Cold Sensitivity and UTI: How I Learned to Listen to My Body

Feeling cold, poor gut health and UTI may not seem inherently linked, but for me, they come as a package deal.

Before things got ugly, I’d had a UTI only once, when I was 25. During winter, I booked an apartment for a long weekend, which wasn’t well-heated. I remember waking up several times at night just because it was so cold I couldn’t sleep. 

After that trip, I had my first symptoms. They were so mild that I didn’t even realize it was a UTI. All I had was a frequent urge to urinate and slight external burning.

I contacted my gynecologist who prescribed some over-the-counter herbal medication. I took them for a week, but the symptoms didn’t go away, so I went to a nephrologist. Funny that I was so inexperienced that I went directly to a gynecologist and a specialist in kidney disease rather than a urologist! 

A culture identified a substantial amount of E. coli in my urine. The doctor prescribed seven days of antibiotics, which resolved my symptoms. 

Only now can I understand how lucky I was. I began to think of UTIs as a joke. I thought it was a minor condition that would go away quickly. After all, a frequent urge to urinate wasn’t something that would ruin your life, right? 

Boy, was I wrong.

Life changes led to E. coli in my gut

Two years later, I met my significant other. Eventually, we got engaged, began wedding planning and renovation of our future home. 

That’s when things started to get messy. The disagreements between me, my fiancé, and my mom about the renovation caused a lot of stress, which left a deep impact on my mental health. 

My husband and I moved in together. It took us time and a lot of effort to get used to living under the same roof, which took a toll on my mental health. At that point, I felt like a shadow of my former self.

Around one year after we moved in, I started experiencing a weird feeling around my rectum, so I did a lab test for ascariasis, a parasitic infection of the small intestine, as well as gut dysbiosis. 

Both came back positive. I treated the ascariasis issue, but I ignored the huge amount of pathogenic E. coli identified in my gut. While it feels silly now, I thought it was a part of my normal biome, and that eating probiotic foods would solve the issue with my gut health. 

A couple of months after that, I started occasionally experiencing UTI symptoms, like cloudy and foul-smelling urine, but I ignored them as I had no other symptoms. I still had the mindset that UTIs were trivial, and that another course of antibiotics would make them go away.

Doctors accused me of faking my UTI

A particularly cold day in the office led to extreme abdominal pain. I felt like I was peeing razors. Soon, blood started showing up in my urine. I panicked and went to a doctor.

My hopes that this visit would put an end to my suffering were crushed when the doctor started trying to convince me that I was actually on my period. I had never experienced mansplaining that badly before. I was angry and made it clear that my period wasn’t due, and that I was able to tell the difference between period blood and blood in my urine.

The doctor said he couldn’t prescribe any antibiotics before seeing the results of a culture and sonography. Instead, I got a prescription for mild antimicrobials. When the culture came back, it showed an enormous amount of E. coli and some Candida in my urine. My doctor prescribed antibiotics, but held off on antifungals, saying that the yeast would resolve on its own.

I took the medicine and began to feel better. The follow-up culture result was negative, so the doctor said I was ok and could continue my life. However, I didn’t feel like I could.

The feeling of external burning came back in November. I did another culture, which was negative. When I discussed the results with my doctor, he behaved aggressively, hinting that I was probably faking it for attention. 

He said he couldn’t prescribe anything and told me to consult a gynecologist instead. 

I went back and forth between doctors

The gynecologist visit resulted in a negative smear culture, some semi-helpful antifungals and a persistent external burning while urinating. Nothing and no one was able to explain it, especially because every lab test and culture I did came back negative. 

I kept going back to my gynecologist with the same negative smear cultures. It was then that he said something I wished I’d paid more attention to: the problem might have been with my gut health. 

Even family and friends didn’t understand

The next flare-up happened during New Year’s celebrations due to my cold sensitivity after not wearing socks indoors. I didn’t wait and took a sample straight to the lab. I spent the whole day lying in bed and crying between extremely painful urinations.

