Update

Getting better, but bladder still feels very sensitive. Got acupuncture appointment on Wednesday - hopefully that will help a bit.

Update

Bladder still sore. Rode bike to tai chi and back yesterday, but thought it best not to risk riding bike to work today. Not doing very well in keeping of the tea. Did a probiotic suppository on Tuesday. Still taking the herbs. Would love a cup of coffee right now.

Cystitis

Got cystitis on Sunday evening. Think it came on after having sex on Saturday morning, then drank no water all day Sunday. Fool. Treating it with Chinese herbs and lots of water.

Grumbling bladder

Think I'm not drinking enough water - difficult to in Winter.

Mild cystitis episode

Started on Saturday night. Very mild. Took Chinese herbal medicine, drank some salty sachets, and used probiotic suppository. Clearing up. Need to stay off the tea and coffee...

Fucking cystitis again

Well, whaddya know, I've got cystitis again. Had two lots of sex last weekend, and the second lot was a bit rough, and he hadn't showered beforehand. Developed cystitis on Saturday night. Took herbs, salty water and paracetamol. It cleared quite a bit on Sunday. Monday no cystitis and had acupuncture for the hives. Tuesday, cystitis stinging and rode bike to work. Tuesday night really sore. Took herbs and salty water. Felt better yesterday, although could still feel it. Then today, felt loads better. So had a cup of coffee like a twat this afternoon, and think it's that that has caused it to flare up right now. Mental note: he needs to wash his cock before sex.

Honeymoon cystitis!

Had an episode of cystitis on holiday - coffee, wine, and too much sex. Took Chinese herbs and drank salty water, but it didn't resolve. Ended up taking antibiotics for it. Cystitis has cleared up but now have hives. Had them for a week now. Itchy welts that appear out of nowhere, burn and itch, last for a couple of hours and then vanish without a trace, only to appear somewhere else. Had acupuncture for them today and thought they might vanish straightaway - but no such luck. Bollocks, eh?

Slight bladder disruption

Spent the weekend drinking tea and coffee and eating sugary items. Had sex on Sunday evening - olive oil but no shower beforehand. Then on Monday drank three cups of tea and a can of Red Bull. Slight stinging today. Taken Chinese herbs, and drank some salty water. Need to stay off the caffeine :(

The Lowdown

Well, I had a bad episode, took two Chinese capsules a day, had more acupuncture, and guess what? Things seem to have calmed right down. The other Magic Bullet is NO tea or coffee. And that really means NO tea. (If only I could continue to take my own good advice.) Even just two cups of Earl Grey a day makes things uncomfortable Down There. I'm trying to train myself to do without caffeine and only drink rooibos. Wish me luck.

Had another appointment with the urologist today too. He told me what I've known all along - they've no idea why some women get this and they've no idea what to do about it. Great. Good job the acupuncture and Chinese herbs are working, or else I'd be crawling up the wall.

Ketamine

Bad for your bladder, apparently.

Aargh

Had sex yesterday morning. Woke up this morning with cystitis. Funny how you can feel it coming on - woke up with tender feeling in bladder and also urgent need to poo. Now have the shits, bladder hurting and pee burns. Have taken one of the Chinese herbal capsules (didn't take one last night) and a paracetamol. Am drinking a cup of hot water. Suppose could take one of salty sachets although don't feel very inclined. Hands very cold. Kidney area very cold and tender to touch. Food-wise got no idea what might have contributed. Had pancakes (wheat) with sugar on them yesterday, also had curry. Perhaps that didn't help?

Bladder update

Well, spent five days in US where drank insane amounts of coffee. Am now covered in eczema and bladder is sore. Then came home and drank alcohol every night and ate a lot of cake. Then had sex on Sunday and Monday - two days in a row: really pushing the boat out. Randomly had the shits last night and feel that am hovering on the edge of cystitis bout now. Need to completely cut out coffee and sugar. Why can't I do what I know is good for me? :(

Update: drank a lot of water and cystitis never surfaced. Taking Chinese herbs one a night.

Cystitis

Drank loads of coffee at the weekend, ate lots of pudding, and also had alcohol (all heat-forming in Chinese medical parlance). Then came back to Notts and had sex. Twelve hours later, had a brief bout of cystitis. Not very bad, and wore off fairly quickly.

Update

I've forgotten to update for a while. Past two weeks - continuing to have acupuncture once a week (will do so until clocked up 8 sessions - can't afford any more for a while after that). Past two weeks have been cystitis-free, although things still feel a bit sensitive and tickly down there. Pushed the boat out in the last week by having sex three times. Today, things feeling quite prickly. Need to make sure drink lots of water today to try and get back on top of it. Put probiotic capsule up twat last night. Also started taking some Chinese herbs, which are supposed to be good for clearing fire.

Sex and sugar

Had sex this morning. Also ate loads of sugar this weekend (Valentine's Day yesterday so had lots of cake and ice-cream.) Will see how I am I guess. More acupuncture this week. Winter eczema has come back on legs.

