Please help with Urinary tract infection

L

lwseymour

Cathlete
I've been miserable with a UTI for 3 days now. My doctor says until I have taken the Macrobid 100 mg. for 4 days that there is nothing she will do or change with the prescription. I am wondering if this is normal for a UTI to take 4 days on medication until it relieves me. Anybody have trouble with these infections? Is this normal to take several days to get relief? Please help with any advice. I'm trying to decide whether to go to the ER tonight or give it one more day.
 
UTI's are the pits. I haven't had one for quite a while, but from what I remember, I felt relief after a day or so of antibiotics. If you are in a lot of pain, you may need something different or stronger. Would it be possible to call the doctor for his opinion?

Gina
 
Yes, it's normal. The antibiotics will kick in after about 72 hours, and you should start to feel better. Everyone is different. Some people feel relief earlier than others. Macrobid is a perfectly acceptable antibiotic for a UTI (I'm an RN) A really bad infection can take a couple of weeks to completely clear up, but rarely do people need more than one course of antibiotics. Your doctor is in the right to tell you what she did. You have to give them at least 72 hours to begin working. If you go to the ER, they will tell you the same thing, but it's your call, obviously. Hang in there!!

Carol
:)
 
Yes, urinary tract infections are horrible! I haven't had one in a while, but when I did, I remember my doctor giving me something called "pyridium" along with the antibiotic to numb that "urgency to go" feeling that was so irritating. They don't seem to prescribe it unless you ask for it anymore, but it might make you more comfortable until the antibiotic starts to work. Healthsquare.com says, "Pyridium is a urinary tract analgesic that helps relieve the pain, burning, urgency, frequency, and irritation caused by infection . . ." Maybe this will help. Just a suggestion.

Lynda
 
Pyridium is very good to help with the pain and burning. Your doc should be able to call this in for you. I also thought that they had made an over the counter medication like pyridium...I am not sure about this though.
Hope you will start feeling better soon. I have had 3 UTI in my life and I am very scared to get another one. They hurt!
 
are you drinking enough cranberry juice- try and get the pure cranberry without the added sugar- but i found they both work- let me know
 
Add lots of cranberry to your diet pronto and keep taking those meds! You should be fine in another day or two. I know another day seems like a year when you're in that much pain. Wishing you a VERY speedy recovery!
 
As I grew older, I started getting these quite often. When they wouldn't go away right away with antibiotics, the doctor said I probably had a touch of Cystitis along with it. He explained it was severe inflammation of the bladder. I found that drinking lots and lots of water helped tremendously. I know it's difficult because of the symptoms associated with the bladder infection, but it really works for me.

The Pyridium(sp) is very good, too because it's an analgesic. Someone told me you can get that over the counter now.
 
I had a horrible UTI last year and took Macrobid for 10 days. I felt better while taking the Macrobid, but my infection came back with a vengence a few days after finishing the Macrobid course so I next went on sulfa to which I found I am allergic. Finally took 3 days of Levaquin which worked immediately. My nurse told me that Macrobid doesn't always work for everyone and that Levaquin is a much stronger antibiotic. Hope you are feeling better by now, but I just thought I would share my experience with you as Macrobid did NOT work for me.

Take Care,

JulesMT
 
I really feel for you. UTIs are the worst. Macrobid did work for me, but it can take a couple of days to feel better, which is virtually unbearable when you're suffering those symptoms. There is an over-the-counter medication called Uristat, which should help you feel better until the medication kicks in. I believe you can only take it for three days, which is about how long it may take the antibiotic to kick in. One thing that also helps, as everyone has mentioned, is cranberry juice. Once when I had one, before I knew there was pyridium (sp?) or Uristat available, I literally drank cranberry juice continuously for hours; not pleasant at all, but, incredibly, it really helped ease the symptoms. Once you feel better and get rid of the infection, it's a great idea to either drink cranberry juice (pure cranberry--not cranapple or anything like that) every day, or take cranberry extract tablets. They really do help.

I really suffered with UTIs on and off for years. I finally saw a urologist who determined that the trigger for me was sex. Now every time I have sex, I take a very low dose antibiotic. I've been UTI-free for over a year now, which for me is miraculous. If this is your first UTI, you'll hopefully get rid of it and not get any more. But if you do find yourself getting them repeatedly (and I think each time you get one you're more susceptible to another), please see a urologist and try to uncover what might be triggering them. They really do make your life hell!

I'm sending you good thoughts--I hope you get relief and get better very soon!:)

-Marie
 
Well, since somebody brought up the sex thing I'll chime in again. My doctor told me the best thing a woman can do after sex is be sure to go to the bathroom to urinate (how romantic!)

During intercourse bacteria can build near the Urethra. When you urinate immediately following, it expells most of the bacteria. I've made this a new habit and haven't gotten another UTI.
 
Good point, Candi! I should have remembered to mention that, too! I tried that for a while, and actually still do that (you're right--not very romantic!), but for me it's not enough. The low-dose antibiotic has really been a lifesaver for me, but that's certainly a last resort.

-Marie:)
 
Thanks everyone for the responses. I ended up going back to the doc and was put on Bactrim after the Macrobid didn't work. Three days on bactrim hasn't helped either. I went to the gyn today since I was still miserable and she seems to think I have some viral thing. I may start antivirals later she said. The pyradium hasn't helped much and I've drank a gallon and a half of pure cranberry so I guess I'm out of luck here. Needless to say I haven't worked out for awhile now and don't even feel the desire. I will never take peeing for granted ever again.
 
I am so sorry to hear you are still suffering with this. How awful! How long do you have to wait til she can try the antiviral method? Keep us posted. I pray it goes away very soon and that you can get back to being you. (& back to your workouts too!) HUGS!!!
Your-Friend-In-Fitness, DebbieH http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/wavey.gif[/img] If You Get The Choice To Sit It Out Or Dance...I Hope You DANCE!!!
 
Thanks everyone for the well wishes.

I hope Carol-is-fit sees this since she is a nurse. I went to a urologist today and he told me that he thinks I have a yeast infection. Very odd since my pain and burning is all in my urinary tract not vagina. He said that often yeast infection can cause problems with the urinary tract. Anybody ever heard of this? He said the antibiotics are making it worse and gave me a Diflucan pill to take on Friday (after the antibiotics have got out of my system).

Anybody heard of yeast infection causing urinary tract burning?

Thanks
 
Did your urologist rule out Interstatial Cystis? I've been treated for this and let me tell you it is not fun. All the symtoms of a bladder infection and I'd wake up at least 8-10 time a night with that urge to unrinate and burning sensation. Antibiotice do not help this condition. Cranberry juice is something to AVOID if you have Interstatial Cysitis. It's an irritant in this instance.

What finally worked for me was having an outpatient surgery. They inflated the bladder to stretch it and rinsed the inside lining with a medicinal solution. There is a lot of good information out there on the net about this condition. There are food and drink triggers that I've learned to avoid when I notice my bladder feeling tender.

There is also another OTC product you can take when you know you will be eating/drinking something that may irritate your bladder. It's called "Prelief". Good stuff...I use it before drinking soda, which is a trigger for me.

Hope this helps,
Dawn
 
Are you feeling better today? I had one once and it was so awful I wanted to cry!! I hope you're doing better!
 
Lwseymour

A comment you made really struck a nerve with me. You said "I will never take peeing for granted ever again". I know how you feel. I have been having problems with needing to pee all the time for almost 4 months now. I really know what you’re going through and if you ever need an ear to bend, you can always talk to me…

Wayne xxxxxxx
 
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