3 Things To Know About Urinary Tract Infections

If you are struggling to urinate and feel pain, burning, and pressure, you might have a urinary tract infection. Unfortunately, there are no good ways to treat these types of infections without prescription medication. If you are tired of the pain and constant pressure but cannot get into your doctor's office, you could visit an urgent care center for help.

What Is a UTI?

A UTI is an infection somewhere in your urinary tract. People typically get these when bacteria enters though the urethra. Once you get one, you will know because of the symptoms. Common symptoms include pain, burning, and irritation in this area. You will probably feel like you have to urinate all the time, but you might not be able to go. Your urine might also be cloudy in color and smell different than usual.

How Is It Diagnosed?

When you go to a doctor for a UTI, he or she will diagnose it through a urine test. You will have to urinate in a small cup, and the doctor will test the urine. Doctors are able to find infections by examining the number of white and red blood cells.

How Do Doctors Treat These?

Your doctor is likely to treat your UTI with antibiotics. The goal of antibiotics is to kill the bacteria that is causing the infection. Without getting antibiotics, your UTI might linger for a very long time and may never go away. Once you get the antibiotics and begin taking them, you are likely to feel relief very quickly. Antibiotics work great for treating UTIs, but you should always make sure you take all the antibiotics your doctor gives you, even if you feel better within 24 hours.

If you do not get treatment for a UTI and leave it unaddressed, the infection could work its way into other parts of your body. If this happens, you may need additional tests to locate the problem, and you may need additional forms of treatment to eliminate the problem. Because of this, it is always a good idea to visit a doctor when you start having symptoms of a UTI.

Urgent care centers offer a convenient way to receive medical treatment for most types of infections and minor injuries. They offer short wait times and are less expensive than emergency rooms. If you would like to learn more about the services offered by urgent care centers, such as Alaska Urgent Care LLC, visit one today.