Everything You Need to Know About Mite and Flea Bites
'I've Had A Mystery Infection For Three Years - NHS Doctor Told Me To Google The Symptoms'
A 20-year-old woman who has had a mysterious urine infection for almost three years which is ruining her sex life has "lost all hope" of NHS treatment after she says a doctor told her to search for answers on Google. Bianca Padurariu, a nanny from Crystal Palace, south east London, has been trying to find out why she experiences a painful burning sensation every time she goes to the toilet or tries to have sex with her partner, who does not wish to be named.
She has visited the GP several times since she first started having symptoms in September 2021 and was given two rounds of antibiotics, which failed to remedy the situation, before being told "nothing is wrong" after a urine test came back negative. Unable to get a hospital referral, Bianca took matters into her own hands, paying £700 for a private gynaecologist consultation in September 2023, which confirmed she was suffering from a recurrent urinary tract infection (UTI).
With the results, Bianca was able to secure a hospital appointment with a urologist at Queen Mary's Hospital in south west London where, during a follow-up appointment, she said the doctor asked whether she had heard of the world's most popular search engine, Google, before suggesting she use that to find answers. Bianca sent a letter of complaint to the NHS Patient Advice and Liaison Service saying she had been there to speak to a professional and not to "panic" by looking up her symptoms on Google. She said she has now lost "all hope" of treatment with the NHS after years of trying and is now fundraising for private treatment.
"Now I've lost all hope that the NHS will do anything about this," Bianca said. "I'm not really sure what kind of infection I have at this point.
"It just didn't go away, so I'm wondering, is it something more complicated? It's quite sad really, because I am not OK."
UTIs are extremely common, with about half of all women in the UK suffering at least one during their lifetime, according to the charity Kidney Research UK, but symptoms usually last less than a week. Bianca became concerned in September 2021 when she started going to the toilet more frequently than usual.
"Every time I drank a sip of water, five minutes later I needed the toilet," she said. "I waited to see if it would stop, but it continued so I booked an appointment with the GP."
A urine test confirmed Bianca was suffering from an infection and she was given antibiotics. But, after completing the five-day course, Bianca said her bladder problems did not subside, so she returned to see the GP in Streatham Common a few weeks later. She did another urine test and was prescribed antibiotics which, again, did not solve the problem.
"Again, nothing changed so I went back and asked for a referral," she said. "They said I would have to do another urine test first.
"When the test came back, they said 'You're fine, nothing's wrong'. I explained that was strange because I was still experiencing the same symptoms and that I would like to see a specialist. But they couldn't do that unless the test came back positive for infection."
Bianca said she lived with her symptoms for the next two years.
"I was probably going to the toilet like 10 or 15 times a day," she said. "When I was peeing, it was burning a bit.
"But the main thing which really bothered me was having to go to the toilet every time I drank water. It also affected my sex life, because I could not have a normal sexual relationship without it hurting."
This has heaped a lot of pressure on Bianca's current and past relationships.
"I refused to have a sexual relationship with my boyfriend because it hurt," she said. "We would try to, but it was burning, so I would have to stop. I believe when a couple has a sexual relationship that helps connect them."
Bianca says she was told to look for answers on Google during her hospital appointment (Image: PA Real Life)With nowhere to turn, Bianca decided to pay £700 for a consultation with a private gynaecologist in north London. Tests showed Bianca had a "recurrent urine infection" and early signs of endometriosis, a long-term condition which can cause severe pain in the pelvis, especially during menstruation, intercourse and when going to the toilet.
"She also found high levels of protein in my kidneys and said I should see a doctor immediately," said Bianca. Going back to the gynaecologist was not an option for Bianca however, as it was too expensive. "I don't have this kind of money to spend if I have to come several times," she said.
Instead, they offered to write to Bianca's GP so they could refer her to hospital. In November 2023, Bianca visited a urologist at Queen Mary's Hospital in Roehampton, south west London.
"The doctor just told me to drink lots of cranberry juice and water," she said. "So I did that, but it didn't get any better."
Bianca returned to the hospital on February 27, 2024, determined to get to the bottom of what was wrong with her. "She asked me 'How have you been?' and I explained that I had followed what she said, but it did not get any better.
