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A bladder infection is very painful. If you haven't had a bladder infection, you don't ever want one. The medical term for a bladder infection is cystitis. It is also called a urinary tract infection or UTI. Inflammation of the bladder is usually caused by an infection.
Bladder infections are much more common in women. The reason for this is probably because a woman's urethra, which is the tube from the bladder to the outside of the body, is much shorter than a man's and therefore, bacteria can reach the woman's bladder more easily.
The symptoms of cysitis (bladder infection) are:
-burning sensation when urinating
-feeling of urgency to urinate and feeling like the need to urinate often, (often you will go to urinate and have little or no urine.)
-blood or other sediment in urine, cloudy, dark and/foul smelling urine.
-low abdominal pain, maybe low back pain
-if kidneys become involved, fever and flank pain
Testing includes collection of a urine sample to test for bacteria. The collection has to be done in a way to ensure that no outside contamination is present in the specimen. Your doctor will give you a special wipe to clean the outside of the urethra area (just above the vagina), and a special sterilized container to catch it in.
Treatment includes oral antibiotics. The symptoms usually improve within 48 to 72 hours. There are also medicines to control the bladder burning and spasms. This medicine will turn your urine either orange or blue, depending on the type given. This is harmless. Drinking plenty of water and cranberry juice will also help. This will help to flush out the bacteria. Tylenol can be taken for pain and fever.
To prevent frequent bladder infections, always drink plenty of water and cranberry juice. Always wipe from front to back when using the bathroom, (this is because wiping from back to front could cause bacteria from the rectum or from stool to enter into the urethra or vagina, as well.) Also urinate before and after sexual intercourse, and clean yourself after sexual intercourse, because cystitis commonly occurs in relation to having sexual intercourse.
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