UTI won’t go away can’t get help

[whyyyyyisitmonddayy]

Got my coil early 2023. Between 2024-6 I’ve had 4+ utis. I’m losing my mind. GP won’t help and won’t prescribe more than 3 day course which is proven in studies not to be enough. Theres no way it’s caused by STIs either. I’m definitely clean and so is my partner (I get tested automatic whenever I go in about my coil - which is frequent because it’s been a nightmare but I can’t take other BC).

Gp told me they wouldn’t help as “it’s now an emergency” 111 told me they couldn’t do anything, neither can a&e, only my gp can help as I’ve had 3 in the last 6 months

my car is broken down too. So I can’t even get to my gp anyway. Or a & e. I work night and my parents work regular hours so they can’t take me when I’m off work and when they can I’m working. I ended up lying to a pharmacist (told her it’s my 2nd in 6 months. I know it’s awful. But was in so much pain and feverish and I just needed help). My mum was able to collect it for me. She gave me 3 day antibiotics which haven’t worked. At all.

im terrified im about to develop pelvic inflammatory disease. Or that my uti is actually chronic and I’m going to lose my ability to have children. No one can help me apparently. I’m so lost.

Hello.
typing this in a rush so hope it makes sense.

you can order antibiotics for uti from the internet Asda pharmacy etc they give you 3 days so you go to 3 different websites get 9 days and take them. Guidance says 3 or 7 day course I had repeat utis and I got 3 packs like this and took 7 of the 9 days and it worked.
i didn’t want to keep taking 3 days of abx and it not working having a gap then starting g again, as I felt like I was asking for antibiotic resistance.
no idea why GPs can’t just give you 7 days worth.
this is what worked for me in desperation so worth trying.
best wishes

That’s why I wrote ‘GUM [genito-urinary medicine] clinic’. Most NHS GUM clinics will test for and treat UTIs, free of charge, confidentially and efficiently, as well as providing contraception, advice, and STI services.

Our local GUM service is a very good one-stop shop - I think it gets better funding than some other health centres. The staff are really good. I wish more women knew about them, given the GP situation.

I treat them myself with Vogel uva ursi liquid. It's a urinary antiseptic and I've even seen off a kidney infection with it as I caught it early. It's what they used to use before antibiotics.

Thank you, loosing the plot a bit.
got an appointment today thank god, I rang GP again and I got the nicer receptionist who took pity because I broke down crying. Bit of a low point but I’m terrified of being in this much pain regularly and losing my fertility. I’ve also got horrific back pain and have lost use of my right leg

Is this all since getting the iud? I had a copper coil and it caused widespread inflammation and terrible back pain. Once I had it removed, it all vanished and I went back to normal.

Omg OP! So sorry.

I am with PP. Get that coil out!

I have had multiple episodes or recurrent uti’s. They are so unpleasant. The literally make my skin crawl. Luckily I have a great GP, who referred me to a consultant to check there was no issue with my bladder. For me it’s just a matter of getting the correct antibiotics so as soon as I feel a twinge I test with a home urine test just to see if there are any signs and give a urine sample to the GP. It then gets sent off which can take a good few days as it takes time for the cultures to develop and then I get the right antibiotic. Sometimes it’s only a 3 day course. It’s not about the length of the course it’s about it being the correct one for the infection you have.

I also take an antibiotic pill after sex. Sex is definitely an issue for me and we got to the point where we were didn’t have sex before travelling or on holiday as I’d had a couple of weekends away ruined by a uti. The GP now gives me course of antibiotics to carry with me when I go travelling.
I’ve set up a bidet type arrangement at home to make sure I am extra clean. I don’t know if it’s necessary but I feel better for it.
Ive not had a UTI for 6 months now so that’s good.

I do have a GUM service i use for my iud, but at this point i can only really go through a gp according to my 111 call. If my gp can’t do anything today I’ll walk into their GUM walk-in clinic and beg to be seen. The ladies are very nice in there and very understanding

Silly question but surely taking a pill every time you have sex is building up anti biotic resistance?

