r/utis

Hiii everyone just wanting some opinions, do you wait it out when you have a uti or do you always get antibiotics?

I've felt symptoms now for about 3 days, symptoms like peeing frequently and uncomfortable feeling after peeing (hasn't become crazy painful).

But today day 3 ive seen some blood, not a crazy amount but its there. Also yesterday and today ive been constipated not sure if its related and also I had chills yesterday but again not sure if its related as my mum had a flu and then my dad had chills the day before I had chills.

Sorry if this is a silly question or if someone's asked it before but yeah just looking for some advice as im in the UK and its a bit of a long circle to get antibiotics and I had a uti around end of feb where I did get antibiotics so im not sure if I can go back on it?

Thanks for any help 👍🥰 Edit: i did call and ive been prescribed antibiotics.

I absolutely hate cranberries, but my Dr said cranberry juice is best. Is there a close alternative or a way to make it taste better

Hi everyone, I know yall aren’t doctors and such but I wanted to hear if anyone thinks I should be worried about my current status. I had a UTI in mid March which I went to urgent care for twice and my primary doctor once. I got meds prescribed and finished my round of antibiotic.

Since it’s been a while since then, I’ve been very paranoid about getting another UTI because it really sucked. Recently, I have been peeing a bit more often and sometimes whenever I finish peeing I stay a bit longer and I always pee small droplets. Even AFTER I pee those small droplets I feel like there’s more so I wait a few more minutes and sure enough I pee more.

I’m worried I have a new UTI but not sure if this info is enough to get me checked out especially since I’m a broke college student I don’t wanna spend $80 again and again (I spend around $300 in March bc of this).

I have been using baby soap to clean down there and only water. I have never had a uti or never had a history of uti’s prior to the one I got during March. I do drink soda regularly but only one can a day and I follow it with water.

Any advice is appreciated thank you!

Long story short…. I have gotten a uti and mastitis in the 10 weeks since my baby has been born. I am now on my 6th round of antibiotics and I am really hoping this is the last one. My doctor said to call if my symptoms do not seem to resolve within 48 hours. I have found that I can much more easily empty my bladder (I could barely get anything by the time I got my new prescription), but I still feel “urgency”. I have been trying to drink a ton of water so maybe I actually need to go and it’s all in my head. I just don’t want to go through this cycle again for it to fail.

I’ve been suffering with a constant UTI for 7 years. I’ve been on every antibiotic known to man. I’ve seen probably a dozen doctors and specialists. I’ve had 2 surgeries to remove stones from my kidneys, with another on May 18th. I’ve had quite literally hundreds of urinalysis’, tests, scans, whatever. And absolutely nothing is getting rid of or killing the Klebsiella. And I’m so beyond fed up with it. It’s slowly taken over my life and my health is in tatters. It’s caused new issues I never dealt with before… and don’t get me started on the pain. My kidneys are always inflamed. I was supposed to have surgery on April 29th to remove a stent. And they couldn’t because my WBC count was too high. I explained to them that it will be next to impossible to get it completely lowered. I tried explaining how it’s been such a constant issue and I kept getting brushed off “Nah, we’ll get it cleared up so we can do the surgery”. Blah blah blah. So if they can’t do it on the 18th (again). I have a big fat I TOLD YOU SO. For them. Anyways… that’s my vent. lol

so i have had had an ecoli infection in urine since at least november it was sent as a culture and came back with significant increased white cells at nearly 6000
i then repeated the culture in december still there 2nd lot of antibiotics given, cut a long story short whilst the infection has reduced white cells as of march 60 it is still growing e. coli and x4 antibiotics hasn't shifted fully which i find odd
so i am going for ultrasound of kidney and bladder tomorrow and i am so worried it may be a tumour
it was my gp who scared me saying there must be something in there holding onto the infection otherwise i would never have linked the two together
has anyone got similar to me? thanks in advance

