untreated UTI

[samstress]

is there any danger in not having a UTI treated?

i'm pretty sure i have one.  i had a catheter after my son was born (a month ago) because i wasn't able to urinate after delivery.  i wouldn't say it's painful when i pee, but there is a sensation right when i'm done peeing.  also, my urine is cloudy and it smells funky (different than it usually does).

i thought it would go away (i read that 50% of them go away on their own), but it hasn't.  i was trying to avoid antibiotics.

will it go away?  how much longer should i wait?  is there any danger in not having it treated? 

[Vermillion]

Have you tried anything yet (cranberry, probiotics, etc?) or just wait and see? If it goes untreated, it could spread to your kidneys and cause damage there...

[samstress]

i've been drinking cranberry juice and staying hydrated, but nothing else (and still no change).

i should probably call my doc, right?

[littlest birds]

Our dd gets UTIs easily and we can sometimes succeed in treating them ourselves and sometimes have to go get antibiotics after the attempt. 

Our treatment is to take cranberry pills every two hours all day for to days.  Cranberry juice is not concentrated enough IME and for that this is much easier.

We also used baking soda.  This sounds weird but works.  Our dd started having UTI problems when she was 6mos old, and these are connected to a kidney issue...  Her urine becomes acidic and that is one of the signs and problems connected with the UTIs.  Her urologist suggested the baking soda and it got dd off continuous antibiotics for good and kept her from needing surgery.  It is yucky.  But it worked and is natural.  She used to get it in water in an oral syringe. 

She takes baking soda in gel caps several at a time, separately from the cranberry, for a couple more days after doing the cranberry.

If the UTIs do not clear up, we do head for the doctor because of the scarring they can cause--that's a pretty big deal.  So I do not recommend simply waiting it out.  Do go to the doc if you can't treat successfully.

[hedgehogs4]

I would prob. get it checked out - especially because the infection may have been hospital acquired which means bigger badder bacteria, generally speaking.  Also, if you have a fever you should be seen as it is a sign of a more systemic infection.  Hope you are feeling better by now...

[samstress]

thanks all.  i actually ended up going to the doctor yesterday and am now taking antibiotics (keflex).  it had just gone on too long and i was starting to get nervous.  she mentioned the fever and back pain as signs of something more serious.  i have neither.