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UTI not going away! Help

(87 Posts)
MsBee Mon 15-Jul-24 13:28:46

I got a uti 6 weeks ago and since then I have been on 3 day courses of antibiotics, 7 day courses and I am now at my wits end. Just finishing a 7 day course and they said they are extending it for another 7 days (nitrofurontion) but I’ve got worse since I started it so worried it’s not working or the bug is resistant to antibiotics. Anyone else had this bother with a uti. I feel like my life is consumed by it. Any suggestions or knowledge about long-standing utis welcome.

Bucky2 Mon 15-Jul-24 20:19:55

Hi I have been through this and done a lot of reading and research. You probably need vaginal oestrogen in the form of pessary or cream. It’s very low dose so not considered a breast cancer risk. As we age oestrogen levels drop and ph in the vagina changes making it easier for ecoli to colonise and therefore cause infections . ( nothing to do with cleanliness) D mannose can help but vaginal oestrogen can be a game changer.

Tuaim Mon 15-Jul-24 20:49:59

Please make sure that they check out the type of bacteria causing your uti? It is not always the one they think and another antibiotic may be needed. Some good advice given by other posters.

MsBee Mon 15-Jul-24 23:11:26

Thanks everyone. There are some great tips on here which I am definitely going to to try. They have taken my into hospital tonight to try and get on top of it so hopefully I will get somewhere but I am quite keen to try some of the suggestions on here. Funny how doctors have not mentioned any of these things? They sound like good options. Thank you

Catterygirl Tue 16-Jul-24 00:49:02

I had cystitis about 10 years ago. GP gave me antibiotics but only for three days. His advice was to pay privately for D-Manoose as it’s not available on the NHS. Haven’t had an infection since but keep buying D-Manoose to have in the medicine cupboard when the old one is out of date. Mine is Waterfall and works like magic.

sharon103 Tue 16-Jul-24 01:07:34

Another fan of D-Mannose.
As Sago suggested, buy some self testing strips. I always have some in the house and D-Mannose.
Drink plenty of water.
As mentioned it could be that you need vaginal oestrogen.
Hope you get better soon.

nanna8 Tue 16-Jul-24 02:57:58

I drink lots of water with a lemon squeezed in it. It seems to help.

Llamedos13 Tue 16-Jul-24 03:44:25

I have just finished my fourth round of antibiotics this year to treat my uti. I haven’t heard of D Manoose,it sounds like it works. Do you take it daily like you would a vitamin or is it taken when the first symptoms appear and then how many days do you take it? I will do a google search but it would be good to hear from fellow sufferers,Thanks.

Bucky2 Tue 16-Jul-24 08:02:51

amp.theguardian.com/society/2023/dec/17/millions-of-women-are-suffering-who-dont-have-to-why-its-time-to-end-the-misery-of-utis This article is good .

Sago Tue 16-Jul-24 09:32:55

Llamedos13

I have just finished my fourth round of antibiotics this year to treat my uti. I haven’t heard of D Manoose,it sounds like it works. Do you take it daily like you would a vitamin or is it taken when the first symptoms appear and then how many days do you take it? I will do a google search but it would be good to hear from fellow sufferers,Thanks.

I took 1 a day as prevention and first sign of a UTI upped to 3 a day.

LizzieDrip Tue 16-Jul-24 09:50:19

I just tend to take D Mannose as soon as I feel the slightest discomfort, and continue for a few days, then stop. That seems to ‘keep it at bay’.

Obviously each person will be different.

Regarding cranberry juice, I did read that it can actually irritate the bladder because it’s acidic, so I tend to steer clear of it. Again, everyone is different.

nanaK54 Tue 16-Jul-24 10:18:55

MsBee

Thanks everyone. There are some great tips on here which I am definitely going to to try. They have taken my into hospital tonight to try and get on top of it so hopefully I will get somewhere but I am quite keen to try some of the suggestions on here. Funny how doctors have not mentioned any of these things? They sound like good options. Thank you

Sorry to read that you are in hospital flowers hope that you get some good help.
Please let us know how you get on.

Allegretto Tue 16-Jul-24 11:16:12

I am also wondering whether you need vaginal oestrogen. I hope you get sorted soon as I’m sure it’s just miserable for you.

JamesandJon33 Tue 16-Jul-24 14:12:51

As I said up thread vaginal oestrogen is an absolute life changer
Demand it

Farzanah Tue 16-Jul-24 15:02:43

I have chronic cystitis and have had it for years. I’ve tried everything and belong to a support group. Luckily the infection doesn’t usually affect my kidneys, but has on occasion. Not all standard lab tests used routinely show an infection if it is not a common one.