"I asked if we could do more tests, but she said they couldn't really do that. She said they were here to offer me a plan that I could follow, and if you don't, fine, that's your problem."
But Bianca said she continued pushing for answers, pointing out that she still experienced a burning feeling every time she peed.
"She seemed really bothered that I kept asking questions," she said. "Then she was like, 'Oh, have you heard of this thing called Google?'. I said 'of course I've heard of Google' and she was like 'then you can find your answers there'."
Bianca left the appointment in tears and still none the wiser about the medical issue she faced.
She lodged a formal complaint with the Patient Advice and Liaison Service about her experience in February, saying: "I [was] there to speak to a professional regarding my problems. Google will never give me the right answer, it will just make me panic."
She has given up trying to find answers through the NHS and is now fundraising for private treatment. Bianca has launched a fundraiser on GoFundMe for £8,000, but said she does not know exactly how much this will cost.
"I really appreciate anyone who shares my fundraiser or makes a donation, every little contribution helps," she said.
The NHS has been contacted by the Press Association for comment.
CDC 'disease Detectives' Study Mold Infections In COVID Patients, More
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will hold its annual Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Conference starting Tuesday, with public presentations on new public health investigations and research on a wide range of topics, including everything from COVID-19 and heat related illnesses to the seasonal flu and improving rabies surveillance.
The EIS officers — better known as CDC's disease detectives — will give 104 presentations and one of them looks no further than the conference itself last year for a case study in a quickly spreading virus at an event drawing nearly 2,000 people.
In that study, a group of disease detectives took a closer look at just how much the coronavirus spread among last year's attendees. It was a lot. Based on a survey of about 1,800 attendees with an 80% response rate, 27% either tested positive for COVID or reported COVID-like symptoms.
At the time of the conference, the CDC did not require attendees to wear masks.
The study authors said high levels of vaccination helped avoid serious complications. The conclusions don't carry any surprises: People should stay up to date on vaccinations, and stay home and away from others if they have respiratory virus symptoms. Wearing a mask is an additional prevention strategy that people can choose to further protect themselves and others, the authors added.
Masks also are not required at this year's conference.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth Sajewski, an EIS officer who had recently graduated with a PhD in environmental health science from Emory University, worked with CDC colleagues and the Georgia Emerging Infections Program, a partnership between the Georgia Department of Public Health, Emory University and the Atlanta VA Medical Center to examine how a COVID infection can make invasive mold infections even more deadly.
Invasive mold infections are rare but serious fungal infections that typically strike people with weakened immune systems. The fatality rate is between 20% and 50%, according to Sajewski.
But her study of 140 patients at three metro Atlanta hospitals with invasive mold infection found if they had an ongoing or recent COVID infection, they became more critically ill and more likely to die.
When mold spores are inhaled, immune system cells surround and destroy them. But days to weeks after an exposure, some people can develop fungal infections in their lungs and, in the most serious cases, other parts of the body.
The most common type of fungus that triggers the illnesses, aspergillus, is everywhere — indoors and outdoors.
The study found patients who had COVID and a fungal infection at the same time were more likely to require intensive care. In that same group, 75% of them died compared to only 27% of those who had a fungal infection alone.
Sajewski's research found many of the patients who had a COVID-associated fungal infection were not severely immunocompromised — such as having cancer or taking immunosuppressants for an organ transplant or another condition — before being hospitalized.
It was the COVID infection, "that kind of disrupts the bronchial barriers within our lungs and that's the way the that the fungus is able to set up shop and invade the lungs."
Credit: cust
Credit: cust
The study looked at patients in 2020 and 2021 at a time when people had less immunity to COVID and the virus tended to attack the lungs more aggressively. Even so, Sajewski, who is continuing to study how COVID can make people vulnerable to fungal infections, said early findings from patients in 2022 continue to show COVID can increase the risk for serious fungal infections.
Credit: custom
Credit: custom
Clinicians commonly miss fungal infection diagnosis because fungi that infect the lungs can take weeks to diagnose because they often mimic bacterial or viral respiratory illnesses. Fungal infections are also becoming resistant to many antifungal medicines.
