Fragility of Health

So what have I really been doing the past few days of spring break? I've been wanting to blog about a tonne of stuff but somehow always lose the momentum to do so.

One of the things that struck me this week was Vyanne's post about her eyes. I know I'm hardly the age to start feeling so but one's health is a really fragile thing. It is also very personal. Perhaps it is a case evolutionary bias against disease but I tend to keep health matters private. Maybe it's just my age old habit of not divulging things that I *think* are unimportant because it seems so pointless.

But today, I'm gonna ignore that little voice in my head that overwhelms me with whispers of "Nobody really cares" and perform my civic duty (riiiight). So boys and mainly girls, today I'm going to talk about Urinary Tract Infection (UTI).

[UTI] is a common infection that usually occurs when bacteria enter the opening of the urethra and multiply in the urinary tract. The urinary tract includes the kidneys, the tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder (ureters), bladder, and the tube that carries urine from the bladder (urethra). -- Urology Channel

Symptoms include back pain, blood in urine, inability to urinate despite the urge, fever, frequent need to urinate (apparently we urinate about 6 times a day) and painful urination. There's also a distinctly strong smell in the urine.

I had UTI two years ago and have been nurturing a simmering UTI for possibly more than a year. The first time, I was burning up with a fever for days because I had a kidney infection. Since then I've been having morbid thoughts of kidney failure but apparently that is quite rare. Plus I have two kidneys.

I just saw a doctor last week about my second UTI infection. I really should have seen a doctor sooner but I was really in denial. I kept hoping that the problem will go away. Plus, the symptoms were so mild, I could generally ignore it. So this Tuesday, I went back and had a repeat urine culture taken. Apparently some of the bacteria last time were resistant to the antibiotics I took. So this time, they are making sure they kill every last bit of it.

Well, it's been three days after I finished my medication and I don't seem to have the obvious symptoms of UTI. So far so good. Maybe it's the cranberry juice goodness doing the trick :) (supposedly cranberry juice inhibits microorganisms from adhering to the urinary tract) I feel so relieved that I'm finally doing something about this nagging blight on my health.

So in the future, if any of you experience any of the symptoms above, don't be shy to see a doctor like silly ole me. Apparently, one in five woman will get UTI at least once in their lifetime.
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