Recurrent UTIs with no symptoms, what to do?

Question

I have been diagnosed with 5 UTIs in last 5 months or so. I never have any symptoms, the only reason i found out is because i have been going to the doctors for something else ..i know you dont need symptoms...they just tell me i have white blood cells in my urine and that i have a UTI...it seems i just cant get away from all these infections. What worries me is since i have no symptoms at all of any of my UTIs i worry that ill have one and not know it, leave it untreated and get really sick. I take all the antibodics they give me, keep clean, and all that good stuff, and ill go in a month later and they tell me i have another one. So now i dont need to go to the doctors for awhile...and im afraid ill have one and not catch it. Can someone tell me the symptoms i might feel if it goes to my kidneys or when it gets really bad? If i can feel them....lol....thanks! I just dont want to wind up in the hospital, i have a baby to watch after!

salsalover · Answer

I too have suffered from alot of UTI's/kidney infect like every month! Twice I didn't feel a thing, then all of the sudden I had a back ache for three days then a fever of 103 and I had a kidney infect, Unless you were doing a clean catch, where you wipe really good with antiseptic wipes before you pee, your urine can pick up white blood cells normally from your vaginal lining/flora.So you probably didn't have one after all. Anyway if it was a UTI, you would notice before it became too serious.

rmprdl1964 · Answer

Hi,  

I have had numerous UTi kidney infections. Once the infection goes into your kidneys, you should be able to notice the signs. There is pain in the lower back, frequent and burning urination, urgency that feels like you can't get to the bedroom in time, feeling ill, fever, foul smelling, clody urine.
Once you have a kidney infection things will proceed rapidly. I have had occations where I went to work feeling fine, to only have to go into the hospital for admittance after about 3 hours of work.

If you are in the US, there should be home testing strips that will indicate when you have an infection. I wish I had that here in Canada. 

All the best.

Ron

Inny2009 · Answer

Thanks for answering me! Every time i go to the doctor they only base the UTI diagnosis on my White blood cells in my urine. I have no symptoms so thats the only thing i can figure out that they base the diagnosis on. I do drink cranberry juice every day but just because i work somewhere where i get really thirsty and they have little juice cups in arms reach...I very easily could have a different type of inflammation...i have a ton more things wrong with me...this just pops up alot more that they actually treat...i wrote my post in undiagnosed symptoms if you care to take a look. Thanks again!

MSKshelly · Answer

Sounds to me like you have a chronic low level infection.  The question i have though is if they are making the infection diagnosis by white blood cells only since those can be a sign of different types of inflammation.???

If it is a full blown infection, find a doctor that treats the complicated infections and will put you on long term low dose antibiotics to knock it out completely.  There are some other things you can do like taking cranberry if you do not have a sensitive bladder or D-mannose 
for those of us who can't take cranberry.  There are other natural antibiotics as well
that can help with prevention especially.