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HELP! I get a UTI every single month!!

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Sicktired96277
Sicktired96277

First off, let me start by saying I have seen specialists, I have taken countless amounts of antibiotics and I follow every rule known to man to avoid UTIs. 

I've been getting them for about 4 years now. The last specialist I went to gave me a 2 year supply of bactrim and clearly it doesn't work. I am extremely clean. I wipe front to back, I wash before and after intercourse (as does my partner), I always relieve my bladder before and after intercourse as well. I drink about a gallon of lemon water a day. I also drink a cup of warm lemon honey water when I wake up and right before I go to sleep (as this carries a lot of antibiotic properties). I take vitamins that promote healthy vaginal walls and bladders. NOTHING WORKS! 

I have to pee all the time. I'm also getting recurrent yeast and vaginosis infections which I believe are causing the UTIs but I can't seem to shake those either. This is seriously ruining my life! I'm miserable!!! I've had so many tests done including a cervical cancer biopsy and countless blood work. Even had them inject dye into my bladder and take xrays.. Everything came back normal. I have been tested for STDs more times than I can count and I always comes back clean. 

I am starting to think this is related to my birth control. I have the implant in my arm. I looked back on this and realized that the one time in the last 4 years I didn't have UTIs or any infections was the 6 months I was off of the depo-provera shot. Then I went and got the implant and my symptoms started again. I am planning on taking out the implant but wanted to see if any other women had this same issue?

I read something about an injection directly into the bladder to cure this? Any advice will help. I have also tried just about EVERY SINGLE over the counter product on the planet. I have wasted so much money. I just want a solution. WTF IS GOING ON?!!!

1 like, 125 replies

125 Replies

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  • emmy18124
    emmy18124 Sicktired96277

    Posted

    This used to happen to me too, although it was every other month or so. I do think it has something to do with estrogen. It stopped for me after I was prescribed Cipro (very strong, reserved for only resistant bacteria), AND after I made a bunch of changes that I thought of on my own ( in other words, no Dr told me to do these things.) All this may sound like overkill, but I was desperate. The changes I made were:

    1. Always washing my underwear in very hot water (I add a kettle of boiling water to the washing machine's hottest water) and rinsing twice using the hottest setting to make sure the laundry detergent is completely rinsed out.

    2. Using a handheld bidet every time I use the bathroom at home. Bought mine from Amazon.

    3. Taking a probiotic every day or so. (I use Phillip's and switch to RePhresh Pro B  toward the end of each period.)

    4. Not wearing sanitary pads, except at night. Changing tampons often.

    5. Changing my diet to gluten-free and sugar-free, which I theorize changes the environment down there. :-)

    Since making these changes, I haven't had a UTI in almost a year now. yippee! 

    I hope this helps others. Having chronic UTIs is miserable!

    • sglenner
      sglenner emmy18124

      Posted

      Hi emmy18124:

      I have had chronic UTI's since I was 21. As well, I've been under the microscope for years and given all sorts of antibiotics and otc's and nothing has 'prevented' me from these UTI's happening again.

      I've never heard of Cipro though and your ordeal sounds like you hv done plenty of research and evaluation and are a walking miracle!

      Do u remember what mg your Doctor put you on? To start or follow up etc?

      How often did u take it with your daily probiotic etc?

    • jeanne56235
      jeanne56235 sglenner

      Posted

      Be VERY careful of Ciprofloxacin!! I read all the horror reviews since I get constant UTIs myself & my doctor gave it to me.. I took it and it seemed to work for a short time. No side effects I was good! A week after I was done with it.. UTI came back! Another round of Cipro was ordered... I took it a week at a very high dose the first time and was fine.. Soon as I took the first pill the second time.. I started getting very itchy.. Turned red.. Everything starting to swell.. I was having a life threatening reaction that I had read so much about! How odd that it usually happens the 2nd time u take it! law suits are over this drug.. It's a scary one! I have no idea why this is happening to me either.. I truly think it's the hormones myself. I hate it and see no relief coming!!

    • sarah84630
      sarah84630 emmy18124

      Posted

      What are your theories of estrogen effecting it???? I've been suffering simce June and I think that I may have a low estrogen level since going off of birth control...

    • Bossmom
      Bossmom jeanne56235

      Posted

      You need exposure to an antibiotic for your body to be able to develop antibodies against it hence an allergic reaction. Cipro is not a first line antibiotic and is reserved for resistant infections. It is often used to treat bowel infections like diverticulitis which are often caused by the same bug that causes UTI (ecoli ). It is a very strong drug but a life saving one. I experienced a life threatening bowel infection and cipro along with flagyl saved my life. If the bugs become resistant to these stronger antibiotics then there are few antibiotics left in the world that can kill these antibiotic resistant bacteria. That is why they are used sparingly. I do hope they find a fix for frequent UTI because I have had 12 in 10 months. Seeing a specialist too. Tried all the tricks mentioned here. Have not tried witch hazel so will research that one. I am now taking a daily probiotic to see if that will help. I am told it should be a live probiotic which is refrigerated. I bought some at a health store. Being post menopausal for 20 yrs for me\, the cause is not birth control. I feel I have traded periods for uti they are that regular.

       

    • hannah32639
      hannah32639 jeanne56235

      Posted

      You're allergic to Cipro. I have that exact reaction (it's called hives) when I take Bactrim. Funnily enough, Cipro is what they give you for UTIs if you're allergic to Bactrim (sulfa)! Kind of weird that they'd give you Cipro over Bactrim if you can take sulfa drugs though, Bactrim is supposed to be the "first line" antibiotic.

