I spent this past weekend entirely resting and drinking tons of cranberry juice and water. I had UTI (Urinary Tract Infection). This was my second bout in 7 years.
This bout of UTI first started last weekend during my trip to Columbus for my high school reunion. I intentionally put it off hoping it would work itself out, or get to the doctor's office once I returned home to San Francisco.
It was understandable, but not advisable. The fever and chills began 2 days after I got back to town. Did I visit the doctor then? Nooooo. I've successfully ended colds and flu after a fever and thought the same would apply to a UTI. It doesn't. I finally reached the doctor and she said she couldn't see me. She advised me to visit the UCSF Screening & Acute Care Clinic immediately. The visit would cost me the same as a standard co-payment to the doctor's office.
When I left the office, it was clearly evident how ill I really was. I was in my chill cycle. The outside temperature got up to 82 degrees before I cracked open a window. Usually when the temperature goes above 65, I'd have the air conditioning on as soon as I start the car.
The nurse at the clinic saw me within 10 minutes. She took my temperature and seemed a bit alarmed when she told me it was 102 degrees. I provided a urine sample and within another 15 minutes, the attending resident called my name and confirmed I had UTI. She prescribed me a non-penicillin (I'm allergic to it) antibiotic. I got it filled at Walgreens within the hour.
My fever was so bad that I soaked through my pillow case, the bedsheet, 3 T-shirts and a towel over the course of the weekend. By Saturday night, my body temperature returned to normal, which is around 97 degrees.
The cause (which I won't specify) of both episodes of UTI was the same. In both cases, I failed to do something I should have. Let's just say cranberry juice is back in my diet and I will always do what needs to be done to prevent this from happening again.
