UTI tips?

[PeterPan]

Nevermind on the philosophical question. I moved it over to LC. Any great tips on how  you beat a UTI? I'm pretty convinced I had one, thought I was beating it, then I got a virus and it's BACK. It's rolling me flat here, no mojo, no vim and vigor, plus I'm dizzy when I lie down. Any tips?

Edited August 25, 2018 by PeterPan

[PeterPan]

nt

Edited August 25, 2018 by PeterPan

[gardenmom5]

I was convinced I had a uti. it burned like mad.  my doc even did a swab.  nada.  it was highly acidic urine.  1/2 tsp baking soda in warm water a few times a day to lower acidity. worked

[Spryte]

Bactrim with a Florastor chaser two hours later?  

 

I’ve had no luck with beating a full on UTI without abx.  Are you open to getting a test?

[Pen]

Other than cranberry juice?

 

supposed to be a myth, but it has helped me...

Edited August 25, 2018 by Pen

[ealp2009]

If I catch it early, lots of vit C and lots of water works for me.  

[happi duck]

Lots of *unsweetened* cranberry juice usually mixed with plain water.  If put on antibiotics then I take probiotics in between rx doses.

[Garga]

I have never been able to beat one without antibiotics.  The second I notice one on the way, I head to the doctor or urgent care center.  I have figured out that a certain tea position results in a UTI (anything face to face), so I stopped that position and didn't have a UTI for 15 years. 

And then I tried a MoonCup menstrual cup and got UTIs from it (must have pressed on the urethra while inserted.)  I stopped using that cup.  I didn't get UTIs with the Diva Cup, so it did seem to be that one type of cup.

For me, it is about figuring out what causes it and eliminating that cause.  

Drinking a lot of water would help with the pain during urination until the abx kicked in.

Edited August 25, 2018 by Garga

[sassenach]

Just be careful with self-treatment because they can turn into potentially kidney destroying infections very quickly. I stopped self treating after my first kidney infection. It was no joke. 

[Mbelle]

I know someone with recurrent UTI and they found that a certain type of cinnamon (maybe cylon?) taken daily keeps them away.  

[Storygirl]

I've only had one UTI, and I had antibiotics.

I know there are some home remedies, but if you have given them a try and are still having symptoms, I would head to the doctor.

MIL had an undiagnosed UTI this winter that progressed to a spinal infection, and it was extremely serious and required weeks of hospitalization, followed by six weeks of IV antibiotics. That was a severe incident, of course, but it can happen.

So if it has been going on for awhile, I vote that you should go to the doctor.

[snickerplum]

Manuka honey by mouth

[PeterPan]

8 hours ago, Spryte said:

Are you open to getting a test?

You know I forgot there was a test! I think it's something I can just order on amazon, right?

8 hours ago, gardenmom5 said:

I was convinced I had a uti. it burned like mad.  my doc even did a swab.  nada.  it was highly acidic urine.  1/2 tsp baking soda in warm water a few times a day to lower acidity. worked

I haven't had any burning, even though I've read about that. It's a lower abdominal pain and lower back pain. 

The d-mannose came today, earlier than I was expecting, so I'm chugging that like nobody's business. It *seems* to be helping, because my appetite is coming back.

7 hours ago, Mbelle said:

I know someone with recurrent UTI and they found that a certain type of cinnamon (maybe cylon?) taken daily keeps them away.  

That's interesting!

1 hour ago, snickerplum said:

Manuka honey by mouth

Hmm, hadn't thought of that! I think Trader Joes has it. I had been reading about it but don't remember if I actually got it or just looked at it...

7 hours ago, sassenach said:

Just be careful with self-treatment because they can turn into potentially kidney destroying infections very quickly. I stopped self treating after my first kidney infection. It was no joke. 

I'm going to go read about kidney infections. I read about bladder but not kidney. I'm not having fevers and I'm not having sharp pains. It's more this dull pain that increases (lower pelvis and lower back), and now that I have the d-mannose it's going away. But this happened a few weeks ago, thought I was over it, and after I got that virus it came back.

3 hours ago, Storygirl said:

I know there are some home remedies, but if you have given them a try and are still having symptoms, I would head to the doctor.

