UTI Question

[lnwilliams]

Hello all,

I'm not sure anyone has had this experience or not, but I can't find anything on the boards whenever I look. My urine culture is negative yet I have all the symptoms: frequent urination, pain in my sides, chills, sweats. Right after I sent the culture, I had my uro go ahead and give me Cipro because I felt so sick. Immediately after taking it, I felt better and my sides hurt but I was feeling better. I took it for at least 2 days and in the mean time, it has torn my stomach to pieces. I've taken Cipro twice before and it's never done this to me before. By the time I got my culture back, the nurse has said to stop taking the antibiotic since the culture was negative. I did not take the antibiotic before doing the culture. The only thing I've been taking is Renew Life women's probiotic 15 billion. I've searched their website to see if these may interfere with my test but there's nothing anywhere that says that. I don't feel so well after stopping the antibiotic, but it's killing my stomach. Anyone have an experience like this or who have taken a urinary probiotic and it interferes with testing? I

also mentioned it to my uro's nurse and she said it should not interfere with growing bacteria. I don't know what to do with this culture, but I know I don't feel well and I'm constantly going to the restroom so I decided to continue the med. Looks like I don't really have a choice.

[seekingcure]

I don't think the probiotics would have any effect on the results of your urine culture. I have tested positive for UTI's by culture on many occasions and I take way more probiotics that you.

Has your urologist mentioned interstitial cystitis, which can mimic a urinary tract infection? I'm not sure if the chills and sweats could go along with that, but if you are in a lot of pain, that might possibly cause those symptoms. If you do have a UTI, Cipro should clear up a simple UTI in three days. I would call the urologist's office back and tell the nurse everything you just told us and also mention that you have a history of c-diff and go from there. Cipro is a bad offender for c-diff, as I'm sure you know. They might want to do a repeat culture on the chance that there was some sort of laboratory mix-up.

[lnwilliams]

I'm beginning to think something has happened to my culture also, maybe it was contaminated or the bacteria died. I'm wanting to bet I've had this infection for at least a week and didn't realize it until I felt the exhaustion and ultimately the increase in frequency. Cipro is definitely a big offender and I can tell its causing damage when I look in the bowl, Plus the intestinal burning and lower abdominal pain. I'm taking VSL with this, two or three in the morning and two at night to hopefully help my gi tract keep up. And I take Florastor. After beginning the Cipro again today, I'm beginning to feel a lot better. I've considered IC too, but this doesn't seem like the symptoms. This is now feeling like a uti that has progressed upwards beyond the bladder, especially with the sweats and chills now. I just couldn't determine if the genitourinary probiotic may have affected my culture. It was actually your suggestion that started my taking it. It has helped a lot and I feel better too when I take it, ty. :) I did call them back and they said they'd have the doctor call me. I think it's too late to redo the culture because it's so bad. I'd have to be off antibiotics for 3 days in order to grow and I'm already feeling incredibly ill. 3 days I may be in the hospital. So I'll keep going on the Cipro and wait for my Dr to call back.

Not sure why I'm having such a hard time with the Cipro this time around. I've taken it twice, post cdiff and my stomach just does not like it this time. Maybe I'll try doubling up on my probiotics. Thank you for the advice, seeking. I hope you are doing well?

[seekingcure]

If you are feeling better again on the Cipro as far as the UTI goes, then it does sound like something was wrong about your culture. If you have a severe infection now, you may need more than three days of Cipro. My doctor usually puts me on seven to ten days of antibiotic because I am diabetic and she says that makes my UTIs more difficult to clear. She calls them "complicated" UTIs.

I'm glad to hear the probiotic is helping. I have had recurrent UTIs for for over 20 years and I take two probiotics now. The ones I take are Renew Life Vaginal Support 50 billion and Primadophilus Optima Women's 90 billion. I also take a low-dose of Macrobid nightly as a preventative, as well as d-mannose and cranberry a couple of times a day. I have also started making my own kefir and drink a small glass of that with meals. With all of these things combined, I have only had one UTI in almost a year and a half and that was after taking Xifaxan, which wiped out my good flora.

I'm hanging in there, some bad days, but more good than bad most of the time, with an occasional flare up in IBS symptoms. Thanks for asking.

I hope you're feeling better soon.

[lnwilliams]

I'm glad to hear you're doing well! As long as there are more good days than bad then that's all that matters! It's so hard to keep a good balance. I swear between going from the gut and the urinary tract, I'm going to lose my mind trying to keep up while the threat of cdiff continues to hang over our heads like a bad storm cloud. I look forward to the day when a cure for this is released and we all can go back to living a normal life. Hopefully that day is soon. :)

[mjmcgetr]

It may be that you need a catheter sample ! I get UTI's semi regularly more so since c diff and pregnancy. My urine analysis strips are always negative or have trace wb and my urine cultures have been negative with with a positive catheter culture. You can request this method at a urologist office. My urologist told me clean catch cultures are not the end all be all for diagnose although many regular doctors treat them as such. The thing is your sample should really be your first urine of the morning. any other time of the day you are going to get diluted urine. I am actually waiting on results now.

[mjmcgetr]

I had ftm. It was not exactly a miracle cure and I still have ibs but c different has stayed gone for three months so far knock on wood. I had to take an antibiotic for uti about 2 months after fmt no reoccurrence so far. Go for FMT if possible. If I ever get it again I will go straight for FMT.

[teresajo103]

Tuesday will be8 weeks since my fmt....if I get it again.....fmt here I come. I still get weird bathroom business...and the pain in my right side won't go away....but I am starting to get stronger and I am getting out more...working part time and over all...I feel better.

[Katokit]

The same thing juuust happened to me. My culture came back negative. However she said there was signs of stones so I was told to take ibprofin for pain and see if it passes. Im not a fan of the waiting.