I think I have a UTI...
 

But, uhm, I'm about to go on vacation tomorrow so I will NOT be around to see my doctor. What should I do? I definitely don't want to leave it untreated; last time I did I ended up in the emergency room. This is so inconvenient!

I know people that swear by the AZO products...apple cider vinegar (as bad as it taste) with lots of water may also help.

Also, could you go to an urgent care place? It'd be terrible to have to deal with a UTI on vacation. They can be so horribly painful.

I was told cranberry juice helps, but I would strongly suggest you go see a doctor before you go on vacation if you could. It's horrible to deal with and you really need antibiotics, if left untreated you can develop complications. Please take care of it as soon as you can? :( :hug:

I had a UTI last year and took Uva Ursi (this stuff's the best) & Cranberry Extract.. if you're gonna drink the juice make sure there's no extra sugar in there.

But! If you have a history of bad UTI's if you can get to a Doctor that's really what you should do.

Go to the health food store and get some D-Mannose powder. Pound that stuff like there's no tomorrow! If you catch it early enough it won't take hold. If it does, I've had good luck knocking it out within 2-3 days. Faster than antibiotics, at least. In the meantime, get some AZO, not the cranberry kind... the regular bright orange UTI kind to take the pain out of it.

Hope you feel better soon!

Some doctor's will call in a prescription for a bladder infection to your pharmacy if you have a history of them.

I used to have UTI's ... all.the.BLEEPING! time. Got my first one when I was 18 years old.

After yearsss of suffering thru them, I had an in-office procedure that "widened my bladder stem" - which was PAINFUL as all get out!!! - but it worked... I didn't have a UTI for about a decade after that. Then one day, BOOM... I started getting them again. I got so tired of calling the doc for a prescription of Macrobid, then waiting until the Macrobid took effect, etc. FINALLY - FINALLY! - the best doctor in all the world gave me an "unlimited supply" of Macrobid. I saw him once a year, we reviewed my file, and I'd get a new prescription every year. 30 pills with 12 refills. That's a pill a day for a whole year IF I NEEDED IT.

What makes this so wonderful? It's not the prescription itself - altho Macrobid DOES work for me. (I would also take AZO standard to help with the pain/urgency of urinating.) But it was the doctor's advice that I take a Macrobid immediately after having sex, and after doing such activities as riding a bike or riding a horse, or even swimming for extended periods, etc. Doing this has PREVENTED me from getting a UTI. In fact, I haven't had one since, and it's been almost 15 years now!!!

I sing that doctor's praises everywhere I go. He's brilliant! He's even written articles discussing this method of treatment. PREVENTATIVE MEDICINE! - who'dah thunk it? ;) :D

If you feel it's just now coming on, try d-mannose. It's sold in health food stores- it's a type of sugar that does not affect blood sugar. It goes straight through you and into your bladder, where the sugar attracts the bacteria present and they attach themselves to the d-mannose and then are flushed out when you pee.

Also try garlic (natural antibiotic) and drink white tea.

I used to get recurrent, antibiotic resistant UTI's for years and these are the three things that helped me. Cranberry juice and green tea didn't do anything for me.

But if you have a full blown infection, odds are you need an Rx for an antibiotic. If you're going out of town, hit a walk-in clinic where you're going and get a script there. UTI's can turn into kidney infections and can be quite dangerous.

re:
 

Yeah I agree - if you have time yet today and they are still open (or early tomorrow), call the Dr. office and explain. Maybe they can write up something for you to pick up.

I believe that I got one last year (I don't really know. Id never had one before and it was after I used some contraceptive gel crap. so I assume it was.), I really didn't want to go to the doctor. I took a lottt of pure cranberry pills, and some azo pills I had, and drank lots of water. Cleared up in a week.

If it "cleared up on its own" you most likely did not have a UTI. Antibiotics are the only thing that will clear it up once you've contracted an infection.

But hey, I'm not a doctor... so I could be wrong.

Go to a walk in and get anitbiotics today! I got one and let it sit for 24 hours thinking just drinking cranberry juice would help...it was the most painful experience ever...My boss felt so bad for me he told me to take the next day off.

The best thing would be to go to a doctor or walk in and get some antibiotics but....if you catch it pretty early you can flush it out. Drink lots of water, cranberry juice and at least a few beers. The beer should be drank quickly. I know this is counterproductive when dieting but the yeast in beer can help fight off a UTI and the water/ cranberry will flush it out. AZO is a wonderful product but only treats symptoms, and it will turn your pee orange and stain your underwear if you're not careful, lol.:p

This is NOT true. Most infections are self limiting. I've had several verified UTIs clear up without antibiotics. Even with an autoimmune disease, I have better luck letting my body heal itself than I do with antibiotics (which cause me to flare and get sicker.)

Just throwing that out there.

I get a UTI and I go straight for the antibiotics. I don't mess around with those since they've landed me in the ER with kidney infections trying to get them to clear up on my own. Forget it...I'm not even interested in herbal remedies except taking cranberry extract to prevent them in the first place. Go to an immediate care center before going on vacation.