Urethritis??perhaps??

[kazi]

Hi again everyone and thankyou for all of your comments in my last post!! :grouphug: Just a quick question..... I was looking up the possibilty of me having urethritis...But i read up that it is primarily a sexually transmitted disease is that true?? And if so could it still be possiable that i have this even though i had all my urethral pain before i lost my virginty??? thankyou again love karis xoxoxoxox

[ICNDonna]

The word "urethritis" simply means inflammation of the urethra. It could have many causes, from IC to a simple bladder infection, to even riding on a bicycle seat that causes pressure in that area. It's possible to have it caused by a sexually transmitted disease, but that's not true in all cases by any means.

Donna

[kazi]

really wow..so this could mean that it perhaps could be possiable that maybe this is the problem then..see i have had about 5 cystoscopy's under hydroditension and all revelaed no IC or signs of it ect... the only thing that they found abnormal was that my urethra was slightly inflammed...however nothing was done about it and the uro just told me to live with it!!But i mean it cant be inflammed for no reason right?? Is urethritis curable??or treatable??because i have been on that many long term antibiotics and nothing has helped!not to mention other various types of other meds for it!!??

[tigger_gal]

Kazi, I looked this up for you and hope it is helpful:

Urethritis is an inflammation of the urethra, which is the tube that carries urine out of the body. Urethritis is usually caused by a sexually transmitted infection. Much less often, it is the result of an injury from an instrument such as a urinary catheter or exposure to an irritating chemical such as an antiseptic or a spermicide.

Doctors usually classify sexually transmitted (infectious) urethritis into two categories: gonococcal urethritis, caused by gonorrhea bacteria, and nongonococcal urethritis, caused by bacteria other than gonorrhea.

Gonococcal urethritis, commonly called clap, is caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae bacteria. Gonorrhea infections are passed from person to person during sexual activity (vaginal, oral and anal intercourse). The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that there are 700,000 new cases of gonorrhea each year. However, only half of them are reported. Many who are infected do not seek treatment.

Nongonococcal urethritis is caused by all sexually transmitted bacteria other than N. gonorrhea. The most frequent cause is Chlamydia trachomatis bacteria, which cause the sexually transmitted disease chlamydia. Nongonococcal urethritis is the most common form of sexually transmitted infection in the United States, with an estimated 4 million new cases each year. In addition to C. trachomatis,, other possible infectious causes of nongonococcal urethritis include Ureaplasma urealyticum, Mycoplasma genitalium and Trichomonas vaginalis.
Symptoms

The main symptoms of urethritis are pain or burning during urination and an urge to urinate more frequently. Another symptom is redness around the opening of the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside of the body. Men with gonococcal urethritis also often have a yellow discharge from the urethra.

Women are less likely to have symptoms from sexually transmitted infections such as gonorrhea and chlamydia.

Diagnosis

Your doctor will ask about your sexual history, including new partners and condom use. Your doctor will look for an abnormal discharge from your urethra. In women, a pelvic examination will be done to look for tenderness, redness or abnormal discharge from the cervix and vagina. Because urethritis usually is caused by sexually transmitted infections, your doctor will examine you for signs of these, including syphilis, human papilloma virus (HPV), which causes venereal warts, and HIV

Urethritis caused by injury or chemical irritation is diagnosed based on your medical history and the absence of an infectious cause.

Expected Duration

Once you start taking antibiotics, infectious urethritis improves rapidly. Without treatment, the symptoms of gonococcal and nongonococcal urethritis usually go away within three months. However, people continue to remain infectious, and spread the bacteria to others even when they have no symptoms. Untreated infections can spread from the cervix to the fallopian tubes in women, where they can cause permanent scarring and infertility.

Urethritis caused by injury or chemical irritation goes away without treatment once the cause is identified and avoided.

Prevention

Because both gonococcal and nongonococcal urethritis are caused by bacteria that can be transmitted during sexual intercourse, you can prevent these infections by:

* Not having sex
* Having a sex with only one uninfected partner
* Consistently using male latex condoms during sexual activity, with or without a spermicide

Having sexually transmitted urethritis may increase your risk of HIV infection. If you already have HIV, urethritis may increase the risk that you will pass HIV to a sex partner.

Urethritis caused by injury or chemical irritation is rare, and there is no way to prevent it. Once it occurs, avoiding the offending substance should prevent urethritis from recurring.

Treatment

Infectious urethritis can be treated with a variety of antibiotics. Because certain strains of bacteria have become resistant to specific antibiotics, your doctor may need to prescribe a different antibiotic if symptoms continue after you have finished taking the first prescription.

All sex partners of a person infected with infectious urethritis also should be treated. People who are taking antibiotics for urethritis should not have sex until treatment is complete.