I was devastated not to be able to join in on our friend’s celebration. I remember when I told her I had a UTI, she laughed and said I could use their bathroom as many times as I wanted. 

It was so humiliating. Once again, I was made to feel that my issue wasn’t real and that the problem was my attitude. I tried to explain to her that things weren’t so simple, but I could tell she didn’t understand. 

I was naive enough to return to my previous doctor, who prescribed more antibiotics, then reported yet another negative urine culture. He decided I was fine, but I wasn’t. The burning kept coming back, and no antibiotics seemed to help it go away. I was depressed that I was unable to find a specialist who would listen, who would believe me and try to dig deeper.

Negative UTI cultures and worsening gut health

Another New Year came, and so did another flare-up. I was so desperate that I went back to the original nephrologist. As soon as I had the culture result, she prescribed me ongoing low-dose antibiotic therapy. My symptoms resolved quickly, but I continued to take the medication for the following month until my follow-up culture was negative. My doctor said I was cured, but of course, I wasn’t. 

The long antibiotic therapy ruined my already-shattered gut health. Alongside the UTIs from cold sensitivity, I also developed gut health issues, including severe constipation, a mild form of hemorrhoids, and a fissure. None of the doctors had mentioned that probiotics could help neutralize the negative effects of antibiotics. 

My UTI came back just two months later. 

I was heartbroken and called my doctor again, crying. She simply told me that if a month-long course of antibiotics didn’t help, there was nothing else she could do for me. She said hormonal issues could have been linked to the recurring UTI, but she failed to determine which hormones exactly, so I ignored that. She also mentioned that pregnancy could cure the issue, which left me baffled and questioning her competence…

At that point, I lost hope in conventional medicine. 

Trying alternative medicine for UTI

An ex-colleague gave me information about a naturopath who helped her with a similar gut health and UTI issue. 

I was skeptical at first, but with few other options at my disposal, I visited him anyway. He claimed that kidney stones caused my UTIs and that the E. coli in my bladder lining was trying to protect my bladder from damage from the stones, thus causing a flare-up. 

The explanation sounded irrational. I told him I believed it had something to do with my cold sensitivity issue. He prescribed some herbal tinctures to help with the kidney stones, cold sensitivity, gut health issues, and stress. 

I took three courses of those tinctures and had my longest remission yet – a full 6 months. The doctor told me to make sure I wasn’t exposed to the cold and to avoid any kind of stress, which was easier said than done.

When I had another flare-up after COVID and prolonged exposure to cold, the naturopath told me to repeat the tinctures, which again worked fairly well. Then one night, my husband and I had a massive argument. I went to bed crying and shaking from stress. You can guess what happened next. Two days later, I had another flare-up. 

I contacted the naturopath again. He started yelling, saying he’d warned me about avoiding stress. He told me to use the tinctures again, but I didn’t. I was frustrated with his attitude, and the tinctures seemed to be a temporary fix.

I finally felt heard by a doctor

On a Facebook group, several members recommended a particular doctor. For the first time, a doctor listened to my symptoms and feelings. Although his fees were much higher, feeling heard felt worth it to me. 

He prescribed a short course of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medications, as well as vitamin C. As always, the antibiotics worked miraculously, and I felt better after a couple of days. 

I was relieved, as I had a trip to Germany coming up. However, during the flight, I began feeling extreme external burning. It felt like I was sitting on lava. 

My travel insurance allowed me to visit a German doctor who gave me a dipstick test, which came back negative. He offered me herbal medication and suggested I try not to take antibiotics anymore. As if I enjoyed taking them! He also suggested I try a UTI vaccine, but because its efficacy was just 50%, I chose not to do it at that time.

I continued with the antibacterials when I returned home, and this time, my remission lasted 8 months. My husband and I were able to start planning a baby at last, but UTI had other plans for us. 

A possible light at the end of the tunnel

In February 2023, I had another flare-up. I began to do my own research, and as a result, I stumbled across Live UTI Free. When I read Melissa’s story, I cried because it sounded so familiar. This helped me realize there was still some hope for me. But still, I was feeling reluctant to self-medicate, so I turned to conventional medicine again.

