'I had surgery for a common condition, but I was misdiagnosed'

“At that point I was contemplating what the rest of my life would look like, and if I would be able to keep living like how I had."

A mum who underwent a hysterectomy in an attempt to end her years-long battle with crippling urinary tract infections was shocked when her symptoms remained unchanged.

Sally Murali spent years battling her chronic UTIs, a condition that is yet to be technically recognised in Australia.

“It completely took over my life,” Sally told The Project. “I found it hard to even function.

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“These symptoms and these pains, that no one can tell you what they were, it was like an alarm bell constantly in your face.”

News.com.au reports Sally found it hard to be taken seriously by doctors despite her extreme discomfort.

“You’re dealing with the symptoms which in itself is debilitating, and you’re dealing with the system that can’t give you any answers, doesn’t seem interested, dismisses your symptoms, and the first thing they want to tell you is that you’ve got anxiety or you’re a bit hysterical,” she said.

RELATED: I didn’t think my UTI was that bad so I left it alone, then I got septic shock

Sally Murali shared her story after receiving a hysterectomy, only to find out she’d been misdiagnosed. Picture: The Project

"I woke up and the pain was still there"

Sally was at one stage treated for an ‘overactive bladder’, which included two rounds of botox injected directly into her bladder.

“She (the urologist) tried every possible medication,” she told The Project. “They put an electrical stimulator in my ankle.

“None of these things worked.”

Sally’s doctor eventually diagnosed her with endometriosis, and she was booked in for a hysterectomy.

But what should have been a relieving surgery turned into just another question for Sally.

“I woke up from that surgery and that very specific pain was still there,” she said.

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“That was the lowest part of my life because I literally felt like I’d run out of medical options.

“At that point I was contemplating what the rest of my life would look like, and if I would be able to keep living like how I had."

Thankfully, Sally refused to give up, and she found a support group online with women who were experiencing similar symptoms.

Through that group, she was put onto a British doctor named James Malone-Lee, so she travelled halfway around the world for more treatment.

She was given a long-term, high-dose antibiotic, and her symptoms have since drastically improved.

RELATED: UK mum loses baby girl at 25 weeks due to undiagnosed UTI

Despite her extreme discomfort, Sally found it very difficult to be taken seriously by doctors. Picture: The Project

"I went four nights without a wink of sleep"

News.com.au reports Laura Cunningham also struggled with chronic UTIs for eight years, and was needing the bathroom every 45 minutes.

“It was just awful, it wasn’t just during the daytime it was all through the night, waking up again and again and again. Your mind is always on the bladder,” she said.

She was treated once a year with antibiotics, but eventually they just stopped working.

“It was terrifying,” she said. “I went four nights in total without a wink of sleep.”

She was admitted to hospital, but doctors just told her there was no infection in her bladder, and were angry that she was “wasting their time”.

Ms Cunningham was also treated by Dr Malone-Lee, and her symptoms have also dramatically improved.

RELATED: 'The hospital said I had a UTI, but it was a case of life and death'

Laura Cunningham said she had struggled with similar symptoms to Sally for eight years. Picture: The Project

Two UTIs in six months classified as "recurrent"

UTIs are common, and one in three women will experience them at some stage during their lives.

However, while UTIs are easily treated with a course of antibiotics, complex and recurring UTIs can be hard to treat, and debilitating for the sufferer.

If infection isn’t completely cleared by a course of antibiotics it can become embedded in the bladder causing long-term problems.

Associate Professor Magdalena Simonis said: “If you develop two urinary tract infections in six months or three in a year that’s classified as recurrent urinary tract infection and you really need to think about what is going on there.”

Originally published as 'I had surgery for a common condition, but I was misdiagnosed'