Healing my UTI with a 92-hour fast and finally letting myself be angry

A burning vagina as if my pee is corrosive acid. An uncomfortable feeling in my lower belly, like there's an oddly shaped stone sitting in it. Suddenly having to go to the bathroom with such urgency that if I don't go, I might pee my pants - then finding out there was nothing to pee much at all, and the little that there was to urinate is liquid fire as it goes down the most sensitive part of my body. Ah, Urinary Tract Infection. My old friend.

I'm 32 and in my lifetime I've had several UTIs of varying seriousness - I've had at least three that really brought me down to my knees. And if you've had a UTI before, you know. It can bring you down to your knees and make you cry. When it was really bad, I had begun to feel a fear of going to the bathroom that was both completely irrational and completely justified. At my worst, I had started to feel afraid of intercourse.

How people get UTIs, how common it is in women, how to heal it - all of this is easily searchable. There's so many good, reliable sources out there and one that I would recommend browsing is the site liveutifree.com. However, this is not a piece that explains all that. This is a piece from someone who was damn tired of crying from pain while peeing and having to take dangerous antibiotics as "medicine."

The last time I took antibiotics for UTI, which was just 2 months ago before this episode, I almost immediately got sick with a sore throat, chills, and a fever. I'm of the belief that the antibiotics completely wrecked the healthy microbiome of bacteria I had going on and thus, the illness. Yes, there were other factors that could have gotten me sick, but there's also the fact that my immune system had thus far ensured me 2 years of not getting sick at all.

I also possessed the knowledge that if you've had UTIs before, you're actually more susceptible to them. My own mother got them all the time, which then meant I was doubly predisposed to having this frequently. I can't really afford to keep taking antibiotics that often. I had to find another way.

Aside from that, as this is happening, I'm in Mexico and COVID is still happening. I don't necessarily want to go to the hospital just to get more unhelpful "medicine."

As I'm whimpering in pain trying to figure out what to do, I tell my friend who lives with me what I'm going through because sharing is how I process pain. Then she tells me, "Oh, the last time I had a UTI was years ago. I cured it by fasting for 3 days."

As they say, nothing is more effective than word of mouth.

I decide to do the fast because I know enough about the benefits of fasting that I know what a powerful healing tool it is. (Again, if you're looking for scientific information on that, there are so many reliable resources online - most of which I looked at when I was hungry).

DAY 1 of FAST: I completely don't even notice I'm fasting because the pain of the UTI. All I drink is water, water, water and Agua de Jamaica, an everyday drink here in Mexico which is basically hibiscus tea. It doesn't seem to matter how much water I drink because the pain doesn't abate...

That is, until it does. By evening time, I'm finally feeling the relief of peeing normally.

DAY 2 of FAST: I wake up feeling good in all ways. I'm surprised at how fast it all works out. I'm so happy that I celebrate that I get in the mood and make love to my partner.

Bad idea. It still doesn't hurt, but intercourse (as you'll know upon researching reliable sources) is actually one of the easiest ways for women to get UTIs.

Because I'm overpowered by the joy of pain-free peeing and I don't really know that much about fasting at all except that it worked for my friend, I decide to stop my fast because my symptoms are gone!

Second bad idea. I've fasted for only 36 hours at this point.

That evening I eat homemade french fries and remain completely blissful about the infection that's still quietly waiting for me.

Next morning, PAIN. Also, the pain of not following through on the 3-day fast. This is the morning I finally understand - the only way to heal this naturally is to hunker down and discipline myself for the longest fast I've ever done.

So if you're someone who just doesn't want to do it, trust me, neither did I.

ROUND TWO

DAY 1 of FAST: Back to water and agua de jamaica as I suffer both the pain of peeing and the idiocy of not following my friend's advice. On this day, I mostly lay in bed and read. I also feel completely tired anyway.

What really weakened me previously was being around people who were eating and seeing how much they were enjoying themselves. I wasn't even going to chance it today so I stay in my room the whole day.

Pain goes away in the afternoon and onward.

DAY 2 of FAST: I'm drinking so much liquids it's starting to make me feel sick. I'm still symptom-free in the morning. At the same time, I feel confident enough to be out and about in the house.

We decide to go for a little drive and I had my doubts about it because I had to keep drinking and drinking, which also means peeing and peeing, but I go anyway. True enough like clockwork, my first time to pee during our trip out the symptoms are back. I want to cry out of frustration.

When I get home that night I research all I can about fasting just to bolster my faith. I also type these exact words on Google, "spiritual meaning UTI."

My search comes up with two common themes - UTIs are most often associated with anger and fear.

Funnily enough, two Mexican brujas had previously told me that I had so much anger in me and it was time to let it bubble out.

I go to sleep feeling slightly hopeless, but also determined to see this through.

DAY 3 OF FAST: I wake up and the first thing I do is go pee. When I do, there's just a slight discomfort, but nothing to grab my belly and bowl over for like I had been. If I hadn't had a UTI the days previous, I wouldn't even think of it.

I always knew there was a spiritual component to every illness - but the knowledge was like a bitter medicine that I didn't want to take. The next thing I do upon waking is to create myself an altar, light a fire, and write letters to all my immediate family for all the things I had felt anger towards them for. I went as far as writing to my brother, who's been dead for 17 years now. Before this, I never really realized how angry I was at him for leaving our family at 15, when we all needed him the most.

Surprise surprise! I'm completely symptom-free the whole day.

DAY 4 of FAST: My friend had said she only fasted for 3 days. She conveniently only told me that she actually fasted for 5 days when I was solidly in it already. She advised me that I should fast an extra 2 days after I was completely symptom-free to make sure this infection had gone. Another woman who had done it, Alyse Parker or Raw Alignment on YouTube, said she was advised to fast for another 12 hours after she was completely free.

I didn't want to risk it so I was still going for 5 days. However, this day was different.

In the middle of the afternoon, I was feeling completely weak and not myself. I was hungry all day and by the afternoon, I was feeling the hunger in my throat and in my mouth in a way that I could not explain with words.

At hour 20 (after I'm completely symptom-free), I weigh the risks and it's almost as if my body decides for me. I eat a meal of bone broth, butter, garlic and soy sauce. None of these things have sugar so I'm able to stay in ketosis. (Ketosis is just one of those words I know about because I have a partner who is crazy about fasting and has done 24-hour fasts.)

I fast for a total of 92 hours.

It's now 2 days after I started eating. I've gone to the beach, gone swimming and stayed in a wet bikini (which is one of the things they advise against when you have a UTI). I've made love to my partner.

And hey, I'm feeling great.

Yes, for the first day I would hold my breath each time as I peed - hoping to God that I didn't make a mistake not fasting for 5 days. And each time I peed like normal I literally thanked God.

I just wanted to share my story because I'm sure there's many of us women and men out here who are tired of UTIs and the antibiotic cocktail. You may be one of those women who are looking for another way.

I can't promise that this method of fasting will work for you. Please please please, do your own research as I am no expert in fasting or UTIs. I'm only here to share my own story in hope that it helps you in any way possible. If it's not for you, you'll most likely know it in your gut immediately.

I know how painful UTIs are and any morsel of positivity from someone who's been there helped me when I was going through it all.

Here's to pain-free peeing.

Aho and Aloha, Celesdina