Yeah, that's the thing a friend irl was asking, whether I need some more tests or something, sigh. I've just been on the slow track recovering from that bronchitis round in April/May, got sick again, and haven't gotten back to my spunky self. I'm not as bad as I was, but I'm not where I want to be, sigh.

7 hours ago, Garga said:

For me, it is about figuring out what causes it and eliminating that cause.  

Hmph, I really don't know. 

8 hours ago, Pen said:

Other than cranberry juice?

It helps. I think these started when I stopped eating yogurt daily. I think I was just on antbx too much this winter and have wacked my gut. I was eating yogurt like fury and doing cranberry juice, and when I relented, boom. I've got a better (stronger, more variety) probiotic now (actually two kinds), but I don't know. 

[J-rap]

10 hours ago, gardenmom5 said:

I was convinced I had a uti. it burned like mad.  my doc even did a swab.  nada.  it was highly acidic urine.  1/2 tsp baking soda in warm water a few times a day to lower acidity. worked

Interesting!  For how long did you do that?

[J-rap]

I had my first UTI about a year and a half ago.  Then I got another and another...  Weird!  I've finally found things that help keep it away most of the time.  (For some reason I've become more prone to them now, maybe age-related, who knows.)  When I first feel some discomfort, I take d-mannes.  That stuff is amazing.  I don't need a lot.  Often 1 or 2 tablets/day for just a day or two gets rid of it.  That and drinking lots of water.  Sometimes, I'll take up 3 tablets/day for a couple days.  But, if that doesn't work, then it usually means I need to go on antibiotics.  Honestly though, it really DOES work most of the time.  I've learned that I can't tolerate much more d-mannes than that at a time  or I get very sick.  There's kind of a fine balance for me.

Another thing that helps is to take a hot bath.  (No bath oil or bubble bath, just hot water with a wash of good old-fashioned soap (not a fancy, overly-fragranced type).  A quick soak daily (or after intimacy) seems to really help too.

So those three things:  d-mannes, hot baths with soap (they don't need to be long), and drinking extra water take care of it for me 90% of the time.  If it doesn't work pretty quickly, then I know I need to get antibiotics.

After a year and a half though, they do seem to be coming less often!  

[gardenmom5]

49 minutes ago, J-rap said:

Interesting!  For how long did you do that?

didn't take long to reduce symptoms.

my shiatsu therapist's teacher drinks a glass of soda water everday.  it reduces the body's acidity.  works for heartburn too.

[PeterPan]

6 hours ago, gardenmom5 said:

didn't take long to reduce symptoms.

my shiatsu therapist's teacher drinks a glass of soda water everday.  it reduces the body's acidity.  works for heartburn too.

Total side story, but I drank baking soda in water when I was in Russia many many years ago. I was having terrible culture shock, so bad I was just sick in bed, overwhelmed, with my stomach churning. I don't know why it crossed my mind, but I did a small amount in water several days, like you're saying, and it turned it around. 

7 hours ago, J-rap said:

So those three things:  d-mannes, hot baths with soap (they don't need to be long), and drinking extra water take care of it for me 90% of the time.  If it doesn't work pretty quickly, then I know I need to get antibiotics.

Thanks, this seems good. I'm taking the d-mannose now in pretty stiff doses, so we'll see what happens. I'd actually have to go scrub the tub downstairs to take a bath, oops. Our master only has a shower. But it would be good to scrub that tub. 

[PeterPan]

The other thing I'm not fessing up on here is I don't have a GP. I picked up the paperwork for one in town that is accepting patients, but things were so crazy I didn't get it filled out. So if I get that done, I'd have more options. Ok, I just checked and the practice now has *2* GPs accepting patients, boom! Guess I better get the paperwork done. Man or woman, any opinions? I'm clearly not crazy about doctors anyway, and they're not welcome to stick fingers or tools where the sun doesn't shine. What do GPs in a family practice do? Do they even do that? I just assumed a GP, someone who weighs you and says eat better and maybe checks your thyroid or something could be handy.

