Help! My UTI Won’t Go Away

Every year, millions of Americans suffer from urinary tract infections (UTIs), along with the uncomfortable symptoms they can cause. While most people find relief with a course of antibiotics and a little TLC, others have recurrent UTIs, or infections that come back or never completely clear up in the first place.

As a leading urgent care practice in Hawaii, Minit Medical Urgent Care and Physical Therapy offers patient-centered treatment for stubborn UTIs, helping patients find relief while reducing their risk of more serious complications, like kidney damage. Here, our team discusses some of the most common reasons for UTI recurrence.

Not following treatment instructions

UTIs are usually caused by bacterial infection, and antibiotics are typically the first line of defense. For antibiotics to work, you need to take the entire prescription exactly as directed. That means continuing to take your medicine for the entire course, even if your symptoms clear up before the prescription runs out. 

Not taking your medicine as prescribed means some bacteria may survive to cause infection recurrence. It can also lead to antibiotic resistance, meaning future urinary infections may be harder to treat.

Poor response to antibiotics

If you have antibiotic resistance, the typical medications used to treat UTIs may no longer be as effective. That means you’re more likely to have a poor response to treatment, or bacteria may linger once treatment is done, resulting in reinfection. 

In these instances, we may need to use a different type of antibiotic or change the dose of your original medication to destroy all the bacteria and prevent recurrence.

In other cases, you may need a different type of antibiotic depending on the bacteria that’s causing your infection. Additional lab tests and cultures can help identify the specific germ so we can tailor your treatment more effectively.

Underlying health conditions

Some medical conditions make you more prone to frequent UTIs. Diabetes, for example, can impair your body’s natural immune response and leave you vulnerable to reinfection. Other diseases that affect your immune system can increase your risk of chronic UTIs, too.

Hormonal fluctuations during menopause and pregnancy can disrupt your body’s natural flora, potentially increasing your risk of ongoing UTI issues. Structural abnormalities in your bladder or urethra can make it harder to completely empty your bladder, giving bacteria more time to grow and cause an infection.

Hygiene issues

Not wiping from front to back is another common cause of UTIs caused by E. coli bacteria, particularly in women where the urethra and anus are close together. It’s also important for women to thoroughly cleanse the genitals prior to sex and to urinate after intercourse to help flush out any bacteria that make their way into the urethra.

Inadequate hydration

Drinking plenty of water throughout the day helps you produce plenty of urine, which in turn helps flush bacteria out of your urinary tract. On the other hand, inadequate hydration reduces urine output and allows bacteria to linger and grow. 

Relief for stubborn UTIs

UTIs cause symptoms like pain or burning during urination, frequent urges to urinate, and feeling like you can’t completely empty your bladder. If you think you might have a UTI, prompt treatment is essential for preventing serious complications, like permanent kidney damage or life-threatening infections.

To learn what’s causing your UTIs and how we create a treatment plan that’s better tailored to your specific needs, request an appointment online or over the phone with our experts at Minit Medical Urgent Care and Physical Therapy in Kihei, Kahului, and Lahaina, Hawaii, today.