klebsiella+ pneumoniae in urine please help

[Janie Miranda]

I have a question for the folks with knowledge about bacteria and IC. I went to my doctor about a week or two weeks ago with mild burning when I urinated and she did the in office test and said I didn't have an infection but she would culture it just in case. The culture came back positive for klebsiella pneumoniae -- 50 to 100 thousand count. She is calling me in some bactrim - to take twice a day for 10 days. First off, is bactrim the right antibiotic for this? How will bactrim effect my IC?

Also, normally if I have a urinary tract infection I am in horrific pain. At least that was how I was before I got on elmiron and hydroxyzine. This time I just felt some very mild burning and to be honest it felt like my normal, low level IC symptoms.

Thanks so much if you can help me with this.

jane

[Kara29]

Janie,


If the culture came back positive and sensitive to Bactrim then the infection "should" get better. I don't know that much about infections and IC. I'm glad you don't have symptoms that are bothering you with it. I am allergic to Bactrim. Maybe someone else can answer your questions.



Kara

[mary124]

I can't take Bactrim either, it makes my IC worse. I usually take Levquin. Have you tried that?

[sandymarie]

bactrim

I have ic supposedly in the later stages and when I get the burning. I call my doctor for bactrim and they seem to always help me as long as I am on them. I can tell a difference every time I take them. I have even wondered if I should be on them all the time, but I am afraid to take any antibiotic for a long period of time. The doctor is wanting to take my bladder out and I am really trying to find a different course to take. I knoe I would have it removed if I was younger but I am just trying to hang on praying something will come to us in the future to heal all of us with ic. Hind sight is always better and if I would have known it like I do now, I probably would have had it removed, but I just have a gut feeling htat it is not the next step for me. Hope you feel better quickly.

J.J.

[PlainJane]

Hi Janie Miranda. I think Martha would know more than I do about this bug. It is not as common as something like enterococcus I don't think. I also read somewhere that it is typically found in people with suppressed immune systems which would make sense in my case but I don't know about your situation.

Did your doctor tell you anything about this bacteria? I had it a while back too and I took 2 weeks of Augmentin. Further testing showed that the 2 weeks of Augmentin cleared it up. I would think that if the culture sensitivity showed the Klebsiella is sensitive to Bactrim then it should work.

Unfortunately I don't think you'll know how the bactrim will affect your bladder until you take it.

I hope your doctor will follow up your antibiotic treatment with another urine culture. I think you need to wait a few days or maybe a few weeks after you're finished the antibiotics to do a follow up culture.

~Erica

[Moonheart]

They do a test and it shows whether or not the bacteria is sensitive or not, your bacteria, is sensitive or not to the different antibiotics. It must have shown that your bacteria WAS sensitive to Bactrim, or else she wouldn't have given it to you.

You will have to give it a try to see if your bladder reacts or not to it. It is the antibiotic that my uro gives me as a preventative to reduce my IC symptoms.

[Janie Miranda]

Thanks everyone. She put me on only five days worth of bactrim. It didn't irritate my bladder and after the second or third day I felt the best I have felt in four years (although my symptoms are quite mild now, I didn't realize how much they still affected me until I had a few days of absolutely NO symptoms!!)

Unfortunately, I've been off the antibiotic a while and I'm back to my previous low level symptoms - mainly just some mild burning and pain after urination.

I guess I'll go back in and get her to do another urine culture to see if it is gone.

Thanks again everyone!

[Moonheart]

Bactrim can work as a mild anti-inflammatory also, so it's possible that is responsible for the response you are getting as well. Some ICers go on a low dose prophelactically (sp?) just for that. You might want to try that. I hope you feel better permanently.

[PlainJane]

Feel better on antibiotics?

I know what I am about to say is considered controversial but here goes... It's quite possible that the reason your bladder felt so much better on the antibiotics is because you could have a low level chronic bladder infection that isn't turning up on routine urine tests. Antibiotics do have anti-inflammatory properties sure but why is your bladder inflammed? It's possibly inflammed because there's bacteria in it hence you feel better on antibiotics.

Erica

[Janie Miranda]

Erica,
I've wondered that myself. When all my problems began they found Strep B bacteria in my urine. I went on tons of antibiotics and then I really had a long and horrible flare and basically I had a very bad year. Things had gotten better until I thought I was almost in remission. Now the familiar "IC" symptoms are back and they find this new bacteria. Sure makes a person wonder. This bacteria they found this time is supposedly often gotten when a person is immune suppressed. What's up with that? I don't have diabetes, I'm not a drinker, I don't have HIV or anything like that. I was sick all winter though. Why is my immune system so suppressed and how did I get this funky bacteria anyway. I am scrupulous about my personal hygiene because I'm so scared I'll get an infection. I just have no clue how this one came on me. Thank the Lord though, I don't have the excrutiating agony that used to accompany my infections. This time I just have some mild burning and increased frequency and urgency.

By the way, I'm back on bractrim again as my symptoms came back a little bit worse this time. Hope the little buggers are not antibiotic resistant. I've read they can be hard to get rid of.

[PlainJane]

Did your doctor ever suggest a reason why you might be getting a bacteria that is typically found in immune suppressed patients? In my case it makes sense because I know my immune system is quite suppressed from Lyme disease, babesia and bartonella. I wish I had some answers for you!

I hope the bactrim helps you. Have you ever had a broth culture done?

Erica