I was able to find another doctor. This was the first time someone seemed to understand that the issue wasn’t in my bladder alone. It was also the first time I had been told about how hormones influence UTIs and women’s health. 

I was offered more tests to exclude any physiological cause. For the first time, I learned about biofilms. He explained how bacteria can enter the bladder wall and stay hidden from antibiotics and the immune system. At last, I understood why all the medication I had taken provided only temporary relief. But he also said that the cold exposure had nothing to do with my flare-ups, when I knew that it did matter.

Instead of oral antibiotics, he offered instillations, paired with oral vaccines. He also insisted that I visit an endocrinologist. 

There, I found out I had elevated levels of thyroid-stimulating hormones and prolactin. The endocrinologist said these could have caused the immune system issues, cold sensitivity, and weight gain. I was also told I had polycystic ovaries – something I had never known before.

I kept taking the medication regimen and doing the instillations. My symptoms went away! Hormone therapy made my periods more regular again, and my mood improved significantly. I thought there was a light at the end of the tunnel.

My UTIs from cold sensitivity affected my marriage

My treatment lasted until the end of May 2023, when we planned to immigrate to Canada. When I had my last doctor’s appointment, I told him I would like to have a backup course of antibiotics with me. I insisted, so he prescribed some antibiotics and antimicrobials. 

As I was leaving, he said, “Even if the infection comes back, don’t take it too seriously. It’s just bacteria”. It broke my heart that something that had destroyed the quality of my life would be treated as an overreaction.

I tried to convince myself that my recurrent UTI was gone and that I could live my life to the fullest. But still, something felt wrong. I still occasionally had urethral burning. It felt like I was peeing lava every time I went to the toilet. But I tried not to think about it as long as the feeling remained external.

In August, we again began to think about having a baby. One time, during intercourse, I felt nearly frozen. I took a shower to try and fix everything, but it didn’t help.

The next day, my urine had that familiar foul smell. I started crying. My husband was worried and asked me what was wrong. I told him I was afraid I was having another flare-up. But because my previous doctor had undermined my experience, and I didn’t have sharp pains this time, my husband thought I might have been exaggerating or overthinking. 

It offended me, yet I understood. I know he was tired from the roller coaster we had been on for most of our marriage. I was tired too. 

Our intimate life began to suffer. Between the flare-ups, I was living in constant fear that it would happen again. All my thoughts were preoccupied with the illness. I could no longer enjoy life or intimacy. 

Frustration with doctors after immigration

I monitored my symptoms for two days. As the symptoms were less severe, I had my doubts. It was on day three that I decided to go to the nearest walk-in clinic–my first encounter with the local health system. 

It took the nurse four hours to see me. I told her about my history of recurrent UTI, so she administered a dipstick test. When I took the test, it felt like I was peeing acid. It took a lot of effort to hold back my tears.

The dipstick test was positive, so I was expecting a referral to a specialist. But all I got was a seven-day prescription of Macrobid. Desperately, I told her I took Macrobid three times in bigger doses, but it hadn’t helped. I begged her for a referral, but all she said was that I had to try Macrobid first, and if that didn’t work, she’d give me a referral. 

I was devastated. I left her office and headed home. The burning pain from urination persisted, and I was so desperate that I was ready to cry in public. As soon as I got into the apartment, the tears came. My husband tried to comfort me, but there was nothing he could do to ease my pain.

I found support through Live UTI Free

This was my 10th flare-up within 4 years. Everything felt worse because I was away from the resources in my home country, where I could have relatively cheap doctor visits at short notice, lab tests without referrals, etc. I was also far from my family, who supported me, especially my mum. 

Moreover, I knew I couldn’t tell my mum about the flare-ups because it would make her extremely sad. I felt alone. 

I contacted my doctor in my home country and told him that the UTI was back. He was saddened that his protocol hadn’t helped. He told me to take the medication I had brought with me and to keep in touch with him. 