So man or woman? The man has been the practice a year, is married with two kids, did his residency at a university, and is board certified in family medicine. The woman is new to the practice, did her residency at a major hospital in the big city, and is also board certified in family medicine. I have no clue. 

[Serenade]

9 hours ago, PeterPan said:

 

I haven't had any burning, even though I've read about that. It's a lower abdominal pain and lower back pain. 

 

 

I'm in the midst of a UTI right now, too, and those are my symptoms as well.  I don't have the burn when peeing, although when I finish up peeing, I get an intense pain/urgency to pee, and that lingers. Meh.

 This is the first serious one I ever had, where I had blood in my pee. (I know, TMI) .  The infection came on fairly quickly, and the first night is when I had the blood, so I was planning on going to the doc the next day.  Except the next day, the blood cleared, so I thought I was getting better.  Put myself on a regimen of echinacea and Vitamin C.  Every day I seemed a little better, and yesterday I felt about 80%,  But last night it came back in full force (minus the blood), so I'm probably headed to the doctor today.  I hate to go, in case I'm beating it, but I don't want another night like last night.  Since I haven't had a serious UTI, I don't know if the healing process ebbs and flows.  Today will be my 5th day, but like I said, yesterday I felt almost fully recovered, but then it started bothering me again in the early evening. 

I hope you get some relief!  And me, too. ? 

[Serenade]

11 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

The other thing I'm not fessing up on here is I don't have a GP. I picked up the paperwork for one in town that is accepting patients, but things were so crazy I didn't get it filled out. So if I get that done, I'd have more options. Ok, I just checked and the practice now has *2* GPs accepting patients, boom! Guess I better get the paperwork done. Man or woman, any opinions? I'm clearly not crazy about doctors anyway, and they're not welcome to stick fingers or tools where the sun doesn't shine. What do GPs in a family practice do? Do they even do that? I just assumed a GP, someone who weighs you and says eat better and maybe checks your thyroid or something could be handy.

So man or woman? The man has been the practice a year, is married with two kids, did his residency at a university, and is board certified in family medicine. The woman is new to the practice, did her residency at a major hospital in the big city, and is also board certified in family medicine. I have no clue. 

 

I don't have one at the moment, either, so I'll be headed to Urgent Care.  We're lucky to have a decent one not to far away, so that is where I go when I have medical issues.  I need to find a GP, too. But not right now.  I'm like you, not crazy about doctors right now after a bad experience or two.  I've appreciated the doctors at the Urgent Care, so that is where I go.  Quick in, quick out, although I imagine that's not good for longer-term issues.

Personally, I've preferred men to women for gynecology issues.  Strange but true.  I find them to be more caring and sympathetic.  Often the women seem more business-like, bossy, and totally unsympathetic.  That's been my experience, anyhow. 

[Serenade]

7 hours ago, J-rap said:

 

So those three things:  d-mannes,

 

I had never heard of this so I googled.  Which brand do you take?

[J-rap]

2 minutes ago, Serenade said:

 

I had never heard of this so I googled.  Which brand do you take?

I take this one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072JH51QX/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Serenade]

Just now, J-rap said:

I take this one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072JH51QX/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

 

Thanks!

[KrissiK]

I never had them until I reached peri-menopause, and now I get them frequently. And I do everything they say to do after teA, and I take cranberry pills.  I use the AZO tests to make sure because I don’t get typical symptoms and they come on fast and furiously. Anti-biotics are the only thing that helps me, and unfortunately, I have to do preventative antibiotics, too. It’s really been a nightmare. I’m fortunate, though, that Medi-share has a call-in Doctor thing, so I can just tell them I took the test, it’s positive and they call in a prescription right away. 

[EKS]

Antibiotics.

[KungFuPanda]

18 hours ago, sassenach said:

Just be careful with self-treatment because they can turn into potentially kidney destroying infections very quickly. I stopped self treating after my first kidney infection. It was no joke. 

 

Same thing here. It was also the first UTI where I tried D-Mannose (bearberry?) so I won’t repeat that experiment. I never even had the tell-tale back pains that they look for. I’d never been in the hospital except to have a baby. It was not a good time. I shouldn’t have put off the trip to the ER for so long. 