Because many people have gonorrhea and chlamydia at the same time, health experts recommend that all people treated for gonorrhea be treated for chlamydia as well. For this reason, you may need to take two types of antibiotics, because many commonly used antibiotics treat only one of the two infections.

No specific treatment is needed for urethritis caused by injury or chemical irritation. Your doctor may prescribe phenazopyridine (Pyridium) to ease any burning or pain with urination.

When To Call A Professional

Men should call a doctor if they notice an abnormal discharge from the penis. Women should seek medical attention if they develop an unusual vaginal discharge or bleeding or pain during intercourse. Both men and women should call a doctor if they start urinating more frequently, or if urination causes pain or a burning discomfort, especially if fever or chills occur. Men and women, especially pregnant women, should call a doctor if they participate in sexual activity with someone who has gonorrhea or chlamydia.

Men and women who have sex with multiple partners should schedule a routine physical examination every year, even if they have no symptoms of sexually transmitted infections. In women, this physical examination should include a pelvic exam.

Prognosis

If gonococcal urethritis is diagnosed and treated quickly and correctly, there usually is complete recovery. Gonococcal urethritis that is not treated correctly or not treated at all can lead to advanced pelvic inflammatory disease in women, which can result in scarring that can lead to infertility. Antibiotic treatment of chlamydia will cure this disease and can prevent complications. If untreated, chlamydia infections in men can cause swollen and tender testicles.

Urethritis caused by injury or chemical irritation will almost always go away once the cause is avoided.

Additional Info

American Foundation for Urologic Disease
1000 Corporate Blvd.
Suite 410
Linthicum, MD 21090
Phone: 410-689-3990
Toll-Free: 1-800-828-7866
Fax: 410-689-3998
Fax: 410-689-3998
http://www.afud.org/

American Urological Association
1000 Corporate Blvd.
Linthicum, MD 21090
Phone: 410-689-3700
Toll-Free: 1-866-746-4282
Fax: 410-689-3800
Email: aua@auanet.org
http://www.urologyhealth.org/

American Social Health Association
P.O. Box 13827
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
Phone: 919-361-8400
Fax: 919-361-8425
Email: std-hivnet@ashastd.org
http://www.ashastd.org/

CDC National Prevention Information Network (NPIN)
National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention
P.O. Box 6003
Rockville, MD 20849-6003
Toll-Free: 1-800-458-5231
Fax: 1-888-282-7681
TTY: 1-800-243-7012
Email: info@cdcnpin.org
http://www.cdcnpin.org/
Last updated September 18, 2005

[kazi]

Omg thankyou so much tiger gal for your help and all the info you have just given me..very helpful indeed infact i have printed it off and am going to take it to my uro/gyno when i have my next appointment!!As well thankyou ICN Donna as well for your help..IM definetly going to explore further into it now!xoxox

[MarthaB]

:) Kazi, I know of another member on this board who has urethritis, there is a lot of talk on the web about it being some sort of sexual disease, this is definately not the case, maybe in some but not everone, it also nearly always mentions that only males get it, that is untrue too. I hope the person I mentioned before reads this, and she could give you some info, she has dealt with this disease for many years, she says that whatever treatment works for IC, works for uretheritis, diet wise and all.
good luck martha

[Silverfern]

((kazi))

Are you being very careful about soaps, toilet paper, washing powders etc. that could possibly come into contact with your urethra? I'm not saying for a minute that this is what's causing your problems, but it certainly wouldn't help. Perfumed or printed toilet paper causes my urethra to burn badly. Just something to think about. Take care.

Hugs

[MarthaB]

:) Lynn, what do you use to wash your underwear?? because you are in New Zealand, and I am in oz, I can probleby buy here whatever you use, I am thinking that I should be washing my underwear seperately, and rinse better, I use Radiant or biozet washing powder, Radiant has a very strong scent, so it's probleby not such a good idea to keep washing my undies with that.
I try to buy plain white toilet paper, and even though I love showergels, I do not use it down below.
martha

[Silverfern]

((Martha))

Now don't laugh, but I only use HOT water to wash my undies. I soak them overnight in hot water and then scrub the crotch area well next morning and rinse well. It's amazing how clean they get. Every now and again I give them a wash in Persil Sensitive washing powder (got no dyes or perfumes and is endorsed by the New Zealand Asthma Society) and rinse them really really well, but honestly, the hot water soaking works great. The Persil Sensitive is great for the rest of my wash though....it's the only washing powder that I can use. I think it's just a New Zealand product but I'm sure you can buy something very similar in Aussie.

I have to use hypoallergenic toilet paper as even plain white affects me.

