UTI was not a problem I had my entire life. Perhaps once and it cleared up just fine with an antibiotic. Then, decades later, I clearly got a multi-drug resistant super bug UTI that was still going strong, and getting worse, on antibiotic #4.
I knew something was going terribly wrong but could not convince my PCP front desk that it was bad enough to make an appointment. She told me to just give this 4th antibiotic time to work. This, as my temperature climbed to past 100 degrees and I was clearly unwell. My normal temperature is 97.6. I was told not to worry until my temperature was 103 degrees.
The front desk staff has no business deciding if one needs an appointment, but anyway.
When I collapsed on the kitchen floor a few days later, my husband took me to ER where I was admitted to the ICU with first stages of sepsis from severe bladder infection and remained in hospital for 4 days. My kidneys were not affected but could have been. Sepsis is scary. I ended up needing rehab therapy for my speech and balance which did not recover well from the sepsis.
I now have interstitial cystitis IC as a souvenir. My bladder function was affected. IC isn't serious, just annoying. It feels as if you have a UTI, but you don't. The bladder can also spasm painfully and refuse to work. So, I now know how to self-catheterize as I got fed up going to ER with this.

I had not been diagnosed with RA officially when this super bug UTI hit. Now we know that I had psoriatic arthritis PsA as the main problem with RA affecting some joints. But the first diagnosis I had at the time was inflammatory arthritis not clearly defined. Also diagnosed with erosive inflammatory osteoarthritis, a rare form that severely affects the hands and fingers. Taking hydroxychloroquine for that.

I never considered that this dreadful experience I had with antibiotic resistant UTI could be related to RA and PsA.

I have had ongoing Multi-drug resistant super bug UTI for last 4 months, along with continuous UTIs off and on for last 2 years.
Also has kidney stones surgery then had to e hospitalized 4 days after due to unbearable pain