UTI, soreness - are my bike riding days over?

[mutterphore]

I'm nearly 60 and post-menopausal for 5 years (luckily sailed through that process with no difficulties). Unfortunately, I've had my first UTI for the last 8 weeks+ with incredibly and unremitting soreness too and am on my third set of antibiotics.

As a regular bike-rider - usually around 80 miles a week - I can't even imagine the possibility now of getting back on my bike as the soreness is so awful, all the time. Will I ever cycle again? It's my main source of exercise and one of my greatest pleasures.

All the creams the GP has prescribed so far haven't worked and in fact I'm slightly worried they may have made things worse. I've tried Canestan Hydrocortisone (although I don't actually have any of the usual thrush symptoms - eg no itchiness and no discharge) which I think exacerbated the soreness, Replens - which definitely made it worse and Sylk, which sort of relieves it a tiny bit for a few seconds but doesn't go anywhere near relieving the soreness.

As I had no problems at all before all this, I'm reluctant to try topical HRT.

Wise women, can you suggest something for immediate relief from the soreness - ideally a safe, natural product, as I think all these creams have just made it worse?

Has anyone suffered similarly but then the UTI and the soreness gone away completely without further more drastic interventions. Finally, if there are any other post-menopausal cyclists on here, can you give me hope for future bike rides?

Also @mutterphore I have offered you support via a PM as I am familiar with some specialists in a professional way and have a handle on who is good and worth seeing.

The consultant I saw came highly recommended.

By whom?

I think I mentioned before the book called My Menopausal Vagina by Jane Lewis who is a 'normal woman' who used to post on another meno forum. She was in a terrible state. The book is her journey through treatments.

I suggest also that whoever you see, might recommend vaginal dilators. The fact your dr couldn't insert a small speculum shows how small and tight you have become. Medical dilators will gently stretch you, but you need to use more estrogen before trying.

Please PM me if you want advice.

@Xrays thanks for your input. From everything I've learned on this thread and form my own research, I too am really surprised that my consultant emphasised only using Ovestin twice a week and warned against me using more.

I actually told her that the referring GP had suggested I do another loading does for one week, long after the consultant had told me only to do that for a single week at the start and that I felt like I'd had further symptoms relief after this. In that context, I said, should I / could I therefore be using Ovestin more than just two or three times a week. It was at that point that she looked horrified and said 'only use it TWICE a week' and 'what would you say to me if you then found a breast lump'? Prior to this, she'd said use two to THREE times a week, so she's come right down to only twice a week.

By contrast, the GP had agreed with what everyone says on here and said it was absolutely fine to use more Ovestin as and when needed. She also quoted that well known fact that @JinglingSpringbells has mentioned - that x2/week Ovestin for a whole year is the same as only one single dose of HRT.

The consultant said she could have tried to open the speculum but it would hurt me a lot. I asked her what the risk could be as I hadn't had a smear test for the last 8 years (but haven't had a sexual partner for many years) and she said that the risk was low and not to worry. So I don't know how important it is right now to pursue a smear test compared to trying to find a good enough treatment for the current symptoms.

@Nixer thanks for letting me know that ointments rather than the cream form of emollients might be best to start with.

@JinglingSpringbells it was the very nice and helpful private GP who referred me to this consultant as she said people really recommended her and her gentle approach.

Thanks again for the recommendation of that book.

I've searched for local menopause specialists and the consultant isn't on that list as I think her speciality is more to do with general gynae and urology issues. There is a local menopause specialist but having checked, it seems she now has no further initial assessment appointments available in the foreseeable future so either she's just too busy or is soon retiring.

@JinglingSpringbells I'm going to PM you to ask for further advice and really appreciate your help and support.

it was the very nice and helpful private GP who referred me to this consultant as she said people really recommended her and her gentle approach.

I hate to be cynical but some of this could be a case of 'friends' helping each other out.

She clearly is not a menopause specialist and knows less than the average GP it appears.

I am sorry you have been messed about like this. It is really shocking.

Op, I would just use whatever it takes to get the symptoms under control. I completely ignored my Gp, when he said I couldn't use ovestin and vagifem at the same time. Do your own thing. Sometimes we find a consultant that knows absolutely nothing about the conditions they are treating. You found one. Get rid.

OP I think some of your problem is it sounds like you were lucky enough to be healthy when you were younger. Most people who've been unfortunate enough to have had more experience with the medical profession don't find their behaviour shocking any more. It's probably a major mindset adjustment for you to discover the level of incompetence, ignorance and arrogance. Even the fact you didn't know that menopause causes this and were given nothing to prevent it, or identify it early, is because of the 2002 WHI study, which is just another, more extreme, example of the scale of incompetence and irresponsibility. The class warnings on the likes of Vagifem and Ovestin, terrifying women for no reason at all, have the same root cause.

I agree with this. I’m unlucky - I’ve got Addisons, lupus, sjogrens, asthma, pituitary issues etc. My first medical issue was being diagnosed with chronic UTIs (recently reconfirmed as painful bladder syndrome) aged 14, I’m now 42. I’ve spent my whole life having various interactions with medical people, and lots of different medications. I’ve learnt that not all medical people are good people, some are, some aren’t and not all of them have our best interests at heart. Some can’t even be bothered to look up basic information. I’ve even been misdiagnosed over a period of two years by two different doctors who should have recognised the signs of Addisons disease and instead put me down the path of panic disorder- which essentially nearly killed me. I have very little faith in the medical system now. I do my own research, I challenge things. Doing so has literally saved my life at least twice.

Never trust what a medical “expert” is saying if their treatment isn’t working for you. Seek second / third opinions. I know you’re doing this now, keep pushing.

ZOMBIE THREAD I am deliberately posting on because I wondered if @mutterphore has had improvement & managed to resolve her issues. which may have taken a few years. Cheers in advance, if you're still around.

@lljkk i was thinking about this thread recently too! Invested in an update!

I’d love to know how she’s doing too.

@mutterphore we are thinking of you!