Keeping the Groin Area Clean to Mitigate UTIs
Posted , 7 users are following.
I have BPH and am on alfuzosin and dutasteride, which seem to be working. Because I work from home I can readily monitor how much I urinate. Lately, I've noticed a significant drop in the average amount urinated per trip and as I write this I am having bladder discomfort. My urine strips seem to be suggesting a possible UTI.
I had a nasty UTI about 5 months ago and since then have tried to keep my penis and surrounding area clean. I generally use isopropyl alcohol for all areas except the penis head. The alcohol irritates my urethra. My uro suggested only using soap and water.
This question is directed mostly at the men here who self cath on a regular basis. What do you suggest that I use to clean the penis head on a daily basis that will not irritate the urethra or cause any problems. I believe some have posted about an iodine compound, but I don't know which one it is. Thanks for any suggestions.
0 likes, 12 replies
robert42382 rdemyan
Posted
HI,
I recomend BZK wipes. I get them individually packaged and they work convieniently at home or out. I order of amazon and dynarex is the maker. they are not expensive and dont irritate like some soaps or alcohol wipes.
rdemyan robert42382
Posted
Hello Robert. Thanks for the reply. The reviews on Amazon aren't all that great for the dynarex product. Many note that the wipes are often dry. It seems like the Hygea BZK wipes got better reviews in general, although some are unhappy about the new towlette feel.
hank1953 rdemyan
Posted
I use CVS alcohol wipes, and haven't found a dry one in 3 years. BTW, if you just wipe the tip of the penis, I don't see how alcohol can get into the urthra, unless you purposely squeeze the wipes over the hole.
hank1953 rdemyan
Posted
Are you self cathing ? I use anything, alcohol pads, hand wipes, soap and water, sometimes nothing. Just make sure not to touch any portion of the hose that will end up inside your urethra, unless your fingers are clean. There are catheters that come with a sleeve to facilitate this concern. 3 years, no UTIs.
rdemyan
Posted
Hi Hank. No, I am not self-cathing. I just want to keep that area as clean as possible. I don't have as much confidence in soap and water as some do. It just seemed to me that the guys who self-cath would have a good idea on how to keep the penis head clean and prevent irritation in the urethra.
hank1953 rdemyan
Posted
Do you have urinary retention ? If you do, it might be the cause of your UTI since stagnant urine is a good breeding ground for bacteria.
rdemyan hank1953
Posted
Uros have measured my PVR in the afternoon at around 70 mL. I have my own scanner and was getting about that. But this past week, it has since gone up to around 100 mL. My experience with uros is that they don't get too concerned until you get to around 200. I've found that a lot of assistants to urologists really don't know how to use the bladder scanners. Had one guy use two of the same machines on me and still got zero every time. Mentioned this to the uro and he just shook his head. When the uro did the scan he got 68 mL. Had a gal in urgent care who supposedly does a lot of scans have the same problem. She kept getting zero. I kept telling her she was wrong. She moved the scanner as high as my belly button, which is way too high. But to her credit, she kept trying and finally got some readings. Number she came up with was around 70 mL. These readings were taken at Kaiser and I've only seen them use the Verathon BVI 9400.
My main concern at this point is I want to do all I can to prevent UTIs. Alcohol works well at cleaning the groin area, but really irritates my urethra. I posted because I thought I might be getting a UTI (higher than usual PVR, perineum pain, slower flow, less output per trip, etc.). But I've increased the D-Mannose and the symptoms seem to be subsiding today. Still, I'm looking to see what the self cathers do.
tom86211 rdemyan
Posted
Instead of the alcohol why not use a triple antibiotic like Neosporin?
TKM rdemyan
Posted
rdemyan,
I mentioned Providone iodine in a previous discussion. I use it to clean before catheterization and wipe around the opening about a cm or two in case the catheter misses the opening. The final thing I do is give a hard swipe forward on the opening to clean out the opening and get a little iodine inside. I have also use a cotton Qtip to put some further inside a cm or more. It does not sting at all. The solution I get is a wash and has glycerin in with it, so it is also like a soap. In fact I think it's the same thing Nurses use to wipe your skin before surgery.
All drug stores carry it in the first aid section. It has a red brown color and cost about $6.99 for 8oz plastic bottle at Walmart. I get it there because it's the lowest price.
If I use a catheter away from home in a public restroom I often just use their soap an paper towels, because it's the only thing available, and it's faster than using iodine wash. Sometimes there are people waiting to use the restroom.
However if your not using a catheter I wouldn't think you need to do all that. When you urinate the urine should wash out bacteria because it is a one way flow out. If you have a retention problem bacteria can build up like Hank mentioned. Also if you do not drink much liquid the bacteria concentration can get higher.
Before I used the intermittent catheters, and had retention problems I drank less liquids to avoid urinating more often than I was already doing, so that compounded the problem. CIC (Clean Intermittent Catheterization) has solved the problem at least temporarily.
Hope this helps,
Thomas
rdemyan TKM
Posted
Thanks, Thomas.
stebrunner rdemyan
Posted
Hi, Rdemyan,
I've been doing CIC for 3 years, and in that time I've had 2 UTIs, of which one came from a PAE procedure. The antibacterial that I like to use is Wet Ones--which I buy in a canister or boxes of individual packets (great for when I cath away from home). They are usually found in the baby supplies section of your grocery store or pharmacy.
You may also want to consider a supplement called d-mannose. It works well for E. Coli-based UTIs, and the majority of UTIs are from E. Coli.
Stebrunner
rdemyan stebrunner
Posted
Thanks, Steb. I already take D-mannose and when I think something might be occuring, I'll double up on the D-Mannose. If that occurs, I'll also start taking biofilm dfense (misspelled on purpose).