Drink enough fluid for your urine to be light yellow. The urine may not be clear no matter how much you drink, and may instead be cloudy from the infection or light bleeding. Strive for urine that is light straw yellow. Drinking plenty of fluids will also flush bacteria out of your bladder and help speed the healing process.
While you have a UTI, eliminate these foods from your diet. Reintroduce them into your diet slowly after the pain and the urge for frequent urination has gone away.
Try to get cranberry and blueberry juice with as much percentage of juice as possible. There is pure, 100% cranberry juice available, so try to find it. Also look for juices without added sugars or high fructose corn syrup. Cranberry juice cocktail can have as little as 5% juice, but up to 33%, as well as artificial or added sweeteners and won’t help as much as 100% pure cranberry or blueberry juices. Try to get the purest form you can. You can also take cranberry extract as a pill supplement. This is a good alternative if you want to reduce the amount of sugar you ingest. [3] X Research source [4] X Research source Make sure to follow the supplement directions. Don’t use the supplement if you are allergic to cranberry juice. Speak with your doctor before taking a supplement if you are pregnant, nursing, or planning a pregnancy. Don’t take a cranberry supplement or drink cranberry juice if you are taking a blood thinner, such as Warfarin. [5] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world’s leading hospitals Go to source Cranberry juice and extract can be used during an infection and as a preventative measure.
Check with a pharmacist or physician if you have medical conditions or are taking medications before incorporating ginger into your diet. It can interact with certain medications and supplements. Ginger can cause mild heartburn and diarrhea if taken in high doses. A high dose is considered more than two cups of tea per day or more than the recommended amount of supplements. Don’t take ginger root, ginger tea, or supplements if you have gallstones, will have surgery soon, are pregnant, breastfeeding, or intend to become pregnant without discussing with your doctor. Don’t take ginger root, tea, or supplements if you have a bleeding disorder or are taking blood thinners.
Holding your urine keeps the bacteria in the bladder, which encourages them to reproduce.
To make a heating pad at home, wet a washcloth and then warm it in the microwave. After taking it out of the microwave, put the cloth in a plastic bag. Don’t place it directly on the skin. Do not use for more than 15 minutes. You can burn your skin. Use for less time if you use a higher setting. If you use the heating pad to relieve UTI pain at night, make sure you turn it off before you go to sleep.
You can also buy a product, called a sitz bath, which is specifically made to place inside your toilet. This is useful if you don’t want to or have the time to take the bath in a normal tub. [7] X Research source
Be aware that if you start taking medications containing phenazopyridine, your medical provider won’t be able to check your urine for UTI using a dipstick, as the test strip will turn orange. You can also take ibuprofen (Advil) or naproxen (Aleve) for the pain; however, the pain suffered during urination will persist, as these do not have the same numbing effect as phenazopyridine. If you have extreme pain, your doctor may prescribe you a prescription analgesic. These are used for a short period of time and are paired with antibiotics, which will eliminate the pain and the need for pain medications quickly after you start taking them. [8] X Trustworthy Source National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Health information from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, a division of the U. S. National Institutes of Health Go to source
A strong desire or urge to urinate frequently A burning sensation or burning pain during urination Passing small amounts of urine frequently Red, pink, or coca-cola colored urine, which indicate the presence of blood in the urine Pelvic pain in the center of the abdomen around the pubic bone in women Strong smelling urine
Your physician can prescribe antibiotics to kill the bacteria causing the infection. Take the entire bottle of antibiotics, even though the pain and burning lessens, because the bacterial growth has not been eliminated. Follow up with your primary care provider if symptoms do not improve in three days. You may need gynecological exam if you are sexually active.
This can be caused by a lack of not emptying your bladder completely each time you urinate. Urine that remains in the bladder after urinating can significantly increase the risk of experiencing recurring UTIs. [14] X Research source This may be from a structural abnormality in the lower urinary tract. You can schedule an ultrasound or CT scan to check for abnormalities.
