UTI test results/culture results

So, I went in for a urine test the other day, right? And they come back saying my white blood cell count is up, there's a little bit of bacteria, a ton of mucus, and way too many epithelial cells... honestly, I have zero clue what any of this actually means. Like, what am I even looking at here??? My regular blood work came back totally normal though...

Just so we're clear, this is just a urine sediment analysis, not a full-blown urine culture.
It looks like it’s pointing toward some inflammation (maybe just mild?) somewhere in the urinary tract.

It might not mean much,
in a lab setting, they often make a quick visual estimate of what the urine looks like,
and if you happen to be in the middle of your cycle or there’s just a tiny bit of mucus present when you provide the sample,
if you’re actually feeling symptomatic, you should ask your doctor for a referral for a full urine culture—that's when they truly test for bacteria.
In my experience, I've had several instances where the initial screening came back looking bad, only for the complete culture to show that everything was perfectly fine.

One physician even mentioned to me that if the leukocyte count is under 10, things are usually within the normal range.

Oops, my bad. It actually says there's sediment in the urine on the lab report. I'm totally new to this whole medical thing, so... 🙂 I gotta say, you guys really helped calm my nerves, especially since I'm not even feeling any symptoms. Even my OBGYN didn't seem super worried when she was going over the results—she just mentioned I should probably get a culture done—but I totally spiraled. I just froze up like an idiot and couldn't bring myself to ask anything else. The report shows leukocytes at 7-12. Honestly, these results feel weirdly vague, like they're giving me more qualitative vibes than actual hard numbers, whatever.

Look, you're overthinking this. As long as there isn't any blood in your urine, you’re basically fine, more or less.

hiddenscout362 said:Look, you're overthinking this. As long as there isn't any blood in your urine, you’re basically fine, more or less.

good grief

Zachary Thompson9 laid it all out pretty clearly, but honestly, I’d still say getting a urine culture done would be a smart move.
It's just the best way to pinpoint exactly what's causing any inflammation so you can treat it based on actual results rather than just guessing—though, if I'm being real, my gut tells me the culture might come back clean. 😉
Since you aren't really feeling any discomfort right now, there's no reason to panic.
Maybe just run a urine sediment test again in about ten days to stay on top of things.

Elevated white blood cell counts in urine can be an indicator of inflammation. Anything else is pretty standard stuff.

I had the exact same results, and honestly, I was being pretty foolish by just waiting around instead of doing anything besides sipping on some herbal tea. I kept telling myself it wasn't a big deal—just maybe a minor cold or something related to my cycle...
But this morning, I actually screamed from the pain when I had to go to the bathroom. I rushed straight to the CVS, grabbed a sterile container, and turned in a sample for a urine culture and sensitivity test. Now, I just have to grit my teeth and endure what feels like peeing razor blades until the lab results come back...😠
I feel so silly...

Go get that culture done; I really hope nothing bad is going on.😉

Ryan Doyle6 said:I had the exact same results, and honestly, I was being pretty foolish by just waiting around instead of doing anything besides sipping on some herbal tea. I kept telling myself it wasn't a big deal—just maybe a minor cold or something related to my cycle...
But this morning, I actually screamed from the pain when I had to go to the bathroom. I rushed straight to the CVS, grabbed a sterile container, and turned in a sample for a urine culture and sensitivity test. Now, I just have to grit my teeth and endure what feels like peeing razor blades until the lab results come back...😠
I feel so silly...

