I've now been awake since 3:30am with lower abdominal pain, low back pain and painful urination (not good since I didn't get to bed until midnight because I was working on a power point presentation for work). This wouldn't be so bad, but I had these same symptoms three days ago. And being in the medical profession as a registered nurse for almost twelve years now, this is very annoying.
Monday morning I woke up with these symptoms so I went to work as usual and since my doctor works in the same building I went over and asked if they could do a U/A (urine alysis) to see if I had a UTI (urinary tract infection). By late morning the results had come back that I indeed did have a UTI and needed to be placed on antibiotics. I wasn't able to fill the prescription until after work so I started on Bactrim DS 800mg that night.
Now for the frustrating part... When I picked up the prescription, I noticed that she (my doctor) had only given me a three day supply of antibiotic, but by then she was gone for the night. So the next day I thought I would check my lab results and see what the culture on the urine showed (this is the lab result which differentiates which bacteria or microorganisms are causing all my grief). To my surprise there was no culture ordered.
Now one of the first things I learned in nursing school was that when you send either blood or urine for analysis for possible infection, you always should do a C&S (culture and sensitivity) to find out what the bacteria is and what antibiotics will work best to kill it. So I discussed this with the doctor I work with and he was shocked first of all that I was place on an antibiotic for three days (rule of thumb and studies show that to be affective, you need to take the antibiotics for 7-10 days to make sure you have eliminated all the bacteria) and secondly that the urine wasn't sent for C&S.
So I wrote my doctor an email inquiring about these two things and she wrote back as quoted, "i don't see a culture either. sometimes, the lab does not reflexively do culture unless both nitrite and leuk esterase are positive. the typical treatment for uncomplicated UTI is only for 3 days. however, if you are a patient that has a more "complicated" history, then we usually extend it to 7 days. if you are concerned, i suggest we do repeat UA with culture if UA is positive after the 3 days. if it looks like the infection has not cleared, we can certainly extend the ABX to a full 7 days."
Now, I don't know about you, but the thought of having to pay for another U/A because my doctor failed to do her job by ordering a C&S the first time is a little upsetting to me! Especially with the cost of healthcare skyrocketing every day and insurance covering less and less, I'd rather use that money for other important things...like say "gasoline"!
Maybe if I were "just another patient" this wouldn't be so aggravating to me because I wouldn't know that my doctor had failed me. Maybe, for once, it would be nice to be "just another patient" and be totally in the dark. Maybe then I would still be asleep instead of ranting and raving on a blogsight at 4:00 in the morning!!!!
1 comment:
Unfortunately, I can relate to what you're saying (sorry to hear you're not feeling well!)
I've recently developed a rash that comes and goes, usually appearing in the middle of the night and usually going away by the following day. Well, try to schedule an appointment with a dermatologist for a same day appointment. I wanted him to be able to see the rash to better interpret what it might be, but I can't guarantee days in advance when it will appear and since it wasn't causing any difficulty in breathing, I didn't feel urgent care or emergency room was appropriate as an alternative.
I finally got lucky and was able to see him the same day that I had the rash. Unfortunately, the medication he put me on is no longer effective and the rash has returned. Good thing I have a follow-up appointment on March 24.
Hope you feel better soon!
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