You can buy a test kit at any pharmacy. 

Edited August 26, 2018 by KungFuPanda

[sassenach]

50 minutes ago, KungFuPanda said:

 

Same thing here. It was also the first UTI where I tried D-Mannose (bearberry?) so I won’t repeat that experiment. I never even had the tell-tale back pains that they look for. I’d never been in the hospital except to have a baby. It was not a good time. I shouldn’t have put off the trip to the ER for so long. 

You can buy a test kit at any pharmacy. 

Super sad story: a 36 year-old teacher at my kids’ high school died a week before school started. Otherwise healthy guy, had an asymptomatic kidney infection that stressed his body into a massive heart attack. 

[PeterPan]

3 hours ago, Serenade said:

 

I'm in the midst of a UTI right now, too, and those are my symptoms as well.  I don't have the burn when peeing, although when I finish up peeing, I get an intense pain/urgency to pee, and that lingers. Meh.

 This is the first serious one I ever had, where I had blood in my pee. (I know, TMI) .  The infection came on fairly quickly, and the first night is when I had the blood, so I was planning on going to the doc the next day.  Except the next day, the blood cleared, so I thought I was getting better.  Put myself on a regimen of echinacea and Vitamin C.  Every day I seemed a little better, and yesterday I felt about 80%,  But last night it came back in full force (minus the blood), so I'm probably headed to the doctor today.  I hate to go, in case I'm beating it, but I don't want another night like last night.  Since I haven't had a serious UTI, I don't know if the healing process ebbs and flows.  Today will be my 5th day, but like I said, yesterday I felt almost fully recovered, but then it started bothering me again in the early evening. 

I hope you get some relief!  And me, too. ? 

Well I'll be interested to hear what the doctor says and does for you. I wondered if the atypical (pain but not burning) means it's actually something else, sigh. And yeah, if you have blood, that's a go to the doctor pronto. I had bleeding in the lungs this summer from bad bronchitis, and my lungs are STILL not recovered. They just feel like they're tired, like they have scar tissue or something. I don't know that for a fact, just saying by the time you're bleeding something bad is happening. So yeah, I'd be interested to know what the doc tells you.

2 hours ago, KungFuPanda said:

You can buy a test kit at any pharmacy. 

Ok, I'll admit I hadn't looked into it this far yet. I read somebody saying they did the test after doing cranberry juice and it didn't show, so I thought ok then it won't help. But that's actually actionable. I can go to Walgreens, mercy.

3 hours ago, KrissiK said:

so I can just tell them I took the test, it’s positive and they call in a prescription right away. 

Oh that's interesting. I did fill out the paperwork for the family practice place in town to get set up with a GP. I am planning to drop it off tomorrow. I don't know the turnaround time, but maybe it won't be crazy. I have Urgent Care if it gets more pressing than that. 

3 hours ago, J-rap said:

I take this one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072JH51QX/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

That's the one I just got! Before that I got some other weird brand that was stronger but, well you know how sometimes you're like that was dumb, why take some weird product that isn't reputable... So this time I ordered the NOW. That's what came yesterday. 

 

3 hours ago, Serenade said:

I'm like you, not crazy about doctors right now after a bad experience or two.  I've appreciated the doctors at the Urgent Care, so that is where I go.  Quick in, quick out, although I imagine that's not good for longer-term issues.

Personally, I've preferred men to women for gynecology issues.  Strange but true.  I find them to be more caring and sympathetic.  Often the women seem more business-like, bossy, and totally unsympathetic.  That's been my experience, anyhow. 

Yup, it's a long, uninteresting story, but I was seeing a doc regularly as I got worse and worse with CFS and MCS, and after that I went with a nutritionist and gave up on them. The UC people have been uniformly AWESOME. Helpful, intelligent, etc. My pulmonologist? Well his office doesn't even return calls when you're coughing up blood. But we actually know some of the people that own this family practice, so I figure it's at least worth a TRY. And since you said man and that was what my gut was thinking, that's what I'll try for. He graduated with honors, so maybe he'll be sharp and fun to work with. And yeah, I wasn't too crazy about my female midwife poking things in hinder regions, so it's not like a man could be much worse. Also not like I'm inviting it. I guess that could get me dropped or something, dunno. I haven't figured out that far. I just read on their site that they're qualified to do it, which means I suppose if he has strong opinions on the necessity then he'll want to. Guess I'll drop that topic for now and just stick with bladders and lungs, lest I talk myself out of it.

