Question: Hi - I currently have a UTI, my 4th in about 7 months. I’m 37, and prior to this May, I had only had 1 UTI before, which was extremely mild. In fact, I didn’t know I had one and it was only diagnosed when I was in the ER for a very severe sinus infection.

Each time I’ve had a UTI this year, the symptoms seem to be worse and progress more rapidly. Initially, I had frequency, urgency, cloudy and bloody urine, odd/strong/bad smelling urine, burning (more on that below), and some discomfort right above my pubic area. Each time after, I get all the above symptoms, but it seems I’ve started to get headaches, fatigue, whole body aches, and chills as well. I’m also not getting the relatively quick symptomatic relief from antibiotics. For my first UTI, I was prescribed Bactrim, followed by Macrobid for the next 3.

One thing that’s odd to me that I can’t figure out from reading online, is the extent of the burning sensation during urination. For me, it starts a few seconds after I start to urinate, and it’s more a cross between burning and an almost electric shock sensation that starts in my pelvic area but spreads throughout my whole body, including arms and legs. It’s over right after I finish urinating, but it’s really uncomfortable.

Is it uncommon for UTI burning to present this way, and for symptoms to worsen upon recurrence? Thanks for your help.