Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

UTI for 2+ years?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    UTI for 2+ years?

    Before I was dxed I noticed I had a UTI more than I didn't. I guess most people wouldn't ignore it, but I figured that it would have crawled into my kidneys and killed me by now if it was serious and I didn't want to do round after round of antibiotics like I did with recurring ear infections. I guess what I want to ask is am I hurting myself more than not by not treating it. I don't feel like driving anywhere, do you think the dr. would call in a prescription unseen? I have one every time he sees me he does a dip test. It seems to clear up if I drink a lot of water, but I may be just diluting it, thanks.

    #2
    Hello dyin_myelin,

    do you think the dr. would call in a prescription unseen?
    No.

    Although I did have a PCP at one time that would call in a prescription for a UTI, sight unseen (sometimes). But, I had been a long standing patient and he was quite aware of my history with UTIs.

    I have one every time he sees me he does a dip test.
    You can order test strips through Amazon and check yourself for a UTI. They come in a container off 100 and are under $15.00.

    It seems to clear up if I drink a lot of water
    Do you get a Urinalysis from your Dr. to know for sure the UTI has cleared up by drinking water?

    It may be possible to cause a UTI or symptoms of a UTI by not drinking enough fluids. I have found, from personal experience, that flushing (by drinking more water) does not cure a UTI.

    I guess what I want to ask is am I hurting myself more than not by not treating it.
    Very possibly but this is best answered by your Physician.

    Not treating a UTI, an Infection, can cause an increase of MS symptoms and for some a true exacerbation. If left untreated you may experience more fatigue, more weakness, Cog fog, ect. There is also the possibility of damage to the urinary tract.

    Make sure you are consistent and drink adequate amounts of water. I drink between 80 to 100oz of water a day, but I can still get UTIs.

    Urinate after intercourse. Make sure your partner washes his or her hands before intimacy.

    Pay attention if you are empting your bladder completely. Residual urine can collect bacteria and cause a UTI.

    If you are having chronic UTIs it is probably time to see a Urologist for testing and proper treatment.
    Diagnosed 1984
    “Lightworkers aren’t here to avoid the darkness…they are here to transform the darkness through the illuminating power of love.” Muses from a mystic

    Comment


      #3
      Have you considered taking cranberry pills? I take them as a preventative.

      I think one of the regulars here (think it was either seasha, kimba or 22cyclist?) used to have frequent UTIs until they started taking cranberry pills.

      Comment


        #4
        dyin_myelin,

        I think it's time to see a urologist to determine the cause if you are having frequent UTI's. Untreated or chronic UTI's may cause bladder or kidney infections and even damage. http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/uti_ez/ I had one UTI years ago that turned into a kidney infection. After 10 days in the hospital on an IV antibiotic, you'd think I would've learned something and made an appointment with a urologist. Since the UTI's I got were sporadic and infrequent, I never went.

        More recently, I had two UTI's that went septic. One of those times, the infection went to my heart and I ended up with endocarditis. Both of those times, the UTI (which I was quickly put on an antibiobiotic for) turned into sepsis FAST. I was very sick both times because of what began as an innocent enough UTI. Not to mention, how badly these infections affected my MS. I guess I should also add I barely even had a chance to recover from the the first bout of sepsis, when another UTI landed me right back in the hospital followed by more inpatient rehab, followed by yet another UTI that went septic again.

        No, I wasn't thrilled adding another specialist to my growing lists of doctors. But, if I'd seen one sooner, I may have avoided what happened. Thanks to my urologist, the culprit was finally addressed (residual urine), and I haven't had a UTI since (knock on wood).

        I hope you can learn learn something from my experience and see a urologist. It's something I wish I hadn't had to learn the hard way.
        Kimba

        “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” ― Max Planck

        Comment


          #5
          Thanks Kimba,

          That's really horrible that you had to go through all that. I've read cranberry supplements aren't that helpful on the NMSS website, but threw them into my shopping cart. You mentioned you were retaining urine, I think this may be my problem because I go so often. Is there a technique to fully empty the bladder without cathing yourself, or is that what you do? I get pains on my sides that come and go, but if it's a kidney infection you're puking and spiking a fever, right?

          Comment


            #6
            Hi dyin_myelin,

            When I had a kidney infection, I just had a fever. I didn't have pain that eluded to it and I wasn't nauseated at all. But, the only way I can first suspect a UTI is with a fever. It must have happened over the weekend, otherwise I would have gone to my PCP instead of ER to be checked for a UTI and get on antibiotics.

            I self-cath now to completely empty my bladder. I know there's a few tricks some people say has helped them, but I never found any that helped me. With my history, my urologist wasn't interested in having me try anything else, either. It took me about a month to get proficient at it, but it became no big deal after that. I kept reminding myself that if young children could do it, so could I. I honestly don't know now why I had such an aversion to learn how to do it. With urge incontinence, I find it also provides me with some control over when to go to the bathroom.

            I hope you figure out what is really causing your infections (and that will probably mean a trip to the urologist), and find a good solution to stop them. It's not worth waiting until something serious happens.

            Good luck ,
            Kimba

            “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” ― Max Planck

            Comment


              #7
              THIS POSTING IS ONE OF THE REASONS I DECIDED TO JOIN. I HAVE BEEN HAVING MANY OF YOUR SAME ISSUES . MONDAY I HAD A BIOPSY DONE OF THE BLADDER. TURNS OUR IT IS IC...OR WHAT I CALL ANGARY BLADDER.

              THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING OPEN AND SHARING YOUR STORY. I HOPE YOU SEE A UROLOGIST SOON AND GET SOME ANSWERS .
              Sending hugs your way.

              Take Care.....

              Comment


                #8
                Ditto to the above. I recently saw a urologist who was frustrated by the fact that I'd had new onset blood in urine and infections over two years ago.

                His point was after 3-4 episodes, in particular with gross hematuria (visible blood in urine) you should have a cystoscopy to rule out other causes).

                In my cases other causes weren't ruled out and I have surgery in October that should have been done 18 months ago.

                So yes. Urology consult is a great idea.

                Comment

                Working...
                X