What Are the Symptoms?
Cystitis may be asymptomatic, but more often is painful and uncomfortable for sufferers. The symptoms of this infection may mirror those of some sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) or other infections, so be sure to seek your doctor’s input if you experience cystitis symptoms, and be sure to refrain from sexual activity until you receive an accurate diagnosis.
Often, cystitis will include signs and symptoms such as:
Persistent Urge To Urinate
Patients who are suffering from cystitis often have a persistent urge to urinate, even shortly after they’ve emptied their bladders. Accompanying the persistent urge to urinate, if you have cystitis, you may find yourself making more frequent trips to the bathroom to urinate small amounts.
Burning Sensation While Urinating
Cystitis sufferers will often feel a painful or burning sensation during urination or after they’ve emptied their bladders. This sensation ranges from a mild discomfort to a strong pain, depending on the sufferer.
Blood in Urine
Some cystitis sufferers may find blood in their urine. If you notice that your urine has blood in it, contact your doctor immediately and share your symptoms.
Cloudy, Strong-Smelling Urine
Patients with cystitis will often pass very cloudy or milky urine that has a strong or unusual odor. Urine can also appear darker in color than normal.
Pelvic Pain or Discomfort and Pressure
Cystitis can cause pain, pressure, or discomfort of varying intensity in the bladder area of the pelvic region. Typically, this pain is directly above the pubic bone, low in the abdomen.
Gastrointestinal Upset
Cystitis can cause a range of gastrointestinal (GI) problems, including a reduced appetite, nausea, or even vomiting. These symptoms may be mild to severe depending on the severity of the infection.
Low-Grade Fever
Cystitis can be accompanied by a low-grade fever. However, if you develop a higher fever, especially when accompanied by chills, it is a sign that your infection has spread to your kidneys. If you develop a high fever with cystitis symptoms, you should seek immediate medical attention. You also may feel unwell or weak when suffering from a cystitis infection.
How Is It Diagnosed?
Your doctor can collect a urine sample to perform a urinalysis, which will look for white blood cells, red blood cells, and bacteria in the urine. Most often, this is the only test that will be required to diagnose a cystitis infection. However, a doctor may perform a urine culture to identify the specific bacteria in your urine to ensure that you’re receiving the proper antibiotic treatment. Women are typically prescribed a three-day antibiotic, while men may have to take antibiotics for seven days to two weeks.
What Can I Do?
As with any antibiotic prescription, it’s important that you take all of your doses, even if you feel better and are no longer experiencing symptoms. This is to minimize the risk of antibiotic-resistant bacteria re-colonizing after the weaker ones have been killed off by your prescription.
All patients with cystitis should be sure to drink plenty of water to help the body flush out the infection. Cranberry juice may help naturally fight the infection by increasing the acidity of your urine, although studies have yielded mixed results about the efficacy of cranberry juice in treating urinary tract infections. You should avoid alcohol during a cystitis infection, and refrain from sexual activity.
Some women develop recurrent bladder infections. Your health care provider can speak with you about a course of action to deal with recurring bladder infections, including:
Taking a single dose of antibiotics after sexual activity may help prevent infections that are triggered by sex, or your doctor may recommend that you keep a three-day antibiotic pack at home so that you are prepared for your next infection.
When Is It Serious?
Cystitis is often painful and annoying but can become serious if the infection spreads to the kidneys. Typically, the treatment for bacterial cystitis is antibiotics, which your doctor can prescribe. If you develop signs of cystitis or if you notice blood in your urine, you should call your doctor to schedule a visit. You should seek immediate medical attention if you develop any of the signs that the infection has spread to your kidneys, including:
● Back or side pain
● Fever and chills
● Nausea and vomiting
It’s important to seek medical attention when you suspect that you have cystitis, because other illnesses and conditions may have similar symptoms but may require a different course of action, including urethritis, prostatitis (in men), gonorrhea, chlamydia, a bacterial infection, such as E. coli, or candida (vaginal thrush). Only your doctor can make a proper diagnosis based on test results and can advise you on your best course of action to get on the road to recovery.