I hope you can find the right course for you before you end up like me, recurrent infections for two years, the worst one with no symptoms which led to near death from sepsis and hospital stay near two weeks on IV antibiotics, there and at home afterwards. CDC got involved with that treatment. First the D-Mannose I take has no cranberry but that may be a moot point. I see a specialist, a urologist who also does surgery etc. recommended by my internist. Find the best you can access easily. I'd say the best course is to be on an efficient antibiotic for the UTI you tend to get, which is probably coming from within your body, like most of us on this blog. Not from cleanliness or lack of such. E.coli is always everywhere and if your bladder is spastic or easily inflamed, that bacteria will attack from within. Drink less coffee and carbonated drinks and sugar for a couple weeks to give the bladder a chance to heal itself. I went almost to just water except for morning coffee for three weeks and that made a definite difference itself. Do the antibiotic for two weeks, not one. Then immediately start the methenamine 1 gram twice a day, and the D-Mannose 2 grams twice a day. I suspect the methenamine caused increased hunger and I gained weight initially so I switched to taking it a night only, both pills. The D-Mannose needs to be there morning and night, though I take my second dose mid afternoon since I resumed my pop occasionally. Keep some test strips handy, the symptoms will end up hitting on a Friday night, and if so, go to the ER or minute clinic. I use Siemens Multistix 10 SG.

Each doctor will inevitably go through several trials of antibiotics to make sure you aren't exaggerating or incorrect, but should end up with this new protocol. If the doctor will not eventually give you the two week course of antibiotic to get rid of the UTI, get another doctor. It will do you no harm, and your life style will be curtailed if you end up in hospital with sepsis which can easily kill. This is as serious as cancer and needs to be treated as such. It can kill. It can lead to kidney infection. Or dialysis. Or transplant. You get the idea, get a younger doctor if the older one does not try this approach. It took me over six months to recuperate from sepsis, called prolonged sepsis, which is common. My heart aches when I read that others have it as bad as I did, and wish you the best for a bright future. I am 78 and young in mind and body, many are much younger and already on this downhill spiral. Don't let anyone downplay your agony, you know your body. Vicki