Hi guys! I started having very light symptoms of a UTI on Thursday, and they continued on Friday. I’m talking only burning on the last three drops only once or twice and awareness that I have a ureter for maybe an hour at all. I’ve never had a UTI before so I honestly was confused and not sure what to do. Didn’t look anything up, didn’t drink a lot of water. Last night, Saturday night, I started having pretty bad back pain, but I had had sex earlier that day and had about 3-4 drinks. My back hurt pretty bad this morning, Sunday, as well. I‘m pretty sure I have a UTI now, and the lower lumbar pain, especially on my right side has me thinking I have a kidney infection. I started drinking a lot of water and feel fine. None of my pain has been excruciating and my UTI symptoms are all but gone. I never felt like I had to pee more often or had a problem with stream. I have an appointment at my health center as soon as they open tomorrow morning, Monday at 8 am. I’m wondering if because I’ve been having kidney pain on and off for almost 24 hours if I should be nervous and go to the ER or urgent care immediately. Will I be alright waiting 12 more hours to start oral antibiotics or should I go to the ER now? I have only light pain and a little light headedness but no burning, no fever, no chills, no vomit so I think I’m alright. Any advice is appreciated.

Hey guys

Thursday the 28th of April I had a cystoscopy because my urine samples showed blood. Four days later I developed a shitty UTI with pain, blood and urgency. The lab did the culture and it showed Enterobacter Aerogenes. I am on antibiotics. It’s very rare that I have UTIs and reading about this bacteria being resistant I am afraid that I will have it recurrent. I live in Europe and I’m taking oral antibiotics Selexid, it says that is sensitive but dammnnn I am so afraid of out of the blue it stops working!!.

Is anyone here who has experience with this bacteria?

TIA

i just got my first uti and i got prescribed nitrofurantoin (100mg 2x a day for 6 days). i kinda freaked myself by reading all the side affects that it can cause and im absolutely terrified to take my first dose. i’m deathly afraid of nausea and throwing up. can anyone share their experiences with this drug??

EDIT- ((Gardnerella vaginalis and Enterobacter are the two bacterias that came back))

I apologize for the long post. But I am so exhausted and frustrated. I think it’s horrible that people have to do their own homework instead of the doctor doing it (to a degree, I understand people make mistakes)

In January I began seeing a new partner. I went to urgent and the hospital for UTI like symptoms. The hospital referred me to a urogynecologist. They ran some tests. She chalked it up to IC(painful bladder syndrome, because the urine culture was showing I had no actual infection but I was having symptoms). I would have flares after I was sleeping with my boyfriend. She just kept telling me to take Azo when it was bad. A couple of times I was literally urinating blood. I also mentioned to her that the burning doesn’t only happen when I’m urinating but is a constant burn and it feels like it’s also in the vaginal area and not just the urethra.
I did my own research and asked her to do a culture to look for ureaplasma, thinking that could be causing it. Apparently, the urine culture they do normally is very basic and does not look for all kinds of bacteria (how stupid is that).
Today I went back, because for a week now (after having sex last weekend), I’ve been bleeding. It doesn’t really feel like a normal period. She says oh by the way your culture results are back. You don’t have the ureaplasma, but you do have BV and Enterobacter! I asked if the BV could’ve caused these flares I’ve been having. She said I guess they could. (Maybe the other one can cause that as well) So now I have to do antibiotics again for like the fourth time this year (also had to do a round earlier in the year for the dentist).

I am going to have my boyfriend get tested for BV. Especially since every time we hook up, I flare up.

I am just so frustrated with the health care system. I understand that she did not have me checked for BV because I did not really have any of the other symptoms. But why do these doctors not just do the broad urine culture from the start? I’ve wasted so much time dealing with this. I’ve lost PTO hours at work over this. I am just so so tired of having to advocate for myself.

