Warning: OT


I had trouble with bladder infections when I was younger. They did some tests & stuff but never really found out what caused them. (I would sometimes have 1-2 every months). At one point they followed pattern with my TOM, so I thought that was what caused them, but then I started getting them whenever.

I learned a trick that drinking lots of water all the time helped alot, which is why, I think, I never have trouble getting all my "water in" when I'm dieting, because I drink tons of it anyway, just out of habit.

I went about 4 years without having an infection. But last month I got a HORRIBLE one, that landed me in the emergency room. I was on an antibiotic for 10 days & it cleared up.

But now I feel it coming back. Despite all the things I do to prevent them (i.e. drinking lots of water, only wearing cotten underwear, keeping clean, never "holding it", and.... well... peeing before & after if you know what I mean).

Does anyone have any insight on this? I've talked to my friends, and none of them are very helpful, they have never had a bladder infection...

And I can't afford another $700 ER bill...

I have had problems with UTI's and would also drink a lot of water to "flush" it out. I noticed a very big difference when I gave up suger and artificial sweeteners. I don't use any of it anymore, it's just not worth the pain later.

Unsweetened ranberry juice is suppose to help also, but it never helped me.

Stop eating sugar and other refined white carbs. The sugar promotes overgrowth of candida (yeast) in your body, which leads to bladder infections. Any kind of treatment you undertake will ultimately be unsuccessful until you get at this root cause of the infections. When you've cut out sugar, you can also eat yogurt with live cultures in it, and drink unsweetened cranberry juice, and those things will help you get your body back into balance.

I started getting chronic UTI's when I was in the second grade and had them non stop until I was in the 7th grade. Then I didn't have any more until I became sexually active at 18. They are much more infrequent now but last summer I got a horrible one that was sooo painful. Every time I go the Dr. for a UTI I hear the same things over and over, drink water, Wear cotton underwear and no tight pants, wipe front to back, drink cranberry juice, don't hold pee, pee before and after sex etc. I do all of that. I think some people are just more susceptible than others.

I eat yogurt, I know sounds crazy but something in the bacteria culture helps me. Cranberry juice however that stuff can be nasty if you don't buy the right brand at least for me. How many sodas (or other carbonated drinks) do you drink in a day?

My mom has always told me that if I get one to tell my OBGYN, or see him for treatment. She says that he has told her since everything "down there" is not necessarily connected but so close together that he wants to know in case it causes or leads to other problems. If you can afford it maybe go see your OBGYN, or find one to start having that doctor-patient relationship with.

I know the bacteria in yogurt helps prevent yeast infections....and I've successfully gotten several UTI's while doing all the things 'you're supposed to do'. It happens. (even more so in people with multiple sclerosis. dunno why)

often times, the antibitotic they give you for a uti is only going to kill one strain of the bacteria - sometimes it's not a strong enough drug to wipe it out completly. When I go in with a UTI they always make sure to take the sample and 'grow it' for a week to see if a bacteria other then the one they treated me for is present.

I've been in the er for a uti before because I get 'silent ones' and gotten the same long ramble. unfortunatly, the only thing that gets rid of my uti's is medication. I keep some of the dip tests in my bathroom so I can catch a uti early and head to a walk in clinic. It might be worth picking some dip tests up at your local pharmacy.

Some women are very susceptible to UTIs and yeast infections from having sex, so that's possibly another part of the equation.

Have your blood glucose checked--if you have diabetes and don't know it, that can contribute to UTIs. Even if your blood sugar is normal, eating too much sugar can affect it.

I had trouble with chronic UTIs for awhile and it turned out I had a large kidney stone that was in one kidney, slowing down the flushing action of the urine. If you see a urologist, they will usually check things out with X-rays.

I agree about cranberry juice and increasing yogurt consumption, especially yogurt that does not have a lot of sugar added. I'd also like to say that a friend of mine had great results with an OTC med called Cystex. But you should go to a doctor--it might be a more serious condition and need better diagnosis and treatment. No one on a website can really give you medical advice...