I don’t drink lots when I’m taking antibiotics because it washes them out too quickly, but I do drink plenty when I haven’t an infection as a preventive. The best advice I had also was to use vaginal oestrogen, because UTIs are more common after the menopause and this works well in keeping tissues around perineum healthy and not too thin or dry.

I also agree that research shows that cranberry juice or tablets is of no help. There is some research that D-Mannose can help prevent infections.

MatildaMay Tue 16-Jul-24 16:20:14

Sparklefizz

After 3 courses of antibiotics years ago, a friend suggested D-Mannose. I ordered some of that and it got rid of it. Since then I always keep some D-Mannose in the house to start if I have the slightest twinge.

Since then I've been clear for 14 years! The best D-Mannose is Waterfall brand I've found.

I totally agree with you, I had 12 months on and off antibiotics, had UTI's non stop, was even sent to a clinic for something inserting in my body but nothing changed, just living on antibiotics. I could not go anywhere as I needed the toilet all the time, and was shivering as though I had the 'flu and was becoming a recluse then I went on the web and typed in having regular UTI's and found D-Mannose advertised.

I bought some and I have not had a UTI for 12 months. I also purchase the Waterfall brand and buy it on Amazon.

Wilderness Tue 16-Jul-24 18:39:40

I went through this for about 3 years, and every time I went to the doctor they would tell me, "well there is not culture, but here are some antibiotics". Then one day my doctor decided that I was actually into menopause and it was not UTI's it was actually menopause related and she put me onto a hormone called Vagifem and it has made the world of difference. What happens is we experience vagina wall thinning and for me it felt very much like the beginning of a UTI. No wonder antibiotics failed me.

NotAGran55 Tue 16-Jul-24 19:02:39

Another vote for Vagifem here.

Luckily my GP prescribed it for me 8 years ago after a second UTI in a short space of time.

No problems since.

icanhandthemback Wed 17-Jul-24 11:24:27

Perhaps they need to send you for scan to ensure that you are emptying your bladder properly. As we get older we often get pockets in our bladders which prevent the urine leaving them easily. Bacteria in the bladder increases exponentially in a short period of time so then you get UTI's. If you are in hospital, you are in the best place to get this done quickly. I hope you recover quickly.

MillieBoris Wed 17-Jul-24 11:34:04

I had UTI’s on and off for two years. Even the doctor was at her wits end. Kept becoming resistant to antibiotics- they should always send sample to lab before dishing out antibiotics to test which they did and it was always E. coli. In the end I found online an E. coli vaccination trial and signed up - 50% get a placebo. I obviously didn’t - it was like a switch being turned off. That was almost a year ago and I’ve been clear of infections since. Have no idea how long it will last. Also take one antibiotic after sex and D-mannose out of habit. Let’s hope these E.coli vaccinations are rolled out soon - no side effects.

Chas77 Wed 17-Jul-24 11:36:09

Could it be bladder stone? This was my problem.

staceygrove Wed 17-Jul-24 11:44:14

I had a UTI for over a year and my doctor was useless, kept giving me antibiotics, which in turn were giving me thrush. I was at my wits end, I spent a fortune in the chemist buying canestan, dr wolf, vaginal wipes, you name it I bought it, nothing worked. In the end I saw a lady doctor who gave me a bottle of surgical scrub/iodine wash. I have now been clear from UTI for 18months.Just wipe yourself with it after going to the toilet. Brilliant stuff. Good luck hope you get rid of it soon.

Merhaba Wed 17-Jul-24 11:46:21

When your infection does go. Ask to be referred to a urologist. They could look at why your getting them. Then then, you could ask to be put on Hiprex. The tablets are to prevent getting them back. Unless your GP puts you on them.
Also buy Mother nature,Turkey trail capsules. 1 to 2 a day with breakfast.
They help with your immune system, pain ect.. I was on tablets for cysts on spine. Since taking them I've come off the tablets and take them. Guess what no pain.. They also will help with urine infecting. Plus menapausal problems.. Good luck..

pen50 Wed 17-Jul-24 11:53:26

Some resistant UTIs require you to be on Nitrofurantoin for months and months.

Tanjamaltija Wed 17-Jul-24 11:56:10

The simplest solution, which often works, is to apply plain yoghurt, and not wear underwear, and enough drink water so that your pee is transparent.

moggiek Wed 17-Jul-24 12:29:36

Another one for D-Mannose.