Hi. 2 weeks ago I had classic UTI symptoms - burning pain in bladder after urinating (not as it came out), that horrible constant urge to urinate and, most alarming, blood in my urine. I haven’t had a period in 4 years, so this really freaked me out.
I went to urgent care (it was a Sunday) and the urinalysis had leukocytes as well as the blood, so they diagnosed a UTI. They gave me 5 days of Cipro and Pyridium (a life saver) and off I went. I felt better immediately and never saw blood again.
The odd thing was, the culture came back with such a tiny amount of bacteria that they wouldn’t even consider it an infection. But, the urgent care did say they culture the urine in-house for 24 hours and ONLY send it out to a lab if that 24 hour growth shows significant bacteria - mine did not. They suggested maybe it was too soon for anything to show up. It’s funny, but I wish my culture had been positive to avoid this ambiguity!!
I followed up with my primary who also dipped my urine and it was normal . She did suggest I see a urologist because “technically” I had blood in urine with a negative culture.
Today, I saw the urologist who was very reassuring (today’s urinalysis was fine) but wants me to have a CT Urogram (which I have tomorrow) and a Cystoscopy which we couldn’t schedule until next Thursday - so long to wait!! She said she just wants to be extra cautious and is not expecting to find anything worrisome.
I have posted in the past about having health anxiety and wow, this has me triggered! If anyone has any insight or positive stories, I would love to hear them!
I don’t have advice for you, but I know that I get UTI symptoms with only a very little amount of bacteria, like you not even called an infection. But since I’ve dealt with the problem since I was a teenager, I know what it is!! I’m allergic to penicillin, amoxicillin, and sulfa, so Cipro is the only thing I can take.
Thank you @MaineLonghorn -that is reassuring! This is actually my very first ever UTI - apparently I can thank menopause for that. Just add it to the list…
I got my first UTI in more than 30 years not too long ago. Unfortunately it was resistant to whatever the first antibiotic they gave me was. In your shoes, I’d stop with all the excess testing - this is why our health care costs so much.
I had blood in my urine with no infection. I didn’t have any pain or blood that was visible (it was a urinalysis for an annual check up I that came back positive for blood). I was given the same tests as you, a scan and the cystoscopy. They were done one after another in a doctor’s office.
I remember it very distinctly because the scan was done with dye which meant I couldn’t eat that morning and they gave me an IV. I always get faint when they do an IV on me and that day was no different. So, I showed up for the cystoscopy (a few floors away in the same building) minutes after the scan and checked in by saying I think I am going to faint. They came rushing out with orange juice and crackers.
Anyway, the verdict was that I have kidney cysts, which are completely benign. It is noted on my medical charts and my doctors now don’t worry when they find trace blood in my urine (which happens sometimes when I get urine tests.)
The cystoscopy was fine - I don’t remember any pain or real discomfort.
For your own peace of mind, you should not cancel those “expensive” tests, but do note that the fact that nothing “grew” does not mean you had a UTI, so most likely we are talking horses here, not zebras. Hugs. UTIs suck.
I’ve had several UTI’s in the last 20years. First was classic symptoms, urine the color of Hawaiian Punch. I was in such pain I couldn’t sit down. They actually gave me a Cipro at Urgent care. 2 rounds of Cipro cleared it up.
Most recently, I suffered with UTI recurrence from April through early September. I started at Urgent Care with UTI, minimal bacteria found, but macrobid cleared it up. No blood, but typical symptoms. For 3 weeks. Then back. Same scenario, different drug (macrodantin, I think). Back again. Called the primary care doc. She ordered a complete urinalysis and bacterial culture—and my numbers are all high and the bacteria is E. Coli. Probably from a bout of diarrhea. She tells me they don’t culture for that in urgent care and doesn’t show up when they test. A round of bactrim and clear. Oh, but it returns the day before D1’s wedding rehearsal. Another sample/culture and numbers back again. I can see results on the patient portal. The doc on call is a patient of mine so I tell him I just think I need more than a 3 day supply to clear completely. He agrees and gives me 7 days. It’s been two months and I think I’m clear.
On of the Urgent Care docs said I should see a urologist, but I said that I just didn’t think the meds were totally wiping out the UTI, so I really wasn’t ready to go that route yet. Primary doc agreed that wait and see was a more prudent choice for now.
AZO sells an OTC medication that relieves the symptoms of a UTI. They also sell an OTC test kit (dip stick) for UTI.
