MIL has a urinary infection. Why do doctors not start a treatment before a culture is done?

Alva is a RN. The D-Manosse she talks about may help clear it up. It also prevents it. There are Azo products too. Better than nothing till u get to doctor.

Mom was always given a broad spectrum antibiotic for her UTI. My daughter, RN, says thats how they usually start till the culture comes thru.

Once this UTI gets cleared up, I would try to prevent another. My Mom was put on cranberry tablets and a probiotic. Being clean as possible is a big thing. Making sure she voids is another. Have her sit a little longer still she gets "the filling" she has to do again. Leaning forward helps. No soap used in that area. Cotton panties. If using Depends, the brand can cause problems. I have never been able to use kotex products.

In the almost 2 years I had Mom she never had a UTI. She was not incontinent so that helps. (She was at the AL) I washed that area using a handheld shower head with just water. Alva swears by the D-Mantosse.

Often they start with a broad spectrum antibiotic and then switch it if the bacteria that grows out of the culture in three days is resistant to it. That is the preferrable way for elders who are so prone to sepsis in my humble opinion, to say nothing of the pain that can accompany an infection. Meanwhile you might try over the counter phenazopyridine HCL for the pain relief (will change color of urine to orange) and methenamine for the antibacterial action alone with D-Mannose which like cranberry (but not acidic) will keep the bacteria from adhering to the bladder wall. Almost all these infections are e-coli and were once treated as such, but less so nowadays as antibiotic treatment is so frowned upon when it can be avoided.

MILHell, it takes 3-4 days for a UTI culture to show the results. There is no way to make the culture work any quicker. Then and only then can an antibiotic be scripted for the patient.

I had a UTI, and had to wait 3 days until the lab could tell what it was. That is common.

We are a nation of over use of antibiotics. Plus antibiotics are used in cattle, dairy cows, pigs, turkeys and chicken, to which we ingest, unless we eat organic. That lowers our ability to use the antibiotics we had back decades ago.

The culture tells what kind of antibiotic is needed against the infection. Antibiotics are matched to the bacteria type. A culture is the definitive way to make sure the right antibiotic prescription is issued. It is common to wait for the culture results before prescribing an antibiotic.

If you do one of the "over the counter" tests then they might give antibiotics. The problem giving them freely is that you may end up with drug resistant strains that are more difficult to get rid of.

MIL lives in Independent Living, not a facility. Doctors usually do give a script for an antibiotic when the simple ‘litmus’ test is done and is positive. Perhaps not giving it was a mistake, or perhaps MIL has the script and has forgotten. Doctors don’t hand out the antibiotic itself. Worth checking if she still has it. In the meantime, drink lots and lots of water to help flush it through.

Because your mother in law lives in a sh*t hole facility. That's why. Seriously what the f**k? You could go to urgent care or a walk in clinic and walk out the same day with a prescription. Seems like this facility is h*ll bent on torturing the elders in their care as much as possible. Mother Theresa did that she thought it brought people closer to God.