The Realities of Living with Urinary Tract Infections

September 9, 2020

When it comes to urinary tract infections (UTIs), it’s best to get diagnosed and treated right away. Symptoms may start mild, but they can quickly become disruptive and extremely painful. Instead of ignoring your UTI pain and waiting to see a doctor, take a look at what could happen if you don’t get treated, as well as why you should visit your doctor to get tested by New Jersey’s top infectious disease specialists.

Frequent Urination That Disrupts Your Daily Life

Normally, people urinate once every few hours. However, if your urinary tract is infected, you’ll feel the urge to go more frequently, even if there’s little to no urine left to expel. When it gets to the point where you feel like you have to go every 30 minutes, you’ll constantly be looking out for the nearest restroom. And these aren’t just regular urges, but very powerful ones that can’t be ignored.

As you might imagine, frequent urination like this can be highly disruptive to work, school, and your social life. Plus, UTIs can make things like long car rides and meetings very difficult to manage. If this sounds familiar, a doctor can prescribe the medication you need to help alleviate symptoms.

Painful Burning Sensation That Keeps You Home

A telltale sign of a UTI is a burning sensation while urinating. This burning feeling may begin mild, and you might write it off as nothing serious. However, an untreated UTI will get more and more painful as time goes on. At-home remedies and over-the-counter medications might be able to help soothe the pain. However, they won’t be able to get rid of the infection as effectively as a prescription could.

UTI Can Progress into a More Serious Infection

Occasionally, untreated urinary tract infections can spread to other areas of the body, infecting one or both kidneys and even the bloodstream. If it does spread, new symptoms may appear, such as fever, nausea, chills, fatigue, severe UTI pain, and abdominal discomfort. Infections like this can be serious and may require hospitalization.

That’s why it’s so important to get treated by a doctor for UTIs. If the treatment doesn’t work due to misdiagnosis or antibiotic resistance, go back or seek a second opinion.

Another serious complication is the development of resistance to antibiotics by the bacteria causing the infection. Such “superbugs” have become more common and can be difficult to treat.

Get Rid of Your UTI Today

The doctors at ID Care treat patients with all types of infections, including urinary tract infections from “superbugs”. Whether it’s your first one or you suffer from recurring UTIs, come to ID Care for a thorough evaluation and effective treatment plan. Simply give us a call at 908-281-0610 to schedule an appointment. We try to get patients with UTIs in as soon as possible, as we understand the difficulties of living with discomfort. Find the ID Care location nearest you to get started.

Bacteremia, Infectious Disease Blog, Infectious Disease Care, UTIs