All about UTI’s (signs and cures)

UTI’s (urinary tract infection’s) are such a common thing you hear about happening to people and don’t think too much about it until you get it. Once you do, then they’re the most obnoxious things ever. Thankfully due to growing up in a culture where I would wash and wipe every time I used the bathroom and a balanced diet, I never got one. Until I did. I was on a 15 hour flight and for some reason it didn’t click to me to not use the oddly foggy water coming from the bathroom sink and use a water bottle instead but I was tired, used the weird water and after using it a few times guess what I got, tan tan tannnnn, you guessed it, a UTI.

Now, how can someone even tell they have a UTI? (Yes, women as well as men both get it but its more common in females. Women have a shorter urethra than men do, which lessens the distance that bacteria needs to travel to reach the bladder.)

Thankfully, my symptoms weren’t as wild as some others (where there’s blood in the urine, pungent smell etc.) but I did have the sure tell signs:

• Constantly needing to pee
• When you do go to pee, it’s tiny amounts at a time
• A burning sensation down there
• Cloudy looking urine (kind foggy lookin)
• Pelvic/stomach/back pain

So what really causes UTI’s? Urinary tract infections usually happen when bacteria enters our urinary tract through the urethra (pee hole) and just starts to multiply in our bladder.

Typically, our urinary system is made in a way where it can keep things like that out but sometimes our body is just like “nah this is too much” and can’t handle it, eventually the bacteria overtakes the bladder and you get an infection in your urinary tract.

Now say that unfortunately that does end up happening to you, there are some ways that I as well as my friends were able to rid of ours within one day (because for many people it lasts days, even longer and we don’t have time like that):

• WATER, WATER WATER
  • I will say this again and again, the main main main key to ridding a UTI after prayers is water. You need to constantly keep a massive bottle with you 24/7 and just chug that bad boy. You really need to flush those bacteria out of your body and the only way it can do that is if it comes out.
  • Not only will staying hydrated help in getting rid of your UTI but it will also help prevent you from getting one in the future as well.

• Probiotics
  • Your body is going to be filled with icky bacteria and bringing in these good bacteria can help inhibit the growth of bad bacteria which leads to as well as grows a UTI. Probiotics in general also helps restore and maintain the healthy bacterial balance and diversity in our body, making sure that bad bacteria have less of an opportunity to survive, grow and potentially cause infection.
    • For regular consumption, you can look into probiotic supplements that you take outside of this but when you have a UTI, the probiotic amounts in those won’t really help rid of your UTI ASAP BUT it will assist it so if you have some on hand and feel like you’re someone who is regularly dehydrated or gets a burning sensation or constantly needs to pee often and little comes out, def invest in a good one.
    • For me, I took a Yakult 2 times a day and it legit saved my life. I drank one when I started feeling kinda ehh, after breakfast and dinner the day it was the worst and just as an added boost the day after when I felt like it was gone as a repercussion and thankfully, it’s all gone now.

• Cystex (Urinary Pain Relief Tablets)
  • One of my best friends swears by this. She says that it cleans our your whole system. She mentioned that it does make your pee orange though but that’s just the toxins coming out. She’s gotten it a few times and it helps her in one day which is great.

• Change your underwear at least twice a day.
  • I was someone who was out for like 9-11 hours a day and so I would shower in the mornings or shower when I got back home but the time I didn’t shower I would change out my underwear. What’s the point if you’re just sitting in the bacteria? It does nothing but slow down your recovery.
  • Make sure you try to only wear loose, cotton underwear, not just for when you have a UTI but also in general to help prevent infections. I was never one who could go commando but if you can not wear underwear at night to let your down there breathe, I’ve heard that’s ideal.

• Wash and wipe after you pee
  • This is something that’s unfortunately not common in the west and frankly a disgusting thing at that. If you can invest in a bidet, I HIGHLY recommend that you install one in all of your bathrooms. The handheld ones aren’t that expensive and they’re truly so life changing.
  • If you don’t have one, I would recommend you get a jar or bottle or something, fill it with water, and when you finish peeing, just pour over the area and wipe the excess moisture with a tissue (going front to back, if you go back to front, you’re bringing nasty bacteria up from the anus and that’s another thing that can cause infections)
    • It’s super important to wipe after you wash because moisture harbors bacteria, all that water will just go onto your underwear and you’ll be sitting on a wet surface for a bit and no one wants that.

• Consume healthy, especially increase your intake of cranberries, Vitamin C, Garlic etc
  • These will help flush out, help destroy and ward off the bacteria which is causing the infection and consuming them often helps prevent infections in general.

Hopefully using the points I mentioned above will help eradicate your UTI BUT if after 24 hours of doing these you still don’t seem to find comfort, continue doing these but also go see a doctor, you’ll need an antibiotic and it’s best to get it ASAP or else if you wait a few days, these bacteria can in fact travel to other parts of your body and be super harmful.

HOW CAN YOU PREVENT UTI’S?

• STAY HYDRATED
• Pee after sex!! I hear this is something that isn’t done as often as it should be and is a big cause of infections.
• Wash and wipe from front to back
• Have a balanced diet with all kinds of fruits and veggies
• Take multivitamins, probiotics etc
• Try to avoid wearing pads and tampons and such unless you absolutely need to. I highly recommend you all look into making the switch to menstrual cups
• Stay away from apply scenting products near or on your down there regions. Things like douches, deodrant, bubble baths, sprays, powders etc. Your body is naturally going to smell like skin and like a body, not flowers and whatever else. By using those products, you’re only messing with the pH which will cause you to get infections and have whack smells to begin with
• Avoid wearing tight clothing, from underwear, tights, etc.
• Look into your birth control. Sometimes things like diaphragms (it’s like a female condom), unlubricated condoms or ones with spermicide etc can all cause bacteria to enter into your body
• Stop holding in your pee, that weakens the bladder and it’ll definitely harm you, if not now, 1000% in the future when you’re older.

Anyways, I pray you all stay safe and healthy and I hope this helped any of you struggling or gave you some things to remember and hold on to, to use when you’re stuck in a bind or just know and implement as preventatives.

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