[PeterPan]

2 hours ago, sassenach said:

Super sad story: a 36 year-old teacher at my kids’ high school died a week before school started. Otherwise healthy guy, had an asymptomatic kidney infection that stressed his body into a massive heart attack. 

I should go read on this. I've been rolling with how my body feels. That's why it's so weird that my energy isn't returning. An asymptomatic infection makes sense. Well that and I'm so doggone hyporesponsive for sensory that I could be having symptoms and not realize it.

I think the drug store test is a good place to start, and I can drop off the form at the GP place and see how long that takes.

[PeterPan]

Ok, I'm reading about the AZO tests. It says they look for leukocytes and nitrites. Are there *other* things that will cause those or cause false positives?

Or, put another way, if it's a kidney infection vs. a UTI (are they separate?), then would it still show? Or would a negative on the AZO test still leave the possibility of other infections? Or does a positive tell you there's an infection without telling you where?

Edited August 26, 2018 by PeterPan

[PeterPan]

So I got the AZO test and I have leukocytes but not nitrites. It says to wait, wash, retest. I don't know if that means what I'm doing is half working? LOL I don't know.

Edited August 26, 2018 by PeterPan

[PeterPan]

My googlefu is saying leukocytes with no nitrites is interstitial cystitis. I have no clue what it is. Off to research. 

6 hours ago, Serenade said:

I'll be headed to Urgent Care.

Now I'm interested to hear if the UC doc found the same thing on you and what he said to do...

[DesertBlossom]

I don't know if it's been mentioned but d-mannose only works on E. Coli. D-mannose is always my go-to when I feel a UTI coming on, but I had a UTI last year that I could not get rid of and I was in so much pain I couldn't sleep at night. The first antibiotic they prescribed wasn't helping either so I had to get another kind. (I can't remember what they were.) 

[KrissiK]

1 hour ago, PeterPan said:

So I got the AZO test and I have leukocytes but not nitrites. It says to wait, wash, retest. I don't know if that means what I'm doing is half working? LOL I don't know.

Usually I have just the leukocytes with that test. Last time I had both. The first several times I used that test, I also went to my GP and she did her own test. I just wanted to check with her and make sure the test was accurate. Each time the AZO test said I was positive, even with just leukocytes my GP confirmed the infection. My infections come on quickly and severely.  

[Kanin]

I had a bad UTI a couple years ago. I dealt with it for too long, like 4 days, before I finally gave up and went to urgent care. I was in and out in 15 minutes. You just pee in a cup, doc comes back in a couple minutes, done. 

I don't like antibiotics, either, but urinary infections seem really hard to beat without them. 

[sassenach]

1 hour ago, PeterPan said:

So I got the AZO test and I have leukocytes but not nitrites. It says to wait, wash, retest. I don't know if that means what I'm doing is half working? LOL I don't know.

If you don't have nitrites, that means there is not a gram-negative bacterial infection. What that doesn't mean is that there is no infection. UTIs can be caused by other bacteria, which would not give a positive nitrite result. Leukocytes are white blood cells. Their presence indicates some kind of infection or inflammation.

D-mannose is only effective on E-coli, which is a gram-negative bacteria. I don't think cranberry or D-mannose will help with your treatment.

There is no way to distinguish between a urinary tract infection and a kidney infection using a urinalysis test. Kidney infections usually start as UTIs that move up the ureters and spread the infection to the kidney. From there the next level of spreading is into the blood stream. 

Treatment for kidney infections is the same as for UTI unless the infection has advanced to the point of needing IV antibiotics. If caught early, the treatment is a round of antibiotics (they should do a 3-day culture to ensure you are on the right antibiotic for the bacteria.

