Cystitis hell - please help me sleep

[ByChicCat]

Hi all,

Does anyone have any tips for how to deal with the constant need to pee that accompanies cystitis?

I can handle the pain associated with cystitis easy enough, I just can't deal with the constant discomfort and fidgety-ness of needing to pee every second.

If anyone has any tips for this it would be much appreciated! Dreading another sleepless night lost to this nonsense 😢

Are you on antibiotics?

Yes, I have taken my first one this evening so hoping that I'll start to feel better within the next 24 hours 🤞🏻

Drink loads, I take the cystitis sachets, get antibiotics.

I sometimes put a hot water bottle 'down there' and it really helps with the discomfort.

Hopefully that will clear the symptoms. Sometimes they work really quickly. All you can do i think is drink fluids and take paracetamol and ibuprofen.

If you get them a lot, invest in some Azo from the states. You can get it on amazon.

It's amazing stuff. Takes away the urge to wee and all the pain. Turns your wee orange and you can only take it for a couple of days but your antibiotic should have kicked in by then.

Ibuprofen is the best thing to help with the inflammation. (I’ve got interstitial cystitis, been diagnosed with it for 30 years and I’m under urology and gynaecology for it).

Came on to recommend Azo! I had chronic cystitis in my 20s, this stuff is the shizz! Really don’t know why it’s not widely available here. You can indeed get it on Amazon. So much better than the nasty sachets we have.

I think "cystitis", is out of date. I'm glad you're on antibiotics.
Too many people put up with this word without proper treatment, which means, actually, antibiotics for a Urinary Tract Infection ( UTI).

This is an example of when women need to fight for better treatment for their health.
"Cystitis" is inflammation of the urinary tract, it needs antibiotics and/or proper investigation if it's ongoing.

I don't think we should be accepting this word anymore, as the implications are often, women putting up with symptoms, frequently extremely debilitating symptoms, without proper diagnosis and treatment.

I do hope you are improving, because it can be wretched.

Sorry, coming back, it's just not good enough to tell women to " drink more fluids", "flush it out" .
These procedures may help symptoms, it often won't get to the depth of the problem, which often comes back and back.

I find it so frustrating that women often accept inadequate advice for their symptoms.

This sounds ideal! I'll definitely invest in some, thank you

Thank you, really hoping that the antibiotics kick in quickly. I do agree with you re. Women's healthcare, it's very frustrating and particularly with something that is as commonplace as this!

If you're already on antibiotics hopefully you won't be in pain too much longer!

I used to get cystitis all the time. Nightmare. What really helped me with the burning pee alongside anti-bs was pure 100% cranberry juice. None of that Ocean Spray stuff - you want pure cranberry. It's quite sour to drink but it really works for me - the sachets etc never did.

OP. Make sure you're on Nitrofurantoin, NOT trimethprim. X

It would depend what the bacteria is sensitive to

My advice: Drink 2+ pints of water (or dilute herbal tea etc), and get in a warm bath. Take maximum dose of painkillers. Keep topping bath up to stay warm and relax for an hour or more. Pee when you need to, either on loo or in bath (you can always shower afterwards). This won't cure the infection but should help a bit with the painful bladder and urethra and urge to pee.
And obviously do not use soap on vulva.

Agreeing it very much depends on the specific infection. I had one that responded to trimethoprim and not nitrofurantoin.

I have been in UTI hell for 2 years. I had been free of it for 13 years following kids, but prior to that in my 20s it was awful.

I recently discovered this bladder charity https://bladderhealthuk.org/ that recommends private laboratory testing for recurring UTIs.

I just did a lab urine test, when UTI free (just finished a course of antibiotics for UTI) and results showed I had a massive overgrowth of a bad bacteria, which is associated with causing UTIs. The lab recommended a specific antibiotic to get rid of it. I've just finished that course, so too early to tell if I've got to the root of the problem or not.

The charity say that the NHS testing is out of date, not developed since the 50s and isn't sensitive enough.

Ive just seen a private urologist and had scans. Their recommendation was hiprex and demanose.

Omg I remember having what I thought was cystitis for about a week. Finally gave in and went to the doctor who gave me antibiotics. Theyworked immediately like a dream. It's the most uncomfortable thing I've ever felt and trying to work in an open plan office was absolute hell. I've given birth 4 times and never felt such discomfort as I did with the uti. Hope you feel better soon. I remember the relief when the antibiotics kicked in and thinking of the hell poor women in third world countries have to go through with dirty water and no access to proper healthcare.

Have a bit of bicarb in water while you’re waiting for the antibiotics to kick in. Check the safe quantity to take and don’t keep doing it but works well to reduce symptoms before bed. I also find d mannose helps keep symptoms under control and reduce recurrences.

Another vote for D Mannose. Miracle stuff

Another intertestinal cystitis sufferer... hot water bottle down there to help sleep. Miserable, I hope you feel better soon.

Thank you, I'll definitely be keeping my hot water bottle topped up then!

Oooh cystitis is so nasty! I always use a hot water bottle between legs when it's at its worst! Hope you feel better soon x

Has anyone had the three day course of nitrofurantoin, gone onto a different type of anti biotic, then swapped back onto a seven day course of nitro with success?

My doctor wants to do a urine test as the second lot of antibiotics isn't working. However, I told her I was worried about this showing nothing given that I've been on anti biotics for a week and I asked that she let me have more nitro as I'd felt that had been really working, it just wasn't a long enough course.

So now I've got a seven day course, having just come off of penicillin which has done nothing. Gah!