So, my day was running along fairly smoothly. I got up, I had a coffee, I had a shower. I spent an hour or so trying to curse my hair into place. I was surprisingly unsuccessful with regards to my hair. Normally a good curse will put anything in it's place, but not a cowlick.
I needed to pick up a few things at Ikea, so at around 10:30 a.m. I hopped into the car and made my way directly to their candle section. For the first time in Ikea history, I did not wander, I did not pick something else up. I got the candles and left. I didn't even stop for a 50¢ hotdog, even though it was lunchtime and even though, although not technically hungry, I certainly could have eaten one and enjoyed it.
I got home, made another coffee and decided it was time to pee. If you listen closely you can probably still hear the echo of my screams bouncing off some goat filled mountain range. The thing about a bladder infection is even if you've never had one before, the minute you experience it, you know what it is. Technically I'm not sure if it's a bladder infection or a urinary tract infection. Either way, it hurts like a misplaced red hot fire poker.
I've probably had 4 or 5 bladder infections in my lifetime. One of them just happened to be earlier this year which led me to the discovery of the Frozen Yogourt Tampon. A cure for yeast infections. You see, if you get a bladder infection, chances are your doctor will prescribe an antibiotic which will in turn give you a yeast infection. Fun, right?
Almost as fun as a plantar wart at the age of almost 50. Plantar warts are remarkably easy to remove with those home kits by the way.
So once I realzied I had screaming pain in my nether regions, I immediately called the doctor. And this is what they said.
"I'm sorry stupid, we've left the office for the day and will not be returning until tomorrow, at which point you'll have already visited a hospital or will have attempted to amputate whichever appendage it is that's ailing you with a hacksaw and some dental floss. We're fine with either choice so long as you don't bother us with it."
Or at least that's what I heard when the answering machine at the doctor's office announced they were closed for the day. At noon.
So I did the stupidest thing anyone could do. I searched for answers to my ailment on the Internet. This is risky because as I've said before, the Internet is a big fat liar. Now, this is particularly risky because according to Google, every pain or symptom leads to cancer. Usually a brain tumour. And if you read any forums dedicated to bladder infections chances are they'll have the same advice the make believe doctor's message had. Go the the hospital or cut your own hoo hoo off. In case it's cancer.
In terms of cures I found the regular bizarro Google stuff, stand on your head, eat baking soda, watch the first season of Moonlighting followed by 7 consecutive jumping jacks.
I actually took the advice in terms of the baking soda and immediately drank an 8 ounce glass of water with a ½ tsp. of baking soda in it. I dunno why. It seemed plausible.
But I also found the cure that everyone has heard of for bladder infections. Drink cranberry juice. And ... drink a lot of water. Apparently a bladder infection is bacteria that's attached itself to the cells lining your bladder and urethra. Cranberry juice contains chemical compounds that help stop the bacteria from sticking to the cells. Water does the same thing, along with washing away the unstuck bacteria. Kind of like rinsing out a stinky flower vase.
I whipped to the pharmacy and asked my pharmacist if she had any ideas as to what I could do and she suggested the same thing. In fact, she said she once got rid of a bladder infection using these methods.
So I went to my local health food store and bought some concentrated Cranberry liquid for $16 and headed home where I drank 500 ml of water ever hour. The cranberry liquid is extremely concentrated so you only have to drink a Tablespoon of it a day. I also took a tiny chug of it at the end of the day.
I peed about every half hour. And every time I peed I could feel the infection getting less and less painful.
I continued my regime for a full 2 days and am still taking the Tablespoon of cranberry juice a day. And my infection seems to be gone. Just looking at a glass of water makes me nauseous, but my symptoms are gone. As far as I can tell anyway. If it comes back I'll go to the doctor, but for now it appears as though I obliterated my bladder infection. All on my own.
I wouldn't recommend this method if you have a full blown, raging bladder infection that has you doubled over in pain and cursing your mother for birthing you, but if you're in the very beginning stages of it, this old fashioned cure seems to work.
If you're reading this right now thinking, yeah well ... the Internet is a big fat liar. You're right. It is. But I'm not the Internet. I'm a just a gal typing away on my laptop, who has a perfectly healthy and happy hoo hoo. Hurray.
Please note: I can only endorse cures and methods I've tested myself on myself.
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Kelli
Goldenseal extract 2 to 3 times a day for 7 to 10 days. Just like you would a prescription antibiotic. It works just like an antibiotic. Also Uva Ursi (aka bearberry) and D-Mannose supplement. A good Cranberry supplement that does not have sugar and like Karen said, tons and tons of water. Gaia Herbs makes a fantastic Oregano supplement but it's kind of expensive. You can also buy Azo Standard over the counter. That is the stuff that makes you pee orange and it basically calms the spasms in the urethra, the burning sensation and the constant feeling that you have to pee.
You don't need to take all of these supplements and if you are in extreme pain or passing lots of blood you should see a doctor.
RM
Definitely still helping, I am downing my third giant glass of water right now!
