Recipes for avoiding UTI's

[WPDaggy]

Three gallons will get your electrolytes out of balance. That's way too much water, unless you weigh 500lbs.

[Neesymc]

My son had an UTI in August. Took him to his doctor(not his Urologist). Was treated with meds, seemed to have gone away, two weeks later, symptoms there again. Another round of Bactrim. We then went to the Urologist to find out why the meds were not working. Found stones in his bladder. (He has had bladder augmentation). Got stones removed, more bactrim. Now, a month later, another UTI. He drinks lots of fluids, drains every few hours, irrigates bladder to remove mucus. More Bactrim now, and Doctor wants him to stay on it until he is symptom free for six months. Seems like an extra long time to me. Can't he build a resistance to the medicine? Also wondering, as far as lubricating the caths, should we be using individual packets of ky? Right now we are using a tube, and putting the lube on the tip of the cath. He does use a new cath each time.

[gjnl]

My son had an UTI in August. Took him to his doctor(not his Urologist). Was treated with meds, seemed to have gone away, two weeks later, symptoms there again. Another round of Bactrim. We then went to the Urologist to find out why the meds were not working. Found stones in his bladder. (He has had bladder augmentation). Got stones removed, more bactrim. Now, a month later, another UTI. He drinks lots of fluids, drains every few hours, irrigates bladder to remove mucus. More Bactrim now, and Doctor wants him to stay on it until he is symptom free for six months. Seems like an extra long time to me. Can't he build a resistance to the medicine? Also wondering, as far as lubricating the caths, should we be using individual packets of ky? Right now we are using a tube, and putting the lube on the tip of the cath. He does use a new cath each time.

Here is a link on this forum to a thread you and your son should read...
/forum/showthread.php?t=133414
The thread is long and may take a while to get through, but you will find a new approach urinary tract infections.

All the best,
GJ

[Neesymc]

not sure where you were trying to direct me with the link you posted. It goes to a thread about holding a baby.....perhaps there is a different one?

[gjnl]

not sure where you were trying to direct me with the link you posted. It goes to a thread about holding a baby.....perhaps there is a different one?

Sorry, try this link. It is an open letter to Dr. Wise from Lelia about Microcyn technology.
/forum/showthread.php?t=133414

All the best,
GJ

[Kinshin]

Neesymc,
About microcyn/vetericyn thread..
After you go thru first 10 pages..jump right ahead to 40s thru the end to get a general idea . This will help you lot to get to the most needed stuff.
And as you wait for vvf sipply read this
/forum/showthread.php?t=93494&page=27#263

[Patrick Madsen]

Nee, the tube lubricant may be one of the causes for infections. The single packets are much more convienient and safer IMO. I got one heck of a UTI,years back, where it put me in hosp for over amonth. Doc said it was more than likely caused by contamination from the KY tube.

[BillMiller823]

all,
how do I drink 2-3 gallons of water a day and keep bladder not to get filled more than 400cc and cath only 5-6 times ?
When I told my Dr that I cath 7 times a day he asked me cut it down to see if that could help with my recurring UTIs.

now how do I manage these three variables:
3 gl - 400cc - 5 caths !!!

I had a similar problem, i.e. drinking more fluids and needing to be cathed more often than 5-6 times per day.

I heard of the sometimes chronic UTI issues that people with indwelling catheters can have, and also about the "damage" we can do from frequent intermittent cathing, so... we tried to take best benefit from both and turned it into my routine. And it's worked; knock on wood and thank the Good Lord, I cannot even remember the last time I had a UTI (I'm 99% sure it's been over 5 years, probably closer to 8 or 9 years).

Basically, we intermittent cath usually twice per day, and leave it in until I need to be transferred to bed or to my chair. Even without a balloon to hold it in place, while I'm in bed, it stays pretty well in place, though my caregivers/nurses do check it periodically (and reinsert it if it's slipped out too far to work). When I'm in my chair, we hook the cath bag to a bungee cord that is adjusted so that it holds the bag where it should be, so that it doesn't pull the catheter out even when full.

