggest you ask for nitrofurantoin( sorry that may be spelt really wrong) and you will need a longer course ( 7 days) now imo.

[willow2018]

@goingtotown I agree avoid coffee I only drink water and tea without sugar and milk now lol Luckily Macrobid worked on you but it doesn't work on me...