A 20-year-old battling a mysterious UTI has ‘lost all hope’ of getting NHS treatment after a clueless doctor told her to Google solutions to her crippling symptoms.
Bianca Padurariu, from Crystal Palace, London, suffers a painful burning sensation every time she goes to the toilet or tries to have sex with her partner.
Since the nanny started having symptoms in September 2021, she has been to the GP several times.
After two rounds of antibiotics failed to help, she was even told ‘nothing is wrong’ after a urine test came back negative.
Unable to get a hospital referral, Miss Padurariu took things into her own hands and paid £700 for a private gynaecologist in September 2023, which confirmed she was suffering from a recurrent urinary tract infection.
When she finally secured an appointment with a urologist at Queen Mary’s Hospital in south west London, she claims the specialist asked whether she had heard of the world’s most popular search engine, Google, before suggesting she use that to find answers.
‘Now I’ve lost all hope that the NHS will do anything about this,’ Miss Padurariu said.
‘I’m not really sure what kind of infection I have at this point.
‘It just didn’t go away, so I’m wondering, is it something more complicated?
‘It’s quite sad really because I am not OK.’
UTIs are extremely common, with about half of all women in the UK suffering at least one during their lifetime, according to Kidney Research UK. Symptoms typically last less than a week, however.
Miss Padurariu became concerned in September 2021 when she started going to the toilet more frequently than usual.
‘Every time I drank a sip of water, five minutes later I needed the toilet,’ she said.
‘I waited to see if it would stop but it continued so I booked an appointment with the GP.’
A test confirmed Miss Padurariu had an infection and she was given antibiotics. Yet her symptoms did not subside after completing the five-day course, prompting her to visit her GP a few weeks later.
After doing another urine test, she was prescribed antibiotics for a second time. But, again, this did not solve the problem.
‘Nothing changed so I went back and asked for a referral,’ Miss Padurariu said. ‘They said I would have to do another urine test first.
‘When the test came back, they said “You’re fine, nothing’s wrong”.
‘I explained that was strange because I was still experiencing the same symptoms and that I would like to see a specialist.
‘But they couldn’t do that unless the test came back positive for infection.’
Miss Padurariu said she lived with her symptoms for the next two years.
‘I was probably going to the toilet like 10 or 15 times a day,’ she said.
‘When I was peeing, it was burning a bit. But the main thing which really bothered me was having to go to the toilet every time I drank water.
‘It also affected my sex life, because I could not have a normal sexual relationship without it hurting.’
This has heaped a lot of pressure on her current and past relationships.
‘I refused to have a sexual relationship with my boyfriend because it hurt,’ she said.
‘We would try to, but it was burning, so I would have to stop.
‘I believe when a couple has a sexual relationship that helps connect them.’
Miss Padurariu felt like she had no other option but go private and pay for a private gynaecologist in north London.
Tests at the private clinic showed she had a ‘recurrent urine infection’ and signs of endometriosis, a long-term condition which can cause severe pain in the pelvis, especially during menstruation, intercourse and when going to the toilet.
She also said the gynaecologist found high levels of protein in her kidneys, which can be a sign of kidney damage, and told her to see a doctor immediately.
Going back to the gynaecologist was not an option for Miss Padurariu however, as it was too expensive.
‘I don’t have this kind of money to spend if I have to come several times,’ she said.
Instead, they offered to write to her GP so they could refer her to hospital.
In November 2023, Miss Padurariu visited a urologist at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Roehampton, south west London.
‘The doctor just told me to drink lots of cranberry juice and water,’ she said. ‘So I did that, but it didn’t get any better.’
Miss Padurariu returned to the hospital in February determined to get to the bottom of what was wrong with her, but left without any hope.
‘She asked me “How have you been?” and I explained that I had followed what she said, but it did not get any better.
‘I asked if we could do more tests, but she said they couldn’t really do that.
‘She said they were here to offer me a plan that I could follow, and if you don’t, fine, that’s your problem.’
But as Miss Padurariu continued pushing for answers, pointing out that she still experienced a burning feeling every time she peed, she was told to just Google her symptoms.
‘She seemed really bothered that I kept asking questions,’ she said.
‘Then she was like, “Oh, have you heard of this thing called Google?”.
‘I said “of course I’ve heard of Google” and she was like “then you can find your answers there”.’
She left the appointment in tears and still none the wiser about the medical issue she faces.
She lodged a formal complaint with the Patient Advice and Liaison Service about her experience in February, saying: ‘I [was] there to speak to a professional regarding my problems. Google will never give me the right answer, it will just make me panic.’
She has given up trying to find answers through the NHS and is now fundraising for private treatment.
Miss Padurariu has launched a fundraiser on GoFundMe for £8,000 but said she does not know exactly how much the private treatment will cost.
‘I really appreciate anyone who shares my fundraiser or makes a donation, every little contribution helps,’ she said.
A spokesperson at St George’s NHS Hospital said: ‘Our staff strive to give expert and compassionate care at all times and we are truly sorry that Ms Padurariu is unhappy with her experience.
‘We take all concerns very seriously and have discussed Ms Padurariu’s experience with her and invited her to make a follow-up appointment.’
Laura Adams is a tech enthusiast residing in the UK. Her articles cover the latest technological innovations, from AI to consumer gadgets, providing readers with a glimpse into the future of technology.