Kidneys.
 

I went to the doctor's today, and it turns out I have some kind of infection. She wasn't specific, but said it was either a urinary infection or kidney infection. I'm on antibiotics for roughly 10 days I think.

My question is, how long will it take to get better? I'm in absolute agony.

Secondly, can I mix antibiotics with painkillers? The pain is really unbearable and seeing as I don't know how long it'll take for it to lessen, i'd like to take something else in the meantime!

Thanks.

you should be ok to use normal doses of pain killers, but you could ring NHS direct to be sure. You should feel completley better by day 7 or 8 and the last couple of days meds are to make sure all traces of the infection are gone. It's a UTI and hard to differentiate between kidneys or lower down the tract with just a dipstick test, the treatment is the same though unless its severe kidney problems.

you could try a warm compress or bottle where ever it hurts, and make sure to drink plenty of fluids. i get UTIs a LOT! Nasty things, I keep some lunchbox sized cartons of cranberry juice for when i get the first twinge, until I can get to GP.

mand x

It depends on the painkiller, stay away from anything containing ibuprofen in it.

As for how long it will take, that all depends on how your body reacts to the antibiotics. Make sure to drink plenty of fluids. If you do drink cranberry juice, don't drink it within 2 hours of taking your antibiotics. Acidic drinks can mess with how medications are absorbed.

thank youu! I will try and drink lots of water, but why is it important to drink fluids?

I have Anadin, which is paracetamol, asprin and caffeine. Are they okay to take?

You're best off sticking with something that is just a painkiller. Caffeine is a diuretic, and you don't want to be messing with diuretics, no matter how mild right now.

It's important to drink fluids because a lot of people don't when they have a UTI because it hurts to go to the bathroom, and then they end up dehydrated. Also, the more you drink, the more diluted your urine is, meaning it's less irritating to the urinary system.

okay thanks! :)

it helps flush the bacteria out too. mand x