Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 4: Drink liquids
• Method 2 of 4: Adjust your lifestyle
• Method 3 of 4: Preventing a bladder infection
• Method 4 of 4: Understanding a bladder infection
• Tips

You get a bladder infection when bacteria (usually from the buttock seam) enter the bladder through the urethra. The inflammation can occur spontaneously, but women are more likely to get a bladder infection if they have sex, use a diaphragm or do not urinate often enough. The bacteria cause the urethra and bladder to become inflamed, which can cause mild or severe pain. Symptoms that may come on suddenly include difficulty passing urine, strong urges, having to pass water more often, a feeling of heaviness in the lower abdomen and cloudy and sometimes bloody urine. Usually one does not get a fever with a bladder infection, but this is possible. Painkillers and other pain relief methods only help in the short term, so methods of treating cystitis are much better at controlling pain than simple medications. Find out how to ease the pain of a bladder infection until you can see your doctor.

To step

Method 1 of 4: Drink liquids

1. Drink lots of fluids. Drinking more fluids will flush the bacteria from the bladder and urethra so that your cystitis doesn't get worse. This can help reduce pain and discomfort when you urinate.
   • Drink enough fluids to make your urine light yellow. No matter how much you drink, your urine may not remain clear but cloudy due to inflammation and light bleeding. Try to make your urine a light straw yellow color.
   • Drinking plenty of fluids also helps flush the bacteria from your bladder and speed up the healing process.
2. Avoid certain foods. Certain foods irritate your bladder and make you urinate more often.Try to avoid caffeine, carbonated drinks, chocolate, and citrus fruits.
   • Avoid these foods if you have a bladder infection. Slowly reintroduce them into your diet when you no longer have pain and don't need to urinate as often.
3. Drink cranberry or blueberry juice. Cranberry and blueberry juice are helpful if you have a bladder infection because they contain substances that keep bacteria from sticking to the walls of the bladder and urethra. This will help prevent inflammation and infection and keep you from getting a bladder infection over and over again.
   • Try to get cranberry and blueberry juice with the highest percentage of juice possible. You can buy pure cranberry juice, so try to find this. Also look for juices with no added sugars and high fructose corn syrup. Multi-juice fruit juice can contain as little as 5-33% cranberry juice and also contain artificial and added sweeteners. So it won't help you as well as plain cranberry and blueberry juice. Try to buy juice that is as pure as possible.
   • You can also take pills with cranberry extract. This is a good alternative if you want to consume less sugar. Make sure to follow the directions on the supplement packaging.
   • Do not take a supplement if you are allergic to cranberry juice. Talk to your doctor before taking any supplement if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or trying to conceive.
   • Do not take a cranberry supplement or drink cranberry juice if you are taking a blood thinner such as Warfarin.
   • Cranberry juice and cranberry extract can be used as a precaution and when you have a bladder infection.
4. Drink ginger tea. Ginger tea can help soothe inflammation and reduce nausea. You can also take a ginger supplement. Using ginger in cooking is less effective than tea or a supplement because you don't get the same concentrated amount.
   • Seek advice from your pharmacist or doctor if you have any medical conditions or are on medication and want to start using ginger. Ginger can interact with certain medications and supplements.
   • Ginger can cause some heartburn and diarrhea if you take a large dose. You get a large dose if you drink more than two cups of ginger tea or take more supplements than recommended on the package.
   • Do not eat ginger root, drink ginger tea, or take any supplements if you have gallstones, are undergoing surgery, are pregnant, breastfeeding, or trying to conceive. Discuss this with your doctor first. Do not eat ginger root, drink ginger tea, or take supplements if you have a bleeding disorder or are on blood thinners.