It was then that I remembered Live UTI Free. I dug deeper. I read almost every article and story on Live UTI Free’s website and watched interviews on their YouTube channel. I was sorry I didn’t do it earlier. I contacted Melissa and asked her to send me her protocol again. It was so nice that I didn’t have to wait for ages for an answer. I felt some support in a terrible situation. 

Putting together my UTI puzzle

I started researching the effects of the cold on UTI. Finally, I stumbled upon an article about how gut health played a vital role in thermoregulation and thermogenesis of the body. 

That’s when I gathered all my medical documentation in a folder. At once, all the pieces of the puzzle started to come together. 

I looked back and realized the stress I went through in 2018 and 2019 caused a decrease in my gut health, since stress negatively affects the gut microbiome. That caused an increase in the populations of pathogenic E. coli in my gut, which likely spread to my bladder. Because most of the human immune system is concentrated in the gut, my body had no resources to fight against the disease or any inflammation. 

Moreover, I realized that the cold sensitivity, which caused a decrease in my immune system and led to recurrent UTI, was not a symptom in itself, but a result of poor gut health. I realized that the high erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) in my blood work was my body fighting inflammation. Yet my body wasn’t able to overcome it because of a poor immune system. 

I read Melissa’s story about yeast infection and how sugars and other carbs feed the yeast and other pathogenic microorganisms. I did more in-depth research on biofilms and understood that they were key factors in my efforts to find a cure for my illness. 

I consulted my doctor once again and shared my findings with him. As I still had the medication I brought from my home country, I told him I was planning to take it together with oral biofilm disruptors. He was reluctant to approve it, but lacking other choices, I decided to give it a try. 

Listening to my body

Soon, I realized that it wasn’t that I was unable to lose weight, but rather that my stomach was bloated. I had this cold sensitivity and UTI issue for so long that I didn’t pay attention to my gastrointestinal symptoms like loose stools, gas, discomfort and pain. I started taking probiotics, which were both for the gut and urinary tract. 

In just a month, my belly was back to normal. I couldn’t believe it. I started eating a more balanced diet, including more fiber, no added sugars, and fewer carbs. I repeated the antifungal protocol prescribed by my gynecologist, which worked this time. I no longer had constant fatigue or mood swings.

My cold sensitivity improved. I remember that I went out on a windy, rainy November day, and I didn’t even shiver. It came as such a surprise. I felt my body instantly adapt to the environment. For the first time in ages, cold weather didn’t mean freezing limbs or UTI symptoms. 

Beginning to heal my cold sensitivity and UTI

I realized that my assumptions about my immune system and cold sensitivity were not fiction. They were not a result of overthinking. I understood how important it was to listen to your body and to find someone who would not ignore your thoughts and feelings. 

I am still on my journey to a life without recurrent UTI, although I have been symptom-free for over a year. I am still taking certain medications and supplements, like D-mannose, and I continue to be careful with what I wear and what I eat. The anxiety caused by recurrent UTIs and constant overthinking eventually led to mild forms of vaginismus and overactive bladder (OAB). Whenever my symptoms worsened, I underwent urinalysis and urine cultures. However, since all the results came back negative and the ultrasound showed that my bladder was normal, I began to realize that much of what I was experiencing was being amplified by my own mind. Now, when I have an OAB flare-up, I turn to Kegel exercises and simple forms of autogenic training. Both have been helpful, especially the latter.

At the time of writing this, I have had no symptoms for over a year, and I don’t know how long this remission will last. Will I be UTI-free for the rest of my life, or will stress, gut health issues, or other factors lead to new symptoms? I’m scared to plan a pregnancy as I’m afraid of what a flare-up could mean. One positive in all this is that I now understand that a UTI is caused by a multitude of factors that all have to be addressed to achieve results.

If you’re struggling with this illness, there is hope, especially if you can find a good doctor who will listen to you! If you can relate to my journey, I would be more than happy to help you however I can. Take care of yourselves – the journey is hard, but I hope you can find a way.