I have suffered with recurrent UTI's for years but a few months ago had a particularly severe one which I took 4 different Antibiotics some not finishing the course because I felt they weren't working (stupid I know, probably the reason Im in this mess I know).
I dont think it ever really went. But my urinary symptoms completley died down after a course of trimethaprim. After about a month I became severely brain fogged (cant concentrate, terrible memory loss, cant hold a coversation like normal)and fatigued and had muscle weakness and couldn't do anything. I thought I had ME.
I had strong smelling urine and occasional twinges when weeing but no normal UTI symptoms.
Then after about a month it transpired I had a UTI. The sensitivity test said it was sensitive to amox so the doc put me on 250mg 7 day course. The symptoms improved but didn't go. I then had a 5 day course of 500mg amox and the urinary symptoms went and the brain fog seemed to lift. I was so happy to feel clear again.
This lasted for about a week, then after drinking at my Dads 50th birthday party i felt a bit foggy for 2 days. Then I had a glass of wine one evening the next week...I was brain fogged till about 3pm the next day. Then I went out with my friends on the friday night, drinking. That was it, the UTI and brain fog came back full blown. Well I say full blown the urinary symptoms weren't like a normal UTI they were like a milder version but still very apparent.
I went back to the docs and demanded more Antibiotics (they had seemed to work last time)despite a -ve urine sample. He gave me another weeks course of augmentin-it didn't work.
I was becoming very desperate as I can't function as normal and it is serverly affecting my studies and making me depressed. So I paid to see a private uroligist. He had never heard of the brain fog symptom. He has given me a long course of ciprofloxacin. I am now on day 5 and my brain fog is still very much here. But my urinary symptoms have pretty much gone.
I am a 5th year dental student approaching my finals and I cant think straight. I just failed a practical exam and my tutor said I just didn't seem with it. She was right I never feel with it at the moment. It is making me so sad. I am on the verge of tears all the time, I feel like I can't carry on with my course and everyone seems to think I have a mental health problem and I think they want to try to treat my depression, they wont listen to me when I say it is the brain fog that is making me depressed, I think they think my brain fog is psycosomatic.
I know that something is causing it and the strange thing is that I was better for a week then relapsed. I just don't understand it.
The other thing is that I always seem to feel better in the evenings, I am drinking lots of water and weeing lots in the day and I feel like something builds back up throughout the night . My wee is always very strong in the mornings- more so than is normal i feel.
I am desperate to get better at this moment in time I feel I am going to drop out of my course and feel like no-one understands or even believes me. Im scared its never going to go. I feel a shadow of the person I used to be. Can anybody help?