Thrush, UTI or both?!

[Bettysdahlias]

I've always been prone to thrush.

Had sex with OH on Sunday morning and by Monday I was burning - familiar thrush symptoms but it got much worse, much more quickly than usual. Bad enough not to be able to stand up without extreme discomfort / itching / burning - only lying or sitting felt OK.

Bought a canesten pessary and used on Monday night. Since then the burning has got much better, although not totally gone.

What's bothering me is that I have other symptoms that I haven't had before with thrush:

I felt exhausted on Monday afternoon and had to bail out of work (I wfh) and lie on the bed. Partly because my bits hurt so much but also because I was knackered.

I frequently have an urgent need to pee. Then I go and there's hardly anything.
It's uncomfortable when I finish peeing, but not agony - not on the same level as that 'peeing glass' feeling that I remember from a bad attack of cystitis.

My back has started to ache, around waist level, on both sides.

I've had a headache each afternoon from Monday to today.

Any thoughts?

Sounds like a uti that could be moving upwards so probably needs a gp visit. Any fever? You may need antibiotics. Are you drinking lots of water and cranberry juice? Get well soon.

Yeah I know what you mean about the peeing glass thing, I have had cystitis like that in the past but I've had a couple of UTIs lately and it's been more like just a bit of mild discomfort down below, back pain especially at night and tiredness. I've only caught on it's a UTI because I've dribbled urine in the night (woke myself up doing it!)

Thanks @MeinKraft and @43ontherocksporfavor for your replies. The back pain got quite bad over the rest of the afternoon and I managed to just catch the gp, who tested a sample and put me straight on antibiotics. Must pay attention in future to any back ache.

As an aside the dr's receptionist tried everything in her power to make me go away - kept telling me to go to the pharmacist as 'women our age can get treatment for UTIs over the counter'. I expressed worry about the back pain - said, 'but poss kidney infection', and she said 'well I don't know I'm not medically trained' and went on about the pharmacist again. So I went to the pharmacist and she sent me straight back to the doctor's surgery due to the back pain.

Receptionist's reaction was, 'well, I don't know what you want me to do. There are no appointments. If I were you I would at least try the treatment from the pharmacy'. At which point I said, 'but the pharmacist wouldn't give it to me and said I needed to come back here.

Jeez, if you're not determined you can be sent home to get into a proper pickle. Fortunately she spoke to a doc who saw me straight away and I was on antibiotics within half an hour.

Good for you! I know receptionists have a hard job but they shouldn’t be dishing out advice.