I am in pain

Have you ever had that feeling of pain when you are urinating? You may feel this before, during, or even after urination. Sometimes this is accompanied by mild fever, chills, and abdominal or back pains, these are symptoms of urinary track infection or UTI. Here are some “ need-to-know” ideas to avoid it.

Since the female urethra (where your urine passes) is just next to your vagina ( where your menstruation comes out) and followed by the anus ( where your feces or “poo-poo” comes out ) the proximity of these anatomical landmarks have a great contribution to having UTI I not understood very well.

Every time you take a bath make sure that you wash between the labias ( majora and minora). Avoid using soaps as this will lessen the acidity of your vagina which can lead to more irritations and infections. When you urinate, again, wash your labia up to the area of the vagina with soap and water. In the absence of water in the public toilets then you can use toilet paper to dry these areas. Keeping them dry at all times can help avoid infections especially fungal infections.

When you move your bowels ( or “poo”). Wash from the area of the labia going down to the anus instead o form your anus going forward to your labia. Such should be the case too if you just use toilet paper when you are using public toilets. Wipe from the labia going to the anus. Doing it otherwise would mean carrying some of your feces or “poo-poo” towards the urethral and vaginal opening and you know what this means... UTI or other infections.

Lastly, since you cannot wash your ureters ( the tubes connecting the kidneys to the urinary bladder) and urinary bladder( where urine is temporarily stored before it is passed out), one way to keep them clean is to hydrate yourself. Drink plenty of water. These areas have normal bacterial flora and will be kept clean if you keep on drinking water and urinating. Some fluids like sodas do not necessarily constitute the fluids needed by the body.

In case you develop UTI it is best that you consult with your family doctor because laboratory exams might be necessary and appropriate antibiotics would be prescribed to you. Don't self medicate in such case.

Put your pains behind you, be clean, and drink plenty of water.