One thing to remember if you have chronic UTI s is to fully empty your bladder. I occasionally get impatient and suffer the consequences.
In my very large health care practice PCP s receive additional compensation for tests referred to another member in the practice. I question any additional testing.
You want to be sure any blood (and don’t forget it’s not always visible,) isn’t more than a UTI or even about the bladder (though OP had classic symptoms. )I’ve dealt with kidney stones for years. Even when they don’t act up, they can irritate.
I have not had any UTI’s since I started using the prescription cream, except for one time when I decided I didn’t need the cream any more and didn’t use it for a couple of weeks. Then the UTI came back – but since that episode I don’t plan on taking any more breaks from using the cream. I’m only using a very tiny amount, once or twice a week – and apparently it is exactly what my body needs to keep everything functioning as it should.
I also had similar issues with very strong symptoms of UTI, but lab cultures sometimes coming back negative – so I think the problem is that the post-menopausal hormonal changes make some of us much more susceptible to infection even with a very low level of bacteria.
As always, this community is a wealth of information - thank you!
I have since come across several articles about women having the same issue - UTI symptoms but negative cultures. It is interesting. I have also gotten a wealth of info about how menopause changes most everything, including our urinary systems. My doctor and I have discussed the topical estrogen cream and will revisit that when all this is behind me.
I have my CT scan this morning - fingers crossed that everything is fine there! Thank you again.
Since menopause I find myself getting UTI symptoms - raw feeling externally, twinging in the urethra, an odd (not burning) feeling when urinating, and a sense of needing to pee more often.
I’m on an estrogen patch and had been given a compounded cream for use twice a week. Decided that the cream was overkill since I wasn’t experiencing other issues like dryness or pain.
Two docs convinced me to use the cream as prescribe. Low and behold the urinary symptoms are gone - for the most part. So yes, count me in the group that has verified supplemental, locally applied, estrogen helps urinary symptoms. As it was explained to me, when tissues in the area thin after menopause all systems (vaginal, urinary and perineum) are adversely affected. The estrogen keeps 'em all happy.
I’ve noticed that when spending extended time in hot and muggy climates - where one sweats excessively (we’ve termed these trips ‘3 pair of undies a day’ vacations) some of the symptoms reoccur. I’ve found that some externally applied coconut oil keeps things at bay. It’s booth soothing and antimicrobial.
I’ve also learned that certain pants liners will bring on symptoms - now I stay with cotton based ones.
Ah…the care and feeding of the post menopausal system can be challenging.
I was a practice manager for a large urology group for 15 years and currently still work for them part-time as I’m semi-retired. It is the standard of care to do do a three-pronged work-up for visible blood in the urine like you had (cystoscopy, CT scan and urinary cytology). For women, the usual cause for visible blood is a UTI. Given you were symptomatic at the time, this seems most likely. However, the work-up needs to be done to rule out other possible underlying causes. We typically book our cystoscopies out 2-3weeks after consult so getting you into the office in a week is actually pretty quick. I hope everything goes well.
I take Macrobid, an antibiotic, every day to prevent UTIs. I’ve taken it for many years.
And yes, I’ve tried all the homeopathic remedies out there and nothing helps. My urologist explained that a small percentage of women have urinary tract linings that are like velcro - bacteria stick to it and doesn’t get washed out. I had hope for D-mannose, which is supposed to help the condition, but it didn’t help, either.
My urolologist just retired, but the last time I saw him he said he had many patients on Macrobid for years, and they never developed a resistance to it. Whew!
On the subject of bladders, anyone had Botox injections to control leakage? I’ve been on Myrbetriq for a year and a half; it helps some but not 100%. Urologist is recommending Botox but it has to be re-done every 6-9 months. I’m not even 60 yet so the thought of a “procedure” basically every year from now on is not appealing whatsoever. Especially since the leakage is only a few drops here and there, no uncontrollable urges, no having to change clothes because my pants are wet, etc. Botox treats the spasms in the bladder but I think my main problem is from being overweight nearly my entire life and once I get serious about doing something about that and exercising more, the “muscle tone” will improve. I see the urologist again tomorrow so this thread is timely for me.
I guess I’m a freak. Before menopause, I used to get UTIs ALL THE TIME. They were so horrible. I’d get chills, malaise, constant burning even when not urinating. Like some women often get yeast infections, my “thing” was UTIs.
As it turns out, I will have my Cystoscopy tomorrow - they had a cancellation. I am definitely nervous. I had the CT scan today and the urologist has those results so looks like I will get some answers in the morning.