recurring UTI and horrendous pain, help needed please

[snowtime]

Have had recurring UTi for 5 months, GP not interested in the cause just keeps giving me antibiotics. Had a completely unrelated op 2 weeks ago & pre-op test showed blood in my urine & then urine test in hospital showed i had another uti & was given more antibiotics. They havent worked. The only different thing is this time the abdominal pain is horrendous, it comes in waves & honestly feels similar to strong contractions. Went to GP yesterday & was given more abs & strong pain killers. Somebody please advise me, this isnt normal is it?

Have you been checked for kidney stone?

Can you see different GP at your practice?
Is GP giving you same antibiotics each time? If it's bladder infection then I think there are different antibiotics that work better.
If it keeps coming back it does suggest an underlying issue, will GP refer you to urologist?
If pain is unbearable today even with painkillers, is there a walk in centre you could go to?

Usually just phone gp as they do phone consultations every morning. Always speak to a different doctor but the last time before op I was told to make an appointment with one of the lady doctors. To me this implied she would examine me but she didn't. She just said it was likely to be the menopause, I'm 48, and just to phone whenever I needed to. Gp yesterday said he would ring me on Monday with results & may organise an ultrasound. I'm more interested if anyone has had the same kind of pain?

I get cystitis but not much abdominal pain with it, but when I had a bladder infection it felt like really bad lower back ache.

Could you go to a walk in centre if the pain is that bad? I would also wonder if you had a kidney stone. If you do you need very strong painkillers and monitoring. Even if you don't have a stone, it sounds miserable and you need treatment.
Would it be possible for you to change GPs, to one who is more interested in finding the cause of all these infections?

I'm in rural Scotland, we don't have walk in centres sadly. The choice is wait til Monday or call nhs24 - the problem being I can't drive so won't be able to go in if they want to see me. Pain has subsided a bit this pm but you're right it is miserable, especially when I want to be concentrating on my op recovery

Are you on your own OP? How are you feeling now?

Yes I had the exact same pain a year ago. Everything was checked, I took countless antibiotics and was still in pain. It was utterly miserable. They scanned my ovaries - fine. They scanned my bladder - fine. They did blood tests - fine.

And then finally they scanned my kidneys and I had a huge kidney stone. I needed three bouts of lithotripsy to break it up and pass it and then THANKFULLY it was all over

The pain does come in waves and you can't get comfortable with it. It's renal colic and nasty.

Ask your GP if a kidney stone could be ruled out

Oh and it's the kidney stone giving you UTI symptoms. I had invisible blood in my urine and it felt like permanent cystitis but more miserable

If the pain is unbearable it maybe kidney stones, worth getting it checked, I had them and ended up with sepsis in ICU, my pain symptoms were the worst pain ever and being sick having high temperature. I was initially told it was a urine infection.

Thanks everyone. Yes I'm on my own but feeling a bit better, antibiotics must have finally kicked in. Definitely going to follow up with GP on Monday & will ask about kidney stone. Ultrasound would be good to rule out other things although I do already have an ovarian cyst but this pain is definitely different.

Aaaaargh worse again today. Feelling very sick too. Can't decide if I should try & stick it out til tomorrow or call nhs 24

Call NHS 24! Really, you don't have to put up with this. Can you get a taxi to the hospital if they want you to go in?

Please go to hospital. Sounds like a kidney infection . You may need IV ABs

OP how are you feeling now? I hope you managed to get proper treatment and are feeling better.

I'm feeling a bit better but have been referred to a Urologist, goodness knows how long that will take as its holiday time but hopefully soon. Funny thing is last urine test showed no sign of infection

My mum had this. Countless infections (all showed as negative in lab, but she was peeing blood, feverish etc)

She was put on low dose prophylactic ABs which kept it at bay but she still suffered flares.

In utter desperation she saw a herbalist (Napiers in Edinburgh) who gave her a tincture to take plus Dmannose.

She hasn't had an infection since. She has to take the tincture every day though. Even the GP is impressed!

Hospital urine tests are very inaccurate for showing an infection. I'm under the care of a professor in London for a chronic uti which ive had for years.

Local hospital have always said I don't have an infection as the msu doesn't culture anything. I do however always show blood and leucocytes on a dipstick. Local urologist was beyond awful and told me it was all psychological.

Ive had the uti for five years and been getting seen in London for 18 months. I still have the infection but symptoms are a lot better. The Professor says routine hospital tests miss 85% of infections and he doesn't bother with them anymore. He goes on symptoms.

I hope you get sorted.