Kidney infections are painful, unpleasant and can result in serious complications if not dealt with quickly and correctly. How are you supposed to know if you have a kidney infection, though?

Our AFC Urgent Care Knoxville team highlights the common signs of these unpleasant infections below, so keep reading!

How Will I Know If I Have a Kidney Infection?

Kidney infections usually follow a previous UTI or bladder infection. If the UTI or bladder infection hasn’t been taken care of correctly, the bacteria from that infection can move through the urinary tract and infect the kidneys.

If you experience any of the symptoms we’ve listed below, visit our AFC center. Once you visit, you’ll be asked to provide a urine sample to test for bacteria, blood or pus in your urine to confirm the diagnosis. Your doctor might also take a blood sample for a culture, which is a lab test that checks for bacteria or other organisms in your blood.

Common Kidney Infection Symptoms

• Fever
• Vomiting
• Pain in the back, side(s) or groin
• Chills
• Nausea
• Urinating often
• Feeling like you have to urinate often, even if you just went
• Pain or burning when urinating
• Pus or blood in your urine
• Cloudy or bad-smelling urine

Are There Things I Can Do to Treat the Infection?

The only treatment that will truly eliminate the infection is antibiotics. Your doctor will likely prescribe them once your diagnosis is confirmed, and you should be feeling good as new in two weeks after the antibiotic treatment begins.

However, there are some things you can do at home that help lessen the pain and discomfort! We’ve listed them below.

At-Home Complementary Treatments

• Drink lots of water.
• Drink unsweetened cranberry juice.
• Avoid alcohol and coffee.
• Take probiotics.
• Use non-aspirin pain relievers.
• Consume apples and apple juice.

Our AFC Urgent Care Knoxville team wants you to stay healthy and well this year! If you believe you have a kidney infection or need general medical care, don’t hesitate to visit us.