Please help - UTI advice - I’m desperate

[KatiesbigsisterSue]

Hi all,

Since April I’ve had issues down below. Started to get a pinching pain around my vagina, urge to pee more. Took a 3 day course of antibiotics and they helped. But symptoms came back.

Mix of pain, aching, burning all over.

Examined internally by nurse, urine sample dipped, swabs taken and all ok.

Still persisted. Saw GP and was prescribed oestrogen cream. It’s been torture. I’ve had some pain free days which I think might be related to my cycle.

I suffer from health anxiety and at the moment with these ongoing symptoms it has spiralled. I’m back on anti anxiety meds, which I started last week.

At some points I’ve felt my bladder isn’t quite right, slight more urgency at times but not consistent. Sunday and Monday I had this but it was contacts for a few hours at a time. I did breathing exercises and managed to sleep well.

Saw GP yesterday and there is blood and protein in urine so they’ve sent it away to the lab and started me on antibiotics.

Since the GP I’ve not stopped needing to pee. And I mean not stopped. I constantly feel bursting. And very little comes out. I was up all night.

I took my first AB last night at 5.45pm. I assumed they would have started to work by now?

Im absolutely demented. Please any advice about how to stop this constant urge would be welcome, I don’t know what to do with myself.

I am hoping not? Seems to be responding to antibiotics at the moment. I have to have repeat urine test though.

Spoke to doctors and urine sample has come back clear - I asked about the trace blood and protein and they said all clear?

I did take some antibiotics in desperation last week due to my vaginal symptoms so I wonder if that’s why it’s clear of infection?

I think you can get pain and symptoms with no infection. Mine improved by cutting out caffeine and wine completely, improving my pelvic floor muscles (swimming seemed really good), and drinking diuretic things. It's grim though, I have every sympathy.

How is it today OP? Hopefully the antibiotics have cleared it!

Significantly better now thank you

Needing to pee straight after peeing is a pain. Suggest the following, pee then rest still on loo. Read or meditate ( latter very good for anxiety), wee again, sit forward on the seat and try to connect with internal muscles. Don't drink icy or fizzy drinks, avoid citrus fruits and drinks .I stopped coffee, which was very difficult. Also check if your bowels are working ok. I have IBS and wasn't emptying completely. I also went to an Acupuncturist ( not a quack)this really helped. Whatever you do don't cut down liquid intake. Also first drink in the morning a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water. Add honey if necessary.Best wishes.

Have a look into hypertonic pelvic floor. I went months thinking I'd got utis and spent so long on antibiotics and then get thrush from them and just felt awful. Did loads of research into my symptoms and then had it confirmed by a physio. Being anxious definitely makes it worse for me and if I've got a stressful day I can guarantee it will flare up.

Finished my antibiotics on Tuesday and symptoms returned with a bang early hours of this morning.

Persistent urge to pee and burning down below. I’m demented and so upset as we are on holiday.

Have you tried some cystitis treatment that you can buy in the chemist? I think I used Cystopurin. I think I got it on Tescos.

have a probiotic which I’ve started to take.

No point taking it until you've finished the AB
Also is it a liquid /drink as it could be irritating your bladder.

Stop drinking anything other than water. Stop eating acidic or spicy foods.

Stop sipping water, otherwise you will constantly need a wee, instead have a decent glass.of water at once.

You need more antibiotics, sometimes they don’t give you a long enough course.

If you’re staying in a hotel they will be able to find you a doctor, so will a holiday rep. Or you can ask at a chemist how to get antibiotics.

You could try to be tested for thrush or bacterial vaginosis. If it comes back positive the thrush cream and pessary may help. Also, HRT and vaginal oestrogen (which you said you've started) can help, but maybe see about a higher dose. Also, try and find your local sexual health clinic through a quick google they will have consultant/registrar gynaecologist and sexual health doctors, who often do same day appointments and will get you a good second opinion from your GP perhaps.