Jay

Some women do just have more than others. I've had a couple, so I can sympathize. I think they're just awful.

Absolutely do all the standard things to prevent UTIs. But the best way to avoid a $700 ER bill is to nip a new infection in the bud at the doctor's office. Even if you're uninsured, it will be a lot cheaper than the ER. Or research low-cost clinics. A UTI is exactly the sort of thing nurse practitioner clinics can provide care for.

Drink cranberry juice plus water.

Oh sweetie - I am so sorry. That sucks and I know that feeling, "..crap.. I am getting one."

I took cranberry pills (cranberry juice has too much sugar) for mild ones but once I hit 30, that has not worked for me at all. I have to really watch after sex because I am very susceptible to nasty UTIs.

There are a couple of things that I do now that might be able to help you:

1. My gyno gave me a low grade antibiotic to use after sex. I just pop one pill when I have sex. Now, I have sex way too much to actually use this correctly, so I pop a pill after a marathon night in the sack. This has kept me feel of infections for 6 months. I also recommend Urelle (it's a prescription for the pain associated with bladder infections).

2. Before I have sex, I use a warm wet washcloth to clean my labia and I do the same immediately after sex. This has helped tremendously.

3. Avoid oral sex. This is a controversial suggestion as doctors don't agree if oral sex poses an increased risk for bladder infections compared to regular sex but for me it made a difference. Yeah, sad, I know. It's not that I avoid it entirely... I mean, that's why I have the pills!

Finally, if you still are having problems, go see a doctor that specializes in female incontinence. You may have a minor obstruction that you don't know about.

I know that yeast infections and UTI's are not caused by the same thing. Its to my knowledge, yougurt it to prevent yeast over growth which would help if you got candidiasis.

UTI's are usually caused by an overgrowth of bacteria. Its actually the Ph of your urine that is one of the reasons some are more suceptible than others. Thats why some other ladies recommended cutting out sugar.

I recommend taking Vitamin C on a regular basis. This will lower the Ph of your urine. There are also cranberry supplements that you can get at the drug store that I believe are more potent than just drinking tons of cranberry and they are easier to get down. Also, I have a friend who gets constant UTI's, and her doctor also gave her an antibiotic to take right after she has "been" with her husband.

Just remember UTI's and yeast infections almost work against one another. Anytime your doctor does put you on an antibiotic, you should load up on the yogurt (sugar free!) because that antibiotic kills all the natural flora and THEN you're more prone to getting a yeast infection.


EDIT: Sorry this is kinda repetitive, I just realized Goddess Jessica said just about the same thing! whoops, guess I should read everything first!

I had problems with a UTI two summers ago and it was awful. I spike high fevers and when they broke I literally had to change pajamas and the sheets on my bed because it was like someone dropped a bucket of water over my head. Needless to say I ended up in the ER and they pumped me full of anitbiotics....well come to find out it was a resistant to antibiotic bacteria that only one kind of anti-biotic could get rid of. I spent 3-4 weeks in bed getting my strength back. (Luckily school was out and I was home in the states at my sisters.)

The problem reoccured a month later afterwards because the bacteria must not of been killed / removed all the way. I had two weeks of the same stuff happening again.

The doctor thinks I ate something on my trip to Cambodia with the bacteria in it that just decided to settle in my UT.

Now I try to eat a yogurt every day and drink 100% juice cranberry. In my mind it helps and I hope there will never be another episode like that one again. If I exercise I also try to change my underwear and other clothes immediately or as soon as possible to avoid issues.

Good luck.

I used to get them all the time in my younger days. One thing that is guaranteed to give me one: hot tubs. Don't know if it's the heat, or the chemicals, but BAM, always. So if you're using one, I'd suggest staying the heck out of there. Definitely true about sex causing them, too much friction can stir them up. Drink a glass of water before sex and definitely pee immediately afterwards, don't stop to "cuddle" LOL. I was told the grocery store cranberry juice is not strong enough, get the concentrate from a health food store and drink some every day.