UTI WON'T GO AWAY
Posted , 37 users are following.
So this is my first time writing on this forum...I never thought I'd be in this serious situation . I'm 20 years old and had a uti for about 1.5 months now....I've been on cipro (3 days), bactrim (7 days), nitrofurantoin (7 days), and nitrofurantoin again (10 days). It's been three days since I've finished my last batch of antibiotics and I STILL feel worst than ever. I even tried taking 100% pure D-MANNOSE which helped only a little. My gyn initially thought I had a yeast infection and put me on a one day pill...still nothing. Then on my second visit she was out of ideas referred me to a urologist. This is my second time visiting my urologist (today), and she was also out of ideas and referred me to a sonogram , because she suspects I have a kidney stone....I don't believe I have one since the urine cultures (al three of them showed no powder or crystals). I still feel the BURNIng in my urethra only ...which is weird . I talked to my doctor about IC but she says it's not possible because my urine culture always comes back with high levels of ecoli . I live in NYC and I feel hopeless!!!!!!! What do you guys think I should do?
1 like, 107 replies
peggyB jen410
Posted
Hi there.. I'm here in hopes of finding someone who has been there done that kind of thing to see if y'all have any thoughts that I can try...I've been diagnosed with a UTI with Ecoli and is augmentin resistant.. I had a pretty bad upper resparitory infection, was on augmentin. a rocephin shot with a round of sterioids. That seemed to clear it up.. Then I Had pain in my lower back and lower abdomen went back to the dr bc I thought it may have been a yeast infection bc I am allergic to yeast and y'all know what Antibiotics do .. Still had pain in lower back and lower abdomen, so went back they cultured my urine and said i had a UTI that was resistant to Augmentin. so they treated it with macrobid. had pain still and went back to dr.. they tested and again UTI with Ecoli. they wanted to treat me with Cipro but y'all to be honest... I AM SO SCARED... my dad died with Bladder cancer stomach cancer brain cancer and lung cancer.. I lost my step dad after only an 8 day battle with cancer and i lost my son to an accidental overdose on the same day as my step dad.. I am an only child and my mom is the only living person in my family... my ANXIETY is off the charts..I don't know what to do..Any thoughts? Thanks..
marilee43089 peggyB
Posted
Peggy, why are you associating a UTI with Cancer? Did you, or are you going to, take the Cipro? Ask the doctor to see a list of the suspectible antibiotics that are associated with the culture? Usually one of the cephalosporin antibiotics are sensitive to Ecoli. I'd try those before Cipro.
sam48630 jen410
Posted
I'm not gonna lie, it's currently 1:35am and I was shocked when I read that you cried at night, wondering what you did to deserve this, because that's literally what I'm doing right now. I just turned 18, and around last August (I was 17 then) I got my first UTI. I got antibiotics and it worked. 2 months later I got 2 more UTIs. They would clear up and then come back again. A little after that, I stopped getting UTIs and got really bad yeast infections. I took antibiotics the first time and suppositories the second. They clear up and then come back again but become harder to deal with each time. I had another UTI, after a long time, and just got of my antibiotics and I already feel the symptoms again. It's literally never-ending torture. I'm perfectly healthy, I took a blood test and it was flawless. I've been to doctors and gynecologists and they all can't help me. It's gotten to the point where my doctors refuse to believe that I'm not sexually-active (I swear I'm not). I'm still in high school and yet I'm constantly being held back by these pains and problems that no one else my age has. After reading your posts, I felt scared that I would be incurable but also hopeful that maybe someone can help
jen410 sam48630
Posted
Hey Sam,
I'm here for anyone who needs advice ??. You will get through this---but with the right assistance. First off the bat, it sounds like you're getting yeast infections from taking too much antibiotics. My urogyn told me that taking a lot of antibiotics can deplete your good bacteria and make you vulnerable to yeast infections- (Which happened to me unfortunately). You say you keep getting UTIs - did each urine test you took at the doctors office come out positive ? If it's not always positive and comes out negative then it's most likely not a urinary tract infection. Most women/teens who get their first UTI can react very sensitively by showing guarding effect. The guarding .eff means that your muscles around your urethra and pelvic area will tense up and mimic symptoms of a UTI even though it's already gone by antibiotics.
It is not easy, and I know this from experience. I do get flares once in a while now, but 95% of the time I don't have anymore of these symptoms. I suggest you see a uro-gynecologist in your area because they have specific experience with this. I tell this to everyone ?? Feel better!
miriam65408 sam48630
Posted
Hi Sam,
I would agree with Jen that it may well be a yeast infection that has taken hold after the antibiotics - this is very common, and can be very sore.
You can protect against this by taking probiotic capsules and lots of good food like live yoghurt and sauerkraut next time you have to have antibiotics. You can try taking probiotics now to see if it helps any, plus a good natural remedy is to apply (and insert if you can!) live yoghurt (plain, not with fruit!) in and around the area. It can get messy but it's very soothing and may help until you can get some capsules!