I think this one was brought on by a combination of dehydration, too many sugary drinks and a not friendly environment in my pants (I've been running in the SUPER humid, extremely hot weather, no amount of cotton keeps your hoo-hoo in check)... I'm out of town or else I would have the cranberry pills at my disposal, so I'm going to look for some concentrate, or more pills, or something. Cause I'm dying!
Louise
Funny (well, not really), but I just read this article about a week ago and I now have the first bladder infection I've had in years. Was it the power of suggestion? Probably not - I'm sure I just drank too much Pepsi and not enough water during this heat wave - both very bad things to do. Luckily, I have cranberry capsules in my medicine chest, but reading all the comments gave me further info - no caffeine or sugar (no Pepsi!), chocolate, citrus fruit or alcohol. Just thought you'd like to know that something you wrote almost 4 years ago is still helping! What a gal! :)
Karen
Hah! Well good! Glad to be of service 4 years later. And honestly I found the most important thing to do is drink water until it makes you sick! Water, Water, Water. Flush, flush, flush. ~ karen!
Paulibe
I am reading all the comments! I am currently in cape T own on vacation (from Canada) and have woke up with such pain when trying to pee, now I have blood each time I try to have a pee! Just awful, I will try and call my doctor as I take blood thinners.
Frighten at the moment
CJ
I have suffered from UTIs since I was teen, so about 20 years. I've had way too many to count. I finally found relief from D-mannose. Taking some every hour with the first signs and then cutting back to a few times a day, daily. Keeping a regimine of taking it every other day seems to keep them away too - IF I remember to take it. Truly, my lifesaver. This page has all you need to know about it and more...
http://www.squidoo.com/d-mannose
I also purchased one of the books recommended by this site, 'You Don't Have to Live with Cystitis', written by an MD, a female uro-gynecologist , and it has taught me so much about the disease.
Hope this helps someone else!
Tammi Cruz
This morning I was awoken with the worst burning feeling in a long time and needed relief right away. It was 3am so the doctor’s office wasn’t open. I dug through my sister's medicine cabinet (I was staying at her house thank god) and found Lady Soma Cranberry Tablets. I highly recommend this product in everybody’s medicine cabinet. The product worked within 20 minutes and I was able to go back to sleep!
sandee
It sure is. I did get the juice immediately as soon as i felt it. I'm no stranger to uti's. I was surprised it got so bad so quick. I'm worried now that I'm off meds. The dr is $100 just for a test strip. I know what's wrong, just as you stated in your post. Just hoping its gone.
sandee
The meds i got didnt work the first time which was a,surprise that it worked the 2nd time. I also drink 3/4 gal of water everyday. This has been THE worst bladder infection ever. It even turned 1 last mth. One year, can't believe it.
Karen
Yikes. That sounds like a horror show. ~ karen
sandee
Guess what? Cranberry juice does not work for everyone. I drank pure, organic cranberry juice which cost a fortune and tasted like gasoline.it did absolutu nothing. I had to see a specialist and be on meds for 4 mths. Juice is not the miracle cure for everyone
Karen
Well Sandee, neither are meds. Also, as I said, you have to get the infection right at the beginning. Like the first moment you notice it. And you need to drink an insane amount of water. ~ karen!
anita
WOW, just found your blog and I love it! Two suggestions on the UTI & yogurt popsicles... Its better to add the contents of a couple of powdered probiotic capsules to boost the friendly bacteria, thicken said yogurt and increase the chances of this process working. If you get a bladder infection Vibrant Health, Mannose & Botanicals, U.T. Vibrance is the best thing ever! and you don't have to take antibiotics! It has the perfect balance of Mannose and cranberry along with a host of other goodies that relieve and heal. Looking forward to your future blogs.
Kathleen Cowden
Ok... so I used to get UTI's frequently, passing blood, and unable to let the porcelain god out of my sight. I'd run off to the emergency room begging for relief(having reached that same sorry message at my Doctor's office, or the typical "Yeah -- He can see you a week from today" message. That got old and expensive!! It was my ex-mother-in-law (bless her heart) that told me about the baking soda remedy. Course she also told me to rub an old cloth on a wart and bury it in a secret spot in the backyard as a cure -- so needless to say, I was skeptical. But I thought about the baking soda in the refrigerator to kill odors, and something about it seemed plausible to me too. I don't know about you, but desperation can lead you to take certain risks, and after making my doctors appointment thought "what the hell" I'm burning in hell right now anyway and death might actually be a relief if the remedy kills me. To my surprise, after consuming a teaspoon of baking soda in a shallow glass of water and following up with a full glass of water, I turned in for bed, feeling a little like a blow fish on a hot poker, but hopeful of what the morning would bring. Not only did I sleep through the night, but I woke with absolutely no signs of the UTI at all. Urination had returned to normal, and I was on the top of the world. Having read up more recently on the "baking soda" remedy, its probably a good idea to rebalance your "ph" with some vitamin C and potassium both of which I understand are negatively affected by the high level of sodium in baking soda. But that has its advantages too. Its kind of a catch 22 -- the last thing you want to do with a UTI is drink alot more water so you feel like you have to pee even more. Luckily, you can't get enough water after the baking soda (sodium) cocktail and this helps to rinse your bladder and urinary tract. One warning -- if you have high blood pressure -- you may want to avoid this remedy. You might get over our UTI just in time to induce a heart attack. Good Luck Ladies...
allen
I have bad bladder infections , I am a male 64 years old, I just started having them about a year ago . DeCaf did not help at all , and i love coffee . I tried mega doses of Cranberries , both concentrated , the drink and the Capsules . I consumed 5,000 MG of dried Cranberries in Capsule form a day , I went through a giant bottle and it did absolutely nothing .
