<p>My thinking was that if I was able to say, “hey, the ER said this isn’t an emergency and everything looked good in the kidney scan, but since I know my urine cultures are usually delayed I took a home test to follow up and it was positive this time… what can we do?” I figured that might make the gyn comfortable enough to treat me, since normally if I just had a uti they would see me without batting an eye but they put up a huge fight about this. I think if I call and say, “hey, the ER said this isn’t an emergency but they don’t know WHAT the heck is wrong, can you please see me?” they’re going to refer me to a urologist and so far I haven’t found one I can get into any time before June. I’d like to have more information to present them besides, “the ER had no clue but doesn’t think it’s dangerous,” I don’t think that will be enough of a change from my original call on Friday to get them to change their mind about seeing me. If I tell the urologist I’m in pain and need to be seen sooner, they’re PROBABLY going to tell me to go to the ER or urgent care if it’s an emergency and follow up with them… since that’s what you DO when you have a uti or kidney infection…and then around and around in the circle I continue.</p>
<p>There are other things your doc will do than read the prose or look at photos. Other aspects to the exam. Yes, they previously called it an ER crisis. Now, it has evolved.</p>
<p>You are overthinking. You don’t leave it as “if she thinks it’s a UTI.” Or even “if she’ll see me.” You tell them you have blood in the urine for x days (major problem- yes, trace blood can occur for many reasons BUT detectable to the eye is another matter,) level x pain (I’d say 6-7+; call that a tip) and a persistent fever running up to 101.5 (or whatever it is) which, over an extended period is also a flag.</p>
<p>What are you supposed to do? They made their best educated guess it was nothing and it did not go away. Now, you send up the next level of alarms. </p>
<p>We are telling you this does not sound like a routine UTI which they may handle with a test and Rx renewal. We are telling you exactly what we would tell our own daughters. Much the same you will oneday tell yours. </p>
<p>You have easily got 60 years left. Don’t risk something that can affect your quality of life. Remember, you told us this was way beyond what you’ve dealt with before. If you wrote today that the pain was gone entirely and the fever had been normal for 24 hours, our responses might be different.</p>
<p>Ps: honey, I had stones twice and that intestinal issue. The costs and inconvenience are minor compared with the medical support you need. Second time on stones, I knew what was up, what helped in the past and what did not. At that point, I aslo knew what should send me to ER that night. Or not. You aren’t there yet re: more than UTI. This is a case where a little alarmism is merited.</p>
<p>You may want to call the last PCP you had, even though you didn’t like her, assuming you have been there in the past 6 months and they still hold your charts and consider you a patient. They can often make some calls and get you into a urologist office quickly. My wife has her own clinic and does this type of thing all the time.</p>
<p>Abdominal issues of any type (headaches, too) are notoriously hard to diagnose, often requiring a battery of tests. At this point, it sounds like you will be lucky to not miss a bunch of work.</p>
<p>Did you do the home test yet? Use the word “lawsuit” as in " if you don’t see me and this is a problem I hope I don’t have to file a lawsuit" Or just go to a different ER, they have to see you. It is emergency if you are in fear that you may be damaging a vital organ. Make sure you get the name of whomever refused to see you as well, this in case the insurance challenges second e/r visit. Get going!</p>
<p>Not yet, my boyfriend is taking me to the store at 5:30 to buy it. My mom found a pcp that has evening and some Saturday hours, so if I can get in there this week I’ll go there. Actually, I’ll go there either way because I need a freaking PCP, but if I can’t get in this week I need another option for treating this. If I can’t get in I’ll have to try a different urgent care, which I think is more likely. I’m not paying for the ER again unless the symptoms get worse before I can get in anywhere else or everybody else refuses to see me again, that is only a last resort. I’ll have to call the insurance company and make sure they won’t squawk about a second ER visit, I didn’t know that was a possibility. At this point the home test is more or less to satisfy my curiosity and prepare me for how my appointment may go once I manage to secure one… I imagine I may find it difficult not to get upset if the new doctor also decides to ignore the blood and fever on the basis of the urine culture alone. I’ll be relieved if the home test is positive. I’ll be completely bewildered if it isn’t. The pain has spread today in a way that is consistent with my regular UTIs.</p>
<p>Boyfriend and I are going to be on the hot dog diet for a long time by the time this is over with. lol. That’s what my mom always did when we were short on money. :P</p>
<p>Just keep us posted. We’re all worried about you! Good luck and I hope you get some answers soon.</p>