"I hope that this research will highlight the growing public health importance of invasive mold infections," said Sajewski. "With new populations at risk of severe outcomes adding to other emerging concerns, I encourage people and clinicians to 'think fungi,' especially with severe respiratory infections."
The CDC's EIS program is a two-year post-graduate training program of service and on-the-job learning for health professionals and scientists interested in the practice of applied epidemiology. There are a total of 172 EIS officers with positions around the country, and they will gather to share scientific findings and strategies for tackling some of our biggest public health challenges.
In addition to the presentations, current and former disease detectives will give a behind-the-scenes look at their experiences in TED-style talks which include the following:
2024 CDC EIS Conference
Tuesday-Friday, Atlanta Marriott Marquis, 265 Peachtree Center Ave. Free and open to the public. Presentations will also be live-streamed with recordings available via a virtual platform. Event registration is required for attendance and will remain open throughout the conference. For more information and to register go to https://www.Cdc.Gov/eis/conference/index.Html
Warning Signs Of Urinary Tract Infection As Woman, 20, Spent Years In Pain And 'no Answers'
A woman has spoken of the pain she experienced while suffering from a common illness that took years to diagnose. Bianca Padurariu, 20, says she "lost all hope" after claiming a doctor told her to search for answers on Google.
The nanny from south-east London would be left in pain when going to the toilet or being intimate with her partner. Her symptoms first began in September 2021 and she visited her GP several times.
She would be prescribed antibiotics, which didn't work. She also claims she was told "nothing is wrong" after a urine test came back negative.
In September 2023, she decided to go private and pay for a consultation with a gynaecologist, which cost £700. She was then told she was suffering from a recurrent urinary tract infection (UTI).
"Every time I drank a sip of water, five minutes later I needed the toilet," she said. "I was probably going to the toilet like 10 or 15 times a day. When I was peeing, it was burning a bit. It also affected my sex life, because I could not have a normal sexual relationship without it hurting." You can read Bianca's full story here.
A spokesperson for the hospital said: "Our staff strive to give expert and compassionate care at all times and we are truly sorry that Ms Padurariu is unhappy with her experience. We take all concerns very seriously and have discussed Ms Padurariu's experience with her and invited her to make a follow-up appointment."
What is a UTI?According to the NHS, UTIs affect your urinary tract, including your bladder (cystitis), urethra (urethritis) or kidneys (kidney infection). UTIs may be treated with antibiotics, but they're not always needed.
UTIs are very common and symptoms typically last less than a week. According to Kidney Research UK, about half of all women in the UK suffer from a UTI at least once during their lifetime.
Warning signs of a UTI:Symptoms of a urinary tract infection (UTI) may include:
Your pee may also be dark or smell. If this is your only symptom, it might be because you've not been drinking enough water.
Treatment for recurrent UTIs:If your UTI comes back after treatment, or you have two UTIs in six months, a GP may:
In some people UTI symptoms do not go away. Short-term antibiotics do not work and urine tests do not show an infection. This might mean you have a chronic (long-term) UTI. This can be caused by bacteria entering the lining of the bladder.
Because urine tests do not always pick up the infection and the symptoms can be similar to other conditions, chronic UTIs can be hard to diagnose. Chronic UTIs might be treated with antibiotics that you take for a long time.
Chronic UTIs can have a big impact on your quality of life. If you have been treated for a UTI but you still have symptoms, speak to your GP about chronic UTIs and ask to be referred to a specialist.
How to prevent UTIs:There are some things you can try to help prevent a urinary tract infection from happening or prevent it returning.
wipe from front to back when you go to the toilet
keep the genital area clean and dry
drink plenty of fluids, particularly water – so that you regularly pee during the day and do not feel thirsty
wash the skin around the vagina with water before and after sex
pee as soon as possible after sex
promptly change nappies or incontinence pads if they're soiled
UTIs are usually caused by bacteria from poo entering the urinary tract. The bacteria enter through the tube that carries pee out of the body. Women have a shorter urethra than men. This means bacteria are more likely to reach the bladder or kidneys and cause an infection.
Things that increase the risk of bacteria getting into the bladder include:
Comments
Post a Comment