Help!! I Think I Have a UTI

I've heard that "Azo" helps a ton! You can find it at any drug store. It's a bit pricy, but worth it to help with the discomfort!

Sounds like you do have a uti. I am plagued with them :(
Go get some cranberry extract in a pill form. Anywhere that sells vitamins will have it. Take a three of those for the next couple of days, and it will clear up. I take a cranberry supplement as a precaution. If I forget a few days-I get a uti.
I found that drinking cranberry juice helps-but I get sick of it, as I end up drinking gallons of the stuff.
Take the pills and lots of water. Good luck!

I have had several UTI's. Drink lots of cranberry juice or even stop into Walgreens and buy some cranberry pills. If you cant stand drinking all the juice, take the pills. I have found that cranberry juice is the best for clearing up a UTI. Water works as well; however I have found that cranberry juice works much faster in noticing relief. I now take the pills regularly to regulate me per month. Good Luck!!! Katie

Hi! Definitely go in today and get on some antibiotics. They will help quickly and if you wait there is a chance it could turn into a kidney infection. From my understanding, cranberry juice only works to prevent UTI's.

Drink the 100% cranberry juice and water or also get the cranberry chewable supplements at the vitamin store, they really do help. And tell your DR about it at your visit.

Yuck!

Yes! I've had one and it's a horrible feeling. Definately drink lots of Cranberry juice. Make it a point to. And If that doesn't help you should not wait until monday, go to urgent care. When I went to the doctor he asked me "are you having to much sex?" I was a little shocked but (not to be rude or gross) but, my boyfriend and I were! having a lot of 'it', and for what-ever reason that is sometimes the cause of a bladder infection. Good luck and I hope you feel better.

J.,
It does sound that you do have a UTI :(. Although cranberries are highly acidic which can help the bacteria become flushed out of your urinary tract, many brands of cranberry "juice" contain little cranberry juice and are therefore ineffective. Sometimes, they can worsen the UTI due to all the sugar. Instead, try drinking TONS of water. To relieve the symptoms, go to the drugstore and purchase Uristat (which will relive the urgency and pain) and you can also try to buy cranberry supplements if you like. Another way to relieve the pain and discomfort is to take a warm bath...but make sure you don't add any soaps to the bath which may agitate it further. Feel better...good luck :)

I drank two containers of Cranberry juice and a TON of water and I felt better by the end of the day. Good luck!

Morning J.-
Gather you've been up all night with that urge??
Don't wait until Monday.
UTI worsen without antibiotics "usually" if it is indeed that.
It might be irritation- honeymoon cystitis type if you just had sex?? Or even a masked vaginal infection??
Not worth the risk to wait until MOnday- it can lead to frank blood and major spasms of your urethra- or at the worst a kidney infection- at which time you take not only antibiotics, but pyridium (messy dark orange staining drug to stop the spasms).
Call- get in before the weekend unless you have a minute clinic near you.

Feel better and drink copious amounts of fluid- noncaffeine.

About me 47 yo med. prof, wellness coach, mom ot nearly 7 yo twin girls looking to rid of princess age stuff and 5/6 size clothing too in the mpls/st. paul area ; )

B. J
____@____.com

hi there,
if it is a uti, you will be miserable if you don't get it taken care of before monday. try cranberry pills (walgreens) or there is over the counter medicine too that helps with the discomfort (turns your pee orange) but i'm not sure it cures the infection. i believe you have to have antibiotics to get rid of it correctly. i get them every now and then and am in lots of pain, not just when using the bathroom, but all the time. good luck!

GO TO THE DOCTOR. TODAY.
I am not trying to scare you but once you have one you cannot treat it at home, you need antibiotics. Cranberry juice is great for preventing a UTI but will not cure one and can even aggravate the symptoms, making you feel worse.
I let one go too long once and ended up in the hospital as it had progressed into a kidney infection. I was very, very sick and they kept me for 6 miserable, expensive days.
Better to take a quick run to urgent care then to chance it.
Good Luck!

I love Azo, I use it any time I think I feel a UTI coming on. It will help with the symptoms until you can get to the doctors office to have it confirmed or find out if there is something else going on. Usually when I take the Azo, it clears everything up for me. You can get it over the counter in the pharmacy area.

