TV presenter Cherry Healey expected to make many lasting memories as maid of honour at her best friend’s wedding.
Giving herself permanent kidney damage was not part of her plan.
“I had been feeling rubbish for about four days but I had been really busy at work so just carried on,” says Cherry.
It was 2009 and the BBC’s Inside the Factory presenter knew she had a urinary tract infection – after all, she had suffered from them since age 12.
What she hadn’t known was how serious the problem could become if untreated. “I left it far too long,” she recalls.
“I was mainlining painkillers and in a state, sweating and shaky, but I just carried on and went to the wedding as I didn’t want to let anyone down.”
Cherry, 38, managed to walk up the aisle, but couldn’t eat the wedding breakfast and didn’t make it as far as the speeches.
She collapsed on the bed in the bridal suite, where her then-husband, Roly, found her and persuaded her it was time to leave.
“We went home and by the Sunday I was sheet white, had a terrible migraine and felt like death, so finally took myself to A&E.
They admitted me instantly and I was in hospital for five days.”
The medics discovered Cherry’s UTI has spread to her kidneys. “I hadn’t realised that could happen,” she reveals.
“I was pumped full of antibiotics and even though I felt better after two days, the doctors were very concerned as my blood tests had warning markers.
“They did an ultrasound and discovered that because I had left it so long, my kidneys were permanently damaged – they will always be scarred.”
Ironically, that means Cherry is now even more susceptible to UTIs and kidney infections than before.
“They sat me down and gave me a serious talking to, warning me that I shouldn’t muck about, that as soon as I felt any symptoms in future I had to go and get treated,” she says.
“There wasn’t to be any ‘Oh, I’m sure it’ll sort itself out, I’ll drink loads of water and have a cranberry juice’. I’m fastidious about it now.
“I know what to look out for – if I’ve been for a wee and it’s a bit shorter than normal that’s usually the first sign.
“Then I’ll get this strange ache in my pelvic area which grows and grows if you don’t do anything about it, until next time you go to the loo you’ll get the trademark sting when you wee.”
It is an all too familiar sensation for Cherry.
“I had my first UTI when I was really young and didn’t know what was happening. I remember being quite scared because it was suddenly very painful to wee,” she says.
“It turns out I’m really susceptible to them – some women just are. I have learnt you can be as hygienic as you like and as fastidious about looking after yourself and still get them, so the idea that women who get them are dirty is not true.
“There’s a stigma attached and people link them to one- night stands or lots of sex.
“If I tell someone I have a UTI they look at me as if to say, ‘Ooh, did you have an interesting weekend?’ but that’s a complete myth.
“They can happen if I’m too hot, get dehydrated, go on a long-haul flight, if I’m over-tired – so many different reasons.
“As I’ve got older they have become more regular and they have peaked since the birth of my second child, Bear, who is five. I’ve had dozens,” says Cherry, who also has a daughter, Coco, nine.
“My most recent came last month, during Christmas and was one of the fastest developing I had experienced.
“It went from a few twinges in the morning to lying on the floor unable to go anywhere by lunchtime.
“It was when everything was shut for the holidays so I used Push Doctor (an app which lets you see an GP over the internet) and they sent a prescription to my local pharmacy.”
While Cherry believes the new online services are brilliant, they do come with a downside.
“My one worry is that as it’s a private doctor, they don’t have access to my notes so don’t know what antibiotics I’ve previously taken,” she says.
“I’ve taken so many over the years that it does concern me. I think the NHS has to move with the times and embrace new technology more quickly, like making patients’ data available online. We are definitely ready for it.
“These apps weren’t around in 2009 – if they were I might not have ended up in hospital as speaking to someone would have been easier.
“In the past, when I recognised the first twinges on a weekend it would be quite a scary feeling because I know how difficult it can to be to see a doctor out of hours.
“For people like me, the new technology has been life changing.”
- Cherry is supporting the NHS At 100 report from Roche Products Ltd, which highlights how the NHS can adapt to meet the future needs of the public – see nhs100.co.uk
URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS
UTIs are usually caused by bacteria entering the urinary tract.
They can affect different parts of the tract, including your bladder (cystitis), urethra (urethritis) or kidneys (kidney infection). Most UTIs can be easily treated with antibiotics.
Women are more susceptible to UTIs as they have a shorter urethra than men. This means bacteria is more likely to reach the bladder or kidneys and cause an infection.
Symptoms include:
■ needing to pee suddenly or more often than usual
■ pain or a burning sensation when peeing
■ smelly or cloudy pee
■ blood in your pee
■ pain in your lower tummy
■ feeling tired and unwell
■ (in older people) changes in behaviour such as severe confusion or agitation
Ask for an urgent GP appointment if you have:
■ pain in your sides or lower back
■ a very high temperature or you feel hot and shivery
■ feel sick or have been sick
■ diarrhoea
These symptoms suggest a kidney infection, which can be serious if left.