Uti

[mary124]

I know this has been mentioned before-but I couldn't find it - Just needing to know how realiable are the UTI test kits? I think I have a UTI- (funny, I went to the doctor earlier this week for a followup with my family doctor and was going to mention to him about this, but I thought I was in the beginning of a flare! (now I don't know for sure!!- haven't had a UTI in almost 2 years!! Also haven't really been in a bad flare in almost that long, sure, had mini flares but within a day or 2 was doing ok,plus the fact, I was up almost 4 times last night, of course with all the rain, thunder, lightning,etc we had that didn't help as my dogs are afraid of that! but still. Plus the fact, I have been up and down all this morning and couldn't make it even half way to work! help!

[prettyeyes]

I don't know the answer to your question but hopefully someone will post an answer for you. Hope you feel better soon.:)

[lnseagraves]

I think they must be fairly accurate. I've brought my home UTI test into the emergency clinic in town, and after they checked the strip they gave me antibiotics and pyridium. It sped up the entire process. They seemed to take the strip as fairly accurate... although I wonder if its like the pregnancy test, you could have a false negative but not a false positive??? That I wouldn't know.

[ihurttoo]

I use the AZO home UTI test strips. I used to get UTIs all the time before I started on daily Macrobid 100 mg. The ones I use have caught several of mine, but they have missed a few too. I asked my Dr. about it last time I was there, and he said that they pick up certain bacteria, but cant pick up Strep. He said that most UTIs arent caused by Strep, so that's why they pick up alot of them. But, that's why they have missed several of mine.

So, I still use them, but I dont use them exclusively to determine if I have on or not. I just use them as a tool. If I feel like I have a UTI, I will do one, but if it doesnt show I have one, I will treat it as a flare for 24 hours. Then, if it doesnt get better, I call my Dr. and drop off a sample there to be cultured.

For me, of course it is no help when it doesnt show one, but it is quite handy when it is the weekend and I am symptomatic and it shows up. Then, I can call my Dr. and he will call in abx for me, since one showed up.

Basically, I just use it as a tool, but I dont really rely on it.

Hope this helps!

Hugs,
Amy

[mary124]

It has gotten worse over the last 48 hours, and after talking to a co-worker, she said for me just to go back to the doctors. I'm waiting till after they get back from lunch and then call and see if I can get in either later today or tomorrow morning.

[vm]

I've only used the home kits about 3 times and they were really unreliable for me. All 3 times they were negative, but when I did go to the doctor's later in the same day it turned out I had raging infections. They can be accurate for some, but really not for others.

[jen74]

Those UTI test kits never pick up when I have an infection. To me they are very unreliable. But they do work for some.
Jen

[MarthaF]

Can't help but add that many of us have found the typical lab tests to be unreliable. Many of us diagnosed with IC, a diagnosis partially based on no bacteria, were later found to have an infection via a broth culture. The pathogen was usually a form of Strep or Staph and the typical lab tests are not good at isolating these bacterial species.

Lab testing is seriously inadequate all over the world.

Martha F

[ICNDonna]

My personal preference is the First Response UTI test kit. You don't have to compare colors on a test strip. If the solution foams, it's a pretty good indication you have an infection. If I test positive, I call my doctor's office immediately --- if it's negative I wait a day or two to see if the symptoms will subside.

Donna

[mary124]

I went to the doctors this morning, didn't have an infection (or if I did it was low-grade) so the doctor is going to send it for culture). In the meantime he told me to up my Vesicare to 10mg for a few days, go back on my Pyridium and if this doesn't work, he also gave me a prescription for Leviquin for 3 days. We're hoping between one or a combination of the above will help, if not I need to call him back to see what we need to do. On another note, though, I got all of my lab work back, he told me it was all excellent, and people would "die for it" .

[Sarojini]

Donna, where do you get the First Response kit? Around here, all they have are the AZO ones, and one other type that is REALLY unreliable... but both are strip type tests.

Anyway, the strips are fairly unreliable for me... in fact, I just used one today and it showed negative, but both Hubby and I are pretty sure I have an infection anyway, so I'm headed for the clinic....