Could this be something other than cystitis?

[GunpowderAndLead]

I'm approaching week 3 of cystitis. Completed 2 different courses of antibiotics. Doctor has taken 2 urine samples (one with blood in it) and agree there's an infection there.

Dropped 3rd urine test in yesterday they say it's normal....yet I still have all the symptoms.

They said they'll see me later but I've never known it last so long and be untouched by 2 antibiotics. Could it be something else?

Could be.

I have been through this a couple of years ago and still do now every now and again.

What will probably happen now is they'll test you for sti's and other gynaecological stuff as they can mimic the symptoms of a urine infection.

If that comes back normal (as in my case) and you are still experiencing symptoms they'll refer you to a urologist for a kidney and bladder scan and possibly a cystoscopy to have a gander inside your bladder.

If that comes back normal (as it did in my case) they'll be mystified 😂

The only thing I would say is that nearly every single time I've had a urine infection the dip test says no infection but I always have trace blood. They usually give me antibiotics and that sorts it out but sometimes the symptoms remain a few days after I've finished taking them. Sometimes it just takes a while for it to heal down below.

Thank you. They've arranged a blood test, to send off more urine and bladder ultrasound but now Dr is thinking maybe I'm just still inflammed which I'm hoping is all that's wrong!

Could be gynae related, could be your bladder is inflamed/irritated. You could also still have an infection - bacterial biofilms can stick to the bladder wall and won't necessarily turn up in a lab culture (I think sometimes because they don't leave the culture long enough). A urology referral will probably lead to a cystoscopy and they should be able to see what's going on but it's also worth pushing for a gynae referral.

The only reason I know all this is because I've had bladder issues this past year and have googled myself mad when I had uti symptoms but no apparent infection! I took supplements to eradicate biofilms for a while but I think the main problem was that I'm menopausal and it turned out I have a narrowed urethra. Had a cystoscopy, bladder looks fine, urethra was 'stretched' 😳 Also used estrogen cream.

Good luck, I know how frustrating if can be!

There's herbs that can help inflammation/infection that you could try e.g uva ursi, couchgrass, cornsilk, buchu, marshmallow, yarrow, goldenseal.

Wow thanks @EllenRipley I'm horrified by idea they're stuck to the wall and not showing ups I'm making a note now if the supplements

Do you generally suffer with cystitis or is it pretty unusual for you.

If you are prone to them it is worth getting a cystoscopy to see if they can see inflammation, etc.

Some antibiotics particularly nitrofurantoin seems to be less effective than it used to be. Maybe because of resistance. Same with ceflex. What antibiotics have you had over the last 3 weeks?

I have a condition called cystitis cystica and mostly while the dipsticks I’m the surgery are positive for blood, protein and leukocytes they always come back as normal from the lab. The consultant explained that the infection originates in the cystic bladder lining so doest grow anythIng in the lab. The only antibiotics that work for me is called Pivmacillinam which is a type of penicillin. Also it sounds as if you need longer then the standard 3days course as often that’s not long enough.

To help your symptoms, take a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda in a glass of water. I promise your pain will disappear. At least you will feel comfortable whilst waiting for the results.

@GunpowderAndLead no problem!
It might not even be that, but I think it's probably more common than people realise and would explain persistent infections. I used Lactoferrin and monolaurin for the biofilm infection. I still don't know if that was the real source of my problems, I'm thinking it's my hormones these days and I'm assuming my bladder wall looked clear during the cystoscopy. It's worth spending a bit of cash to give your bladder a bit of a clear out tho!
You're not peri/menopausal by any chance are you? X