This system allows me to drink all I want/need (about one gallon per day is my usual input/output) since I'm cathed almost always, yet we take it out and clean both me and the catheter and bag at least twice per day (usually before transferring, but not always). By taking it out and cleaning everything twice daily, the bacteria path is reduced significantly, and yet I'm "only" cathing twice a day, which reduces the amount of insertion friction my urethra is subjected to.

Also, by consuming roughly a gallon (sometimes more) per day, my kidneys, bladder, etc stay pretty well flushed and helps me stay UTI-free.

I wrote longer details about what and how we do things in the 10th post on this thread nearly three years ago. I just read it and it's still accurate, except the timeframe of my last UTI, and also before inserting the new or clean catheter, we run it under warm/hot water to make it softer and more pliable.

I should also add that my body very rarely voids either when I'm not cathed, or if the catheter has slipped out too far. My body is typically very good at giving me "head rush" signs of dysreflexia, which usually indicates my bladder needs draining. Once I feel a distinct head rush, even if we cannot cath or adjust the cath immediately, usually my body can wait a little while (though the sooner the dysreflexia and my bladder can be relieved, the better, of course).

Not to brag, but to give additional evidence of a good routine, my guess is that I've had a urinary accident probably once a year on average, usually when I'm asleep in bed and the dysreflexia doesn't wake me. I seriously cannot recall ever wetting my self in my chair. I'm gratefully humbled and feel quite blessed to have had so few urinary issues in the 13+ years I've been injured.

Bill Miller

[Kinshin]

thanks bill. do u take any other supplements ?

[BillMiller823]

thanks bill. do u take any other supplements ?

Hi Kinshin,

Aside from a pretty decent diet, I basically have three supplements:

• Colloidal vitamins & minerals mixed in juice (with dinner) -- LINK
• Chewable vitamin C tablet (early morning)
• Chewable Caltrate 600-D Plus (early morning) -- LINK

I'm on a nocturnal schedule, so my dinner is usually a few hours after getting up, and I take the two chewable supplements before bed in the morning.

Those are good prices at the above links, but if anyone is going to buy from Vitacost, check the below FatWallet.com link and see if Vitacost has any deals.

http://www.fatwallet.com/coupons-cash-back/Vitacost/

Bill Miller

[keps]

Can the sole symptom of a UTI be fatigue? I've been feeling horribly weak for about a day now. I'm worried I may have a UTI. I havent had one before, so don't know if this is how they feel.
My pee looks and smells normal (clear), I don't feel feverish (that's like hot and shivery, right?). No increased spasms, need to pee or pain anywhere. Nothing other than weakness.

[james18]

a SHIT ton of water and your golden...

[iskumbro]

Hello all,
regarding re-using the intermittent cath, after using soap and water and ready for it to dry, what does it mean to air it? Do I have to clip one end along the clothes line or just lay it lie flat on a clean towel?

[SCI-Nurse]

Hello all,
regarding re-using the intermittent cath, after using soap and water and ready for it to dry, what does it mean to air it? Do I have to clip one end along the clothes line or just lay it lie flat on a clean towel?

The research studies done on this indicate that folding in a dry clean towel is fine. Avoid storing in an air-tight container. Once completely dry, you can store in a clean, new brown paper bag.

(KLD)

[FER]

Well thank you for all who share yours experiences, excellent information. I READ ALL THE THREAD today :-) I had 13 years voiding by reflex with not infection, and low bladder pressures but last april i began intermintent catheterization owing to sphincter dyssynergia so i was getting AD and high blood pressure headache etc. When I started the IC, started the infection (4 from may to sep) every month one week after finished the antibtiocs started again the infection being enough sanitary; so my last round of antibotics was in september and thanks of this post incresase the vit C - Cranberry and add mandelamine - multivitamins and the urologist put me Macrodantn 1x50mg at bedtime, reading others post i realize the harmfull of antibiotics like prophylactic, by myself I didn't take anymore Macrodantin and then 48 hrs after that, the symptons appear, thanks God without fever chill or malaise only i feel to make pee every 2 hour and urinated few amount with AD. I'll try Macrocyn in a few days, now I'm drinking 1.8 lts or 1/2 gal. plus takng the pills, now I have 3 months without Infections but I still colonize with E.Coli.

thank you again