UTI and feeling sorry for myself...

[StoneTheFlamingCrows]

This is only my 2nd uti that I know of. Last time I had one, it progressed to pyelonephritis despite taking trimethoprim and I was very sick. After a night in hospital on IV antibiotics, they discharged me on trimethoprim, of course I continued to be ill until my GP switched me to ciprofloxacin, and it took me over a week to recover after coming out of hospital.

Went to drs today after symptoms developed again very quickly. Went from mild pain on peeing yesterday, to back aches and groin pain and dizziness today, and generally not with it feeling. GP has started me on nitrofurantoin and wasn't going to send a sample, but did when I asked so I can be sure the infection is sensitive to it.

I feel very wobbly, and tender in left back/ flank, but not yet in severe pain, and no fevers/vomiting yet. Appetite is still fine, but I feel very shaky and odd and unwell in a very similar way to how I felt before.

Does anyone feel line this when they get a big standard uti, or ami getting another kidney infection? Will the abx I started today nip it in the bud? Last time the infection developed despite taking trimethoprim but I suspect the bug wasn't sensitive.

I am just really worried as I have my graduation ceremony and ball this weekend and am going on holiday on Tuesday. I can't afford to be that ill again. I had to take to my bed, and feel ok lying down, until I get up and then my legs feel like they are going to collapse beneath me.

Anyone able to share their experiences and maybe reassure me?!

It could be another kidney infection- if the sample was sent to the lab today it should be back tomorrow afternoon- check ASAP which antibiotic will work. Good luck!

Thanks space. I am hoping if the infection isn't sensitive they will contact me! If it is the start of a kidney infection will the nitro stop it developing? The only reason I had to go on IVs last time is because I was vomiting and not keeping down tablets.

Would a culture and sensitivity be back that quick?

Well, often a GP won't contact you till they get round to it, often a day or so after the culture result is back, but in fact the result is often back at the GPs after 24 hours. If you ring the surgery they will often say ' the result is back but hasn't been looked at by a dr yet'. In which case you can ask them to rush it through. The nitro will only stop the infection developing if the bacteria is sensitive to it, which is why it's so important to know ASAP which bacteria it is

Yes i am glad I insisted on giving them a sample before treatment, they didn;t send one last time and because I had already been taking trimethoprim for a few days before I went to hospital, they weren;t able to grow anything on teh sample they took in hospital, so my GP ended up giving my cipro and as it is so harsh and kills everything I ended up with horrible colitis!

GP wouldn't even dip it today, said it tells you nothing - I know UTIs should be diagnosed clinically but as I have had so few UTIs in the past, if there was something obvious in my pee at least I could then be confident it is definitely that as actual urinary symptoms are mild, just malaise and flank pain that is more troublesome. Also it was never 100% conclusive last time what with the negative culture, even though I was told that was almost certainly what it was. Feel so grotty, all sweaty now, might take my temperature. Had rigors and everything last time so at least hopefully I am not at that stage yet!

Could it be renal colic? Not that I know anything much about that, you could google....

I know the pain your going through, I suffer recurrent UTI's due to my anatomy :(

Sounds like a UTI that is progressing upwards and not yet at your kidneys. This is what happens to me if I leave it a day or two before starting antibiotics the tubes to my kidneys get inflamed as they are scarred.

Start the antibiotics, you should start to feel better in about 48hours, however if the pain gets really bad I would try minor injuries units or if horrendous A and E.

Hope it starts to ease for you soon, drink lots of water and I mean go and neck about 4pints and hold your wee in for about a hour, the washing out relief is bliss.

I did wonder that last time, because I had blood and protein in my urine, but no leuks or nitrites. I don't think the pain was severe enough though, more a dull ache with the odd twinge as opposed to excruciating.

I also had glucose in my pee and elevated fasting blood sugars, so I think they were worried I might be diabetic, but they normalised after i got better and they said was probably due to the infection/stress response.

Thanks Boudicca - it does feel like it might be in my uteters, I get little twingey sharp pains right over my hip bones occasionally. I have been trying to drink plenty, but will ease off for now as I want some sleep! Might as well camp in the bathroom tonight...

They are horrible, I get about 2/3 a month sometimes. Sex always triggers one, I can't have hot baths with bubble bath and even highly chlorinated pools have triggered one or two :( they really are a pain.

I take cranberry extract to minimise them but sometimes it has little or no effect, thank god DP works away a lot or I'd be in agony most weeks of the year haha!!

I tereally hope it clears up for you! Sometimes I find a warm water bottle can ease the pain too.

I get them regularly. I read that cranberry stops the bacteria from multiplying. Also, something I'd not considered until somebody told me and you may well know as it seems obvious, is to take Ibuprofen or something similar. It relieves the inflammation and pain and stops you feeling you need to go quite so much. It's grim though.

