urologist?

Has anyone been to a urologist, and what do they do when you see one for the first time?
I made an appt. to see one, but dont get in until May 1st! My primary recommended that I go, since I have had 3 UTI's since November, and I, too, think it is a good idea to go. I never used to have them as a kid, only since I have been married, and she thinks it has to do with sex, which I have heard, too.... But, I would think I would get one EVERY time I have sex, wouldnt you think?
Anyways, on MOnday, I went to an urgent care and they gave me Cipro to take until this coming Monday for twice a day. They did a culture and there was no re-growth on it. So, this time, I decided to do a follow-up w/ my primary doctor.

Not necessarily! I got them when I was pregnant, but I didn't have them constantly. Try making sure both of you wash well before "makin' whoopiee" that helps some people. Not romantic, but... better than a UTI. Maybe you should try vitamin supplements to shore up your resistance. After consulting with your doc, that is. One thing you don't need doc's approval for is drinking cranberry juice (Look for a brand that has at least 27% cranberry juice in it, blends are fine). It has shown effacacy in helping fight off UTI's in people who get them. Hope that helps some...

Cranberry juice helps SO much! My DH had UTI's CONSTANTLY for 2 years. He had a dose of Cipro and while he was still on the Cipro, started with the cranberry juice. He hasn't had ANY in 2 years now!
He decided to quit the cranberry juice and takes the cranberry capsules (sold with Vitamins in the drugstores--or vitamin sections in stores like Walmart and Meijers etc.) He takes 2 in the morning--2 at night, and this dose seems to work for him. I suppose everyone is different, and higher/lower doses would be an individual thing...
Also, GYN doctors recommend that you empty your bladder after ...ummm...making whoopie! Hope that helps!

Ya, I bought the cranberry tablets, and for now, am trying to take 2 a day, although the bottle says 3 a day. I also bought 100% cranberry juice from the health store. That juice is expenisve... $8.49 a bottle!
I do empty my bladder, and do everything else that they suggest you should do to prevent them!
Missy&SpikesMom, did they find out the cause for his infections?

Yes, they did find out what was going on. He was getting a prescription that was the correct prescription--just not a long enough dose. So what happened is: it would only SUPPRESS the bacteria, instead of getting rid of it all!! Thus, the infection would just jump right back, within a month. It took us awhile to figure it out. But finally, he had the correct dose of Cipro and for a long enough regimen. Then with the Cranberry juice, tabs, he has been able to keep the infections at bay! I hope he keeps it that way too! Also, the Urologist said, that when antibiotics are given, but not in the right dose, and over and over, it builds up a resistance to that antibiotic, and the bacteria can become resistant to a LOT of antibiotics which are in the same "family" of that particular antibiotic (scary!)
Oh, another thing I did, was, rather than buy the very expensive Cranberry juice at the healthfood store (and there is nothing wrong with buying it there--but that price! UGH!) was that I did not add as much water to the frozen cans of it, that I re-constituted. I did not buy the bottles of pre-mixed juice. I always buy the frozen cans, and add 1 1/2 cans of water, instead of the 3 cans that the directions call for. So it is more concentrated. It HAS worked for 2 years--so at least, for him, this has been successful! Hope you get better soon!

Hmmmm.. I wonder if it is possible that they never gave me a correct dosage? Back in November, I didnt go to the doctor, but called the on-call @ my primary doctor because I knew I had a UTI, so he gave me Macrobid to take twice a day for 7 days. Well, after 3 I quit taking it because I didnt like the effect it was giving me, so I called the same doctor and he said if I felt ok, it was ok to stop. In January, I had one, but decided to go to an urgent care, and they gave me bactrum to take for the same amount of time, which I did finish, btw. A few weeks after that, it felt like I had one, so I called the on-call doctor at my primary doctor's office, and she said that she'd prefer if I wait to be seen in the office because she didnt want to just prescribe me something & wanted to find out what was causing it .......... So, it didnt bother me that bad, and throught the day, I drank a bunch of water, and by the next day it went away. On Monday, it started to hurt, so I figured I'll go to an urgent care, and thats when the doctor there gave me Cipro and sent the test out for a culture. At his advice, I followed up with my primary doctor. But, the thing that sucks is that they couldnt do a test on me on Friday because I was still taking anti-biotics, and it would have messed w/ the test results. So.they want me to come in on Tuesday and do two tests. The second one they want to test me for chlymidia, which I dont understand why ......... I asked the nurse & she told me because it can mimic the same symptoms. But chlymidia is an std, from what I understand, and I dont understand why they'd have me test for it. Both hubby & I had NO sexual partner prior to meeting each other, so I dont understand the point to that. So, I am wondering if I should jus wait til May. Also, if I have the urine re-tested it is just to see a nurse, and they only schedule appointments @ a certain time, which dont work with my work schedule. At first they were going to just send me to a lab, but I guess chances are they wont test for both.
So, that is that.

Cranberry juice is a teacher's best friend. We all drink it because another cause of frequent UTIs is not being able to use the bathroom when you need to.

Tigger, I have never been to a urologist..but I think it is great that you are going! I hope they will be able to help you!! I am sorry to hear you are having these problems....Keep us posted on what you find out!

I HATE uti's I used to get them alot but I started making sure that I drank atleast eight 8oz glasses of water and a large glass of cranberry juice and luckly i haven't been getting them as often.

Tigger - whereas cranberry juice, obvious hygiene and drinking lots of water does help reduce the incidence, sometimes there are biological factors to consider also.

I've suffered for 20 years with UTI or cystitis, and it's definitely sex related for me - there are some positions better than others, but I won't go into that here . There is an underlying cause, and this is that the (and forgive the non-technical terminology here) tube between the bladder and the outlet is shorter in some persons that others thus enabling infection to spread more easily.

I find the only way to really cure it is to take antibiotics - as I have tried once or twice treating it with copious drinking of water etc, and have ended up in hospital with kidney infection (it spread from the urinary tract). You can be put on low dose permanent antibiotic courses here as a last resort.

Good luck in combatting it - I know how miserable and painful it is.

I have never been to a urologist either. But, obvious hygiene and peeing really hard after sex helps sorry to get so graphic. I used to get them as a kid, but the doctor told me 'how to wipe' and then it stopped.

Do you use white or colored toilet tissue? A correlation has been made, between the dyes and perfumes in t.p. and the incidence of infections, in women.

Mom had a problem, for a long time and the doctor told her to quit color-coordinating the paper with the bathroom. Besides, plain old white is cheaper!

I am the Queen of UTI's. I had a lot of them up until a few years ago when I finally was able to get rid of them.

The number one thing is to pee before and after "making whoopie", and be sure to drink a big glass of water in between. EVERY TIME. The reasoning behind it is that bacteria can get too far up your urethral tube and if you can't urinate a sufficient amount, then that bacteria can reach your bladder. Also, Cranberry tablets work just as well as the juice and has far less calories. Drinking too much juice will put on the pounds as well as curbing your UTI's.
Be sure to always wipe front to back, that is a big thing too.

I went to see a urologist, and they will probably do a cytoscope on you. Its like a catheter tube they put in w/ a small camera on the end to see into your bladder. This is to check for anything irregular that could be causing your problems.

Good luck, I Hope you are able to feel better soon.