To think gp are making this complex for me

[User456787888]

I believe I have a urine infection. Have many of the symptoms. I work full time about an hour from the surgery. I can’t afford time to go and do a urine sample. Aibu to think they are wasting their time and mine.

I think you need to elaborate. How are they wasting their time and yours?

they need to send a sample to the lab to make sure you are given the correct antibiotics for the infection you have.
Ask if you can drop a sample (in a bottle secure in a sandwich bag!) in the letterbox on your way to work.

I’ve heard of people being given them over the phone? By making me attend an appointment that neither me nor them need.

So you want them to take your word for it that you need antibiotics without testing your urine?

Have you tried using a pharmacy local to work? Many have UTI services for women between 18 & 64 (you still need a sample).

Of course the appointment is needed, you cannot self diagnose a urine infection and get antibiotics for it.

I used to think work could not possibly cope without me for a second until my boss informed me that was not the case and my health comes first.
Drop off a sample. I thought I had a urine infection, turned out I had interstitial cystitis.

Depends op. Have you had a uti before? I've had them prescribed over a video call before but I have had a few over the years so they knew I knew what it was iyswim. But if not then yes the will want to check

Im a practice nurse. You need to, at the very least, drop off a sample.

Lots of branches of Boots - the ones with pharmacies - offer drop-in UTI tests. Might be worth calling local branches to you and/or your work to find out.

Some areas offer a nhs pharmacy based service for utis. Think Boots will also for a fee.

YABU. Antibiotic resistance is a massive growing issue. They won't know what treatment you need without a bacterial sample. Just do the sample.

They need to test your urine to see firstly if you have an infection (thrush can sometimes emulate UTI) and then to find the most appropriate antibiotics. Don’t be ridiculous. Piss in a pot and drop it at the front desk on your way to work. 🙄

Boots have an online service for cystitis. You answer some questions online, upload a picture of yourself and of some ID, a doctor reviews it and hopefully they will prescribe antibiotics. I used it the other day and was able to pick up the prescription within 24 hours. Cost was £15. The doctor messaged me back a few days later to follow up, which I thought was good. My GP surgery won't usually treat cystitis unless you have risk factors, but tells you to use a service like this. I think there was a change in guidance from NICE a few years ago.

I doubt your GP is deliberately trying to make it hard or complex for you.
It sounds more like you have mentioned symptoms which may not be a UTI or symptoms which mean they want to examine prior to antibiotics eg abdominal pain

I am happy to prescribe over the phone for patients who have previously had a UTI hence usually know when they have another one , who haven’t recently had a uti ( when I would want sample) and those who don’t have symptoms that may suggest other diagnoses

If you cannot get back to your Gp is there a walk-in centre near you?

I think you are making it complex for yourself.

Do you have a pot? I found it seriously annoying that I had to shlep to the doctors to get a pot before I could pee in a pot then walk home to walk back again for a prescription they told me once to just boil a glass jar and use that 😑 I only had a mayonnaise jar it's way easier and totally made the nurses day

The first stop at our GP’s surgery is to go to the pharmacy for a 3 day course of antibiotics! Can’t get past the gate keeper until you’ve done that! Can’t get an appointment until you’ve tried this. That’s if you haven’t already had a UTI in the last 3months (I think)!

Sorry for the ramble. The 3 day courses never work for me but you can go to the pharmacy first, or at least you can in my neighbourhood Unfortunately after all that I still had to have a 5 day course.

Hope you get sorted OP, UTIs are fucking awful!

You are tying yourself up in knots, phone your surgery or hand a sample in they can test it without an appointment. But you don't need an appointment.

You need to get a surgery closer to home

And yeah, piss in a jar that’s been through the dishwasher or sterilised with a boiling kettle, seal it and put it in a sandwich bag. Done.

Yes, drs may prescribe ABs without a FtF visit, but you still need to drop off a urine sample to check the AB is correct for that infection.

Having had urine infections in the past that required specific (not standard 1st line) antibiotics due to resistance/sensitivity issues; I dropped a sample in last time I was symptomatic, got prescribed standard antibiotics and, on the morning of the 5th day (wasn’t feeling any better and planned to call surgery), they rang to say I was on the wrong treatment and required a much stronger antibiotic and a CNN longer course of treatment doe to delayed start.

Get a sample in to the surgery rather than taking antibiotics blindly as you could end up needing a longer course of treatment

The GPs can't win!

Can’t you arrange to drop off a sample early in the morning? My surgery accepts samples that way, they let you pick up a pot and bag so it’s all hygienic.

You want the meds then drop off a sample. Or pay for private