Yesterday I realized I had a uti. I got some antibiotics called in ans have been on them for 24 hrs. They gave me 6 days of pills I believe as well as the pills that make your pee dark orange. I have gotten yeast infections from antibiotics before. I can't tell if I am overthinking it or its the uti or I feel a tinge of a ueast infection coming on. Not sure if it could start that early. I have taken boric acid before when I felt a yeast infection coming on and its helped 4/5 times. My question is, can I take boric acid while having a uti? It does create discharge, and I am worried about that being in my urethra area and making my uti worse. I am not going to take it tonight. I want to monitor how I feel since this literally just started an hour ago. Ughhhh i feel like I am so sensitive to things.It's really annoying. Like I said, it could just be in my head or even part of the uti. I am staying clean and dry and hydrated.

I had a rough sexual experience a couple days ago (on and off fingering for ~20 minutes with a lot of pressure and multiple orgasms/squirting). I didn’t pee for a few hours after.

About 1–2 days later I started feeling bladder pressure, mild cramping, bloating, and a sore/irritated feeling in my lower pelvis, kind of like when you hold your pee for too long and it feels sore afterward. No severe burning yet, but some discomfort and “full bladder” sensation.

I’m trying hydration, cranberry juice, and ibuprofen for now. I’m wondering if this sounds more like irritation from friction/overstimulation vs an early UTI, and how long symptoms usually last in cases like this

I’m asking for advice as a last resort for my reoccurring UTIs. I had gotten my first UTI at 19 in June and since then I’ve gotten 9more in 10months. I’ve tried everything to prevent them. Peeing after sex, wiping front to back, drinking plenty of water, d mannose, cranberry tablet and pre/probiotics. I’ve switched to cotton underwear, changed body soaps, laundry detergent toilet paper and have tried water wipes too. Doing all tactics at once. Before anyone says too, I got UTIs while being celibate however I noticed now it happens more often as I am sexually active. My partner is clean and so am I so I don’t think it’s an issue of cleanliness. Though the bacteria is being still introduced to my urethra and I can’t fight it off as other people normally would. I feel defeated every time I get one, as I have to go to the clinic and explain to the dr my problems over and over again and then simply responding with “ Make sure you pee after sex”.

For some prior context that might be important, the first time I ever got a UTI 10months ago the antibiotics I was prescribed had made me throw up for 2 days straight. I couldn’t keep anything down so 5/7 days into them, I quit. I know this is the worst thing you can do with antibiotics as it can create resistance, however I’ve had my urine tested and I’m not showing signs or resistance. I’m concerned if I messed up the first time and the bacteria has been lingering, reintroducing the uti and weakening the urinary tracts protection. Also about 2 months before my first UTI I started accutane, a drug that has many side effects however I haven’t seen anything about UTIs ( maybe just a coincidence). Aswell as I have hypothyroidism and am un medicated due to the meds having little to no impact on my health.

I’m just tired of going to the dr every month and having to take antibiotics. I really don’t want to develop resistance as it is very serious. I don’t know what to do at this point so anything can help. If you have personally found a solution that helped you, I would love to hear about it.

Hello all! *Very* long post so I’m apologizing in advance.

My story, just to preface! Feel free to skip this!

I am a 20 year old female from the USA. I had a few UTIs in high school but it was always knocked out with antibiotics. This February, a few days before Valentine’s Day, I got my 1st UTI in a long time. Probably about 3 or 4 years. I had felt symptoms for a while before but they were VERY mild and I could ignore it. Just a slight burning sensation when I would go to pee.

On February 12th, I woke up in the middle of the night at 5am (extremely unusual for me, I’ve slept through a tornado ripping shingles off my house lol) I got the urge to pee really bad and I instantly knew I had a UTI. I did a virtual visit through my insurance and got antibiotics by 9am. I thought nothing of it. I took my full week’s worth of Macrobid and was fine for 10 days. I had sex while on my antibiotic, poor choice, I already know. I didn’t know I shouldn’t have done that, oops! I was given no information.