Have you ever tried a probiotic for this condition? The probiotic's help to balance us out down there.

Let me know if I can point you to the one I take:)

Take care~
A.

I have had several UTI's in the past and to be honest the only thing that really worked for me was to go to the Dr. and be put on antibiotics. I tried all the other things but the symptoms never completely go away and I was miserable. You may not beable to wait until Monday to see your Dr. regarding your UTI. Urgent Care or the Walk in at Cub or Target are usually pretty quick and painless. You will need to give an urine sample and they test it within several minutes they have results and write a prescription.

Drink alot of water!!!!! Cranberry juice is a great drink also. If you start seeing blood in your urine, get to the doctor, don't wait until Monday. I had a bad UTI one time and I got really sick; wound up at ER.

You could try calling the Doctors office and talk to a nurse, they may be able to call in a prescription for you without seeing a Doctor. Just from my past experiences I wouldn't put it off over the weekend, the pain will most likely get worse. Good Luck!

Hi J. - i have had only 2 UTI in my life and both times I only drank cranberry/rasberry (i couldn't drink just straight cranberry juice i used the blended kind and worked just fine -- Old Orchard was the brand) juice and lots of it. I think i drank the whole container both times in the matter of 1 or 2 days -- it really did help me alot. I would try that first today and then if that doesn't work and it is getting worse over the weekend maybe go to urgent care then have a follow up with your dr on your monday appointment.

Good Luck

I got those several times after I delivered my son... I remember feeling a sharp twinge in the abdominal area whenever I finished urinating. The only thing that worked for me was antibiotics. Good luck!

If you have a UTI, you may already have gone to urgent care by the time you read this! My experience with my own one experience and that of a friend is that these things escalate quickly and severely. I think I went from first discomfort to peeing blood clots and being unable to drive myself to the clinic because I feared the pain would distract me too much in a period of three hours. I don't know if there's such a thing as a "mild" UTI, but I'd call the nurseline NOW rather than wait and find out! Sorry to hear it, best of luck ...

I have consumed a boatload of cranberry juice, cocktail or mixed with other flavors, and had good results. However, if it doesn't work for you and you need antibiotics, don't forget to pick up some yogurt! Eating yogurt when on antibiotics will help prevent a yeast infection.

Many times if you call your doctor and describe your symptoms, he/she will call a urinalysis order into the lab and you can just drop off your sample and the doctor (or nurse) will call you with results and prescription if necessary (at least that's what our clinic does). You do NOT want to go the whole weekend! Also, as for cranberry juice, the nurses have always told me you need to drink A LOT of it, and it has to be pure cranberry juice--not a cranberry-grape (or other flavor) "cocktail" or juice blend or "drink" --it has to be the pure stuff. Avoid sugary drinks as much as possible b/c the bacteria just thrive on the sugar! UTI's are no fun! Call you doc and see if they will consider calling in a urinalysis to the lab! Usually the antibiotics help pretty quickly!

Good morning, J.! I agree with all the rest of the ladies - a UTI is no picnic! Nobody has mentioned taking a pain reliever, but that's what helped me. I felt a little uncomfortable one morning, recognized the symptoms, took two ibuprofen caplets, quickly drank two bottles of cranberry juice and nothing but water or juice for the rest of the day. (I read that you can get the symptoms from not drinking enough water; maybe too much soda, coffee, and even beer.) I felt right as rain in a couple of hours! Good luck with that. They're no fun and I hope you feel better quickly.

Cranberry capsules (like 3-4 capsules 4 times/day),lots of water (i mean lots), and avoid citrus, dairy and meat.

Best wishes,
H.

Hi,
The doctor will take a urine sample and test it for bacteria. If you do have a UTI, he/she will put you on an antiobiotic. Uristat and AZO do make the symptoms less uncomfortable, but they can also influence the urine test results, so make sure to get that done b/f taking those OTC remedies.

Go immediately to the drugstore and get on AZO (or Cystex or Uristat) and drink TONS of water. I would also get to an urgent care. I get UTI's all the time and they always hit hard and fast, so can't wait a few days. You also don't want it to turn into a kidney infection, which is even worse.

