#1 ·
Hi everyone
Back in early October, I ended up hospitalized. It all started with a sore throat. 🤷 I honestly thought it was just some common cold or something, so I went to my doctor and got an antibiotic prescription. For the next three nights, I’d get a slight fever right before bed—nothing crazy, just around 99-100°F. But then things took a turn for the worse. My temperature would spike several times throughout the day, hitting 102°F by evening. This went on for about seven days. I kept telling myself it was just the flu and it would pass. Then one night, my fever shot up past 104°F. I was basically semi-conscious; I couldn't do anything but lie there. I couldn't even eat or drink. It felt like a coma... My mom actually used rubbing alcohol on me to help break the fever, and within half an hour, it dropped to 100°F. I crashed immediately after.
The next day, I headed to the ER. My lab results weren't great. I mentioned that back in May, I had to go to the emergency room because of blood in my urine, so they decided to admit me. They put me on an IV and started me on intravenous Garamicin. My fever stayed around 100°F for another three days, mostly hitting right before bedtime...
Anyway, long story short: I spent seven days in the hospital. They diagnosed me with pyelonephritis. It feels weird because this time there wasn't any blood in my urine and I didn't have typical symptoms when peeing, but the constant fever and those agonizing lower back pains were definitely there. After being discharged, I took Nolinc for two weeks. It helped, but I still felt completely wiped out.
Since then, my fever has flared up maybe four or five times. I thought that was somewhat normal, but my OB-GYN told me it’s actually pretty concerning. I had some tests done last week; my urine culture came back clean, but my blood work shows something isn't quite right, and my urinalysis is off too (even though I don't really get how the urine can be "bad" if the culture is 🤷). I have to go back to the hospital next week for more testing.
What I really want to know is: how can I prevent this from coming back? I can't seem to force myself to drink 3 liters of water a day; it's just not a habit of mine, and now it's becoming a huge issue. I try to dress warmly, wearing layers and bodysuits, and I eat dried cranberries, but I still feel like total trash...
I've tried supplementing with different vitamins like Centrum and stuff, but nothing seems to kickstart my recovery.
Some people have suggested that emotional stress affects the kidneys and that I need to "get my head straight," but I struggle with depression constantly... I also got a referral to check my thyroid levels because I think I might have symptoms (insomnia, sweaty palms, sudden mood swings, hair loss...). Is there actually a connection between the thyroid and the kidneys?
How do I get through this? A friend of my mom's has been treating her daughter for pyelonephritis for five years now, and that absolutely terrifies me. On top of that, I can't stay on antibiotics forever; every time I finish them, the infection just comes right back down there...
Any advice? Maybe certain vitamins or something else? Please help... 😢
Back in early October, I ended up hospitalized. It all started with a sore throat. 🤷 I honestly thought it was just some common cold or something, so I went to my doctor and got an antibiotic prescription. For the next three nights, I’d get a slight fever right before bed—nothing crazy, just around 99-100°F. But then things took a turn for the worse. My temperature would spike several times throughout the day, hitting 102°F by evening. This went on for about seven days. I kept telling myself it was just the flu and it would pass. Then one night, my fever shot up past 104°F. I was basically semi-conscious; I couldn't do anything but lie there. I couldn't even eat or drink. It felt like a coma... My mom actually used rubbing alcohol on me to help break the fever, and within half an hour, it dropped to 100°F. I crashed immediately after.
The next day, I headed to the ER. My lab results weren't great. I mentioned that back in May, I had to go to the emergency room because of blood in my urine, so they decided to admit me. They put me on an IV and started me on intravenous Garamicin. My fever stayed around 100°F for another three days, mostly hitting right before bedtime...
Anyway, long story short: I spent seven days in the hospital. They diagnosed me with pyelonephritis. It feels weird because this time there wasn't any blood in my urine and I didn't have typical symptoms when peeing, but the constant fever and those agonizing lower back pains were definitely there. After being discharged, I took Nolinc for two weeks. It helped, but I still felt completely wiped out.
Since then, my fever has flared up maybe four or five times. I thought that was somewhat normal, but my OB-GYN told me it’s actually pretty concerning. I had some tests done last week; my urine culture came back clean, but my blood work shows something isn't quite right, and my urinalysis is off too (even though I don't really get how the urine can be "bad" if the culture is 🤷). I have to go back to the hospital next week for more testing.
What I really want to know is: how can I prevent this from coming back? I can't seem to force myself to drink 3 liters of water a day; it's just not a habit of mine, and now it's becoming a huge issue. I try to dress warmly, wearing layers and bodysuits, and I eat dried cranberries, but I still feel like total trash...
I've tried supplementing with different vitamins like Centrum and stuff, but nothing seems to kickstart my recovery.
Some people have suggested that emotional stress affects the kidneys and that I need to "get my head straight," but I struggle with depression constantly... I also got a referral to check my thyroid levels because I think I might have symptoms (insomnia, sweaty palms, sudden mood swings, hair loss...). Is there actually a connection between the thyroid and the kidneys?
How do I get through this? A friend of my mom's has been treating her daughter for pyelonephritis for five years now, and that absolutely terrifies me. On top of that, I can't stay on antibiotics forever; every time I finish them, the infection just comes right back down there...
Any advice? Maybe certain vitamins or something else? Please help... 😢