Other than that try and investigate other conditions as its been so ongoing for you and other things can co-exist with the UTI. It could be interstital cystitis: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/interstitial-cystitis/. Or could be vaginitis where there is inflammation in and around the vagina can cause pain when urinating.

Hope this helps, as I feel you've exhausted lots of treatment so maybe a second opinion may help. Or bring up some other possible conditions to your GP.

Can I just ask your age? Although historically I had the odd UTI when very low or stressed after the menopause they became worse in terms of pain and symptoms. Instead of clearing up with antibiotics the symptoms could take weeks to go even though samples came back clear. I remember one awful night peeing every five minutes for hours even though there was nothing there. The first thing my consultant advised were estradiol vaginal pessaries as following menopause your bladder and vaginal tissue becomes very dry and shrinks and thins. It then becomes a cycle of irritation and infection. I was even advised to use the pessaries every other day rather than twice a week as normally prescribed. After a really bad bout I stopped all fruit juices, caffeine, fizzy drinks and alcohol. it took a good six months but the symptoms did go and gradually you can reintroduce things. If I feel any symptoms I take cranberry juice, the little cysteme sachets, rehydrate like mad and use vaginal moisturiser which my GP prescribed. Touch wood over the last couple of years things have massively improved. I also take D-Mannose daily. The consultant did say if things didn't improve I should go on a small dose of daily antibiotic to keep healthy but I haven't felt the need to do that since taking the above measures.

Very similar, although I take one every morning as a precaution. I’m in my 70s, an age group prone to UTIs I believe. I’d had some severe bouts of cystitis, took antibiotics, got cystitis again etc. I haven’t had a symptom in over two years.

They’re often on 3 for 2 in Boots.

I get this
Things that have helped have been
vagisil numbing cream for urethral pain
Over hydrating
No caffeine
D mannose
My own test strips
Oestrogens cream
Sometimes sedatives
Hot wheat pack between legs
Pouring water on myself during a wee so the urine stings less
It went away completely when I took amitriptyline for pinched nerve so I do think it might be oversensitive nerves
It doesn't get so bad any more but it's been ten plus years

I used to have IC - the only thing that helped me was huge quantities of D-Mannose. A heaped teaspoon every hour when my symptoms were flaring. A milder dose barely touched it. Hope it helps x

EDIT to add that being on long term antibiotics also did nothing for my symptoms

I find nitro takes ages to feel better on, and just as i’m running out it clears up 🤞🤞

Hiprex has been a game changer for me.

Drinking 500mls of water every two hours is dangerous.

Back last August I had had 4 rounds of antibiotics and it turned out to be a right little persistent bugger. I mean it was a bugger. Didn’t help that I had the wrong antibiotics twice. Can’t remember what mine was called but eventually got the right antibiotics and did 4 weeks on that and it sorted out.

Drink loads of water. Take paracetamol. Chase up the results and make sure you are on the right AB. I found a tepid bath and weeing in the bath better but nothing really helped until I got the right AB.

The GP said it’s really common around the menopause. I got oestrogen vaginal pessaries and had x2 a day for 2 weeks and then x1 a day for a week and now continued with x2 a week - took about 4 weeks but made a huge difference.

Huge hug it’s not nice. Get signed off work and I hope it clears soon

Do not over drink this is dangerous advice- really dangerous.

I drank 2 litres a day throughout the day with a UTI and it was enough.

My GP gave me 3 days. No impact. Then a week and I started to feel better and then it started again. Eventually gave me a 4 weeks prescription as was diagnosed with a right persistent little bigger and it did sort it out. I think they try to do the minimum amount of AB possible. I don’t go anywhere with them now!!

I got more antibiotics - and within 4 hours of taking one tablet the constant urge to pee had gone? How is this possibly? In fact it was probably about 3.5/4 hours. I napped in that time too.

I also took an antihistamine - could this have helped?

I’ve had a UTI on a couple of occasions and have found antibiotics make the pain & constant urge to wee go away very very quickly- thank God!

Antihistamine would not have helped @KatiesbigsisterSue