thanks to our PMR pro who identified the awful buttock pain I’m still experiencing.
However a couple of days ago I also developed the easily recognisable symptoms of cystitis!
As most of you will know the pain is horrific- feels like my vulva is being split.
I’m taking pain killers but these are then followed by gaviscon due to the inevitable reflux .
And of course antibiotics are the quickest answer - - I think! But I just can’t get them.
I rang my HC yesterday and I was told there were no slots available so I rang 111
They made a referral to my H C last night.
I’ve just rung my HC again and I was told some one will contact me in 24 hours! I could scream - with frustration and pain. But only your Gp can prescribe antibiotics apparently.
I do appreciate there are many people in worse pain but the accumulation of annoying ailments is just getting me down . The prospect of trying to get a night’s sleep combined with agonising attempts at urination !
Anyone any ideas?
Ann
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I do think it's a postcode lottery these days. My GP surgery now only do an online form rather than call but they get back to you that day. I filled it in yesterday to ask for my repeat medications to be updated so I could order on line (which was in no way urgent at all ) and they rang me 2 hrs later! Go figure.Same happened with my daughter for eye problems and an infected bite where she got a triage in the local community centre by a paramedic that morning. I'm not knocking it, as I know many around here hate the online form but personally I'd rather fill that in than sit on the phone waiting for ages and then have to go through everything.
I hope you get sorted today though. The sooner the better with that!
Your symptoms sound pretty severe. I hope the 111 call provides a result. I was seen pretty quickly having been through their triage. What painkillers are you taking? I am wondering if they are aggravating the problem? I have only found plenty and I mean plenty of fluids, Mannose -D Waterfall and paracetamol to be of any use. It is also key to empty your bladder completely each time you go - this may mean waiting and Trying again - the double void that PMRPro advises. Also ensure that your clothes washing products are not irritating you - look for the gentlest. A friend has a hot water bottle on her lower abdomen and says it helps - although you would boil in this weather. Good luck it is miserable and mature women are prone to it.
I take 3x 500mg capsules 3x daily at the start. Some sources suggest double that or 3-hourly. It has worked to stop infections for me in the past even once they had started although I have never been that bad.
I was under the impression that nurse prescribers and pharmacists were able to prescribe abx for UTIs. I certainly got abx at the local MIU when visiting my daughter - and it didn't have a GP on site. If they are going to be that precious - they need to have emergency options rather than letting a UTI get properly established.
The point is you have a chronic health condition that could flare and get worse if you don't get speedy help for what people with no health issues might think of as "minor".By getting treated for any other illness or infection early you are preventing your condition becoming serious and putting back your recovery.
Oh , and my Nana never believed in Sell By Dates , and the supermarkets are following her opinion to with use by dates , so we aren't past it yet , but we might be a bit wonky and get shoved in the bargain section instead! 😆😆😆
Take care and I hope they help you soon, Bee
PS I do use DMannose with Cranberry throughout the winter to reduce how often I get cystitis, kidney infections or UTis and during a flare up.
Not wanting to tempt Fate but I had no infections last year , and only one bout the year before which was shorter when I started using it.
Thank you Blearyeyed , just received the long awaited phone call prescribing a 3 day course of Abx but I must admit that it concerns me that the right and the left hand are not joined up. There was no point in my mentioning PMR to the nurse practitioner, I was just another name on her list,😅
That's a relief.I know what you mean , didn't these medical folks learn how to do Dot-To-Dot when they were little like normal children! 😆😆😆😆
Seems Not!
I definitely suggest getting the DMannose with Cranberry as well and lots of fluids to help speed things along.
If they've given you the standard treatment for three days , be prepared , it often doesn't work first time when you have lower immunity on steroids , and you may need a longer treatment or a different antibiotic.
I've taken them for 7 days and kept on one pill a day for a year.They helped keep my infection at bay but because my dr tried them all iam resistant.They will help you.I did get a bit tired on them but that's a side effect.If it doesn't go in 3 days ask for more.Good luck❤️
Can you go to an Urgent Care? That is the go to for most ailments needing antibiotics here (US) and one is usually in and out within an hour with the prescription in hand. Do they not have those there? Hope you feel better soon!
I am so sorry about your situation, it must be unbearable. I have memories of UTI striking in the night and me waiting for 8 am so I can call my GP, awake and miserable trying to drink water to relieve the symptoms. The usual procedure at my GP's practice is to treat it as an emergency, issue a prescription for wide-spectrum antibiotics the same morning while taking a urine sample. Even if the antibiotics are not the perfect fit, they will offer a considerable relief and a few days later, when the results are back, we would know for sure. Someone mentioned a post-code lottery. I would go to A&E, even if it takes an hour to get there. I hope this gets sorted soon. 🙏
It sound slike your immunity is compromised. These infections seem to have an opportunity to take hold for some reason. I am not sure what to suggest. When one is in UTI-type discomfort, suggesting self-care seems laughable. 😔
They should have asked for a sample because now your on antibiotics it may not be identified.Last year my dr had me on five different ones and now iam resistant.In Canada our healthcare isn't good anymore.