The only thing that works is Strong antibiotics . I had to give up coffee ,wine Beer , any type of Alchohol , no soda drinks at all , only milk , water and Juice . When you hurt constantly you quit everything in order to stop hurting . I have no more prostate gland to worry about either , it was removed , but the bladder infections just kept on comming back , it is no fun you live you in pain .
Lilly
I was surprized nobody said anything about another natural treatment that does the same thing as cranberry juice - prevents bacteria to bind to the bladder wall: the Usnea & Uva ursi tincture. I get it from stores like Whole Foods, and the suggested use is about 30-40 drops in a glass of water, 3-4 times a day. I also try to avoid antibiotics as much as possible, therefore I take this extract as soon as I feel the first "tickle" that announces the infection. It brings me relief within a couple of hours and I take it 3-4 days, with plenty of water of course. I started getting these infection at menopause (oh well...), maybe once a year, but except the first time I have never needed to go to the doctor. Next time, give it a try!
Carrie
I suffer from frequent UTI's DESPITE always peeing after sex. It seems as though I have to drink so much water I feel water-logged just to prevent them. My nutritionist has advised d-mannose daily as preventative & something called Resistant Microbes by Botanical Medica 3x/ day at the first sign of a UTI. I haven't had much luck w/ cranberry juice but maybe a concentrate would be better & I will try the baking soda too.
HattieTottie
I suffer from chronic bladder infections and before I discovered Lady Soma's Cranberry Supplements, I was at the doctor's office about every 3 months. I have been taking the Lady Soma Cranberry every day for about 6 months now and I have not had to go back to the doctor.
Laura
Thank you, oh, thank you for making me laugh in my "hour" of infection! And on that note, I remember that I have cranberry pills in my dresser. Good thing, because I was just sitting here wishing I could just flush my entire hoo hoo down the toilet with the painful pee.
Karen
Laura - Water! Drink tons of water. So much water you feel nauseous. ~ karen!
Kim Filion
Well-i now feel my third bladder infection in two months coming on.I just finished a round of antibiotics not even a month ago.I don't want to go the anitibiotic route again.Thanks for the advice.I appreciate it.
Karen
Hi Kim. Start right away!!! Like immediately! Go out and get the cranberry concentrate this second and drink so much water it makes you nauseous. If you drink enough water you'll feel your hoo hoo getting better within a few hours. But you have to get stop it in it's tracks right at the beginning of the infection before it travels and gets worse. Good luck. ~ karen!
Brittanie
These things are the absolute worst. And the even more worse of it is once you get them, you apparently get them FOREVER. That's what the doctor told me at least and so far she wasn't lying...
This concentrated stuff seems good though. Thanks for the suggestion!
Karen
No problem Brittanie. It really does work! I was stunned. I normally don't have a lot of faith in natural remedies, but this one works as long as you combine it with drinking lots of water and you catch it early. ~ karen!
Catherine
Hi
Been browsing your site and enjoying it immensely.
Adding my 2 cents to the UTI thing, cranberry juice irritates my urethra (my urologist likes to say I have a "bum urethra") but I find the baking soda works great - I take the 1/2 tsp in 4 oz of water followed immediately by another 8 oz of water.
Karen
Catherine - Funny you should mention that! When I was first looking for cures I did the baking soda thing. Only it grossed me out so much I thought I was going to throw up. I may have used too much baking soda. You know. In an effort to do things always in the extreme. :) Glad you found my blog! I'm always curious about how people end up here. ~ karen
Rie
I just discovered your site & happened to come upon this post. Of course I also have had many experiences with this terrible situation and actually had UTIs so often that my dr. prescribed a low dose antibiotic to take immediately after sex. It worked - I no longer get UTIs. I don't love taking antibiotics but would rather take one low dose to prevent a UTI that would require me taking five days of antibiotics. Just another suggestion in the fight against UTIs!
Sarah
As a long time sufferer of UTIs I have finally discovered D-Mannose, even better than the cranberry cleanse, which I have used also. This is the brand I use. http://www.aor.ca/html/products.php?id=81
Sarah
Karen
Sarah! I considered the D-Mannose but since it's a derivative of cranberries, I was worried that it wouldn't work as well. Sometimes when you separate something from it's original context (the cranberry) it doesn't work as well because it isn't working in conjunction with the other properties of the thing (the cranberry). :) Good to know it works. If I try it and find it's successful I'll recommend it! ~ karen