Urine culture necessary to identify bacteria

Dear Doctors: I have had a UTI several times and know the symptoms. This last time, when I went to urgent care, they said they needed a urine culture before they could treat me. It was another day of being uncomfortable before getting the meds I needed. Do you know why that was done?

Dear Reader: For those who are fortunate enough not to know, a UTI is a urinary tract infection. This is a common in…