Cystitis is an inflammation of the bladder. It can be caused by bacteria (ie: UTI) or have other causes. The only way to know if it's bacterial or not is to do a urine culture. It's irresponsible for AZO to intimate that cystitis= not a UTI. Cystitis is a symptom of a UTI and not all UTI's will be positive for nitrites.

[KungFuPanda]

I have a theory that a lot of these “I cured my own UTI” could sometimes be people dealing with an irritated urethra. The symptoms are similar and without seeing your doctor there’s no way to know. A UTI is actually handled quickly, and relatively cheaply at any urgent care place. You really want to take care of it before it travels upstream to your kidneys. 

[PeterPan]

5 minutes ago, sassenach said:

It's irresponsible for AZO to intimate that cystitis= not a UTI.

No, that's just what I found online. It wasn't something from AZO. All they said was retest the next day. 

[PeterPan]

8 minutes ago, sassenach said:

The only way to know if it's bacterial or not is to do a urine culture.

So is a urine culture a 3 day thing or a quickie thing? If it's 3 days, that sounds more like something a GP would do, rather than UC, yes? 

The first time this happened (earlier this summer) it did go away with just the cranberry juice and D-mannose. Then I got a virus and it came back, sigh. 

[sassenach]

7 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

So is a urine culture a 3 day thing or a quickie thing? If it's 3 days, that sounds more like something a GP would do, rather than UC, yes? 

The first time this happened (earlier this summer) it did go away with just the cranberry juice and D-mannose. Then I got a virus and it came back, sigh. 

 

 

Urgent care looks at your symptoms and urine dip and prescribes the best-fit abx. I don't know if they also do a culture. They should, but I haven't used UC in forever and I imagine they're all different. 

Last time you probably had E-coli. It's the most common and does respond to D-mannose. This time? Who knows. The virus weakened your immune system. It's not necessarily the same bacteria. My ds has chronic UTI and kidney infections (to the point where we have a standing order for a dip and culture). He's had at least 4 or 5 different bacteria over the years. He's even had back to back infections with 2 different bacteria. Last time we got him going on an antibiotic and had to switch after the culture came back. That doesn't happen often, but it can.

ETA: I didn't answer your question. The urine has to be sent to the lab for a culture. You get the results 3 days later.

Edited August 26, 2018 by sassenach

[PeterPan]

4 minutes ago, sassenach said:

Urgent care looks at your symptoms and urine dip and prescribes the best-fit abx. I don't know if they also do a culture. They should, but I haven't used UC in forever and I imagine they're all different. 

Last time you probably had E-coli. It's the most common and does respond to D-mannose. This time? Who knows. The virus weakened your immune system. It's not necessarily the same bacteria. My ds has chronic UTI and kidney infections (to the point where we have a standing order for a dip and culture). He's had at least 4 or 5 different bacteria over the years. He's even had back to back infections with 2 different bacteria. Last time we got him going on an antibiotic and had to switch after the culture came back. That doesn't happen often, but it can.

That totally makes sense. I'm going to give this a really short leash. UC is probably close for today, and I'm surviving. I'm going to drop that paperwork at the GP and see how long it takes them to respond. I could call the UC if they're open and see if they culture. Yeah, just checked and they're closed. 

What's your line on deciding when to go in? Or since you have the standing order for the tests, they just do the tests?

Edited August 26, 2018 by PeterPan

[fairfarmhand]

Lotsa utis here. The doctor has never even looked at the nether regions. Pokes and presses your belly and back, looks at your temp, listens to heart and lungs just for the fun of it. 

Pee in a cup, insta test and also sends off for culture. Getvthe culture result in 3 days. It’s really no big deal.

if you have to have the nether regions explored in my world they send you to a specialist.

not that they wouldn’t do a pelvic, especially if they don’t find uti stuff, but generally in my experience they don’t. Uti is a pretty straightforward thing. 

[kbutton]

1 hour ago, PeterPan said:

So is a urine culture a 3 day thing or a quickie thing? If it's 3 days, that sounds more like something a GP would do, rather than UC, yes? 

It may vary from practitioner to practitioner, but our Little Clinic will culture. You can also specifically ask them to culture, and if they can but don't want to, you can gently ask that they state in the notes that you asked and they refused. That might get them to do it anyway!

