Saga of UTI..new action plan....

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CAMary
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Saga of UTI..new action plan....

Post by CAMary »

Well, I spent most of last week wating for lab results :phone: :blah:

The stinkin' lab *still* didn't have them by Friday! (I gave my sample Tues. am - should have taken 48 hours) - I called Dr. office (I was going through my ob/gyn) on Friday and spoke w/ the nurse. She said they get results "transmitted electronically from the lab" and they would call something in for me that afternoon if still no results. The receptionist called me @ 4:30 and asked which pharmacy I used - still no word from lab...I picked up my Rx Friday evening. Cipro 2x/day for 5 days - gee could have taken care of this Tuesday - since they had no culture information - and I'd be done now!

OKAY - so by Friday I was totally miserable (as those of you who have had UTIs can imagine) - I also had some pain on my right side - just below my ribs and close to the spine...I'm thinking kidney pain???? The Cipro has helped but I can't help but wonder if it is "too little, too late"? I still have a bit of an ache in that spot on the right side - urine is clear again and no longer smells bad. I'm just not sure if the meds are a strong enough/long enough course...

PROBLEM- we leave Thursday on vacation - road trip. I'm not interested in relapsing on the way to Wyoming. I am due to take my last pill Wed. am. I am thinking of trying to make an appt w/my PCP beforehand so he can 1) determine if my backache is kidney-related and 2) verify that I was given a strong enough antibiotic considering things had definitely gotten worse by the end of the week.

I guess I would feel better with a 'scrip in hand I could fill on the road if I experience any more problems. This timing is the pits, and I just want to feel well for our trip. I am drinking so much water it is ridiculous - I told Mike I will need to "pit stop" every hour, practically! It will take us forever to get there :wink: We are planning to drive 8 hrs. Thursday and 9 on Friday to get to West Yellowstone, MT.

Does this sound like the best plan of action? We are too short on time to deal with labs/cultures ( I am annoyed with how *non-urgent* they seem to think a urine sample is - duh!) so I'm hoping my PCP is open to helping me out w/o all the data he might normally want. I won't call until later today for an appt. anyways....

Mary

PS At least the Cipro is giving me no trouble in the D department :grin:
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Sally
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Post by Sally »

Mary, when I was having my UTI problems I took Cipro 500 mg once a day for 10 days. I had a very stubborn bacteria in there, but that seemed to do the trick. This was after I had had a series of UTIs every couple of months. I never had any D probs with Cipro either. Which was good. I also took an OTC pyrridium tablet which stopped the pain. That might be good for you to take along on your trip. It takes about an hour to work and turns your urine orange. So take along some pads, too. Unless you don't mind orange underwear.

I hope you get this under control. I KNOW how you must be feeling.

Love,

Sally
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tex
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Post by tex »

What about the original sample/culture? Somebody probably just forgot to transmit the results.

Tex
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It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
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starfire
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Post by starfire »

:sad: Wow, Mary, it seems horrible that they couldn't get lab tests back sooner than that.

Good luck. I hope this round of Cipro does it for you and you won't have any further problems.

Love, Shirley
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CAMary
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Post by CAMary »

Well, the nurse @ my ob/gyn just called back- they finally heard from the lab - guess what - I have a UTI :duh:

7 days to get lab results? Unacceptable! My next task is to find a better lab that takes our insurance...this is the same lab that "misplaced" Mike's post-vasectomy *ahem* sample - then *found* the results 2 weeks later LOSERS :banghead:

Anyways, I've been doing a little searching, and I was given a moderate Cipro dose, and in the meantime my kidney *ache* has dissipated - my other symptoms are gone...so I am going to hold off going to see my primary and just push water and finish the course....the nurse said Cipro is a great choice for the strain of bacteria present, and to finish the antibiotic and drink lots (it's still 100+ here today!) I still have time before we leave to get checked out if I don't feel things are quite right...

Off to pack! Thanks for your support!

Mary
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Sally
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Post by Sally »

7 DAYS TO GET YOUR LAB REPORT BACK???? They used to get my mother's dog's reports back faster than that! And the diagnosis is a UTI? Goodness, I just call my doc and tell her I have one and she says, "Oh, ok." and calls in a script. In fact. after my recent bout my urologist just gave me an open prescription so that I could have it on hand and start treatment myself. It's outdated now so I just threw it out.

Well, it sounds like you are on the right path. I'm glad that you can take Cipro. It never bothered me either, thank goodness.

Love,

Sally
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JJ
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Post by JJ »

Grrrr...I would not be happy...somebody dropped the ball! JJ
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Polly
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Post by Polly »

Hi CA Mary!

Glad you are on the mend. You should be just fine with the Cipro. BTW, I don't understand your doc's reasoning. If the point of all of this waiting for culture results was to avoid a big gun antibiotic, why were you given Cipro, a very broad-spectrum antibiotic, instead of a "lesser gun" like a sulfa drug? Actually, I'm glad you DID get Cipro (because of the delay in treatment and the fact that Cipro is one of the better ones for MC), but your doc does not seem to be following his/her own philosophy.

I hope you have a great vacation......with NO health problems.

Love,

Polly
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barbaranoela
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Post by barbaranoela »

Have a great trip Mary-------and U will feel better and be able to enjoy~~~

luve Barbara
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CAMary
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Post by CAMary »

Thanks for the good wishes - I literally feel 100% today - and a good thing, since there's so much to do to get ready! 3 more doses to take, so I am confident all will be fine!!

I realized my doc's "philosophy" makes no sense - why order a specific culture when it takes 7 days to get the results and you end up prescribing a broad-spectrum anyways since the patient is *miserable* at this point, and the infection has had a couple of more days to "brew"?!?! I might go through my primary next time - but he always wants a visit/copay for any questions/requests - gotta love bureaucracy :grin:

Have a great Tuesday!

Love,
Mary
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