    • christine56722
      christine56722 Bossmom

      Posted

      How are your UTIs going since you started daily probiotics?confused Im keen to find how to prevent them.
    • Bossmom
      Bossmom christine56722

      Posted

      No change in frequency. Lately about every two weeks. I think they are not clearing completely. Have had antibiotics twice since April 26. Treated April 26 with Cefuroxime and again on May 5th. Went to clinic and urine dip was negative despite symptoms so rise sent to lab for culture. Came back positive so had 5 days of Amoxicillin/Clavulin. Finished them May 13 and after 2 days symptoms are back, mostly throughout the day but ok overnight . Will send another sample to lab tomorrow. Very frustrating and uncomfortable to say the least. I go back to the specialist in July. Really at my wits end. Might as well not be taking daily Septra for all the good it is doing me.
    • lauram2405
      lauram2405 Bossmom

      Posted

      Hi 

      Just read ur review there. In the same boat myself since last October with utis... getting terribly fed up of them. Av been at dr so many times and loads of antibiotics ... changed my doctor and my new dr straight away is sending me for an ultrasound on sept 18th so I'm hoping and praying there will be an end to the utis soon 

      As I write this now I'm on ciproflaxin.. have read d reviews on this antib and I'm mixed... as I heard there brilliant to cure utis.

      There so incredibly annoying hate getting them feel so horrible and drained!

      Fingers crossed the ultrasound will get to the bottom of it.

      I've never been on the pill on my life and I've heard ppl on this day it's the cause of utis but I disagree ! X

  • emmy18124
    emmy18124 Sicktired96277

    Posted

    One more thing...

    6. Staying away from spicy food, especially chili oil. I used to get uti's only after eating spicy Chinese food, so I researched and found out, sure enough, spicy foods can give some people a uti or urinary tract discomfort. I don't want anything that might cause irritation, so goodbye chili oil and spicy food. If I really want some, I eat a little and drink milk and a bunch of water afterward. But I can usually find something mild that I like just as much.

  • that_girl
    that_girl Sicktired96277

    Posted

    I have had recovering UTI's for the past six or seven months. I have every test done on my bladder and everything comes back normal. My specialist cannot explain why I keep on getting them, he said some people are just prone to getting them and I happen to be one of them. I am on antibiotics again and will be using cream as well to see if the cream will build up the wall in my private areas. I hope it does because not only does is stress me out, it is hitting me financially as well.
    • sglenner
      sglenner that_girl

      Posted

      Ok so here is my regime and it protects me daily. I also come from a monthly infection situation.

      1. Rephrase Pro B 1 tablet daily probably in the am and 1 tablet in the pm bf dinner .

      2. AZO Yeast Homeopathic Medicine 2 tablets in the am and 1 in the pm bf dinner.

      After 8 days just 1 tablet ev day of the Pro B & 1 tablet daily of the AZO.

      Good Luck.

  • jenn029
    jenn029 Sicktired96277

    Posted

    After my last pregnancy and during mind you I had uti's constantly. Nothing helped.. I changed everything, diet, hygiene habits, nothing could break the cycle that occurred every other week, a uti!

    I had a difficult birth and was experiencing pain in my back, I had visited an osteopath to try and get some relief and found my pelvis was out of position, what a relief.

    Going through the questionnaire of health on my initial visit to him one of the boxes was frequent uti's.. I checked it and when he began going throughy health history he asked me about it, I explained that I like many people am just prone to uti's (a phrase I had taken from my doctor).

    After fixing my pelvis he had a feel for my organs (not all osteopaths have experience with this but luckily mine did). Turns out my bladder was twisted, I am assuming from pregnancy. The way he explained it the way everything is connected made perfect sense. I was even having flank pain in my kidneys occasionally and that was all connected as well.

    Although I am happy this was the case for me, I have been free of a uti for almost a year, I know this isn't the case for everyone. I just know that the answer given my doctors that there are just people prone to them, isn't always the case!

  • fleur31175
    fleur31175 Sicktired96277

    Posted

    Hi

    I'm 15 years old and i've had UTI's my whole life - NONE STOP

    I've been to every specialist where I live I spent thousands of dollars trying to find an answer. At first they thought it was reflux and i did all of the tests - it turns out it was for nothing.. All my insides are fine EXCEPT I've got an EXTRA URETER (which in some cases causes reflux) - search it up..

    It sounds like we are on the same page though..

    My parents refuse to let me do anything, i spend most of my school days at home. I'm falling behind in all of my subjects because of it.

    I've taken at least 120 UTI tests throughout my life and now immune to all antibiotics.

    They have found no answers.

    They say I'm prone to UTI's.

     

    • jo30833
      jo30833 fleur31175

      Posted

      Hi Fleur, I feel saddened by your story. I have had infection after infection since beginning of May. It's bad enough for me but I can't imagine how awful it is for you . I'm on my fifth lots of antibiotics which do nothing.  It's been 5 months now since you last posted this, how are you now? 

    • sarah84630
      sarah84630 jo30833

      Posted

      In the same boat as you!!!! I've read a little on Estrogen and how a low amount can affect your pH levels which helps to kill bacteria. I'm getting a blood test tomorrow to see results and for more info and also have 2 appts scheduled with urologists to see what they say and to get my urine examined. I'll let you know if they find anything or suggest anything other then what everyone else says! Have you found anything to be beneficial??

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