<p>I haven’t read the whole thread, so I don’t know if anyone has mentioned the possibility of interstitial cystitis. It’s a poorly understood condition with symptoms that mimic those of a UTI, with the exception of a negative urine culture. Blood in the urine, low grade fever, and pain in the lower abdomen/back are common symptoms. It’s usually diagnosed only after ruling out other possibilities such as kidney stones, kidney infection, or bladder infection. </p>
<p>Please see a urologist ASAP to rule out other more serious diseases, but keep interstitial cystitis in mind if all your tests come out negative. Interstitial cystitis can often be managed by diet.</p>
<p>Skip the hot dog diet, it won’t help you with all that sodium! Not your kidneys, nor your blood pressure. How about a pasta diet instead!</p>
<p>Have you ever heard of interstitial cystitis, njfootballmom? I didn’t think so. I hadn’t heard of it either when I was diagnosed with it several years ago. It’s no joke. It’s not an infection, so it doesn’t respond to antibiotics. My urologist recommended a low-acid diet before resorting to other treatments, and, thankfully, it worked for me.</p>
<p>My first symptom was severe pain in my mid/lower back, and I had a negative urine culture. I saw several doctors before being properly diagnosed. One actually told me I had an enlarged uterus and needed a hysterectomy.</p>
<p>Interstitial cystitis is believed to be an inflammatory process that affects the bladder (it can also affect the ureter, which causes back pain) and diet is a possible culprit.</p>
<p>^ and its symptoms include what seem to be frequent UTIs, which OP mentions. Along with the negative reads she mentions. Thanks for mentioning ic, mommo.</p>
<p>I took the home test last night, and again this morning just to be sure, and both were negative… this morning the nitrates test could have just barely shown “trace” amounts but it was hard to tell, but there was definitely no obvious positive result. These symptoms are just bizarre… I have fever on and off one day, pain the next day… the only remotely consistent thing is the blood, and that varies from very visible amounts to only trace amounts seemingly randomly… Some days I feel totally fine, other days I feel fine for most of the day but have mild symptoms at other points, sometimes I feel like hell… it’s not consistent.</p>
<p>The Interstitial cystitis theory is interesting… it could explain a lot, not just my current issues but other recurring ones, too-- and I have several of the associated medical issues. I eat a really good diet (no, not hot dogs every day :P) and exercise regularly so it’s odd to think I could be doing anything to hurt myself… but I’ll have to see, I also read stress is a trigger and I’ve been so stressed out lately I’ve broken out into a rash… lol. I am trying to get an appointment with the pcp my mom found with the evening hours, for this issue and because I need to have a pcp anyway… I guess I’ll start there. If the symptoms don’t go away soon I think my next stop will be a urologist, but I’ll need to do some research on those to find one I’d be able to get in to… I’d like to do that even if this does start to seem like it’s going away, just to figure out what’s going on with me, it may just take some time to make the arrangements. Hopefully it ISN’T interstitial cystitis, because the wikipedia article makes that sound awful…</p>
<p>I also suffer from interstitial cystisis. Diet can do wonders. Most of the time I am totally normal. I have figured out some foods that bother my bladder. Biggest one for me is artificial sweeteners. If I have a diet soda it irritates my bladder. Also tomato sauce. Alcohol is another trigger for many people. A big no no for IC sufferers is cranberry juice.</p>
<p>OP, many people have IC flare-ups even when eating a healthy diet. “Healthy” foods that are often problematic for IC sufferers include soy products, cheese, yogurt, some vegetables, tea, coffee, and many fruits and nuts. Vitamins and herbal supplements can also cause problems. </p>
<p>When I had my IC episode, I was eating a very healthy diet. Some of my staples included soy milk and edamame, spinach, tomatoes, nuts, onion, garlic, and lots of fruit and green tea. I’ve since learned those foods give me problems, so I eat them in moderation. I haven’t had a cup of green tea since my episode.</p>
<p>If you have IC, something is irritating your bladder. It could be stress-related or an autoimmune response, but it’s most likely related to your diet. That’s why many doctors recommend a low-acid diet before prescribing other treatments. (Your bladder could also have inflammation caused by chronic UTIs, and what you’re eating could be exacerbating the problem.)</p>
<p>Here’s the list of problem foods my urologist gave me. It’s important to remember that IC is highly individualized, so foods that cause flares in some people might not bother you, and vice versa: </p>
<p>[Interstitial</a> Cystitis Network : Patient Handbook : Understanding Diet and IC](<a href=“http://www.ic-network.com/handbook/diet.html#list]Interstitial”>http://www.ic-network.com/handbook/diet.html#list)</p>
<p>Mom60 offers good advice.</p>
<p>Any definite diagnosis or anything???</p>