Anyways, on February 23rd, I felt symptoms again. I tried scheduling another virtual appointment because I had quite harsh symptoms and was on my last Azo pills. I had to attend my lectures with symptoms it was HELL. They refused my appointment and urged me to see a urologist, which wasn’t super possible for me due to my class scheduling. I got an appointment at a local minute clinic. They could not have been nicer! They were very kind and I got prescribed Macrobid once again, for 7 days.

This worked until March 31st when I got my THIRD UTI within a little over a month. RIDICULOUS. I go to the same minute clinic, and the sweet lady gives me 5 days of Macrobid. My symptoms were extremely mild at this point, where nitrates were very low, but i still had a UTI. Something in me told me this wouldn’t be the end. During this entire time, I have changed my entire lifestyle. Less sex with my boyfriend (so unfortunate ☹️☹️) more water, even though i’m chronically dehydrated i’ve done a lot better with water!, not holding my pee, sleeping with no underwear and loose sweatpants, washing with dove bar soap gently, etc.

On May 1st, I felt symptoms once again. I once again went to the clinic, just a different location. The doctor was amazing, and had me try out Bactrim. She also walked me through with preventative measures and advice, where she suggested D Mannose. I have two pills left as of typing this. I’ll take one pill in about an hour and one tomorrow afternoon. Once I take those, I’ll be completely done with this run of antibiotics. It seems to have helped, other than a slight burning sensation when I went to pee twice last night, but none of that today. I don’t know if it was a flare up or if it was the Dove bar soap I had washed with about 20 minutes earlier. Im just very paranoid right now.

Is it normal for the same UTI to resurface a whole month after you take antibiotics for it?

This UTI has seriously been ruining my life. I had sex with my boyfriend for 11 months with absolutely ZERO issues. Even holding my pee for hours afterward with zero issues. Yuck! He is an EXTREMELY clean person and takes care of himself very well. We’ve tried washing hands and showering before having any sexual contact at all. I’ve spent hours crying to him saying how gross I feel and how this all feels like it’s my fault, even though I know deep down it isn’t. All of my cultures have came back for E. Coli. It makes me not want to be physically intimate anymore. Before all of this, our intimate life was beyond amazing. It still is, but I’ve been living every single day paranoid and fearful.

ADVICE NEEDED!!!:
Okay I’m actually going to get to the meat and potatoes of my post. I just had my mom order some D Mannose for me (don’t judge, I’m a broke college student and I’ve spent $120+ on treating this damn UTI.) and the capsules are 500mg each. I’ve read posts on here about people taking 2000mg and stuff. The serving size on the bottle says 2 pills, so I was assuming I take that every day. I would just like some guidance on this please! Should I take it after sex? How much should I take after sex? After I work out? I’m just unsure. Thank you for reading my lengthy post, any help is deeply deeply appreciated ❤️❤️❤️

I have recurrent UTIs that happen every 2-3 months. I have gone through 3 or 4 rounds of antibiotic treatment, and they kept coming back. It was so expensive to go to the doctor so often (I didn't have insurance). I did some research on supplements and decided to make my own supplement routine. It was a huge success! I healed from my last 3 UTIs at home thanks to these supplements!

I take these at the first sign of UTI with a meal:

- NAC 600mg (by NOW Foods)

- Vitamin C 1000mg Extra Strength (by Nature Made)

- AZO Dual Protection Daily Prebiotic and Probiotic

- Walgreens Cranberry Caplets 250mg

I think NAC and Vitamin C are the heavy hitters in this list. NAC is a biofilm disruptor, so it takes away the defenses from the bacteria that are trying to attach to your urinary track. I don't take these daily because I don't have the money to buy these supplements very often. I only take them if I have a UTI. If I took them daily, I think I wouldn't get UTIs anymore.

