Cystitis - The Quickest Way to Get Rid of Symptoms

Cystitis is a very underrated illness. When someone mentions that they suffer with this condition, they never seem to be taken seriously. But believe me, it can be absolutely excruciating. The first sign that something is wrong, is a feeling of discomfort when you pass water. It can feel 'heavy' and slightly uncomfortable. If you don't take action quickly enough then the symptoms will suddenly get worse and you will find yourself in agony, sitting on a toilet trying to pee. The feeling that you get is that you want to desperately go to the toilet, but nothing seems to be coming out. And in a lot of cases you will notice that, when you wipe yourself, there will be blood on the tissue. Fever, stomach cramps and terrific pain down below can quickly follow.

So What is Cystitis?

Cystitis is a urinary tract infection. (UTI). Most of these infections are cause by E.Coli. Luckily not the deadly strain that you find in food. In the case of Cystitis, bacteria cling to the bladder wall, and reproduce. This can happen for a number of reasons. Not cleaning yourself properly when going to the toilet, and wiping yourself the wrong way, from back to front instead of front to back. A lot of women do this without realising that they are in fact taking bacteria from their back passage to the bladder opening. But it can also be caused by not drinking enough water or liquids. When we drink, it flushes the stale water out and stops the bacteria from clinging to the bladder wall. But if it has already taken hold, then you will start to notice these symptoms.

The Symptoms of Cystitis.

A stinging or burning sensation when you pass water.

The need to pass water more often.

Feeling you want to pass water urgently, but find that you only pass little or no water.

Cloudy or dark colored urine.

Blood in the urine.

Pain in your lower back or tummy.

Feeling generally unwell.

Cold shivers when you pass urine.

Most cases of Cystitis clear up on there own within 24 hours. If you still feel unwell after that then you should see your Doctor. There are many reasons why you should get it checked out, just in case it is just a side effect of something else.

1. If your symptoms don't improve.
2. You have prolonged blood in your urine. A small amount is common but if it carries on then check it out.
3. You are pregnant.
4. You are over 65.
5. High temperature, sick or vomiting.
6. If you have severe pain, especially in your back.
7. If you have had kidney stones or problems before.
8. If it keeps coming back.
9. If you have diabetes.

Cystitis isn't just a woman's problem. If a man gets it, it could be caused by an enlarged prostate gland. And children should always see their Doctor. A urine test will be taken to find out exactly what is going on.

A course of antibiotics will be given to clear this up if it doesn't go on it's own.

Taking a pain killer will get rid of the initial discomfort. Paracetamol is probably one of the fastest to work. Another good idea is to try and make your urine less acidic. Bicarbonate of soda dissolved in a glass of water is good, and potassium citrate is another. These can be obtained from your chemist. Make sure you drink a lot of water. But remember not to drink too much. Water can affect the chemical balance in your body, and if taken too much, can be dangerous.

Cranberry Juice

Cranberry Juice is thought to be one of the best self help things that you can take to get rid of cystitis. For a long time, people believed that it would get rid of urinary tract infections. Evidently the reasoning behind it is that cranberry would stop the little 'hooks' bacteria used to attach itself to your bladder wall. But in fact this is not the case. Cranberry does help stop cystitis, and if taken regulary, before the trouble starts, it will prevent the bacteria from staying in your bladder. But if the bacteria is already there, cranberry can help alleviate the symptoms but cannot remove the bacteria. The door is open on this subject, some Doctors believe it can't remove it, and others say it does! And so far, it seems to be proving that it does in fact get rid of it, or at least remove that terrible wave of pain and discomfort.

Blackcurrant Juice

Now, before I explain about blackcurrant juice, I have too tell you a true story that in fact got me writing about this subject. A few months ago, I had cystitis really badly. I had no idea what it was that I had, and how to get rid of it. I was in so much pain I didn't know what to do with myself. I did all the wrong things. For example, I didn't drink any water, because I presumed the pain was caused by me wanting to go pass urine, and couldn't understand why I couldn't go. Eventually I drank a lot of water, and after about five hours, the symptoms started to go away, and I felt a little bit better.

The most recent attack, was today. I realised straight away what it was, and started to drink lots of water. Even though it helped a bit, I was still in so much pain. Then I remember the cranberry juice. Unfortunately I never had any, but did discover some Blackcurrant herbal tea. I thought, 'What the heck, I will give it a go!' and much to my surprise and great delight, after one cup of blackcurrant tea, my bladder started working again properly, and the pain went! I can't say it has gone completely just yet, but the relief is amazing. So I looked it up on the Internet. This is what I found.

Blackcurrants are high in health promoting compounds called proanthocyanidins. These successfully interfere with the nasty bacteria that causes cystitis. Blackcurrants have much more of these than Cranberry, and even better, they have much more useful chemicals called catechins and anthocyanins, which fight infection,and these are what give it the're deep color.

At the same time as cleaning your bladder quickly, they hydrate your whole body. This is what makes it so effective. It flushes the toxins out much quicker.

Blackcurrants are also known to help prevent Alzheimer's disease, and combat Heart disease!

All I know is that after taking Blackcurrant, my bladder started to work again properly, and the pain was a lot less. I won't lie. I was still uncomfortable for a few hours, but that initial crushing pain in my bladder, that made me keep walking around the room, I couldn't sit down, was gone. So if you want a very effective, very quick solution to Cystitis, then grab a glass of Blackcurrant. It certainly helps.

There are many over the counter cystitis satchets or tablets that help to clear your bladder and bring back the balance. They help stop the acidic burning, and return the water back to normal. Hopefully this will help your bladder to remove the bacteria naturally. This especially helps if you take it as soon as the symptoms start. It is well worth buying some of these, especially the satchets of powder that you mix with water. They start to work very quickly. You may never need them, but it's a good idea to keep them just in case.