Advice - in Rome with suspected uti

[Misthios]

It’s 2.19 in the morning and I have been to the loo three times in the last couple of hours, tell tale burning signs of a uti, we are here until Friday morning. Drinking lots of water. If no better by morning am going to have to seek treatment, uti has been an issue for me since peri menopause and being diagnosed with vaginal atrophy.

can anyone advise in the process, assuming I will need to see a doctor, is online a thing? How much can I expect to pay? This is the last thing I need to be honest.

Can you try a pharmacist?

Sorry you're going through it. I dread utis. I would try and pharmacist. Ibuprofen in the meantime.

dr Google says no antibiotics at pharmacy in Italy.

Are you staying in a hotel? If so, they should be able to help. And if you have a GHIC card it should be free, though you may have to pay upfront and be reimbursed later.

No, Airbnb. I think we have chic but honestly the money isn’t the issue, would happily pay. Don’t want to ruin the last day of the holiday for everyone else, just want it sorted!!!

Doesn't your travel insurance have a contact number for medical help?

Probably, but it’s hardly a life threatening emergency. They will just direct me to a doctor.

You surely would know if you've brought a GHIC card with you?

Like I said, the money isn’t the issue here, I am happy to pay private fees if I can get this sorted quickly.

I would pop into a local pharmacy or nearest hospital for advice as to where to go etc to get it treated asap

Your travel insurance will cover any costs and your GHIC might too but I'm not sure re the latter

I have been googling and can get a video call appointment tomorrow morning for 50 euro. Might just book it.

Given that you've said money isn't the issue then it would make sense to do that. They would be able to issue a prescription for antibiotics if necessary.

In the meantime I assume you know to keep drinking plenty of water and avoid caffeine, alcohol and sugar.

If it’s the last day of your holiday I would drink lots of water and see the GP when you get home. I always take antibiotics with me abroad in case this happens. I am prone to UTI s and thrush .

Thanks all. I am feeling better this morning and managed some sleep, I think I am going to try to get through today drinking loads of water and see how things are when I get home.

I've never taken antibiotics for a uti. They do go away with plenty of water. Good luck OP!

Ask the pharmacist for 'citrato di potassio' (potassium citrate). It's a pretty old school foul tasting mixture in a bottle. I use it for UTIs in this country, and most pharmacists have it. It normally gives me relief within an hour.

I saw a private doctor in Rome, near the Colleseum, he prescribed anti biotics which I then had to pay extra for, it wasnt cheap. I went to a public hospital and was told that I couldnt be seen without paying due to Brexit and the cost was more than I knew the private doctor would charge. I have no idea if this was true but was in too much pain and discomfort and didnt speak the language to argue.

I had a UTI in Greece once. It cost me €50 for the consultation, antibiotics and probiotics. It was just after Covid so the pharmacist said they’d stopped selling antibiotics over the counter and everyone has to see a doctor.

If you’ve got vaginal atrophy and are peri-menopausal @Misthios you probably need to speak to your GP about some topical oestrogen. I was getting recurrent UTIs, due to similar reasons, but topical HRT has saved me.

No they don’t go always go away by just drinking water. I’ve had a few uti and have felt really unwell and have been prescribed antibiotics.

I have topical oestrogen, using it twice weekly but will speak to gp about whether I need to increase that to every other day or something. On the positive side, the tap water in Rome is very good.

Will try to get some potassium citrate, there are loads of pharmacies around here. Also on the insurance thing - 50 euros to see a gp online plus whatever the prescription costs is less than the excess on many policies and far less hassle.

I would ask advice of pharmacist. I’ve bought Cane Oasis in the past and it has helped, active ingredient Sodium Citrate. Doesn’t taste foul at all. There might well be an Italian equivalent.

When I lived in Italy (decades ago) the pharmacies were always really good and their over the counter products for thrush seemed much better than ours. So I’d go and see a pharmacist.

I’m hoping pharmacists speak good English because my Duolingo Italian hasn’t taught me “it hurts when I pee”.

Also agree about overseas pharmacies being great, lived in Spain for a while and the pharmacy sorted me out for anything I needed.