owww

variant

I think I have a UTI, it's been like a week now actually, I thought I would just pass it but it hasn't gone away and the urination has become more frequent.
My problem is, I don't have health insurance right now...what can I do to get the antibiotic/anti-bacteria medication that i need ? <_>

Off to Ralph's to get some cranberry juice

nizlopi

dont they sell over the counter medicine for that? I always get these little sachet things. I havnt had one in a while though, I feel for you, they're awful

purplebubbles

UTI's really suck, if you've got a burning sensation when you go to the bathroom, you have increased frequency and your pee well smells funny, then chances are that's what you've got.

You do need to get to the doctor for some antibiotics, as it's probably not going to go anywhere on it's own. The sachets that you can get from a pharmacy are called "ural" in Australia and they help with the burning/uncomfortable sensation. Generally you just sprinkle them into some water four times a day and you are good to go. Vitamin C & Cranberry juice as you said are also very helpful and remember to drink lots and lots of water.

Even if you found a way, you should not be taking medications that haven't been prescribed for you. The doctor will ask you to catch the middle part of your pee in a sterile container and they'll send it to the lab for testing. Some infections are not senstive to some antibiotics and therefore won't work.

nizlopi

purplebubbles wrote: »

The doctor will ask you to catch the middle part of your pee in a sterile container and they'll send it to the lab for testing. Some infections are not senstive to some antibiotics and therefore won't work.

do they have to send it off to a lab? When I was pregnant I was tested for them once a week and they just stick a stick thing in the pee and take a reading then and there. They're so common I dont think they get sent away tbh

purplebubbles

nizlopi wrote: »

purplebubbles wrote: »

The doctor will ask you to catch the middle part of your pee in a sterile container and they'll send it to the lab for testing. Some infections are not senstive to some antibiotics and therefore won't work.

do they have to send it off to a lab? When I was pregnant I was tested for them once a week and they just stick a stick thing in the pee and take a reading then and there. They're so common I dont think they get sent away tbh

Yeah, I'm a nurse. The stick thing is just to determine if there are indicators of an infection, such as increased leukocytes, protein or blood. But to actually find out which bacteria has caused the infection they need to send the sample to the pathology lab. It's important you get the right anti, because overuse of the wrong one, can cause resistance.

Daenris

You need to go to the doctor (I know... sucks without insurance... maybe you can find a free clinic somewhere near you to do it?). If untreated, UTIs can move up the system and lead to an infection of your kidneys which will be MUCH more painful and hard to deal with.

variant

Well, I had a friend that's a dentist prescribe me some bactrim ds and im taking uristat for the pain. Gonna look in to getting insurance from my school and pay a visit to the Dr. if this continues after the 1wk regimen of the antibiotic.

Trowizilla

Planned Parenthood will help you out with UTIs, as I found out when I lost insurance. Last time I had one, it was $30 for the visit and another $25 for the antibiotics.