Boudica are you not on prophylactic antibiotics? My mum had numerous uti's due to interstitial cystitis and the consultant has put her on low dose trimethoprim. She's only had one uti since in about a year

They don't help, my urethra is biologically too short if that makes sense, so it seems pointless to take tablets constantly for a problem that's never going to go away, I'm not a fan of tablets I often forget to take them and such. I just have a coping strategy, so when I first feel the onset of one it's water downing time, followed by ibuprofen and starting antibiotics ASAP.

At 24 I really don't want to be taking a lifetime of tablets if I can avoid it. Since learning what triggers them I can avoid many. I pee after intercourse always that minimises the frequency and avoid hot baths like the plague. Still one or two slip through but ah well such is life.

Weirdly though since being pregnant I've only had 3 in 9months !!

Morning all!

Feel a bit better in myself today though pain is a little worse if anything.

Debating whether to go to work later or not, I have a bar job over the summer and I am down to work 4pm til midnight. It is hard work as well. I will have to call them soon really but I really need the money! Think I might be ok but it is hard to tell this early in the day...

Sod it, I called in sick!

Does anyone else feel so unwell with just a lower uti? Trying to work out if it is just a simple UTI or has spread. Don't think I'm quite sick enough for full blown pyelonephritis but wondering if it is just me who gets this weird dizzy out of it feeling, with tingly skin etc.

Boudicca I feel for you! I could not go through this all the time!

I think now I have had a couple I will recognise the symptoms more quickly. I had a bit of a funny feeling after peeing for days but could not convince myself and didn't have time to get to docs. Won't make that mistake again!

Weirdly the bad pain I am getting now, I have had a minor version of on and off since I had my kidney infection. I wonder if I was left with some scarring after last one. I hope it doesn't make me more prone to them forever.

Maybe you need an ultrasound if you're getting the pain at other times, in case of kidney stones etc

My top tips I posted earlier - more for preventative measures than during the bout itself:

I get the odd, rare attack - today being one of them. I may well get to the docs of course but these tips really seem to work for me in the interim and it gets gone usually within hours. Thought I'd share!

2 heaped tsps of D-Mannose straight away (tabs or powder - I prefer the powder - all available in health food shops or internet)
Triple strength cranberry tablet (not cranberry juice - forget the juice - too late by then)
Avoid citrus drinks / fruit for the duration
Horsetail tablet (3 per day)
Ibuprofen or whatever
Lots and lots of water - down 2 pints if you can straight away
Folks say bicarb in water but I don't bother
Oregano oil dabbed on the urethra opening - natural highly anti bacterial. Stings for 5 secs

*Medical clause: of course the doctors

I keep it all in the cupboard just in case. There's nothing more miserable than cystitis. But I can act straight away and it works for me.

It just helps so much. I am now symptom free but will get antibiotics tomorrow. There's a lot of mention about D Mannose being the main curative but I have never put this to the test.

I used to find that either drinking lemonbarley or adding bicarbinate of soda to water meant I had less discomfort so could drink more to flush the infection out. I think the antib you are on works because it mostly gets flushed out through your bladder so is not that good in stopping the infection if it goes up to your kidneys. If the flank pain pcontinues it may be worth speaking to a GP again.Get as much rest asyou can and you should hopefuly be feeling better soon.

Thanks so much for all your advice! I am still getting flank pain yes, but it is not severe and I do not have a fever so hopefully I have escaped a full on kidney infection.

I called drs today and results aren't back yet, but if I am still symptomatic when I finish abx tomorrow I will call and ask their advice. I have a really hectic weekend and going on hols next week so I would rather take an extended course of abx than risk infection developing further!

Got a bit more energy today so hopefully over the worst!

Thanks again all. X

I've just got over one. Never had a UTI as bad. Emergency doctor prescribed Trimethoprim but after 3 days I still had no relief, still peeing blood and feeling very unwell. Then my own GP prescribed Co-Amoxiclav which still took its time to work but got there in the end. Then of course came the awful constipation as I couldn't go when the infection was at its worse,and the anti biotics cause constipation anyway.

When I asked for results of my sample was just told it was a UTI. But it felt worse than a normal bout of cystitis to me.

(I had time off work for it too)

The results should be back by now- GP surgeries often keep patents waiting a week when actually the results of a urine culture should be back after no more than 24-48 hrs. Been told that by two different consultants

What I will do is if I still have symptoms tomorrow I will get a phone consultation, hopefully dr will have access to results even if receptionist doesn't!

Even if the results aren't back I will ask for a longer course of the same, as it does appear to have improved things slightly.

Not surprused trimethoprim didn't work for you, it didn't for me last time and a GP I was working with told me that 50% of utis in this area are resistant to it now, so he doesn't bother with it anymore.