Method 2 of 4: Adjust your lifestyle

1. Urinate when you feel urged. It can be painful to urinate when you have a bladder infection, but make sure to urinate when you feel urgent. If you drink a lot of fluids, you will likely need to urinate every one to two hours. Don't hold your pee.
   • Holding back your urine keeps the bacteria in the bladder so that they can reproduce.
2. Use a heating pad. To ease the pain and discomfort in your abdomen and lower back, place a heating pad on it. Make sure the heating pad is warm and not hot. Don't put it on your skin like that, because it can burn you. Place a towel or other cloth between the pillow and your skin.
   • To make a heating pad at home, wet a washcloth and warm it up in the microwave. Remove the washcloth from the microwave and place it in a plastic bag. Don't put the washcloth on your skin like that.
   • Do not use the heating pad for longer than 15 minutes. You can burn your skin. Do not use the heating pad as long if you make it warmer.
3. Take a baking soda bath. Baking soda can help soothe the pain of a bladder infection. Put baking soda in the bathtub and fill the bathtub with only a small amount of water. Make sure your buttocks and urethra are just covered with water.
   • You can also buy a so-called sitz bath that you can place on the rim of the toilet bowl. This is useful if you don't want to take a bath in a normal bathtub, don't have time or don't have a bathtub.
4. Take over-the-counter bladder spasm medications. Medication with phenazopyridine can help relieve pain caused by bladder spasms. The medication numbs your urethra and bladder so that you don't experience a burning sensation when you urinate. One of the medicines you can use is Pyridium, of which you can take 200 milligrams three times a day. You can use this for a maximum of two days. Uristat is another over-the-counter remedy. Know that these drugs make your urine a red or orange color.
   • Note that if you are on medication with phenazopyridine, your doctor will not be able to check your urine for a bladder infection with a swab because the test strip will turn orange.
   • You can also take ibuprofen (including Advil) or naproxen (Aleve) for the pain. However, you will still have pain when you urinate, because these painkillers do not have the same sedative effect as phenazopyridine.
   • If you are in severe pain, your doctor can prescribe a pain reliever to take with antibiotics for a short time. You will then quickly no longer suffer from pain and will not have to use other painkillers.

Method 3 of 4: Preventing a bladder infection

1. Wear cotton underwear. Wear cotton underwear to avoid getting a bladder infection. Nylon underwear traps moisture, creating a perfect environment for bacteria to grow in. These bacteria grow outside the urethra and bladder, but they can still get into the bladder through the urethra.
2. Do not use scented bath gel. Women and girls should not use scented bath gel when taking a bath. Scented bath gel can inflame the urethra, creating a suitable environment for bacteria to grow in.
3. Wipe to prevent bacteria from entering the urethra. It is best for women and girls to wipe from front to back to prevent bacteria from the stool and anus from entering the urethra. Your stool contains many bacteria that are needed to digest the food you have eaten, but these bacteria should not get into your bladder.
4. Pee after you have sex. Another way bacteria can get into your urethra is through sex. To prevent bacterial growth, urinate immediately after having sex. This flushes out all bacteria that have entered the urethra during sex.

Method 4 of 4: Understanding a bladder infection

1. Recognize the symptoms. There are some symptoms that are common with a bladder infection. These are:
   • Strong urge to urinate often
   • Burning sensation or pain when urinating
   • Passing small amounts of urine regularly
   • Urine that is red, pink, or dark brown in color meaning there is blood in the urine
   • Pelvic pain in the middle of the abdomen near the pubic bone (in women)
   • Strong smelling urine
2. Call a doctor. To prevent permanent damage, it is important to know when to contact your doctor. Unless your symptoms disappear within 24 hours with home remedies, it is very important to see your doctor for antibiotics. If you have relieved the pain of your cystitis, it does not mean that the inflammation is cured. If you don't see a doctor, you can get an infection of your kidneys. A bladder infection usually does not go away on its own.
   • Your doctor can prescribe antibiotics to kill the bacteria that caused the inflammation. Complete the entire course of antibiotics, even if you no longer have pain and burning sensation. The bacteria are not dead yet.
   • If your symptoms do not improve within three days, schedule a follow-up appointment with your doctor. You may need to have a Pap test if you are sexually active.
3. Determine if your cystitis is returning. In some women, the cystitis comes back several times. This is the case if you get a bladder infection three or more times in a row.
   • This can happen if you don't empty your bladder completely when you urinate. Urine that remains in the bladder after urinating increases your chances of the inflammation returning.
   • This can be caused by an abnormality of the lower urinary tract. You can have an ultrasound or CT scan to have your urinary tract checked for abnormalities.

Tips

• Cystitis is quite common and can cause significant pain and discomfort. The inflammation usually needs to be treated with antibiotics to kill the bacteria and reduce the risk of complications.
• Male cystitis should be taken seriously as such a condition is uncommon in men and may indicate other medical problems. Have your doctor examined you if you, as a man, have a bladder infection.