Try Cystopurin (or potassium citrate comes in a bottle as a concentrate and is much cheaper). Though pot cit is hard to track down at the chemists these days, and I had to get mine from Amazon. You can get Cystopurin in supermarkets or chemists. It won't get rid of an infection, but it alters the ph of the urine to make it less stingy and irritant. You need to drink plenty to flush a UTI through the system, but it also makes sure your urine is not so concentrated. Drink fluids that are gentle on the bladder. We used to recommend weak slightly milky tea or just plain old water when I worked on these types of products. Cranberry juice is supposed to help in theory, so you could try that. Wear cotton undies or even better go without and wear a skirt. Avoid tight trousers or jeans. A hot water bottle on your abdomen or lower back helps some people with a UTI.
I've never found cranberry juice much use, but some people swear by it. But I do rate the potassium citrate. Cystopurin is just potassium citrate in powder form in a sachet.
I was given that in the US, but not sure if it is available here. I've never seen it here in the UK. I just looked on the Boots website and I don't see it listed. I doubt that you would manage to get that ingredient licensed here. I'm always a bit wary of US OTC medicines as most are sold unlicensed. They have a different system to here for OTC medicines.
Whilst looking after my elderly mother, one of the health assistants recommended a high dose of cranberry (not juice but the high strength pills you can buy in Holland and Barrett ) as a daily supplement and she did not have another incident of UTI which had been plaguing her, I did have to crush them and sneak them into her porridge; I know it won't help you in this present situation but it seems a harmless addition to the supplements and might help in long term to not get repeats
Hi there , cystitis is the worst thing. Sorry to hear you’re suffering and without antibiotics. It’s unacceptable. I never believed it but after trying cranberry juice, urals, and drinking lots of water I discovered that paracetamol actually does assist with the pain.
AZO works for pain relief until you can be seen for antibiotics. I get this frequently and I feel your pain. I’m so sorry your having such a hard time being seen! Good luck!
So sorry for all you're going through.It seems it's always one thing aft another.I suffer from recurring bladder infections which actually nobody has helped.When it's bad I sit on an ice pack which helps me with pain.I do hope you get this issue resolved soon❤️Hugs
I suffered with terrible painful intermittent cystitis from a teenager until I was about 60. A GP prescribed a 6 month course of a low level antibiotic. I hardly dare type this - I’ve never been troubled with it since. I was so grateful to her and wondered why my former GPs hadn’t offered it me in the past. It changed my life.
I think it is a good idea to see a doctor at some stage (when you can wrestle one to ground) as urinary retention is quite common in women of a certain age, due to lack of oestrogen, and the symptoms can feel similar to cystitis. If that is the cause, they can give you oestrogen pessaries, which are very low dose. If you do have difficulty emptying your bladder fully, my doctor told me to stand up when I have finished and then sit down again and that can help to empty the bladder.
My experience has been recurring urine infections. I usually recognise the symptoms before full-blown Cystitis, and take my Pharma and surgery nurse's advice. Try 2 drink more water so that pee is straw coloured ( obviously temporary changes with beetroot/red wine, etc. ) It usually starts with me feeling washed out and itchy thrush. Try taking Cystitis powders in water according 2 their instructions. They come in different flavours, i.e. blackcurrant. After a couple of days symptoms can ease and you may not need antibees if caught early enough. Still advisable to get a pee test done though. When mine has advanced I am usually prescribed an antibiotic which usually works quite fast .
Most has been covered but firstly as far as I am aware(retired nurse) 3 days of nitrofuradantin is not long enough. Also, if you suddenly developcystitis and can’t get to a chemist, bicarbonate of soda with plenty of water regularly with Paracetamol will help the stinging till you can get to the surgery.🤞🤞🤞🤞
Call 111 and give them the details of that totally inadequate prescription. GPs do annoy me - they are terrified of using abx because of developing resistance but giving inadequate abx is EXACTLY the way to create resistance.
The infections MIGHT be related to the pred stopping you fighting them off. PMR can lead to irritable bladder with similar symptoms of frequency and pain but no reason why it should cause actual infections.
The urine dip shows white cells amongst other things - sign of inflammation/infection and some doctors seem to use the terms interchangeably for some reason - or maybe it is just for the uninitiated/patient ...
when you do get them I would say ask for a 2nd prescription for later!! I get uti's frequently since starting preds and on one occasion ended up in hospital overnight, delirious for lack of antibiotics... deffo scared everyone so now I have a prescription 'in case'. Worth asking! x
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