Like Jan says, make another appointment as they can check you over, do some cultures and give you an antifungal cream or tablets that may sort you out. Taking extra probiotics will never harm you and is a good habit to get into (either from food or capsules), especially when you're on antibiotics.
casey03849 jen410
Posted
marilee43089 jen410
Posted
Go on the 6 month supression antibiotic. You don't have to wait until you are not infected. This method worked for me.
casey03849 marilee43089
Posted
marilee43089 casey03849
Posted
You should be clear of infection while on the antibiotic, right? I was in the same situation as you (except for the sling). I was testing myself with the dip stick. 3 days off the antibiotic and the infection was back. That says to me that it was never truly cured. The antibiotic failed. It could have failed because it was the wrong antibiotic OR failed because we weren't on it long enough. Thus, going on it for longer (like several months) will hopefully kill off every last straggler bacteria. Also, if while on the antibiotic your symptoms resolve, then it is the right antibiotic and is working.
Also, if you are in menopause, perhaps consider estrogen cream. I believe that helped me.
I went to several doctors and 3 Urologists before I found one that cured me with the long term antibiotics. I've been without a UTI now for 5 months. That doesn't mean I won't eventually get another, but it sure beats getting one continuously. I had ongoing UTI's for 7 months!
miriam65408 casey03849
Posted
If it's e.coli you may need to take D Mannose as it seems this is the only stuff that will break down the bio-film e.coli colonies protect themselves with. I don't expect it would do you any harm to take D Mannose while you are on the suppression antibiotic as I've read it can take 6 months for it to work. Of course, if it clears (which it hopefully will!), you'll never know which of the two things worked - or maybe even the combination!
casey03849 miriam65408
Posted
Karatemom_44 casey03849
Posted
Karatemom_44 casey03849
Posted
marilee43089 jen410
Posted
I've written before that I don't buy the hype on D-Mannose. It seems to be very popular in the UK, but no so much here in the USA. There has really been no scientific study proven it works. I think those that take it and have success has more to do with the increase water that they drink with it.
Certainly E-coli can be gotten rid of with antibiotics. Millions of women with UTI's get cured. We just hear about those that don't on this and other health forums.
Again, I'll repeat....if you are in menopause, your tissues thin and you become suspectible to UTI's. Estrogen will help this.
emily71615 jen410
Posted
Hey Jen,
I am going through the EXACT same thing! It's so crazy... I haven't seen a story so similar to mine! Unfortunately, I've been suffering with this for about 6 years now. I've gone to COUNTLESS doctors, one of which operated on me early in my journey... big mistake. I've done PT, seen urologists, etc... nothing has cured me, unfortunately. The only thing that really helps me is drinking a ton of water. If I don't drink enough water, I have debilitating burning. I'm currently suffering from my 2nd UTI in two months... they occur for me after I am intimate - So frustrating! I am going to try d-mannose to see if it will help. Do you have any other suggestions or things you have tried that have helped you? Thanks!
jen410 emily71615
Posted
Hey Emily,
Do you mind telling me what kind of surgery you received? ---There are some positions and helped me the most, even though they're a bit weird. One of them is while I sleep- I prop a pillow under my knees and sleep with my legs spread wide apart. It's kind of odd, but I find that it relieves the burning sensation and symptoms overall once I wake up. When I have a flare and do this, my symptoms go away for a few months. The other thing is not sitting for too long. For me sitting triggers my pelvic floor dysfunction. I'm also glad you mentioned that you get uti every time you are intimate. That happens to me too! I make sure to urinate before and after I do anything intimate, and I drink a lot of water afterwards. I also use d mannose afterwards just to be extra sure! Hope this helps.
emily71615 jen410
Posted
Jen,
Thank you for getting back to me. I was diagnosed early on with vulvodynia and vulvitis by a GYN. He was the best in my state, so I trusted his opinion. He said it was best to "remove" the diseased parts... It ended up not being what was best if you couldn't figure that out by my description. It only made things 10x worse for me. I wasn't able to be intimate for 4 years because of the pain and PTSD from the trauma I went through with my many visits in his office, and I still sometimes struggle with getting past it. Since the surgery, I have been diagnosed with sexual dysfunction as well. I am definitely going to try sleeping that way! It would be a miracle if it helped - LOL. And I just took my first dose of D-Mannose and bought a probiotic specifically for urinary health... hoping for positive results!
jen410 emily71615
Posted
Hey Emily,
Wow that really sounds like something out of a horror movie...I'm sorry that happened to you. Are you seeing another specialist? If not, I highly suggest you see a uro-gynecologist who actually specializes in pfd and vulvodynia. From what I learned, it's always best to get multiple opinions from different doctors. If you're ever in the NYC area you should contact Dr. Tanaka Dune at Presbyterian Hospital. She helped me so...so much---plus she's a professor so she explains any question you have and goes through many options.