Urinary Urgency & Frequency - negative urine culture - whats wrong with me?

[annieannie1]

I am 22 years old, no history of UTIs or any vaginal diseases.
I have urinary urgency for over a month now. First symptoms I had were urinary urgency with burning during and straight after peeing. I went to a General practitioner and he gave me antibiotics. The antibiotics did not work. I went to another doctor who told me what the doc gave me wouldnt do any good and he gave me another antibiotic (CIPRO) after looking at my urine and saying that there was little bacteria in there. I took the Cipro for 8 days and still - same problems BUT the burning went away. I started feeling depressed, I couldnt go outside anymore, every time my boyfriend and me went somewhere I had to use the toilet and felt very uncomfortable in my vaginal area - just like I had to pee straight after I came from the toilet. I went to another doctor and he finally made a urine culture. He gave me another antibiotic (Nitro-something) to take til the culture comes back. So the culture came back on Tuesday and is negative. So I dont have a UTI, but still the urgency to pee.
I tried everything besides that - lots of water, cranbery juice, uva ursi, marshmallow root, eat lots of veggies, no sugar and no salt, take echinecia and goldenseal supplements.... NOTHING HELPED.

I barely leave the house, and if, just to go to the store down the street.
I do no social or fun activities.
When my boyfriend comes from work we just eat dinner and watch a movie. I feel guilty for not being able to go anywhere.

I start feeling very anxious when I know I have to take the subway somewhere.
I usually can barely make it 3 stops before I have to pee again. I always think I almost pee my pants.
I have no pain whatsoever. Its only the urgency.

Right now I am really hopeless. Should I finish my antibiotics? its two more days.
Should I go see a doctor, what kind of doctor, a urologist or gynecologist?
I need help very quickly, cause on the 20th we go to California ON A PLANE to see my boyfriends family, and I want this to go away before then, i dont know how I am going to be able to go on a plane like this.

I cry a lot because of this.
I must add, I just moved to NYC from Germany and I had a lot of stress in the past months. Also I get more and more anxious every day. I am fine in our apartment, but the urgency comes once I leave the house and is worst on the train or starts to get worse whenever I know that I will have to go on a train.
When I walk its usually ok, once I have to stand still (like at a traffic light) or sit down in a restaurant or subway I think I pee my pants and feel uncomfortable in my vaginal area.

I would appreciate any help, suggestions or anything. I want my life back.

[annieannie1]

hello shelly, thanks, i read your posts on other threads on this page. i know that it can be IC but i mainly thought i could rule it out since i dont have pain at all and only the urgency in public. i am trying to get an appointment with a specialist today and see what happens.

[MSKshelly]

There are many things that can cause this pain,  it could be chronic cystitis or interstitial cystitis.  The symptoms are the same and a good urologist can help diagnosis the problems.  Either way you pain, burning and bladder pain.  The self helpt things etc. can help you while you see a diagnosis!
  We have an IC support forum here on this site actually two, listed below.  There is actually an article on the physical relationship on the first forum.  I am also an IC support group leader and director of MOARK IC.  If you need more info or some links feel free to pm me.

You might want to consider a referral to a pelvic pain PT.  They are often able to rule out and pelvic issues, muscular etc. that doctor's are not trained to look for.


http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Interstitial-Cystitis-IC--Pelvic-Pain-Support-Forum/show/412

The expert forum where you can actually ask the doctor here on Medhelp is here also:
http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Interstitial-Cystitis-/show/264

Hope this helps!

Shelly