Doctor: In January of this year, I was diagnosed as having a urinary tract infection. I took antibiotics for a couple of months. I went back to the doctor and tested negative on two occasions, but I still had symptoms of an infection. I have been on an antibiotic, once a day, ever since. I am completely at a loss to know what to do next. Can you offer any suggestions? - J.T.
ANSWER: It’s not normal to stay on antibiotics for as lengthy a time as you have been on them for a urinary tract infection. It’s next to impossible to have a urinary tract infection if the lab cannot substantiate that there is an infection. Ask your doctor if you can go off all antibiotics and then have a microscopic exam of your urine and have the urine cultured for bacteria.
Conditions other than infection can produce symptoms similar to those of an infection - painful and frequent urination. Interstitial
cystitis is such a condition. The woman (less often a man) spends much of the day and night dashing to the bathroom to empty her bladder. She does this with urgency to avoid losing urine control. It’s something that disrupts life.
A specialist can view the bladder with a scope to see if there are changes of the bladder lining that are consistent with interstitial cystitis.
Treatment is not with antibiotics. It’s not an infection. A number of other medications are used.
If you haven’t gotten a definitive diagnosis soon, I’d recommend you see a urologist or a gynecological urologist.