[PeterPan]

43 minutes ago, kbutton said:

It may vary from practitioner to practitioner, but our Little Clinic will culture. You can also specifically ask them to culture, and if they can but don't want to, you can gently ask that they state in the notes that you asked and they refused. That might get them to do it anyway!

Oh that's hilarious. Hadn't thought about Little Clinic. I'm waiting to see how tonight rolls. 

[sassenach]

1 hour ago, PeterPan said:

That totally makes sense. I'm going to give this a really short leash. UC is probably close for today, and I'm surviving. I'm going to drop that paperwork at the GP and see how long it takes them to respond. I could call the UC if they're open and see if they culture. Yeah, just checked and they're closed. 

What's your line on deciding when to go in? Or since you have the standing order for the tests, they just do the tests?

Ds is non-verbal, so it’s a guessing game. Part of the benefit of the standing order is that I don’t have to bring him in, but rather I can collect a sample at home and drive it in (he has severe quad CP, so this saves us all from a lot of work).  Any fever is an automatic test. Sometimes his pee smells weird or he is retaining his urine more than usual. His doc trusts my judgement; I’m right more often than not. 

For myself, I go in as soon as I feel burning/urgency. 

[PeterPan]

11 hours ago, Serenade said:

so I'm probably headed to the doctor today.

Did you end up going? I think I'm going tomorrow if I feel like I do now. I can't put my finger on it, but I don't like how I feel. I'm a tad nauseous and have the pelvic pain. Nothing I'm doing seems to be touching it, and that's enough cranberry juice and d-mannose to raise elephants.

[JessReplanted]

D mannose powder is amazing. 

But if it’s that bad already you should see a Dr. 

[laundrycrisis]

Go to the doctor.  Don’t mess around with UTIs. 

That said, I had one that came back after antibiotics three times ( three different abx) and the next option was going to be iv abx in a hospital setting.  I got fierce with putting smashed raw garlic on my food 3x a day for about a week and finally beat it.  I have no idea if that much garlic is safe or not, but it’s what I did. 

[PeterPan]

6 hours ago, laundrycrisis said:

Go to the doctor.  Don’t mess around with UTIs. 

That said, I had one that came back after antibiotics three times ( three different abx) and the next option was going to be iv abx in a hospital setting.  I got fierce with putting smashed raw garlic on my food 3x a day for about a week and finally beat it.  I have no idea if that much garlic is safe or not, but it’s what I did. 

Ooo, I may have run out of garlic! You're right, I had been doing it a lot after my other rounds of abx and didn't after ths one. This last round was particularly bad for some reason. Not the abx, but just the bug and recovery. I've done nothing but drag since April when I got expose to the bug and May when it finally rolled over to bronchitis with bleeding, sigh. And once you don't feel well, you don't take care of yourself well, kwim? I'm actually gonna go visit my mother pretty soon. I know that sounds silly, but I need a reset. I'm gonna get sun and swim and eat hotel food every day (no cooking for me!) and see if my mojo will come back.

So I woke up at 5 this morning and went ahead and tested. The leukocytes were down to a trace, definitely down, and the nitrites are still poof. I'm not sure interpreting the test strip quantitatively is appropriate, but I thought it was interesting. I think I gave it the full 2 minutes and was generous. I took a pic to be sure. I'm not normally up at 5 am, lol. Now I'm gonna take some more stuff and go back to bed. If sleep plus the stuff is working, then clearly I should go sleep. 

PS. I just did the garlic, and my system had forgotten what it was like! That's fine, I'm going to sleep. It makes sense though that if this bug is *not* e-coli or really responsive to cranberry and d-mannose that doing the garlic could be a good option. 

Edited August 27, 2018 by PeterPan

[PeterPan]

6 hours ago, JessReplanted said:

D mannose powder is amazing. 

But if it’s that bad already you should see a Dr. 

Yeah, I'm giving it a really short leash. I'll probably buy more of the strips and keep monitoring. If the leukocytes go down and my symptoms decrease in parallel, we're good (I would think). But yeah, I wouldn't say out of the woods yet, just a little better, enough to wonder if it might might get there.