I just talked to the nurse, I need advice here please!!!!!

[jen74 ICN Member Find all posts View Profile Close jen74]

Hi Ladies.

I wrote earlier about how I had the chills and cold sweats last night and more bladder pain and thought I was coming down with a UTI. I finally got a call back from the nurse.
Well, I just spoke to the nurse and I am really upset here. She just called me no ( it is 3:30 pm) and tells me that she talked to the doctor and the doctor said that I should come in right now( to see the nurse of course, not her) and leave a culture and so she could do the dipstick and so she can use the bladder scanner just to see if I am retaining anything(that is my guess). I told her that there was no way I could get there in that time. I dont live right around the corner and here in Chicago, It is major Rush hour and the traffic is packed right now. I mean I called her at 8:30 this morning. If she would have called me back at a decent time, I could have made it there. They close at 4:30.
Well I told her I could not make it there today, and she tells me that I would have to come first thing in the morning since the doctor will not be there long as she is going out of town. Then she tells me that if I get worse I will just have to go to the ER as the doc said she would not prescribe anything over the phone for me without seeing me and having a culture. I am so ******. I mean I know what she will do tomorrow, she will do the dipstick test and if it is normal, she will make me wait until the culture comes back, which will be 3 days, so then I probably wont get the amswer until Monday of next week. This is an absolute joke, honestly.
I am seriuosly thinking about dropping her like a hot potato. I dont deserve to be treated like this. The nurse also said that I should take my temerature and see if I have a fever. But in the next breathe she tells me if I do, then I will have to go to the ER as she wont prescribe any anti-b's over the phone without seeing me. I cannot afford to go to the ER. I am getting broke by this disease as it is. I just got the bill from the instills and they are charging $302 bucks for eash instill. I do have insurance, but I also have a huge deductible so I will end up covering alot of that.
What would you gals do? I dont see the new urogyne until next Tuesday the 13th. This is so frustrating. Do you think what this doctor is doing is right, I mean by telling me I would have to go to the ER if I got worse? That is alot of money to go to the ER. They charge $1000 bucks just to walk in the door. Any advice is greatly appreciated. I feel like they have me in a corner right now as I really have no choice as I dont have another doctor to go to. I mean even if I call my regular primary doc, she works in the same hospital and would still likely want me to do a culture. I am at a loss. Thanks gals.
Jen

[kadi Support Leader Find all posts View Profile Close kadi]

There are home UTI kits, I get them from the ICN store, but I've seen something similar at the drugstore. They're not as good as a culture, because they will only indicate if an infection is present, not what kind it is & if your antibiotics will work on it.

It does actually make sense, if you can't get to the doctor today, that you should go to the ER if you get worse tonight. If you spike a fever, have flank pain, blood in the urine, it's important to get treatment ASAP, rather than risk the infection in your kidneys.

I'm sorry, these things are very frustrating...

[Babs RN Angel watching over us Find all posts View Profile Close Babs RN]

I agree with Kadi. I also wanted to say that if it is an infection, an ER trip is cheaper than being admitted for IV antibiotics. These things are soooo frustrating, I know! I am part of the health care system(one of those darn nurses) and I have trouble accessing care myself. I have trouble with doctors and their office nurses calling me back too. If you have a fever or blood, please don't wait.

I hope you feel better and get an answer soon, sweetie. PM me if you want.

Hugs,
Barb

[dancemomof2 No longer active Find all posts View Profile Close dancemomof2]

[vm ICN Member Find all posts View Profile Close vm]

If it were me I'd go to an ER or to an urgent care. My uro won't prescribe antibiotics without doing a urinalysis and culture first either. It used to make me so mad, but that was his policy.

I started calling my GP when I got UTIs b/c he would prescribe an antibiotic while I waited for UA/culture results b/c EVERY time I called it did end up that I did have UTIs.

[ICNDonna ICN Staff Find all posts View Profile Close ICNDonna]

My first choice would be an urgent care center, but if there isn't one near you, then ER is about your only option right now. I do think a call to your primary care doc would be okay too.

Donna

[waterflow ICN Member Find all posts View Profile Close waterflow]

The ER is more then likely the way to go. Most doctors will not perscribe anything new over the phone. I have tried before but can not get anything without seeing them first. It sounds like you really do not like the doctor so maybe you should stop seeing her and see how it goes with the new one.

[humpieumpumkin IC Friend Find all posts View Profile Close humpieumpumkin]

I'm so sorry Jen.
I understand, I owe the hospital 500$ They can work something out with you so you can pay a little at a time, even 50$ a month or less. They have a type of pyridium that is laced with an anti that is sold over the counter in the womens section. I do agree with the others, although the finaces are tough, being admitted for a course of iv anit's on a pump is no fun and very expensive...no to mention the hospital is a misrable place to sleep and get rest...hang in there. BTW, the otc pyridium/anti is weak and most likley won't cure whatever it is you have...it seems drug resisitant if I remember your previous post. Just giving you options girlie, although if it was me and my kidney, I would be in the er lickidy split...keep us posted.

Erika

[jen74 ICN Member Find all posts View Profile Close jen74]

Thanks Ladies.
I appreciate all your replies and advice. I took my temp and do not have any fever. I just got the chills, which seem way worse at night that in the day. I guess I will wait it out and go drop off a urine culture tomorrow morning since the nurse said I could do this first thing tomorrow morning. I guess I will have to wait the three days out for the culture results, but I amm thinking that it takes three days so I wont get the results until Monday of next week.

