desperation really

[weovercome]

hey everyone, i heard about this forum from another website and i thought i'd contribute my own story and see if anyone feels they could help!

before september i'd had 2 bladder infections in my life, one treated by anti biotics and the other simply with sachets. both i believe were caused by sex.

in september i got a new boyfriend and surprise surprise i got another bladder infection, the one that has never ended. the doctor gave me anti biotics for it, but about 5 days after i'd finished the pack the infection would be back, regardless if i had been sexually active or not. during late september the pain was horrible, my pee would be cloudy and smelly and afterwards it would burn for hours, which would be so painful i would cry and not be able to sleep, and i'm no weakling for pain! i returned to my doctor but she didn't take me very seriously and simply gave me more anti biotics.

this went on until february, when my doctor realised i wasnt simply just getting a few infections, i had one constantly. i would have days with less pain but never without any. subsequently i had a kidney scan (during which i felt i was on a conveyer belt and the doctor couldnt have cared less) which came up clear.

during march i also got my 2nd kidney infection, which i very much believe is due to my bladder situation. for years i have got a searing unbelievable pain on one side around my kidney area if i had held onto pee for a while and then gone to the toilet. once again, doctors never took it seriously.

for a few weeks now the pain has changed and now its in my urethra rather than my bladder. i will wake up and it will feel like its spasming in pain. it genuinely is very hard to cope with as i cannot sit down or lie down as it seems to make it worse. i am drinking litres and litres of water a day to combat the pain but nothing seems to help.

can anyone help? i am going to beg my doctor on monday to refer me to a urologist.

thanks.

[katie87]

i know how you feel all too well! try to get ahold of a heating pad and some pyridium which is available OTC as azo standard, and a few other names. it isn't a cure and it may not stop the pain but it takes the edge off for sure! Before I was diagnosed I was living off AZO and heating pad! I still am, now I just have a script!

[elamar]

I don't mean to be offensive, but have you been tested for sexually transmitted diseases? There is a particular species that love the urethra, you might want to ask to be specifically tested for mycoplasma and ureaplasma. They just need to do a urethral swab and send it away. I'm not 100% sure I spelled those correctly. Many doctors only think about stuff like chlamydia and gonnorhia. I have been tested for those several times and am negative but I have seen others post on here that they come up positive. Those bacterias cause IC like symptoms. They can be taken care of with the right course of antibiotics. Hope this helps. The only reason I mention it is that you say your symptoms are aggravated by sex.

[weovercome]

Thankyou both for your replies.

In answer to your question, no i haven't been tested for those STIS (ive had a test for chlamydia and that was negative) but it may be something to suggest, so thanks!

[Goldfinch]

I'm sorry you're in so much pain! Often it's really hard to describe our pain and pinpoint it's origin. Our urinary, reproductive and intestinal systems are really entwined, and that makes it even more of a puzzle sometimes to diagnose a problem.

Seeing your gyno for a complete workup sounds like a good idea. Seeing a uro right away is an excellent idea. And since you have had two kidney infections you might ask your primary or the uro if he/she thinks you should also see a nephrologist.

If you have been reading these boards you have already come across the IC diet. If your bladder is irritated, whether from infections or something else, a bland low-acid diet might help relieve some of your symptoms. That would mean no coffee, black tea, chocolate, alcohol, citrus or cranberry, tomato products or vinegar or spicy sauces or soy. It's worth a try, and if it helps, may be diagnostic as well. Be patient with it--it can take at least a couple of weeks to start helping.

Feel better soon.

If you have UTI like symptoms you can take the OTC form of pyridium, called Azo. Follow direx, it isn't recommended for long-term use, but it can provide some relief within hours.

I hope your doctor has some good referrals for you. You can also check out the thread about uros and urogyns in various locations and see if there is one near you. Also, if you start a thread with your city/area some neighbors are likely to chime in with recommendations for local docs.