I take AZO Urinary painkiller, but usually I don't have to take painkillers after the first two days. My UTI fully clears by day 4-5. I even had s*x on day 3 this last time and the UTI was gone by day 5.

This probably sounds like an ad but it really isn't. I just wanted to share what works for me. Hopefully it works for you too!

I haven’t posted anything on reddit in years but I am desperate for some kind of explanation of what could be going on with me. I had a UTI at the beginning of last month. I went on antibiotics (Keflex) and it was gone. But halfway through taking the antibiotics, I noticed I struggled holding in my pee. I would leak a lot and there was this burning sensation that came on randomly that is really uncomfortable. I reached out to the doctor and he suggested I get another urine culture. When it came back free of bacteria I stopped hearing from him. After bugging him a ton for answers he prescribed me another antibiotic that I never ended up taking in fear that it was what had caused this discomfort in the first place. AND I didn’t have a UTI anymore. I decided to go to a gynecologist and it was incredibly unhelpful. Got tested for yeast, bv, did another urine culture etc. Even did STD testing even though I knew I didn’t have that because I wanted to test everything. Everything came back normal. So once again the gynecologist dipped out on me and could only tell me “I don’t know” it was incredibly discouraging. I’ve noticed it is more noticeable when I have to pee and I am dehydrated. It’s miserable. And the burn LINGERS. I am still having issues leaking as well. It’s been absolutely exhausting. I have a doctors appointment on monday and pray I make it. I used to get UTIS all the time when I was little. But this is the first time I have had one in YEARS. And I am exhausted from feeling like this. I’ve been drinking lots of water to help calm my bladder. Which does help but I am feeling hopeless. I’ve taken my own AZO test strips at home which always turn purple indicating leukocytes which the internet says is white blood cells and commonly related to inflammation. How can I get rid of this?

Desperate for some help!!!

I have gotten 5-6 UTI in last one year and I am unable to find why. I am in Germany and every time i go to the GP they give me antibiotics and send me back. I was finally sent to gynec last month, however they took urine sample and sent me back saying they will call back with results. But I did not receive any update, which here means everything in the test was clear. My symptoms are back again and I am planning to go to a urologist this time. But as known it is impossible to get a quick appointment here.

I am desperate for any leads to good urologists or indian urologist here in Germany who might be able to help or just any general advice to help with frequent UTIs.

Small update: after a visit to lot of doctors, one finally decided to atleast take me in. However I haven't spoken to the doctor. They just took my urine for the testing and sent me back saying the doctor will call me back once the results are back. Until then I am told to take in lot of fluids and Painkillers if needed.

My pain also sort of almost went away after I told one pain killer on Tuesday. And I also started on cranberry juice and D- mannose. I don't know what this means.

I don't know what to do if the results are coming back clean this time as well.

I’ve dealt with chronic UTIs for ~10 years • Things have improved a LOT since I started: • Showering after sex • Peeing after sex (important: if I pee before and not after, I’m way more likely to get a UTI, so now I only focus on after)

But I just got another UTI two weeks ago and I’m trying to figure out what triggered it.

That day: • Had dinner + drinks with my husband (probably dehydrated + alcohol didn’t help) • Had sex later that night • Realized I had a bowel movement earlier in the day and did NOT rinse off after (I usually do if I think there’s any chance of sex later)

Now I’m wondering…

Does anyone else feel like they basically HAVE to rinse/shower after going #2 if they’re going to have sex later, or they risk a UTI?

I normally just do a quick rinse with a detachable shower head (not a full shower), but honestly… the whole routine is exhausting: • timing bathroom habits • making sure I rinse • peeing after • staying hydrated and drinking tons of water

It kind of kills spontaneity and I’m getting really frustrated with how many “steps” there are just to avoid getting another.

I’ve thought about getting a bidet—has that helped anyone in this situation? They seem kinda annoying. Jumping in and rinsing off with my shower head is super fast.

Would love to hear if anyone else has patterns like this or tips that actually made a difference.