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Suggest Treatment For Abdominal And Back Pain While Suffering From UTI
Posted on
Mon, 13 Feb 2017
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Mon, 13 Feb 2017
Answered on
Wed, 8 Mar 2017
Last reviewed on
Question : Hi. I'm a 68 yr old female. Last week I was prescribed Sulfameth/TMP 800/160 MG TB for a UTI. It didn't go away fully. This past week I've had dull pain eminating from the sides of my back to my id stomach. I vomited. I have to take Tylenol every 3 hrs to handle the pain. Even during the night. I happened to have another Rx o the Sulfame, so I began on this orderm of6 pills today. Could a UTI cause this dull pain? Approximately 10 yrs ago, I had a couple of bouts with more intense similar pain, but the symptoms were worse. But that couple of episodes only lasted for a few hours. I have had this pain now since early last week. Thank you.
Brief Answer:
Kidney infection vs kidney stones (or both)
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
I think either you have a kidney infection or kidney stones.
I am wondering how the UTI was diagnosed. It is important to always get a urinalysis , and if the urinalysis looks like an infection, then it is very important to get a culture and sensitivity test from the urine sample. The culture and sensitivity will show which antibiotics will be effective. This is important because of bacterial resistance to antibiotics. So it's possible that, if you had a UTI, that the bacteria were only partially sensitive to the SMX/TMP. In which case the infection can persist and go up into the kidneys.
It's also possible that you never had a UTI, and that you are having stones or some other problem.
I highly recommend that you either be seen today by your doctor, or go in to an urgent care clinic. Make sure they do a urinalysis and a culture/sensistivity. You may also need an X-ray to look for stones.
But I would not delay. If this is a kidney infection (which can cause flank pain and nausea/vomiting, and often fever and chills) then you need to be treated quickly, and not with the same antibiotic that you were on before.
I hope this information helps.
Kidney infection vs kidney stones (or both)
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
I think either you have a kidney infection or kidney stones.
I am wondering how the UTI was diagnosed. It is important to always get a urinalysis , and if the urinalysis looks like an infection, then it is very important to get a culture and sensitivity test from the urine sample. The culture and sensitivity will show which antibiotics will be effective. This is important because of bacterial resistance to antibiotics. So it's possible that, if you had a UTI, that the bacteria were only partially sensitive to the SMX/TMP. In which case the infection can persist and go up into the kidneys.
It's also possible that you never had a UTI, and that you are having stones or some other problem.
I highly recommend that you either be seen today by your doctor, or go in to an urgent care clinic. Make sure they do a urinalysis and a culture/sensistivity. You may also need an X-ray to look for stones.
But I would not delay. If this is a kidney infection (which can cause flank pain and nausea/vomiting, and often fever and chills) then you need to be treated quickly, and not with the same antibiotic that you were on before.
I hope this information helps.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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