everyone must read!!!!!!!

[NB]

No one answered the question about how the swab test is taken. Does anyone know?
Do they go into the bladder and take it? OUCHHHHHIE, i don't like that thought but if this is a bacteria that can easily be killed off and possibly end IC for good then i has to be worth it!!!!

[unicornsintherain]

Hey guys... chill out... it was a vaginal swab.. no pain dont worry i freaked out when they came at me with a swab!

[Sparky2]

Hello:

Per your question about the swab test: they basically take a Q-tip and swab the urethra or your cervix...whatever you prefer. (The urethral swab makes more sense to me.) It's a little uncomfortable...but I didn't find it particularly painful...takes just a few seconds.

Best of luck,
Sparky

[Fraidycat]

Okay, I called my gyno and spoke to a nurse. I explained what I wanted done, and she said they don't do that test because it's a bladder-related test. She said to go to my uro. But my uro won't do it!


Was she wrong, and should I insist on talking to my gyno about this in person?

[unicornsintherain]

Alot of uros wont do the test unfortunately, but try asking your uro if he would be open to the possibility of just treating it with antibiotics and treating your partner. Ive heard some uros will reluctantly do this.

[Fraidycat]

This is so bizarre and stupid! Why should we have to convince our doctors to do this for us? When will these people learn that they work for us, not the other way around?

It seems to me that if we want this test, we should have it, end of story. Why do they get to refuse us?

[JackiePecora]

Maybe you could ask your primary care doc for a referral to an infectious disease doctor. Ureaplasma can be found by blood test as well as swab.
Jackie

[Mary F.]

Hi!
I just got word that my urologist WILL test me for the bacteria (Ureaplasma Urealyticum)tomorrow! I didn't think that he would, since he is very conservative in his thinking. I am very nervous now, though. I want very much to know if I have it, of course, but whenever I take ANY antibiotics, even for a couple of days, I get an almost immediate itching in my vagina. I must be VERY sensitive to antibiotics, and even keep acidophilus in my fridge. Am I setting myself up for the yeast infection from hell? <img src="graemlins/eek.gif" border="0" alt="[eek]" /> I was reading up on one of the doc's lectures yesterday, regarding antibiotic treatments, and he said that some people have to be very careful, because they get hard-to-cure yeast infections. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? I imagine I could ask for Diflucan to go with the treatment, or am I mistaken? If anyone has any thoughts on this, please help! <img src="graemlins/banghead.gif" border="0" alt="[banghead]" />
Thanks in advance...
Mary <img src="graemlins/hi.gif" border="0" alt="[hi]" />

[Christa]

Hi all-
About the "owee" swab test. I had it exactly today. It cost me 52 Polish zloty about 12 bucks. I also repeated Chlamydia test just to be sure. You know, once I had my pants off... Anyhow, it was a swab of the urinary tract and of course it hurt, but not more than my everyday pain and not more than the one cystoscopy I had live in Germany. Results should be in on Monday. It's always worth a shot.

Now a question- The lab recommended I go to a lab here specializing in tropical diseases. I got sick not long after returning from a long trip to Turkery where I also contracted a bacterial skin infection looking similar to yeast but without any internal itching etc. Any ideas? [img]confused.gif[/img]

[Christa]

That would be Turkey, not Turkery. Sorry.

[Fields]

LT, Could you please tell me which NIDDK study is now not requiring the cyto/hydrodistention and where you found this NIDDK study on this web site. I would appreciate it so much. I am trying to collect enough credible data to persuade my uro that it is really not necessary for diagnosis.Thank you so very much. Any ideas you have on how I convince my uro, I would appreciate.

[JackiePecora]

Hi Mary,
I'm on the antibiotics and I'm also on diflucan. I would ask your doctor to put you on so you don't have a yeast problem. I also read that if you take acidophilis... don't take it at the same time as the antibiotic.

Christa... the first question my infectious disease doc asked me was if I ever traveled abroad. He specializes in tropical disease as well. Maybe you should look into that Turkey trip that you took with an infectious/tropical disease doc.

Jackie

[JOJO]

Unicorn
I tried to send a private message. I was just wondering what is the name of your uro?Could you email me please at [email protected] [img]smile.gif[/img] I would appreciate it [img]biggrin.gif[/img]

[sweetie]

What incredibly wonderful news! I hate to ask a dumb question, but I was diagnosed by cystoscopy and the KCL test--if the KCL was positive, is there a chance that the bacteria might still be the culprit? (***keeping fingers crossed***)

Congratulations on your super-duper good fortune--and good health! And thanks so much for sharing this info with us.

[lm2]

Hi Unicorns, I was wondering if you could send me a private message or email with the name of your doctor? I actually went to the Cleveland Clinic in '99 when I first got sick and am wondering if I saw the same doctor as you. I think he tested me for that but it was via urethral swab and I think it was negative because he wanted to proceed with the next tests for IC. He didn't talk much about the research on this so I wonder if it has come to light more in the time since then. I still wonder if maybe my test was negative because I had just stopped antibiotics and maybe just maybe there is still something there to treat. I wonder if it's hard to isolate though why they don't just treat you empirically. Well I'm wondering now if I should be retested or something...
Thanks