Am I reading this right?

[flutterbee]

I can't call the doctor cause it's Saturday.

Paperwork says I have Dysuria (Pain with Urination), Generic

Then underneath the box is checked next to: Today you have had laboratory work done and there does not seem to be a reason found for your problem. If cultures were done they will take at least 24 to 48 hours to be completed.

That reads to me that they found no sign of infection during the urinalysis, although they did find blood and protein. They did put me on antibiotics and Pyridium to help with the Dysuria.

I know we're not doctors, but I'm just wondering if I'm reading this right - that they didn't see infection via the urinalysis.

[susiestar]

You are reading this correctly, with the notation that cultures will take up to 48 hours MORE to be sure. So they gave you the meds in case something shows up in a culture and to help with the pain. The pyridium iwll turn the urine a funny color, but that is to be expected.

I hope you feel better soon.

[flutterbee]

Thanks, Susie. That's what I thought. I'm not worried about taking antibiotics, but I will to be on the safe side. They almost always find blood and protein in my urine, but no infection when cultured.

And I used the wrong wording: it wasn't a urinalysis, it was the dipstick that showed blood and urine and no infection. Urinalysis is done in the lab.

[susiestar]

If they didn't dump it after the dipstick, they may still be culturing it. They don't always tell you, at least here. So you may get a call with info on new meds to take,etc... Or n ot if they dumped the urine.

Sorry you have this, it is no fun.

[Marguerite]

If they found blood and protein, then they should be culturing it. I don't know why they wouldn't grow anything. Sometimes it doesn't show up even if there's something there. If you've got pain as well, it sounds like you have an infection.

What is supposed to happen - once it's sent off to be cultured, they identify what they grow (if anything significant) and then they culture the growths again, checking to see what treatment they are most sensitive to and what they are resistant to. That way if the sensitivity comes back that the bug is resistant to what the doctor prescribed, he will call you to come in for a new prescription.

Protein and blood in the urine - if you've got blood, you've also got protein. Plasma contains protein, so you tend to get them together.

Something you can do to help, especially if you get these a lot - get some pH papers and test your own urine for pH. Normally urine is about pH 6, a bit acidic. Much less than 6, it can begin to hurt. UTIs (urinary tract infections) tend to make the urine more acidic and this burns the delicate skin of the urethra, so each time you empty your bladder it cuts it a little bit more, from the outside working in. It also can inflame and damage the sphincters which can then mean they stop working, so you lose control. It can get REALLY bad if the infection goes from your bladder up to your kidney.

If you are alert to early symptoms you can do a few things to help prevent the UTI getting too serious. Talk to your doctor about this to make sure it is the right thing to do in your particular situation, but this is advice recommended to me by my doctor.

At the first early sign of UTI (as discussed with my doctor), I take a sample in a specimen bottle my doctor has given me in advance. By this stage I've usually checked the pH (not testing the sample - I test separately). If the pH is below 6 or if it's painful, I take a urinary alkaliniser and make myself drink at least a pint of water (600 ml). Keep drinking water (again, talk to your doctor about how much) because it dilutes the acid and reduces the symptoms. If you don't drink much water (because going to the toilet hurts, and you want to cut down on your visits) it actually makes the problem worse.
So drink the water, take the alkaliniser. If you keep monitoring your pH and take more alkaliniser as the pH drops, then it should keep your symptoms manageable until you can get to the doctor and begin antibiotics.

Don't postpone doing something, if you feel a UTI coming on. The sooner you do something, the sooner you will get it under control. If you're trying to get some sleep, give up. Get up, do what you have to do, and maybe later you will be able to get back to bed once you've got the dysuria under control.


During an attack, I take alkaliniser to keep the pH at 7, instead of 6. That's because everything is so inflamed that even a mildly (normal) acidic level of 6 is still a bit painful. A pH of 7 is the same as plain water, and it shouldn't hurt no matter how bad the infection is. And if you take the alkaliniser when you don't need to, it will push the pH the other way into the alkaline range. Using pH paper to test is a way to avoid taking too much.

By taking a urine sample before taking any alkaliniser, it means that when they do the dip stick test what they observe will be unaffected by anything you have taken.

With pH paper you don't have to use an entire strip. Just tear off a tiny piece but make sure your hands are clean and dry.

I hate UTIs. I get them too often, but we do know why. I've had loads of investigations, there's not a lot can be done. One really important rule for prevention - empty your bladder within 15 minutes of sex - is often not told to patients. Silly, really. It can make a big difference if you take that precaution.

I hope you can get it healed, they really can slow you down.

Marg

[susiestar]

Yeah the empty bladder w/in 15 minutes of sex is something that makes such a HUGE difference that the ped urologist Jessie saw at age 6 told me to tell her that when she gets older!! I already knew, b/c my doc told me in college. But another thing is to sit on the potty with your legs spread as wide as you can - pants all the way to the ankles. It helps your bladder empty fully, which can prevent infections and pain. With little kids sometimes they make them (boys and girls both) sit on the potty facing bacward, toward the tank, to get the legs spread fully. And sitting up as straight as you can on the potty is important too.

Hope you feel better!

[flutterbee]

They did send it for a culture. But, since it didn't show up on a dipstick, I doubt I have an infection. I go through this frequently with the symptoms, but then have no infection.

Thanks for the tips, though. Unfortunately, no worries about peeing after sex here. LOL But, I do know to do that. With my prior history of kidney infections, I'm very cautious.