Help I'm in UTI misery

[utihelp]

Sorry for posting on AIBU, I'm desperately looking for tips to help with a UTI. I am in so much pain 😩 trying to avoid antibiotics unless I absolutely can't shift this any other way. I've sent DP out for cranberry sachets from the supermarket. What else can I do?

Drink a lot of fluids, go to the loo when you need to don’t hold it in.

however if you feel worse go the GP. You don’t want to end up with a kidney infection

Try tipping tepid water over area when weeing, not sure if works but recently read it

Drink bicarb of soda in water. Same as the cranberry sachets but doesnt taste nice. (Google it to get quantities right).

Hot water bottle between legs. Then ice pack. Alternate.

Run a slightly warm bath, pee in the bath if needed. Or pour warm water over yourself into the toilet when peeing, it will help with the sting. Take paracetamol and drink, drink, drink water.

Take the bloody antibiotics. You can't wee the infection out.

I'd definitely take the antibiotics, you don't want the infection taking over. I've had 3 in less than 2 months, and nothing but antibiotics ever shifts them.

UTI’s are absolutely abysmal- I feel for you. Do you think it’s cystitis or a UTI? If it’s a true UTI you’re unlikely to shift it without ABXs. Cystitis you might ease with OTC remedies from the chemist.

Hope it passes quickly for you.

Don’t avoid antibiotics if you need them! That’s what they’re there for. Otherwise you could end up with an even worse infection.

(Life long sufferer of bladder issues and interstitial cystitis).

Also, cut as much sugar from your diet as possible. If there's any glucose in your wee, the bacteria will feed on it and multiply. I've recently become prediabetic and have glucose in my pee which is why one course didnt shift a uti and it persisted.

Only antibiotics will work. Please take them

I left it too long because I was also trying to avoid antibiotics and ended up in A&E.

Which was much much worse and quite scary tbh. UTIs are notorious bastards and need AB’s

Im quite prone to them! But you can get tablets from Holland and Barrett that prevent them and they have been a life saver for me. I haven’t had one since!

You need antibiotics honestly it will just get worse . Drink as much water as is possible but don't put off getting the antibiotics

Dmannose tablets Holland and Barrett or amazon sell them, Google medicinal dose. Will work as effectively as antibiotics according to research.

Water water water water water.

And take the bloody antibiotics! UTI’s are bloody miserable without it progressing into a kidney infection.

D mannose

D-Mannose (but in Amazon) is a powder made from natural sugars found in fruits that can clear the urinary tract BUT if the infection has taken hold but will have to take the antibiotics sadly. Get well ❤️‍🩹

If you want to be sure it’s antibiotic worthy then many chemists now will dip your urine sample for you and confirm a bacterial infection. They can also prescribe a 3 day course of nitrofurantoin if you’re between 16-65 with no long term medical conditions.

Don’t delay the antibiotics, you can’t just pee it out.

Up your intake of vitamin C and other acidic drinks and foods.

I'd take the antibiotics, this is one of those situations when you absolutely need them. You can see a pharmacist who can prescribe them and assuming it hasn't progressed to a kidney infection you should only need 3 days or so. And drink tons of water. But definitely the antibiotics

I'm so glad a few other people have mentioned d-mannose, it's absolutely wonderful for preventing and treating UTIs. Completely saved me when I had recurrent problems.

This. Speaking as someone who is now on my 5 th lot of antibiotics - take the antibiotics, drink drink drink / for me cranberry juice and ice, cold bath (nothing in it) you might also find a thrush cream soothing - won’t do any harm.

I recently got a UTI and took some fluconazole which I had bought off eBay previously as a thrush treatment, it said it also can work on UTIs. It’s not an antibiotic and it did the trick for me, I was one step away from going to get antibiotics.

I’m sure I read that lemon barley water can help too but you’d deffo need antibiotics as well

Don't leave it too long, before contacting a GP for antibiotics. I did this, and ended up with a kidney infection. A kidney infection is horrendous, if you think the pain you're in now is bad, you don't want the pain of a kidney infection. I didn't know what to do with myself. If the antibiotics hadn't kicked in, my GP was going admit me to hospital, it was that bad. Drink plenty of water, don't hold onto your pee, and if no better in the morning, call a GP.