Chronic/embedded UTI advice

[Atmywitsend23]

Posting here shamelessly for traffic after spending the last two days hospitalised!

Does anyone have advice as to how to clear a chronic or embedded UTI? I have just spend the last two days as an inpatient as my ongoing UTI problems resulted in a nasty kidney infection and subsequent collapse.

I have had 4 courses of antibiotics now, Cefalexin was the only one that seemed to help but symptoms came right back again as soon as my course was finished. Currently on co-amoxiclav and have also had two courses of trimethoprim. My symptoms are now mainly mild burning and urgency but nowhere near as bad as they were before. The issue seems to be that I can never fully clear it! Always comes back in a few days after stopping antibiotics. Dip tests always show leukocytes and protein but lab results are always negative since I’m always already on antibiotics or have had so many of them! Bought some D-mannose today but I’m aware it’s more of a preventative measure and I’m in Scotland so unfortunately Harley St is a little far away (for those that recommended the clinic in previous threads). Please help I’m desperate and as the name suggests, at my wits end!

Fingers crossed the D-mannose works for you! I had a UTI that got slightly better with antibiotics but would come back after. I must have had it for about a month, but it felt like longer and I was miserable, so I have every sympathy for you. D mannose had me feeling better in a couple of days, I took it for a couple of days after that too just in case. Now I take it if I think I might have a flare up for 2-3 days and I’ve been ok since.

@Atmywitsend23 I hear you, I also have this issue. Have you had a cystoscopy? I recently had one which showed debris in my bladder from previous infection, and he said my urethra was quite tight. Otherwise everything was fine. Most of my lab tests come back mixed growth, which is frustrating. I did have one showing ecoli though which was resistant to first line treatment. Do yours come back mixed growth, or all clear? It would definitely be worth asking for a cystoscopy if you haven't had one. I'm currently on a 4 week course of cefalexin, but who knows what'll happen when I finish that. It's so frustrating.

If you're perimenopausal you could try topical oestrogen like Ovestin

I just updated my own thread about this issue where I was also convinced I had an embedded UTI. I now don’t believe in them at all and I’m totally pain free and off all antibiotics and other drugs. I used the Curable app and a mind body approach and I was symptom free within 2 months. Happy to give you more info if you are open to considering that bacteria may not be the issue. I know how crazy it sounds by the way because I’ve been where you are. I tried this in desperation and it was the way out.