Good luck -- they're horrible!

Sprint to the pharmacy and get two things:

UTI pain meds (under the AZO brand on Monistat)
UTI test strips

You pee on the strips and it detects a UTI. Don't know how accurate they are if you have a mild case. However, best to get to the doctor sooner rather than later. You can even try a Minute Clinic. Every UTI you have thru your lifetime can damage your bladder...Maybe just a teensy bit each time, but why risk it?

DON'T WAIT! It can turn into a kidney infection - very painful. I had a UTI that turned into a kidney infection after waiting only one day.

Wow.... I have had a lot of UTIs and by no means would I recommend waiting any time at all, let alone over the weekend, before at least getting some medication for your infection. You can literally go from being slightly uncomfortable to complete misery in the matter of a couple of hours. I would be glad it's Friday rather than Saturday and get that bladder to the doctor's office to get some antibiotics! It's a common infection, so they might be willing to give you a prescription without an office visit. Left untreated, a bladder infection can easily spread to your kidney, which is really truly severe pain and can cause permanent damage. Please don't wait until Monday!

K.

Yogurt with live cultures will work along with cranberry juice. What you are trying to do is fix your PH levels...If you catch it early enough the cranberry juice, cranberry capsules, water, and lot of yogurt will REALLY HELP!

The biggest advice if it is a UTI is to NEVER "hold it" when you have to go. Also, going to the bathroom after sex is a HUGE help for people prone to UTIs.

I dealt with UTIs a lot a couple of years ago. I would do all of the home remedies so not to have to go to the doctor and I would get a new one once a month I swear. I finally broke down went to the doctor was put on antibiotics and havent had any troubles since. I would definitely go to the doctor as soon as you can they are hell to deal with. Do the antibiotics (I'm not usually one that will run to the antibiotics but sometimes you really need them), make sure you urinate after any sexual intercourse and always wipe front to back. Tight fitting pants and especially thongs can help transport bacteria to the urinary tract. I hope you feel better soon, they are really awful.

Cranberry juice works wonders. I have felt an UTI "coming on" and only drank cranberry juice and it completely went away. But, you have to make sure that you get a 100% juice one, and you basically have to drink an entire bottle in one day. You get really sick of drinking it, but to me, it is better than waiting around for the doctor, or taking the time out etc. If that isn't working, they do have an over the counter medicine for an UTI. It won't make it go away, but it will help with that "gotta go" feeling and with any pain/discomfort. That will get you through the weekend, until you see the doctor. But, I would definately try the cranberry juice first. You might not need the doctor after all!

J. - go to any drug store (probably the grocery store too) and get some cranberry pills. Cranberry pills are better than the juice as the juice has sugar and that is not good for a UTI. You will have to look at the directions on the bottle, my sister used them this spring and they worked great for her. I think she took 1 pill 3-4 times a day (just like a 'regular' prescription). Once she was feeling better, she kept taking it for a few days as otherwise the symptoms of the UTI came back.

Continue drinking LOTS of water.

Good Luck!
P., shakopee

I once put off going to the doctor for a UTi and ended up with a really severe kidney infection.

Possibly a few days and a lot (a LOT) of cranberry juice would be okay, but you really don't want it to become a kidney infection. It involved a dangerously high fever and a great deal of pain. It also took quite some time to get over. I don't know how I would have dealt with it, had I had my kids at the time.

Sorry to be on the negative side...

M.

You will be able to clear it up overnight J. if the cranberry juice you are drinking does not contain sugar. A urinary tract infection is a PH imbalance. The cranberry restores the UT and bladder to a neutral PH. However, the sugars you ingest counteract the neutralizing properties of the cranberry.

So eliminate sugar in your diet and seek out cranberry juice without sugar. It should be available almost anywhere...

At walmart they have over the counter medicines. When you go ask the pharmist and they will tell you which one is the best. That is what I did when I had one. There are cranberry pills that you can take instead of drinking the cranberry juice! Hope you feel better.

Go to the store and get AZO or Uristat. If neither are available ask the pharmacist what brand of UTI pain relief they carry. It stops the burning in less than 30 minutes!