Go get that culture done; I really hope nothing bad is going on.😉

You can try taking some Advil to take the edge off. It’s an analgesic and anti-inflammatory, so it should help dull the symptoms while you wait to start antibiotics.👍

Thanks 👍
Right now, I’m sipping on some cranberry juice, and I have to say, it seems to be helping 🙂 The pain isn't nearly as intense as it was yesterday, so I can actually get things done today.
That said, if there happens to be a medical professional here who could help me out with a quick question:
Is it okay to drink cranberry juice and Advil herbal tea at the same time? I read on the tea packaging that you shouldn't consume anything acidic while drinking it, but then everyone seems to recommend cranberry juice, which is definitely acidic. What's the best move here? Should I alternate days—one day for the tea and one for the juice—or just pick one and stick to it?
Thanks.
😉

Ryan Doyle6 said:Thanks 👍
Right now, I’m sipping on some cranberry juice, and I have to say, it seems to be helping 🙂 The pain isn't nearly as intense as it was yesterday, so I can actually get things done today.
That said, if there happens to be a medical professional here who could help me out with a quick question:
Is it okay to drink cranberry juice and Advil herbal tea at the same time? I read on the tea packaging that you shouldn't consume anything acidic while drinking it, but then everyone seems to recommend cranberry juice, which is definitely acidic. What's the best move here? Should I alternate days—one day for the tea and one for the juice—or just pick one and stick to it?
Thanks.
😉

They don't work together because they basically cancel each other out (the Advil tea is alkaline). Just stick with the cranberry juice since it seems to be doing the trick for you.
p.s. I'm no doctor, but I know this for a fact. Other people on this forum cleared this up for me.😁

Ryan Doyle6 said:Thanks 👍
Right now, I’m sipping on some cranberry juice, and I have to say, it seems to be helping 🙂 The pain isn't nearly as intense as it was yesterday, so I can actually get things done today.
That said, if there happens to be a medical professional here who could help me out with a quick question:
Is it okay to drink cranberry juice and Advil herbal tea at the same time? I read on the tea packaging that you shouldn't consume anything acidic while drinking it, but then everyone seems to recommend cranberry juice, which is definitely acidic. What's the best move here? Should I alternate days—one day for the tea and one for the juice—or just pick one and stick to it?
Thanks.
😉

Look, I'm certainly no doctor, but one I spoke with once told me there is absolutely no way you should be mixing those two together! That's really all the expertise I can offer, so don't hold me to it!

On a side note, a few months back I had a urine culture done and, lo and behold, bacteria... then my follow-up sediment tests weren't looking great either, so I was fully prepared to deal with a lingering infection, but when I finally went back for the repeat culture, everything came back perfectly clear!

Ryan Doyle6 said:I had the exact same results, and honestly, I was being pretty foolish by just waiting around instead of doing anything besides sipping on some herbal tea. I kept telling myself it wasn't a big deal—just maybe a minor cold or something related to my cycle...
But this morning, I actually screamed from the pain when I had to go to the bathroom. I rushed straight to the CVS, grabbed a sterile container, and turned in a sample for a urine culture and sensitivity test. Now, I just have to grit my teeth and endure what feels like peeing razor blades until the lab results come back...😠
I feel so silly...

Go get that culture done; I really hope nothing bad is going on.😉

No, don't just go running off for a urine culture. We aren't at a local farmers market where you just decide "hey, let's do a culture today." Whether it's necessary is strictly up to the doctor.😉 If it’s an asymptomatic infection, they don't prescribe anything. If a doctor prescribes meds anyway, it usually means they don't know their stuff and aren't following current medical guidelines.😉 (Sadly, those types exist). But since you actually have symptoms, you definitely need treatment. Your doctor kind of dropped the ball here because once you turned in that sample, they should have started you on antibiotics right away (like trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole or norfloxacin).

And by the way, a urine culture and an antibiogram are basically the same thing.😉

Cranberry juice is good; I've heard plenty of success stories with it (not from me personally, obviously). That herbal tea is probably fine too. Mixing them? Probably won't hurt. Just thinking about it logically, I don't see why it would be forbidden. Nothing bad is going to happen.

mistyhound2 said:No, don't just go running off for a urine culture. We aren't at a local farmers market where you just decide "hey, let's do a culture today." Whether it's necessary is strictly up to the doctor.😉 If it’s an asymptomatic infection, they don't prescribe anything. If a doctor prescribes meds anyway, it usually means they don't know their stuff and aren't following current medical guidelines.😉 (Sadly, those types exist). But since you actually have symptoms, you definitely need treatment. Your doctor kind of dropped the ball here because once you turned in that sample, they should have started you on antibiotics right away (like trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole or norfloxacin).

