Desperate here - Does anyone know where I can get a urine dipstick from?

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Can you buy them in a shop, I see you can buy them on the internet but they take about 28 days to deliver! I really would like to get hold of one tomorrow, I have been suffering now for over a week with a UTI, ABs have been changed and I spent a few days in hosp. I am seeing the Dr on Thurs but I feel that the symptons are still there(although I have to admit no where near as bad. I would like to check myself and if I still have an UTI then I am going to jump up and down and demand something is done, Thursday is a long way off and it just means that they can give me yet another type of AB.

I am going on a holiday of a life time in just under 2wks and want all this sorted.

(Its all a bit complicated as I have a catheter fitted due to having complications after a bladder op in June, and I keep on getting infections - this is my 4th)

I take that as a no then, maybe I will just have to wait until Thurs(just fed up with waiting!)

you can get them at the chemist over the counter.

can you not phone up and get an emergency appt tomorrow with the GP?

really, tried to look through the internet at places such as Llyods Pharmacy and Boots but couldnt find them anywhere. Thanks for that

Not sure GP would touch me as I,m under a consultant, and to be honest, not sure if it is still the infection or is it where my bladder etc has been so messed about that its bruised and thats why I,m still in pain and uncomfortable. Thats really why I want to know.

How can you find out if/what UTI you may have from a dipstick? I thought they had to take a sample and see what they "grow" out of it?

Hope you get it sorted soon,

Basically it can show if you have any nitrates present, that shows something is not quite right.

Have tried several chemists this morning and so far non of them sold them, so am going to have to wait until hurs after all.

DL-why dont you put a sample in a bottle and just pop it into doctors.Your practice nurse will dip it for you and send it off for culture if its got anything in it.
If youve still got symptoms you may well need differrent AB in which case the sooner you send a sample off the better.Id just pop a sample into doc before the transport goes at 12.
Gosh i hope you manage to get rid of it before your hol.
Have you tried everything else ? Drinking lots-i mean roughly 3 litres a day for a few days,pot cit is good and cheap to buy too.Its what we used to use years ago for cystitis.
Trouble is catheters are an ideal source of ascending infection-so i`m sure your already doing it, but be A1 with hand washing ect when dealing with it.
Sometimes changing to a smaller catheter size might help too.
Good luck.

They have said they will swap to a smaller catheter when they change it in the next few weeks. I am very careful when it comes to hygiene. Just cheesed off.

Hi,
Just to say i'm in a similar situation. I have to self catheterize since my bladder stopped working out of the blue 2 years ago due to a neurological problem. I get constant infections and there isn't really much that can be done about it. There is a treatment called neuromodulation which has been suggested for me, which means that an implant is placed near the spine which shocks the nerves into working again. If you want to meet other people with a similar problem look at www.incontact.org, which is a charity website which has a forum with loads of people with similar problems.

Thanks Black31cat, its great to know that Im not alone. Was beginning to think it was only me. Dont you find self catherising hard? I really hated it and thats why they did the suprepubic.

Do you travel abroad? Have you ever been stopped at customs?

I do struggle with ISC but i found it to be a better option than a suprapubic catheter, because when i had that, the tip of the catheter kept rubbing my bladder and causing severe pain and bleeding.
I haven't braved overseas travel since this all kicked off, particularly since I have a 6 month old DS!