This is unbelievable. As soon as my mom gets through a session of antibiotics for a UTI, two weeks later she has another one. This has been going on for about 7 months now. She has a faulty bladder that does not empty properly but I just can't deal with this anymore. She has been hospitalized twice and is now in rehab after falling, again.
I'm going to talk to here PCP about putting her on a daily dose of low antibiotics. I'm also going to see if a permanent catheter might help with this problem. I'm not kidding folks. As soon as she is cleared of one UTI she gets another. I am at my wits end. She was independent until all this started and now she is just sick all the time from the UTIs. Please, someone, offer us some help.
She resists taking in all this fluid because it makes her go to the bathroom more often. For me, the Vitamin C tablet has worked the best.
My daughter says doctors start out with a broad spectrum antibiotic. What you to make sure is done is that a culture is taken to see what bacteria they are dealing with so the correct antibiotic is given. If she leans foward, that helps to void. Sitting a little longer may give her the urge to go again. My Moms doctor asked that she get a sling to out her bladder back in place. She refused. A catheter maybe her best bet but as Alva says, they can also cause UTIs.
Sugar also feeds yeast, and I don’t have to tell you how that ends up. Yikes!
My mother gets them too. She’s had at least three this past year. She responds well to Cipro.
I had frequent bladder infections that often moved to my kidney, and was under threat of daily doses a bit more than a decade ago. It was recommended I try D-Mannose, one capsule daily. I had no faith in this as, as an RN, I don't really believe in supplements and vitamins without a very good reason. I tried it and I haven't had a single UTI in over a decade. Works much like cranberry but not acidic. Keeps bacteria from adhering to the bladder wall. Easy to take and if capsule too large to swallow break open and put in food. Very slight sweet to tasteless. Worth a try. Has worked for others I have recommended it to I would say 80% of the time. I use Source Natural, about 30.00 for 120 capsules on Amazon, but I suspect they are all much the same.
1) Watch really carefully to see how she is wiping her bottom after a bowel motion. If she wipes from back to front at any stage, she is transferring the (I think it’s) ecoli from the feces forward to where the bladder empties just by the vagina. She should be reaching behind her, not backwards between her legs. That will cause a fresh UTI. She might have started to do this because it’s actually an easier movement, but it’s a seriously bad move.
2) This could be one where drinking cranberry juice regularly could help. It’s not strong enough to cure anything, but it probably makes the bladder a bit more resistant.
3) Are you sure that her UTIs are being cultured and tested fully? I had one that didn’t clear up in spite of the antibiotic that the doctor prescribed immediately. When the full test came back from the lab, it was a different unusual infection, and cleared up with a different antibiotic.
4) To help her empty her bladder completely, she should sit on the toilet seat with her knees apart, lean forward to compress her stomach, and push.
I hope this helps a little bit. Yours with sympathy to both!