How worried should I be?

November 5, 2008 4:17 PM

I know you're not my doctor. I had a UTI diagnosed today -- neglected to mention that when I've wiped, the tissue has occasionally (read: 3 times today) come away a very, very pale pink. Pee is normal colored. Am I bleeding? Should I go to the ER? I took my first antibiotic a few hours ago, FWIW.
posted by coppermoss to Health & Fitness (11 answers total)

My girlfriend has had UTI where her urine came out with quite a bit of blood. She freaked out, but the nurse did not and neither did her doctor (at the clinic, not the ER even).

If you have already seen a doctor, and had antibiotics prescribed, I would not worry too much.

But yeah, I am not a doctor.
posted by TheyCallItPeace at 4:23 PM on November 5, 2008

This happened to me when I had a UTI and cleared up the following day after I took my antibiotics. You're probably fine, but if it doesn't clear up by this time tomorrow, I'd say head to the doc/ER.
posted by Verdandi at 4:31 PM on November 5, 2008

I've had a bazillion UTI's, and bloody urine is common with them. Don't worry. Just keep on taking your antibiotics. (If they gave you painkillers, expect BRIGHT BRIGHT ORANGE OH MY GOD urine.)
posted by The corpse in the library at 4:47 PM on November 5, 2008

Nth that it's not of concern. Also have to add that the BRIGHT BRIGHT ORANGE OH MY GOD will stain anything it touches; wipe with care...
posted by kmennie at 4:59 PM on November 5, 2008

this isn't an answer tou your question, but have you tried drinking cranberry juice? I find it helps a lot
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 5:00 PM on November 5, 2008

Totally normal, in my experience. If it gets worse or terribly painful instead of better, then call your doctor, but this is a total watch & wait situation if ever there was one.

Drink lots of water, cranberry juice, and take some cranberry pills. It will all be over soon!

I'm sure your doctor told you this, but take ALL of your antibiotics, don't just stop when you feel better, otherwise, your UTI could come back with a vengeance.
posted by pazazygeek at 5:08 PM on November 5, 2008

Just adding to the pileon - when I get a UTI I pretty much pee red, there's so much blood. It clears up after the antibiotics kick in. And yes, if you're taking Uristat, your pee will be bright orange; it's totally normal and WILL stain everything and anything it touches. So wear crappy underwear.

Also, this is not an answer to your question, but staying well-hydrated WILL help you avoid another UTI, taking cranberry pills might help (research is apparently spotty), and peeing after sex is a *really* good idea.
posted by fuzzbean at 5:11 PM on November 5, 2008 [1 favorite]

Most places have an advice nurse you can call for questions just like this.
posted by bottlebrushtree at 5:22 PM on November 5, 2008

Yeah this is normal. Also go crazy with the cranberry juice, I mean drink as much of the pure concentrate (not any of that cocktail ocean spray stuff) as you possibly can (obviously you can dilute it, but the 100% pure concentrate doesn't have the added sugar and isn't 90% some other juice that won't help you). Also the cranberry supplement pills are really good too.
posted by whoaali at 6:29 PM on November 5, 2008

Slightly bloody pee is totally normal. Now that you're on antibiotics it shouldn't get any bloodier. If your urine does get bloodier or you start experiencing nausea or pain other than in your bladder and urethra, call your doctor.

Uristat is available over the counter at your local pharmacy. It will help with the feeling of urgency and the pain during urination. The good news is the antibiotics tend to start working pretty quickly and I'll bet you will be feeling quite a bit better by morning.

Stay well hydrated by drinking clear liquids, avoiding caffeine, sugary drinks and alcohol. If you're experiencing a lot of burning when you pee, you may want to forgo the cranberry juice for a day or two and drink a large glass of water with a teaspoon of baking soda every couple of hours to make your urine less acidic. (Cranberry juice helps keep the bacteria down but, in my experience, once your bladder and urethra are irritated, it just makes the burning worse.)
posted by weebil at 7:08 PM on November 5, 2008

Best answer: Addendum to the cranberry recs -- blueberries may have some of the same active ingredients.

I second the alkalizing approach if you have burning pain. This approach can make the first couple of days of the antibiotics, before they kick bacterial levels down, much more bearable.

If baking soda in water tastes like death (it does, to me) you can try Alka Seltzer Gold in water -- it becomes sodium citrate in the water which is another urinary alkalizer (props to Ask MeFi for alerting me to this). Regular Alka Seltzer also does this but it has analgesic as well which isn't good if you are going to be taking it a lot.

I hope you feel better soon.
posted by subbes at 2:17 PM on November 6, 2008