Curing a bladder inflammation in Japan

Since I have moved to Japan I have gone through several bladder inflammations. Last week I was again feeling the familiar symptoms so I would like to share my experience.

Typical symptoms of a bladder inflammation are pain in the lower abdomen, pain when urinating, feeling the urge to go the toilet very frequently and a bad smell of the urine. For women, it is a very common issue that most of us have undergone once or even several times already. Men only rarely get bladder inflammations.

If you are not pregnant and there are no complications chances are the inflammation heals after a few days. Try to keep your abdomen warm to reduce the pain and drink a lot. When at home I find electric blankets nice for warming. When outside I usually use Kairos, the Japanese pocket warmers. There are versions available that you can stick on the inside of your clothes. I find these pretty convenient.

For drinks water, tee and cranberry juice are preferred. You should stay away from alcohol and coffee though. In Germany, there is special bladder tee that is perfect for such a situation but in Japan, it might be hard to find. But green tea is recommended as well. Also, try to stay close to a toilet so you can empty your bladder as often as possible.

In drug stores there also is prescription-free medicine for bladder inflammation available. I tried it once but did not find it very helpful. 

If after 2 to 3 days you do not feel that the symptoms are getting better it is advisable to go to a doctor. The best option would be a urologic clinic (泌尿器科 Hinyoukika in Japanese) but a clinic for internal medicine should be able to help as well.

You will most likely be asked for urine test. If the test is positive the doctor will most likely prescribe antibiotics. If usually find these very helpful as I already feel better after 1 or 2 days of taking them. Make sure to take them according to the instructions you got from your pharmacists and do not stop taking them even when you feel better. I usually get prescriptions for around 5 days.

If you tend to get bladder inflammations regulary you might also want to inform your doctor as this might be the symptom of a more severe illness.

Get well soon.