re current uti's

[karendy]

after months of being Uti free,, i have started to have recurrent ones.. i take antbo.. and in a week or so after i finish my meds.. it's back.. very depressing.. i take elmiron four aday.. and i watch what i eat.. i try to do everything i can.. sex is a no no .. and even that isn't preventing the uti's.. any suggestions ??? HELP>..


k

[leelee88]

You are sure its UTIs you are getting tested for them, I am just asking because an IC flare feels alot like an UTI..

[ICNDonna]

I have the same question --- are you being tested and cultures being done? Antibiotics have anti-inflammatory qualities so they can make you feel better even if you don't have an infection.

If you are actually having diagnosed infections I do have a few hints: (1) Switch to taking showers if you are bathing in a tub (I was told that sitting in water in a bath tub is sitting in the dirt/germs that you have accumulated on your body throughout the day), (2) Use only plain white, unscented, toilet tissue and blot (don't wipe the urethral area), (3) Wear underpants with cotton crotches.

Donna

[jen74]

I really feel for you hon. I have gotten a few UTI's in the last few months and I am also very careful with myself, for example, I do not have sex, I use cotton underwear and wash with no scent or dyes detergent, I only take showers, I also make sure I pee after I shower, I wash with soap and water after a bowel movement and I use a mild soap(basis) as to not irritate things down there. I do all this, and I still will get infections. I think it may depend on your system. I have a possible autoimmune disorder which may be a contributing factor here.
You could ask your doctor about taking a preventative antibitoic like macrodantin.
I cannot even take the prevenative antibitoics anymore as they really messed up my digestive tract but good. There is also a product called D' Mannose that is a natural remedy that is said to help prevent UTI's.
I am sorry you are dealing with this. I hope you get it worked out so you can feel better soon.
Jen

[karendy]

i get tested and they don't always come back positive .. some times i am sure it's a uti.. and they call and say no.. i went 6 mos without one.. and then out of the blue.. april 1 , i had a test done.. and it came back postive.. and since then,, i have had 3 other test..and the last one.. two weeks ago came back positive.. i can't tell the difference between a uti.. and a flare .. I read about baking soda helping with a flare.. and what is prelief... and does it work.. ??? this is a learning process lol........ thanks for the help..


K

[jen74]

I am just like you, I cannot tell the differnece sometimes between a flare and a UTI. It is hard. I had a UTI back in March and it was awful. I went almost two weeks before I found out and got treated and it put my IC into a huge flare that lasted for over a month!
I just had a culture last week and it showed positive for 20,000 count bacteria. I had a feeling I was getting a UTI so I just took a couple of the macrodantin I had at home( this threw my GI into a huge tailspin) I got soooo sick and constipated from the antibitoic. My bowels literaly stopped working. I am now on miralax just to poop. Well, after I had just went ahead and took the two macrodantin, my UTI symptoms went away, so I am guessing I licked the infection before it got out of hand. But my uro doc's nurse called and said that my uro thought that the 20,000 count bacteria was just a contaminated sample. I highly disagree with that. I know it was an infection brewing. If I did not take those two macrobid's I would have ended up with a full blown infection, I know it.
Anyhow, I wish I had some wisdom to offer you, but this is very complicating. I just pray you find something to help you.
Jen

[jen74]

Just did some research and came across this and thought I would post it.
the part I found most interesting is the part where they state that the bacteria more easily attach to the cells in the bladder which in turn cause more infections. I think this is what happens is women who get more UTI's than the normal population.
I have had a couple UTI's before getting IC, but now since having IC, I seem to be very much more prone to getting them, and that is even with taking ALL percautions. Here is the info I found below.





Some people appear to be more likely than others to develop UTIs. Up to half of all women will develop a bladder infection over a lifetime. A key reason is their anatomy. Women have a shorter urethra than men have, which cuts down on the distance bacteria must travel to reach the bladder.

Women who are sexually active tend to have more UTIs. Sexual intercourse can irritate the urethra, allowing germs to more easily travel through the urethra into the bladder. Women who use diaphragms for birth control also may be at higher risk, as are women who use spermicidal agents. After menopause, UTIs may become more common because tissues of the vagina, urethra and the base of the bladder become thinner and more fragile due to loss of estrogen.

