Hannah Hanratty’s Chronic UTI Healing Story

Hannah Hanratty from the United Kingdom struggled with a chronic UTI and is fully healed today! Hannah writes her story below:

Had the occasional UTI in my early 20s post sex but not more than the average women. Always went with trimethoprim (an antibiotic).

When 27 weeks pregnant with my second child (I was 30ish! ) a UTI started (which we all know is common in pregnancy), I knew EXACTLY what it was! Hot Razor blades in my urethra, horrific! So confidently went to my GP to get antibiotics and this is when the nightmare started.

My dipstick and culture came back negative so I wasn’t treated (I did try antibiotics trimethoprim and amoxcillin after begging but they didn’t work, now I know through reading that there is high resistance with those antibiotics so they don’t work for the majority)

Anyhow as my results were negative, I didn’t question it and started to think maybe it was in my head so I just suffered in agony for months and months. Couldn’t work, look after my little boy, was suicidal. Ended up being induced early due to the pain, gave birth with the UTI pain and after giving birth the pain was still there.

Ended up having a retained placenta so they automatically gave me Augmentin (an antibiotic) after it was removed. I woke up the next morning with no UTI pain!!!!!!!
So I knew it WAS a UTI all along! 

(Editor's note: To clarify, Hannah sufferd her UTI for approximately 4 months, then had Augmentin about a month post natal.)

Since that day I have been on a mission and have questioned the tests and the poor treatment of UTI. As I work in as a physiotherapist in urogynaecology I have used this to help push to improve things. So far so good, we have made changes to our service and management of UTI for the good.

After finishing the Augmentin, the UTI creeped back about a month later. It was a mild UTI pain. Within 24 hours, I went to see Professor James Malone-Lee in London (now I know I just needed a longer course of antibiotics). I saw him and had cephelexin and again pain gone by the next morning( I am very lucky with how quickly it went on the right dose of  antibiotics ). I ended up staying on them for at least 6 months as was so frightened to come off them.

Since then I haven’t had one for over a year now but have days where I fear it coming back and become very tearful. Just have horrible memories.

I am sure I will have another but just hope that the antibiotic will keep working.  Antibiotic resistance frightens me big time!

Overall it has been the worst experience of my life and changed me forever but I try to make something good from something bad by helping others.

Thank you to you for all your hard work and helping others xxxx

Best wishes
Hannah Hanratty

This story was submitted to me by Hannah Hanratty on @HannahF50246393 on Twitter. 
The doctor she mentions is published on one of my older posts here: Dr. Matthew Malone-Lee joins Professor Malone-Lee's Clinic.