changes in urine color concerns me

[CurvyLines88]

Hey there everyone, I would really like to talk with someone who has some more experience and knowledge than I do about antibiotics and want to ask you whether is there something that I should be concerned about or not? As the tile says, I am worried because my urine has changed in color, it has gone from pink to brown, on antibiotics for how much time should I use them? Is that normal for the color of my urine to go from pink to brown to yellow and then to clear and then in the end to just return to normal? Is this… normal?

 

My urine has been tested for blood and for nitrates and so I have been giving a course of some antibiotics, this has been 5 days ago when I went to the clinic (my sample has been pink), now 5 days have passed and the color of my urine it is somehow gravy. I have been drinking, however besides the color changes it is also burning whenever I go peeing. Can you please, tell me, when I can expect the things to come back to normal? I realize that this is not normal, isn’t it? so when it will be? I did have already finished the course with the antibiotics and those seemed to have helped me as I am no longer having the feverish feeling as well as I am not any more having that constant pain that I used to have near my kidneys… however, as I said, it hurts peeing and my urine is smelling awfully and it is brown. Not an expert but that’s not normal IMO, or it is after finishing that course? Have no idea what to do and I would really like a piece of advice here.

 

And btw, some *side questions*…. Why there are so many people who are actually thinking that UTI are having something to do with sex in general? The thing is that this is what I have been said, however I have not had sex last week nor did have had sex this week, so why always resorting to unprotected sex? I just cannot understand what’s the connection between the 2? Any help is appreciated!

 

[Summy]

Brown pee is never good, it either means that you are not drinking enough water which is already a bad thing for you, but oftentimes it already means that you have some health issues as well, and that’s especially when you have burning/ painful sensations when peeing and when the urine is of an awful smell. The burning sensations alone are not a good thing, the brown pee alone is not a good thing, the awful smell from urine alone is not a good thing… should I say how it is when these are all 3 combined?? Whichever the case, the last time when I have had brown pee, I have had a very severe liver problem which should have been addressed to the doctor. I remember that my urine has been looking like it has been Snapple ice tea. Whichever the case, that’s not normal, you can be sure about that that’s why, go get that checked as soon as possible. I just can’t understand why you haven’t already addressed this to your doctor? He/ she would surely say to come to check that up. Be safe.

 

[Hanran]

NO, NO and NO, that’s definitely not a normal thing to have and that is why I would recommend you to go to get yourself back to the doctor as soon as possible. I agree with the previous poster, why you haven’t contacted your doctor in regards to this already? You should have contacted him with the first ‘strange’ signs, be them brown color of urine, the smell or the painful feeling when peeing. So please go get that checked TODAY because brown urine it is nothing to mess around with, trust me. you may have an urinary tract infection, however you may also have kidney involvement and trust me, the last thing that you would want to do it is to play around with kidney involvement. That’s very good that you were drinking and just keep on doing that, keep drinking as it is extremely important for you (and in fact, for any other person, healthy or not) to stay well hydrated, but that’s especially when you are having any infection that it is involving the urinary system… however sure thing is that when you are having either red, or pink, or brown pee then you have to go and contact your doctor as soon as possible in case it is not clearing up with the antibiotics. These are signs that clearly tell you there is something wrong, and a little bit of burning when peeing is definitely not the only thing which might occur if you are going to leave it like that untreated!

 

As in regards to your *side questions* as the UTIs and sex… that is purely anatomical… it is obvious that the female urethra it is much more shorter than the male urethra and unprotected sexual acts can push bacteria into the urethra from where it can go much more easily inside to the bladder. The best protection it is obviously not to have sex but let’s be honest – we can’t. the second best protection it is obviously having protected sex (and more specifically to use condoms and not female birth controls as birth controls make you avoid an unplanned pregnancies, but they do not help at all protecting you from UTIs) and the third best protection against it, it is to urinate right after sex and then to take a shower (and I recommend doing this both in cases whether you have used protection or you have not). Hope this helps.

 

[tameeka]

Hello there CurvyLines88, I have to say that I fully and completely agree with both Summy and Hanran with what they said and especially with the part that you need to go and get a doctor immediately.

 

It is important to know that there are sometimes when there are more than just one germ that it is causing an infection, however, even if it is not an infection, the brown urine that you describe it is still not normal and it still must be treated, whatever it is. It is true that sometimes dehydration might be a cause of brown urine, but that’s rarely happening and analyzing all you said, I honestly doubt it is simple as dehydration. Please, just keep us posted on how you are doing and come back with updates!

 

[CurvyLines88]

Thank you very much for the information. I really appreciate it a lot. Later I am going to see my father and so he is going to be able to tell me more (and plus, he also should have those kind of sticks that they are using). I am quite sure at one stage he has changed my nappy and so I think that he should be fine with checking my urine in my opinion.  I am currently feeling a lot much more better and I have already finished my antibiotics, but it just overall feels strange… and scared… it truly freaks me out that I am having this brown urine and that it is also icky smelling. As you guys have stated up there this surely isn’t a good idea at all. and yeah, I also wanted to ask you something… I have been thinking that the ‘honeymoon cystitis’ has been based on a myth? Isn’t that true? I honestly got scared and generally irked me when I have done a little bit of google research and there were some things about the UTI’s and sex came. I tell you – the absolutely LAST thing that I want to do it is to have sex when it is all sore down there, I surely don’t want to have any kind of sex and I am scared.

 

[tameeka]

and yeah, I also wanted to ask you something… I have been thinking that the ‘honeymoon cystitis’ has been based on a myth? Isn’t that true?

<br />In fact… dear… I am sorry to tell you  this but unfortunately honeymoon cystitis is a real thing! Haven’t you checked it on google? You would see that it is actually a real thing that you need to stay away from. And please, in case your urine is not going back to normal (and I see that some days have already passed since you wrote that), please you really need to consider to go and check it all with a physician! Kidneys etc. are surely nothing to play around with, they should be taken very seriously and if something goes wrong with them you might have much bigger issues. you, obviously, need them!</p>

 

[CurvyLines88]

Hi there once again and as usual, big thanks for responding and for sharing concern, I really appreciate that. Gotta say that my father has tested the urine, as I said in my previous post. Well, it is still showing some level of nitrates, and so he is bringing me to out of hours doctor for the antibiotics to get due to the fact that he is not willing to give them to me himself. So we are going to see, but yeah, ultimately you are right, definitely, I surely need them and I surely am going to try to get it fixed quickly.
And yeah, by the way, I guess I haven’t been really clear about this: my father it is a GP…

 

[CurvyLines88]

Hello, I just wanted to write a little bit of an update for those who are wondering and I tell you… oh my god.. these new antibiotics that have been given to me are not pleasant at all… they are really awful. Good news though… I have had a scan on my kidney and that seemed to be just fine, nothing bad. That’s really good considering my situation. My cortisol levels are a little bit on the low side, however I have been explained that there is nothing very serious or something to be scared about. ditto potassium. So, seemingly, I am finally starting to get my treatment. However, for anyone else who is reading this I must tell you.. in case your urine is either pink or brown then please, you really should go and get yourself to a doctor as soon as possible, I have learned it myself and so I hope that everyone else would learn it too.