To go to A&E for this?

[babsmargarita]

Hi everyone,
Looking for some advice on what to do. Basically I've had what I suspect to be a UTI and thrush (yes, both!) for just over a week now and have tried treating it with home remedies and over the counter medicines to no avail. I have attempted to get a doctors appointment but was told I couldn't get one til the 24th of September. I'm in agony at this point and today I think the UTI has spread to my kidneys as even strong pain killer (cocodamol) has not masked the pain. The burning when I pee has gotten far worse to the point I'm scared to go to the toilet and the discomfort is unbearable. Went to the walk in clinic earlier this week as I thought maybe it was instead a sexual health issue but was simply told I needed to go to my own GP practice and get my urine tested for a UTI first to 'rule that out' as they don't do it there. So when I went to the GP surgery to ask about leaving a urine sample she told me I need to make a doctors appointment alongside it. I don't know what to do next, have tried phoning for any cancellations but no luck and I'm completely at my wits end with this. I'm in absolute agony and crying any chance I get!! Would going to A&E be too dramatic? As I understand a UTI is not at all considered an emergency but it is to me at this pointscared I could be sitting for hours only for them to turn their nose up at me
TIA

I'd go - you have an infection that requires treatment.

What is the out of hours arrangement with NI doctors? This should be a GP issue albeit it is getting more urgent. In our area if this happened one would be told by receptionist that there are no appointments but that if it is urgent a GP would ring you back and then they would sort it by speaking to you/ seeing you as necessary/ arranging urine test and script etc. We have no walk in centres but there are sometimes on the day appointments with advanced nurse practitioner or paramedic which again would be really suitable for your situation although they are often booked up by lunchtime. Out of hours it would be 111 and the out of hours GP.

Just phoned out of hours, which I'm embarrassed to say I had no idea was even a thing, just playing the waiting game to see when I get a call back now. Thank you all so much sometimes you just need a bit of reassurance that you're not insane for this, I've never had a UTI before in my life and it's incredibly painful especially alongside thrush :( thanks for the sympathy too, everyone else has been relatively unphased and vague when I ask them what to!! Genuinely got asked 'have you tried phoning the doctor yet?' today when I've been complaining about this all week at work!

Hi OP, I'm in Scotland but found these for NI out of hours.

www.gpoutofhours.hscni.net

www.nidirect.gov.uk/out-of-hours

That's what I'd do. I had a UTI that spread to my kidneys and ended up in hospital with it so I sympathise - I was bent double with the pain and painkillers wouldn't touch it.

If no joy with the above then yes, I would go to A&E.

Ahh cross-post, sorry. That's good. You need antibiotics. No reason why you would know about out-of-hours until you need it. Hope you feel better soon.

UTIs can very easily be an emergency, actually. It depends how severe it is.

For the future, tell the GP’s surgery that it is something that can’t wait if you have this sort of infection.
I would say something like “I have UTI and it feels like it is getting worse so I need an urgent appointment”
I will wait 2 weeks for an appointment for backache but I wouldn’t wait for a UTI.
Hope you get a call back soon.

I phoned our surgery when I could feel cystitis starting (again) and was able to get a phone consult with the nurse practitioner who left a prescription for me at reception.
You might be able to do similar at your surgery, OP, for future reference. Sometimes it really helps if you can tell the receptionist as much as you can bear!
Hope you feel better soon.

Bless you, UTIs are so incredibly painful. You only need to go to A&E if you have a very high temp and oral antibiotics aren't working. My DH has a history of UTIs and I've had to take him to A&E for IV antibiotics. If you have a high temp and start vomiting definitely go to A&E as it's a sign of sepsis (been there done that too unfortunately).

I have realised in the UK there are three types of appt - urgent - needs seeing today, important needs to be see next 48 hrs and standard - usually anything from a week to three week wait for appt

UTI is urgent all sorts of complications can arise including the kidney shutting down so I would go back to GP and make it clear the level of pain. Hopefully OOH will help you. If I was getting no where with GP I would go to A&E as if left to fester it becomes critical quickly

Have you been seen?

I’d call it an emergency, actually; having a gruesome infection and not being able to get a doctor’s appointment for three weeks!
Go, op. Never take chances with your kidneys, untreated infections can do irreversible damage.

If you phone 111 they should be able to get you an emergency out of hours appointment. Hope you feel better soon

Hope you feel better soon . All we have here is Dalriada which is an out of hours dr.
Have you means of getting to the out of hours dr if you have to go to the center?

Hope you got sorted?

We have Dal doc here (that's if you're near me in NI)

Update! The doctor phoned at about 19:15, described my symptoms over the phone and she wrote me a script for a three day course of antibiotics then and there so I've got them now! Hoping to god this will sort it and I don't have to go to the GP for further examination as there's been no actual urine test done! Can anybody tell me when you go for a sexual health check up do they test your urine? I have my first ever one on Monday so I'm hoping if this doesn't work I may be able to get sorted after then. Thank you all so much again!! Feeling much more hopeful, back and bits are still killing though

Much as my doctors are shite sometimes, the UTI thing they have is good. You just go and give a sample and get a call back that day with results. I went with vague symptoms, never had a UTI before. Turned out I had a raging UTI and being immunocompromised it's pretty serious and I was seen and given antibiotics within the hour
It's helpful to just be able to go, wee, leave and know!

I heard that Superdrug will sell antibiotics for a UTI to you for £20. If you get desperate in future that could be worth remembering?

Horrible having a UTI and no access to antibiotics x

Glad you’ve got some antibiotics op, you poor love. Thrush is hideous let alone alongside a uti. I don’t suppose there’s any chance it’s cystitis instead of thrush? The feelings can be very similar. I think you need to call your gp surgery in the morning and ask for an emergency appointment. Explain to them you’ve been prescribed anti biotics over the phone but no actual urine sample has been tested and that you need to be seen ASAP. X

Sorry, meant cystitis instead of a uti x

Glad you've been sorted now.

Don't underestimate UTIs they actually can be an emergency in some cases if left unchecked.

I recently had one that spread to my kidneys and it was awful. Ended up unable to get out of bed with fever like symptoms.

Poor you! You sound like it may be too late for this but cranberry juice and loads of it is very effective at treating a urine infection during early stages. There's something in cranberries that stops the bacteria holding onto the inside of the bladder, so you can reduce the infection. Just keep the fluid intake up to keep flushing out the bacteria.
Warm salty water bath but about 4 tablespoons in the bath, will help the thrush . Hope you feel lots better soon

Hey OP, I went s couple of years ago to out of hours doctors for a UTI it had spread to my kidneys it was awful. I sat waiting for 3 hours but I’m glad I went you can’t always get a GP app if you don’t get one you’ll have to wait until tomorrow evening to get an out of hours app after 6 usually

Just a word of caution,taking antibiotics can give you thrush,since you already have this have had canasten?If not get some to treat your thrush as well.

Phone your own surgery and they should have a recorded message for out of hours. You do need to be seen OP, that sounds really bad. What part of NI are you in? You should be able to get antibiotics from over the phone if you describe your symptoms or they’ll tell you to go to a&e.