Other risk factors include:

Anything that impedes the flow of urine, such as an enlarged prostate in men or a kidney stone
Diabetes and other chronic illnesses that may impair the immune system
Medications that lower immunity, such as chronic cortisone therapy or chemotherapy for cancer
Prolonged use of tubes (catheters) in the bladder
A woman's immune system may play a role in her risk of recurrent UTIs. Bacteria may be able to attach to cells in the urinary tract more easily in women lacking protective factors that normally allow the bladder to shed bacteria. More research is needed to determine the exact factors involved and how such factors can be manipulated to benefit women with frequent UTIs.

[vm]

One thing you'll want to be sure of is when you do test positive that the doctor also orders a urine culture and sensitivity. The culture and sensitivity will tell them which antibiotic will actually get rid of the UTI. If they aren't doing a sensitivity you may not be taking the appropriate antibiotic and the infection may not actually be clearing up.

[GriffsMommy]

I know a lot of people say it is hard to tell between a flare and a UTI. I know they feel very similiar but I don't think that everyone w/ IC is prone to infections. I am NOT prone to infections at all, I have only ever tested positive for an infection once in college and that's it.

I feel so bad for all of you that get UTI's on top of the IC. I can only imagine how horrible that must be. The dr's office always wants me to get a culture if I've been flaring for awhile but I don't want to even bother anymore because the NEVER show any infection and I just wasted the money. I hope that you get the UTI's under control.

[MarthaF]

IC is really an infection

Ihave posted before about this. Many of us have found that our chronic bladder symptoms are really due to bacteria that is not being found on the typical cultures. There are many species of bacteria that can enter the bladder (from the intestines just as E. coli do). They said in the article quoted that women are more susceptible to UTIs due to the shorter urethra, and likewise women are the ones predominantly affected with IC.

All bacteria are not equal and some are harder to culture. Also some do not require a huge number of colonies to cause symptoms. The labs/doctors consider some bacteria "contaminants" when there are a small number of colonies and do not take them seriously. But some bacteria are pathogenic in small numbers and some invade the tissue are hide so are hard to detect. There is a better test being developed at UCLA (it was mentioned at the last AUA meeting) and it is designed to find many more species and can be done in minutes.

http://jcm.asm.org/cgi/content/abstract/44/2/561

When this is available many more species will be found and the current agar plate will be shown to be inadequate.

Martha F

[amartaingirl]

me too

Ive had chronic UTI's for 14 years (age 19---now 32)
I've blamed it on ..two things
this one time..when I was 19..i fell in a lake...
came home...took a shower...but had sex later that night.
it was the next am..my first UTI came about.

and i also shave down there.
(im sure god put that hair there for a reason..lol)

ever since then...boy
why they keep comming...i think it has alot to do with our body PH.
We Ic'ers seem to be very Acidic with our PH.
Combine Acidic foods & Stress ..to an already acidic body
just leaves us open as a breeding ground for bactierica

or any seach of
acidic & breeding ground comes up with a bunch

so in short..i think we are just predisposed..due to our disposition.
wow...that sounds scientific...i came up w/ that all on my own

[jen74]

Very interesting. Now I have hear the opposite. I read that the more acidic the urine, the better off you are in terms of avoiding UTI's. They say that the bacteria cannot live in an acidic enviorment. Well with IC, we all know that the less acidic urine we have, the less pain we get. But maybe this is why we keep getting UTI's. I mean I do not drink anything acidic ever anymore( i.e. cranberyy juice, coffee etc.) I only drink water, and alot usually, so my urine is very diluted. This may be why it is so easy for bacteria to gain hold. I am not sure, but just what I read.
Who really knows, I still kind of think it all depends on out immune systems on how well we are able to fight infections.
Jen

[ICNDonna]

Normal, healthy urine is slightly acidic. Alkaline urine can be a breeding ground for bacteria.

Acidic foods do not necessarily turn the urine acidic, but we do know that they can cause IC flares.

[jen74]

Hi Donna.
Yes, I have alkaline urine.When I had my urine tested last year, this was when I first started having IC symptoms, I thought I was coming down with a UTI. I drank a ton of pure cranberry juice at the time thinking it was infection ( oh my gosh did this cause me some severe pain). Well the next day I went to my doctor and she did a urine test and said that my urine was very alkaline. What causes the urine to be alkaline?
I could not believe mine was alkaline after drinking all that cranberry juice. What do you do to de-alkalanize the urine so you dont get so many UTI's?
Maybe that is why I am so suseptible. Any suggestions? Thanks.
Jen