I just dont like going to the ER because all they will do is the dipstick test which for me is useless and never picks up my infections, only a culture will. They will likely just send me home with anti-b's anyways, but I will end up paying a huge bill that I cant really afford. It seems silly when the doctor could do the same thing. I mean I could have peed in a cup here and brought her a sample tomorrow morning and she could have just prescribed some anti-b's just incase I do have a UTI.

I am glad I am seeing a new doctor next week. This one sure has a horrid bed side manner. I can never even talk to her, I have to always go through the nurses. This is crazy when I am paying her.

I still am having worse baldder pain tonight and feeling like a gotta pee all the time. If this is not a UTI, then I have no idea what is going on. I thought after having three instills I should feel ALOT better by now. I mean these are supposed rescue instills and should work right away from what I hear. I do get a couple good days, but then I am back to having pain after that.

What do I have to look out for with this in terms of symptoms if this is a UTI? I mean I dont have any blood that I can see in my urine and I dont have fever, just the chills and bladder pain, and urgency and frequency. I have some of those test strips here at home, but they never show anything when I have an infection for some reason. Also, I think they are only good to use in the morning with the first pee of the day in order to be accurate. They really should not use those as in terms of whether to treat a person for a UTI. I mean mine are always normal and then my culture comes back showing I have a UTI. They should go by symptoms for some people.

Do you really have to have IV antibiotics for a kidney infection? I thought they just give you oral anti=B's. My friend use to get kidney infections all the time and she was never hopitalized for them, but just given a script for anti-B's.
Anyhow,thanks for the replies. I will see how it goes tonight. I will likely go in the morning to drop off the culture if I still feel this way.
Jen

[jen74 ICN Member Find all posts View Profile Close jen74]

Hi Erika,
I already am paying a ton of bills on time as it is. My son is not the healthiest kid and has some health issues (asthma, allergies etc...) and my hubby just had emergency dental surgery which cost a ton so try not to jump when it comes to running to the ER.

Now with a kidney infection, what would be the symptoms? Would I have a fever? I remember one doctor telling me I would have a high fever with a kidney infection. I dont think I have a kidney infection right now as I dont have any flank pain or back pain. I just have the baldder pain and urgecny, feeling like I gotta go all the time. And I have the chills. I do have some cipro anti'bs here at home, but all I have is like 7 pills. I dont even think that would be enough.

If I get really bad, I would go to the ER of course. I just cant afford to jump there right now. I mean the bills are just piling up. I just found out how much they are charging for the instills.($302 bucks a instill). I will have to pay for part of that, and I have had three already so that is over $600. Likely I will have to pay for half or more of that. I am suppose to have 6 done, so that is about $1,800 bucks a month. For me out of pocket would be about $900. And she wanted me to come in and do them twice a week she said if I dont get better. No way can I afford it. I dont even think whe would let me do them at home even though it would be no big deal as my hubby already has to cath the meds out since I cant pee them out as it causes me retention. I mean how hard could it be to instill some meds in a catheter?
She said she only lets patients do home instills if they have to keep coming back over a long period of time. Meaning, I would have to go to her for them for months before she would even consider it.

Thanks again for listening Ladies. I hope you all are doing well.
Jen

[**Angie** ICN Member Find all posts View Profile Close **Angie**]

Have you explained your financial situation to her?? She might be compassionate and let you do them at home. Financial stress can really do a number on the bladder. I'm sure many would agree. IC brings out lots of financial problems!!!!

[tigger_gal ICN Member Find all posts View Profile Close tigger_gal]

I think all our doctors are the same. They have to know you have an infection b4 they can give you meds.
I hope you feel better soon.

[dg2901 ICN Member Find all posts View Profile Close dg2901]

Do you have access to an urgent care? Or perhaps your local hospital has a minor emergency dept?
Regardless of your current financial situation, dont hesitate to go to the ER should your symptoms worsen.

Feel better soon!
Diana

[jen74 ICN Member Find all posts View Profile Close jen74]

Thanks Ladies.
Well, I made it through the night, still had some chills. I am going to go to the doctor and drop of the urine culture this morning. I am not sure if the doc will prescribe anything or not though. They will likely do a dipstick test( which in my case will be normal as it always is, they dont pick up my infections ever). So if she goes by that, then I will likely have to wait until the culture comes back.
I can understand to a point where doctors dont want to prescribe anti-b's over the phone, but I think people with IC should be treated different than a person who does not have it. I mean before I got IC, I did get infections and they were annoying, but even if I had to wait a few days, it was tolerable. But a person with IC, any tiny bit if bacteria can throw them into a huge flare. That is what happened to me last time I had an infection. I had to wait about 5 days before being treated and by that time, I was in agony and did not get over it for weeks.
These doctors can really be insensitive at times. I dont see the point in making a person wait for a culture result if they have symptoms. I mean like the nurse told me that I would have to go to the ER as my doc would not prescribe anything over the phone. Now think about it, if I go to the ER, all they are going to do, is take a culture and send me home with antibiotics anyways and tell me to follow up with my doctor. Plus getting charged an arm and a leg for the emergency room. It is almost like they want to help make money for the hospital. It is sad. It does not make sense.
Thanks again for all your support and advice ladies.
Jen

[amartaingirl ICN Member Find all posts View Profile Close amartaingirl]

re

I had one doc..who kept telling me to go to the er too..
needless to say..i dropped his butt.

er's in fl are a joke. you seriously are there ALL DAY LONG.
6 hour minimum.

your the one having trouble with the instills are you?
i dont think i would do that anymore..if i were you.


you might just be sick. i know i had some sort of 24 hour flu that caused me to miss 2 days from work last week.