Hi, J.!

I am sort of cursed with these and get them several times a year. I have learned that if I suspect them, I should go to my doctor that day and have a urine test done. If left untreated, they can turn into painful bladder infections and spread up to your kidneys in just a matter of days. Given that today is Friday, you would hate to go the whole weekend wondering what was going on. Worse yet, you may get stuck at in a waiting room at an urgent care place when you could have just gotten on the antibiotic today and been feeling better!

Good luck with whatever you decide and I hope you get feeling better...these are no fun!!

I get UTIs often and don't get antibiotics anymore because they could cause more problems than they're worth, especially if you are breastfeeding. Drink tons of water. Do NOT eat any sugary foods - this includes juice cocktails w/ sugar added. Injest cranberry either through a supplement or 100% juice. If your symptoms are still mild this should flush the bacteria out of your system within a day (but continue treatment into the next day). However, if your pain has increased, moved to your back*, or there is blood present, then you need to go in to see your doc. If the infection has traveled to your kidneys* you need more aggressive treatment (antibiotics).
Hope you feel better soon... I know what it's like!

Cranberries can be preventive if you get these frequently. You should know though that a lot of the juices are really cocktails and not a lot of REAL cranberry (like 15%). They do make cranberry supplements that are in pill form for this too. Drinking water could help but if you don't get it treated it can migrate up and be a bigger infection.

Definitely drink a ton of pure cranberry juice - no cocktail and it should help. I had a friend do this and by the time she went to the doctor he didn't put her on meds because it had pretty much cleared up on its own.

I had a UTI while I was pregnant with Parker, but had no symptoms. I didn't even know it. They found it in one of my urine samples from a prenatal check up. But they put me on antibiotics I believe and it cleared up and haven't had one since. I would call the Dr. and let them know your symptoms, I am sure they'll get you in sooner!

Angie

If you still are having symptoms, you should call your clinic. Most clinics will call in a prescription for antibiotics if your symptoms sound like a UTI.

Make sure you are drinking real cranberry juice and not 'juice cocktail' which is very little juice and a lot of sugar. Cranberry juice is very bitter so I mix it 1/2 and 1/2 with water. I learned from one of the Dr's I work with that eating a lot of blueberries is really good for your bladder too. Something with blueberries actually prevents bacteria from sticking to the wall of your bladder--so cool! Eat up!! AZO and Uristat do help A LOT with the pain. If you do all the above you may be able to clear it up with out antibiotics--if you get a fever and body aches get in right away though, it could be a sign of the start of pylonephritis(kidney infection). Hope you feel better!!

Any time I feel like I'm getting a UTI I start downing the cranberry juice like there's no tomorrow! Just drink as much of that as you can until your dr app.

ya know what really helps me i take dones pills it is for back pain and for some odd reason the UTI is gone it is amazing

Drink lots and lots of water- seriously, this really helps. Actually, the cranberry juice is a bad idea if you already have a UTI. It can irritate the bladder etc. It is more for preventing UTIs. Reduce or stop caffeine intake if you can.

Have you had lots of UTI's in the past- or is this your first one? I have an unfortunately HUGE amount of experience with this and related issues. If you are having chronic UTIs or chronic or frequent UTI-like symptoms, please feel free to contact me for more information/personal experience/suggestions.

When you go in for your appointment, make sure they do a "urine culture" not just a "urinalysis". If they want to just run a urinalysis, ask them if they would be willing to run a culture if the urinalysis comes up negative. This will keep you from having to take antibiotics that you don't need, if your symptoms are not actually coming from an infection.

A quick word about AZO. It is an analgesic, it works really well for symptoms of UTIs. BUT... be sure not to take it in the 24 hours before you go in for your appointment- it will make the urinalysis difficult for the lab.

Also, because AZO is so effective on symptoms, don't take it until AFTER you have gone to the doctor to rule out an infection. Untreated UTIs can turn into bladder or kidney infections, which can be much more serious. You can take the AZO to relieve symptoms once you have had your urine tested, whether it comes back negative or not, and whether they give you antibiotics or not.

Again, please don't hesitate to contact me via private message if you have other questions.
jen