Acupuncture

Had session today. Belly just above pubic bone feels tender. Mentioned it to acupuncture lady and apparently in Japanese diagnosis that is the bladder area and tenderness there indicates problems with the bladder!

Update

Drank quite a lot of alcohol at weekend due to mom's birthday. Cystitis came back today - not so bad, but uncomfortable.

Acupuncture

Decided to have an extended course of acupuncture - one session per week to try and get on top of this thing. Had first session today. A lot easier afterwards.

Update

Went in bath last night - put some lavendar oil in it - was soothing at the time, and doesn't seem to have made any difference to the cystitis. First pee of the day wasn't too stingy, but second pee hurt. Difference between the two was a cup of tea. Really need to get on top of this thing, so am thinking need to be a lot stricter about diet. No sugar, as little wheat as possible, no dairy, no coffee and no tea. Think I am also going to have some acupuncture, although it's expensive. Wonder whether to go and talk to urologist again - have an appointment for the beginning of April, but wondering whether should phone up then go and see him sooner. Trouble is that the most obvious next course of action would be to take an extended course of antibiotics, and wonder if that's such a great idea in the long run. Will maybe explore other options first. Started taking uva ursi again. Also taking cranberry (apparently they don't interact after all), D-mannose, probiotic supplements. Also put another probiotic capsule up twat. *Sigh*

Monday

Aarrgh. Got up and have much more definite cystitis-ish feelings now. It is stinging when I wee, my twat hurts, and I keep needing to go to the toilet. Have drunk a salty sachet. Am now in work.

Update

Drank a lot of water, didn't go in the bath, took the usual tablets. Twat started burning in the evening, so put a probiotic capsule up it. Think I need to try and get this sorted. It's been going on for ages now :(

Party, sex

Went to a party last night, and spoke to Beatrice and Kevin. Then came home and had sex this morning. Didn't hurt at the time, although didn't feel completely right either. Drank a lot of water all day and took a salty sachet. Took D-Mannose, cranberry, and oregano oil. Decided I should maybe not go in the bath.

Sex

Had sex this morning. A little bit sore - felt painful where I think my urethra is - but used olive oil, took D-mannose, cranberry, oregano, and probiotics afterwards. Have drunk a lot of water today. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Ultrasound scan

Discovered cyst in right kidney - apparently completely nothing to worry about. Only possible thing of interest is that I didn't fully empty my bladder. Old wee sitting around in the bladder is a common reason for recurring UTI's. Doctor doing the scan asked me if I'd had a long course of low dose antibiotics. Think he was implying it as a possible course of action. Not due to see the urologist until early April. Depending on how things go, might ring up and request an earlier appointment.

Update

Better, but still slight pain in twat. Tried to have sex, but too painful.

Probiotics

Put another capsule up my twat in attempt to get rid of remnants of infection.

Update

Faded to a niggling pain if need wee, or if haven't drunk enough water - same old, same old. It's not that bad, but it's not normal either. And it gets in the way of sex.

Damp Heat

In Chinese medicine, recurring bladder infections are the result of damp heat in the body. There's more info here.

Cystitis again and urologist

Was fine after having sex all week. Had sex on Thursday night. Did the probiotic-capsule-up-twat thing, but have now developed hot wee. Also, went to see urologist yesterday, and typically had no symptoms. He reckons I've had a sub-clinical infection which has been rumbling on. I've got to have an ultra-sound scan, and then go back to see him in twelve weeks time. In the meantime, he suggested cranberry capsules (been there, done that), and having sex with a full bladder so that properly flush it out afterwards. The bottom line is that there doesn't seem to be much he can do. There's the old antiobiotic after sex trick, but it seems like a bad idea (to him and me) because people end up getting immune to the antibiotic, and presumably it upsets the balance down there. He could also stretch my urethra, but only two thirds of people find any relief from that. I don't fancy it, quite frankly. Anyway, soreness isn't too bad right now. I'll keep you posted...

Sex and...

Had sex on Friday morning. Afterwards, put probiotic capsule up twat. No symptoms as yet...

Also had sex this morning. Intend to put capsule up twat later...

Wouldn't it be great if this was the answer?

More on probiotic suppositories can be found here.

Update

Inserted probiotic capsule inside my twat on Sunday when felt cystitis coming on. Also took some D-Mannose and oil of oregano. Capsule up twat hurt at the time but felt like it helped a lot. Symptoms cleared up a few hours later, apart from residual pain when I wee. Phoned up and booked urology appointment for a week on Friday.

Cystitis

Been away since 12th December, so no sex. Bladder finally calmed down. Then came back two days ago and had sex. Twat burning a lot straight afterwards, then twenty-four hours later got cystitis again! Also, forgot to phone up and sort out my urologist appointment before I went so think I have lost my referral. Bollocks. Will get on the phone to sort it tomorrow.