I have a UTI?!

I have a UTI?

And until the docs call my meds in, is there anything i could do to ease the discomfort? Right now it just fills like i gotta keep going and when i do it cramps up. I know about cranberry juice but while i am at work i have no access. Any other suggestions???

I've had 16 kidney stones (passing number 17 right now), and have had more UTI's than I can count (after my 3rd kidney stone, I had one that lasted a solid year!) So I assure you this is good advice; I have a little experience (lol).

There are 2 different OTC medications you can get that will help with the pain much better than Tylenol or Advil or Aleve because they are specifically for the bladder spasms that are causing your pain. They relax the muscles of the bladder and can help with the frequency as well.

The first one is called AZO ( also called Uristat, there are several generics as well). It's the best one; it's the same thing as a prescription medication called Pyridium. Take 2 and it's even the same strength. The only draw back is that it will turn you urine bright orang. It will stain your clothes, so if you've got undies that you particularly like or are really fancy, don't wear them at all while you take it. (I actually have several pairs that have been stained by AZO already so I just wear those until I'm well.) The stains won't come out no matter what you try-- even bleach doesn't touch 'em.

The second medication is called Cystex. I've used it before and it works pretty well, but AZO is the gold standard as far as these meds are concerned. Cystex doesn't color you urine, so it won't stain your clothes, but it's much more expensive, there's no generic, and you have to take a big ole handfull of pills to start off. Like I said, it does work, though. You can find both medications with the "feminine" products, usually.

As far as cranberry juice is concerned, it's to prevent a UTI, not to treat it after you have one. If you are using it to prevent the infection, you should only drink plain cranberry juice, NOT cran-grape or anything like that, adn NOT cranberry juice cocktail. You can also find cranberry tablets with the urinary pain relivers. They are as good as cranberry juice, and if you're like me and not crazy about the taste of cranberryt juice, they're great. White cranberry juice is also good, but again, just the plain not a blend or cocktail. Whit cranberry juice tastes much better to me, but I still use the tablets most often. They also have blueberry in them, which is good for preventing UTI's, so if you like blueberries you can get some and eat those as well. But, like I said, neither cranberry nor blueberry will ease your symptoms, they just make your bladder acidic so the bacteria can't grow. Other than that, the AZO or Cystex will ease your symtoms, drink plenty of fluid, and always wipe front to back to prevent recurrance in the future!