It’s evil anyway and causes so much pain. Probably because its looking like I have endometriosis.

ill have to think about it and talk to my GP. I might just try a longer course of antibiotics as I can only really use non hormonal options as I don’t react well to synthetic hormones.

Yes and it’s turning me into a bitch.

I

Oh god that is scary. I was worried about my kidneys and reproductive organs but that’s a real risk, you’re right.

fuck.

I begged the nice receptionist and they will see me at 3. Getting train part way then taxi.

I’ve no idea but it’s quite a normal thing for GPs to prescribe.

Bloody hell, you poor woman. Seething for you.

Can you ask to see a different gp at your surgery? I had antibiotics for three days from the pharmacy. They helped but the uti didn't quite go away so my gp gave me a five day course and sent off a sample to test if it didn't go and they needed to prescribe different antibiotics.

just seen your update

Please say the words "sepsis" and "chlamydia"at the surgery. I've had far more dealings with GPs than is good for anybody - for both myself and my parents - and they do seem to have trigger words that will make them act. I don't think you have chlamydia by the way! I just think it's a good word to use to make them do a proper investigation.

I'm so sorry you're going through this. Please don't let them write you off as an upset young woman being over the top.

It might be easier to write your concerns down on a piece of paper and just hand it over. I often get very upset at the GP. Partly because you know they're not going to listen to you. So writing stuff down helps them and you.

Keep us posted, take care 💐

I second this advice, also take a bit of bicarbonate of soda in water to neutralise you urine and avoid caffeine, alcohol, cranberry, citrus and spice.

I’m sure I don’t have any kind of sti - I’ve had multiple negative tests as part of mandatory testing

I had the mirena for a couple of years. Never ending UTIs. The UTIs stopped as soon as the mirena came out. I never linked them until I had it removed when we started TTC. Don’t know what the options are if you can’t take alternative BC.

Thing is if your on antibiotics or have remnants sometimes it takes ages to show up.

I had this with strep b.

Honestly it took about 5 courses of antibiotics and nearly 3 months when they finally rung me in a panic. You have strep B!!!!

YEAH I fUCkINg know!!

Been trying to tell you for 3 months!

The private clinics prescribe hiprex it is an antiseptic not an antibiotic you can see if your GP will prescribe that. I think the LUTS clinic sew nhs patients for chronic uti but it is a long wait. I have to pay privately in the end to get treatment of long term antibiotics and hiprex.

A 3 day course is not long enough I have found. Hope your doctor has given you a 5 day course or longer.

I get this occasionally and the last time I got a 3 day course from my doctor I then got an online private prescription for another 3 day course. So that was 6 days in total which properly cleared it up. They used to prescribe 5 day courses routinely and I think if the infection is bad, it takes longer than a 3 day course to really fix the problem.

Hope u ok. They desperate. I had to get a stronger antibiotic to shift mine. Took ages. Friend swears by D mannose too

Your doctor is a knob, I’m angry on your behalf. He needs to take a urine test and prescribe the correct antibiotic, 3 days is never long enough for me.
I have had some awful UTIs over the last 18 months. One was so bad that I just went to A&E and was given antibiotics through an
IV.
Im waiting to see a specialist/have scans ect, the appointment should be soon according to my letter and I’ve been waiting since September, your GP needs to refer you to see why you keep getting them, you could have an embedded UTI and I don’t think they are picked up with a urine sample.
It’s completely negligent of your GP to not provide medical care, make a fuss and if you can just go to A&E, mine was gone within 2 hours once I had the IV.

3 days worth is never enough for me when I get them. I usually ask for a weeks worth and they agree when I tell them 3 days never works for me.

if they were to refuse I’d take the 3 days worth and then order another 3 days worth from an online pharmacy.

I’ve known so many people that 3 days isn’t enough for. It blows my mind when they used to drill it into people to not stop the course of antibiotics before 7 days was up even if symptoms go