Repeated UTI help

[waaaaahhhutihelp]

Hiya girlies,
After some and advice and a little handhold from someone who has been here before.
Early August I got my first ever UTI, full blown blood in my wee, the stinging, the urgency, the pain and the throbby bladder feeling. I went to the pharmacy the next day and got a 3 day course of nitrofurantoin which seemed to help. 2 days after I finished the course cloudy stinky wee was back and so was the stinging. Went to the walk in centre (it was a Sunday) and got prescribed a 5 day course of nitrofurantoin. Symptoms didn’t get better but didn’t get worse. Then went to GP who did urine culture and found the infection was resistant to nitrafurantoin so gave me 3 day course of trimethoprim. Felt like that was working but still had cloudy wee and a bit of urgency, not really bad but needing to go once an hour. Went back to GP and got another urine culture and was prescribed 7 days of cephalexin. On day 2 of that and don’t feel much better but just want this over with tbh. Just want to wee like a normal person and feel better!!
Has anyone went through similar or have any advice to try and kick it? I feel like it is still that same uti from start of Aug that just hasn’t been treated right.
so so so sorry for the essay!!!

You might now have a chronic/embedded uti https://artemiscystitis.co.uk/cuti-explained/ the GP is unlikely to recognise this however they may prescribe hiprex.

Thank you, I’ll have a look at the link xx

I had this recently, had a bladder scan and they said my bladder wasnt emptying properly.

However, chugging water and a 7 day course of trimethropin seems to have made it stop (for now).

Not that this should replace your drs advice or antibiotics but D-manoose might be helpful.
Remember to pee after sex, and not contaminate the urethra with ecoli from the rectal area.

Hello @waaaaahhhutihelp - I'm sorry you're suffering.

If you are over 40 it could be genitourinary syndrome of the menopause contributing to the problem - have a read about this. It may be making the bladder irritation last longer if you are in this age range.

I hope you feel better soon. Xxx

I’m going through this right now, I’m so so fed up :( I’m 39. I’m going back to GP as I’ve had two rounds of antibiotics and it’s not getting better. It’s awful so you have my sympathies. I don’t understand how I’ve got this, came out of nowhere. I had a UTI over a decade ago but that was after sex whereas this isn’t.

@Harriette678 - might be worth talking to your GP about vaginal estrogen

I went through the same nightmare in January.

4 weeks of different antibiotics, complicated by a late night visit to OOH because of an allergic reaction to Nitrofurantoin.

Eventually I got on top of it, but I am still dealing with a damaged gut biome caused by all the Antibiotics.

Things I learned and am now on top of;

• More fluids
• D Mannose
• Cotton gusseted underwear
• Cotton PJ bottoms
• Cranberry Juice at the first twinge
• Specific post Antibiotics probiotics
• Home test strips so I can get help immediately if another UTI appears.

I have not had a UTI for years, have no idea where it came from and never want to go through those 4 weeks again.

I do hope you and @Harriette678 can get on top of this soon.

How old are you? Vaginal Oestrogen is the answer to lots of bladder problems.

I recently bought d mannose tablets 1000mg and cranberry extract 400mg, can I take both as a prevention once I hopefully get rid of this :(

what probiotics?

im willing to try anything

@MissGorringe I’ve seen this mentioned a few times what does this do? I’ll ask gp too

@waaaaahhhutihelp how are you feeling today?

Adding to this list:
• avoid caffeine and alcohol, they’ll irritate your bladder and dehydrate you
• you can get cranberry tablets
• drink lots and lots of water – it feels counterproductive as urinating hurts, but it’ll help flush things out and it dilutes your wee so after a while it hurts less
• avoid acidic food (citrus fruits, tomatoes, vinegar etc), it makes your wee more acidic and more painful
• cut out all sugar, it feeds/grows the bacteria

• replenish your gut biome, lots of veg and probiotics
• if you’re home I’d just wear loose 100% cotton bottoms and no underwear, but I’m a big believer in letting things breathe!

I hope you feel better soon, UTIs are miserable.

I had this for a year or two but not as serious, just low level recurrent UTIs. Eventually after complaining I got put on a 10day course of antibiotics, and it’s never come back!
sounds like you need the correct antibiotics for a longer period.

@Harriette678 - these are the Probiotics.

I take my Cranberry as juice (from Lidl) rather than tablets.

I agree @AtLeastThreeDrinks

I have almost totally cut out Coffee this year and don’t drink Alcohol.

The sugar link is interesting. I had followed a no dairy, gluten and sugar regime last Autumn to address some Autoimmune issues, but slipped over Christmas. Maybe that is why I developed the UTI in January.

Am now eating very little processed sugar again and if I thought that had triggered the UTI it would be a great incentive to cut it out for good.

@waaaaahhhutihelp how are you getting on OP?

Disclaimer - I am not medically qualified

For you OP, it does sound as if this is one infection which has not cleared, but for others who have suffered regular UTIs, it is worth doing an internet search for the recently published American Study of 1.9 million women and the difference vaginal oestrogen can make. Not just for UTIs, but hospital admissions, deaths, sepsis and a lot more.
I only wish it had been published a long time ago when I first started having issues.

Look up drrachelrubin on Instagram (an American Dr hot on this)
and
drnighatarif also on Instagram (a UK GP and specialist in women's health - she is brilliant. Clear and helpful.

I hope things are resolved for you soon @waaaaahhhutihelp UTIs can be hell but, like so much in women's health are rarely taken seriously.

I’ve had UTIs since I was about 3 (am now 45!) had various scans etc but nothing found. At my last scan the consultant recommended Hiprex and I’ve not had one since. Give it a try - it can be ordered online.

Wow, thank you all so much ❤️ Sorry I’ve not been back on since my OP, my son started reception so been up the wall 🙃 I’m doing ok, had another urine culture which showed low white blood cells so they didn’t test it for bacteria. Been doing the home test strips and showing as low amount of leukocytes but no nitrates. I’ve been taking Cystex prebiotic and d mannose but still having slight urgency and my wee doesn’t look as clear as it used to 😅.
just want to thank you all again ❤️❤️ xx

the October issue of the magazine Good Housekeeping has an interesting article about repeated UTIs which I’d encourage you to read. I read it on Kindle or would offer to send you my copy. Lots of interesting information, a friend who had suffered repeated UTIs used it to ask her GP some questions which have lead to a new treatment plan.

Hope you find what you need.

Hello @waaaaahhhutihelp . It may be worth you considering a condition called Aerobic Vaginitis as this can present like a constant low level UTI and also give leukocyte positive test strips. Not saying it definitely is but perhaps you could look it up and see if it fits with your symptoms?

I had this and I describe my experiences in the link below including doing a DIY self test using the strips you already have. Might be worth a go. Scroll down to the later posts to find the info on Aerobic Vaginitis.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_health/5190130-beating-a-chronic-uti-success-stories

Good luck OP. Xxx

urgh I’ve had the same situation since July. Had a UTI which came back 4 times, I finally had a 14 course of trimepthroprim and started hiprex (my bladder doesn’t empty properly on its own atm due to other reasons). I’m currently on day 12 with no return symptoms 🤞🏻. It does sound like it didn’t fully clear for you.