And by the way, a urine culture and an antibiogram are basically the same thing.😉

Cranberry juice is good; I've heard plenty of success stories with it (not from me personally, obviously). That herbal tea is probably fine too. Mixing them? Probably won't hurt. Just thinking about it logically, I don't see why it would be forbidden. Nothing bad is going to happen.

Nothing bad will happen, except maybe you won't get the benefits you're looking for. It's basic chemistry: cranberry juice is acidic and the cranberry tea is alkaline, so when you mix them, they neutralize each other.
Personally, I’m all for getting the culture done. Not every antibiotic works against every strain of bacteria. To me, it's much worse to just chug norfloxacin for ten days only to realize it did absolutely nothing, forcing you to go back, get the culture, find out what you're actually dealing with, and then start a whole new round of drugs... it's just a massive, inefficient circle of hell.👎

We really need to clear up the whole cranberry and Advil tea versus antibiotics debate.

The actual germ-killing power of cranberries and Advil tea is pretty minimal. But, look—both the juice and the tea definitely have their perks because they help prevent bacteria from sticking to things.
Plus, the diuretic effect isn't something you can ignore, so they can actually be super helpful for tackling those mild UTIs.

Whether you get an antibiotic or if one is even necessary in the first place depends entirely on what your urine culture shows. Honestly, I’ll leave the "is this test needed?" part up to the doctors.😉
But, just speaking from experience, I've seen plenty of people showing all the classic signs of a UTI only for the lab results to come back totally clean.🙄

URINALYSIS RESULTS
WBC 500 /µl; +++
Nitrites neg.
Urobilinogen normal
Protein neg.
pH 7.0
RBC 10 /µl; +
Specific Gravity 1.015
Ketones neg.
Bilirubin neg.
Glucose normal

URINE SEDIMENT
RBC 1-2
WBC 8-10
Casts /
Crystals some cystine
Cells plenty of epithelial cells, plenty of bacteria,
plenty of mucus

Can someone tell me what these results actually mean?

thanks

neongardener6 said:URINALYSIS RESULTS
WBC 500 /µl; +++
Nitrites neg.
Urobilinogen normal
Protein neg.
pH 7.0
RBC 10 /µl; +
Specific Gravity 1.015
Ketones neg.
Bilirubin neg.
Glucose normal

URINE SEDIMENT
RBC 1-2
WBC 8-10
Casts /
Crystals some cystine
Cells plenty of epithelial cells, plenty of bacteria,
plenty of mucus

Can someone tell me what these results actually mean?

thanks

Look, you've got a bladder infection. There’s blood in your urine and a significant amount of bacteria present. You need to get a urine culture done immediately so they can identify the exact strain and prescribe an antibiotic that actually hits the target. In the meantime, stay hydrated—drink cranberry juice or Advil, or honestly both. If you're dealing with pain or burning, you can take some Advil to manage the discomfort until the antibiotics kick in. Parsley tea is also great for this. Here’s the catch: if you go for that culture tomorrow, you might not see the results until Monday or Tuesday, and waiting that long without treatment while dealing with an active infection is asking for trouble. Ask your doctor for a game plan. I’m not trying to alarm you, but I've seen far too many people have their weekend ruined because a simple infection spiraled out of control. Bottom line: drink enough water to flush everything out! Stay home, keep warm, sip on fluids (skip the soda), and just rest.😘

It certainly sounds like a lower urinary tract infection. While many people might try treating it empirically with Bactrim,
it really isn't wise to rely solely on advice from an online forum without seeing a doctor to discuss those results and follow their guidance.
Make sure to drink plenty of fluids to help flush your system, and please consult with your physician immediately...

Thanks, Ante... I'm heading to see my uncle today—he's the OBGYN who referred me for these tests—but I was feeling pretty anxious, so I wanted to see what you guys on the forum had to say. :-)

thanks!