Hugs

[MarthaB]

:) Lynne, thanks for pointing me in the right direction, I had trouble finding this thread, I was in a hurry to get to the hairdressers, and you know what it's like , you can never find anything then.
I am going grocery shopping this weekend, and I will have a look for it then, I also think omo has a similar product, I know it's unscented but I'm not sure about the dyes.
I'm just going to use it for myself, and just keep using the other washing powder for the boys.
thanks again Lynne,
martha

[Silverfern]

My pleasure Martha. :) Don't worry too much about the dyes in the washing powder as I'm sure it's the perfume that's the culprit. I have to say though, that I've tried a couple of other brands of washing powder recommended for sensitive skins but they've been no good. I gave one of them to my sister who has never had allergy problems but it caused her skin to get really itchy. Just because it's for sensitive skins doesn't automatically mean that everyone can use it! Enzymes in washing powder can also affect some people. Getting complicated now isn't it? :) Good luck!

Hugs

[Rosalie]

Hi Karis
I only just found ths thread. We have discussed this on a different thread.
You know, sometimes I wonder if Urethritis was the correct diagnosis for me or not. Considering the problems with mis-diagnosis and uninformed doctors when it comes to IC, its not unreasonable to expect the same things happening with Urethritis.
Mostly what I know is that the medication I was prescribed has made the world of difference to me.

[sami4]

The most recent thinking on urethritis is that it can be caused by Mycoplasma, Ureaplasma or Urealyticum. These little buggers cannot be picked up with a standard culture. You need a special culture which they did in my Gynos office by inserting a Q-tip in the urethra a little way and rubbing it on a culture. These bacteria can mimic IC symptoms almost perfectly, and not all antibiotics are effective with them. So even if you took one for a UT it might not kill them. You can ask for this at your Uro office or Gyno.
Also I find probably because I am menopausal that if my vaginal estrogen is the slightest bit low I get urethral stinging and burning.
My Gynocologist also told me that she thinks you can pick up a lot of bad things from public toilet stall toilet paper. Not only do people touch this with dirty hands, but it gets dropped on the floor and put back. Try to use only tissue you bring with you.
The other thing is yeast or vaginal infection. When I get yeast I get terrible urethral symptoms that go away with Diflucan.
Yeah, it can be sexually transmitted, but for people leading relatively normal lives that probably isnt the case.
Sammie

[jsd1970]

Tigger Gal Thank You So So Much for posting that info!! I am in very serious need of help. For the last 2 months, I've been having what I thought was just a really bad Bladder Infection. My doctors put me on Cipro, Keflex, Levaquin, macrodantin, bactrim, but nothing is working. My urine cultures are all Negative for bacteria, but there is always blood in my urine. My urologist insists that negative cultures do Not mean that I don't have a UTI, he says often the bacteria just don't show up in the urine but are still present in the bladder but if that's true, then Why aren't any of the medicines working?? I found this web site a few days ago. I really need help asap. I have 7 children, my husband works out-of-state so he's only home 2 days a week, and I work a full-time job out of my home. I don't have any extended family around me and I don't have insurance. So far, I've already spent thousands of dollars that I simply can Not afford going to my doctor, the urologist and the emergency room. The ER doctor 1st tried to say that I had Overactive Bladder, but I REALLY don't think so: I looked at the check-list for that and it does Not match my symptoms. He only said that I truly believe because I have 7 kids: he says having kids destroys your bladder. But, then he got my bloodwork back and he saw something in it that he said almost always means a UTI so he changed his diagnosis and said I just needed to stay on Bactrim for 60 more days and Macrodantin for 14 days. BUT, these medicines are NOT working at all. They said I need to see a Gynecologist right away because the x-rays show an enlarged uterus and cysts on my ovary, plus they said my bladder is "Low", whatever the heck that means. I was perfectly fine up until 2 months ago when these horrible symptoms started: I have Constant burning, not just when I pee but all the time, and I ALWAYS feel like I have to go pee, but hardly anything comes out, even though I'm drinking enough water to form an ocean. BUT, I do NOT have any pelvic pain, just the pressure, the urge to "Go" and the constant burning. They also found a 9MM stone in my kidney but they insist that it could Not be causing my sypmtoms. I live WAY out in the country, in rural Missouri so I'm wondering if I need to travel somewhere else to find better doctors??? Does anyone have any advice for me, I'd would be so grateful for any advice any one can offer!!! Thank you all so much!!

[sami4]

JSD:
You have 7 children, a job, and your husband is around two days a week?
You are an amazing woman, holding all that together.
The best advice the doctor gave you was to see a gynecologist. He said this because apparently you have a somewhat prolapsed bladder (low bladder), a possible cyst, and enlarged uterus. Depending on just what is going on down there, it could account for your feelings of pressure. Also if you have any lower back problems along with the other stuff it can cause nerve entrapment in the pelvic area and this could possibly account for the stinging, burning feelings you mentioned.
All this needs to be evaluated by a professional, all of it can be dealt with, see a gynecologist next and see what he comes up with?
Sounds like you also had a stubborn urinary tract infection to go along with your other problems, hope that gets resolved soon.
Hugs,
Sammi