Please help with UTI medicines

Thanks I'll keep it in mind!

Hi Jane,

So pleased for you that you managed to get yours under control. I was given Hiprex, but I found that it caused so much acidity in my urine, that the pain in my bladder was horrendous. How did you get around the acid burning in your bladder. I also have to self catheterise which isn't ideal!

Thanks

Sam

No pain, I was lucky. I also self-cathetarise so I'm neurotically careful about hygiene. And I drink lots of water, as I was suspicious that cranberry juice was  1) acidic,  2) full of sugar,  and 3) not helping the uti.s at all.  So water it is !   And Hiprex daily,  on repeat prescription.  Good Luck.

Read a couple articles about cranberry juice. They say it helps very little. I had a couple urologists say it can cause kidney stones.

You have taken it daily for years then?

I have heard conflicting things about craberry too, I think the purpose of cranberry is it keeps things acidic, you need to have acidic urine to keep bacteria away, if you have alkaline that opens the door to bacteria settling in and sticking in the bladder.  I take a small glass of the real cranberry juice, I take a couple D-mannose, and a probiotic to help keep the urinary tract healthy....it too has cranberry in with the probiotic.  There are medications that can cause kidney stones as well, and even some antibiotics so when doctors talk about the side effects of the natural supplements they also need to discuss side effects of the medication they are prescribing.  

I had a problem with simvistatin. Was pumping out kidney stones once a week for 2 months cause of that stuff.

YIKES!!!  Yes well many doctors are ready to write out a prescription for my badder issues, when I I read about the drug before I fill it, I can't believe the side effects and long term effects are involved, the one side effect was reoccring UTI's if you can imagine...that is what I am trying to avoid!!!!  It is very important to do your homework before putting something in your body, I have learned the hard way over the years, I would just take what the doctor would give me, and now I have a lot of undoing to do.  I lean more to natural remedies unless it was a life or death situation of course.  Cranberries to my understanding do not cause kidney stones, it is suggested to take it to prevent it.  It has to be the real stuff that tastes awful not the sweetened kind.  I take a small glass every morning followed by the others I have mentioned.  I am also taking garlic pills that are pure allium, this combats strep infections which is what I had showing in my urine, garlic is good for so many things especially immune system.  Everyone is different, I personally have low tolerance for prescription drugs, my body is not welcoming to them, so this is why I have had to invest all my time into looking for an alternative route.

Yes, Hayhue,  four years, & g.p. happy to repeat-prescribe. I couldn't find any info on long-term Hiprex use, or whether it may cease working for me.

The excellent nurses at the  nurse-led uti clinic insisted on two things :

1)  Scrupulous hygiene  (I self-cathetarise)     &   2) "Make sure you always, always, absolutely empty the bladder" ;  well that's a bit hard to tell,  but I must be doing the right thing. 

The infections I had for years were always caused by e-coli, & the clinic's 2 favourite antibiotics were sadly the 2  that made me ill. I tried cranberry tablets but they had no effect. Neither did  D- Mannose. Then I discovered Hiprex which does work for me  ---  the dose I take is 1 gram twice per day, exactly 12 hours apart.

 

Hi Jane,

As far as I'm aware the Hiprex is a disinfectant for the bladder and can be used long term. If you have any tips for me as a fellow self catheteriser, please send me a message on the private email. I feel so lonely sometimes with this self catheterisation, I don't know any other person that has to do it. My husband and family are very supportive, but they can't really know how it feels.

Thanks,

Sam

Hi SAm,

Sorry to take so long to get back to you  --  had to go away to a funeral ---which as you know is a nightmare, away from home with the catheters;

I judge my friends & relations by how light their bathrooms are, & I dread romantically lit hotel loos.  MY  SURVIVAL  KIT  is :  5 catheters for each day, plus spares. 5  pairs of disposable vinyl gloves, + spares.  A  10x magnifying mirror (bought from "Querkity"  I think,)  & my small but blindingly bright torch which clips on to a buttonhole.  When out for a

long day I hardly drink anything except a little water, until back in a house again..

The only catheter type I've found possible to use is the short green one by Coloplast called "Speedi-compact" 28582. The long floppy ones were useless.  Luckily, I work from home. 

Now, you see, you are not the only person on the planet who self-c.s !

Hi Jane,

Good to hear from you. How long have you been self catheterising, if you don't mind me asking? Also, how do you cope with the infection side of things?

Thanks again,

Kind regards,

Sam :-)

Hi Sam,

I was taught to self-catheterise in January 2012.  The hospital Urology dep.t. concluded it was necessary,  to combat my almost - permanent u.t. infections. They gave me some lessons but I couldn't succeed, so they organised a community nurse to visit me at home;  she was a very patient teacher but I could not get the things to work at all, so, back to the hospital again  .  .  .   This time they experimented with a different type of catheter which they said were expensive so only for rare occasions. These are the green, short, firm ones made by Coloplast. I

got them to work fairly quickly,  so, fearing that the nhs  would refuse to fund them, I simply bought them online from a UK supplier in Glasgow, for about  £35  for a box of  30. Then I started my battle with the nhs which I eventually won. They are now given to me  free, on repeat prescription,  so I save  £35  per week . 

I had a few infections after this, but since taking 2 g. daily of Hiprex I am

happily infection free. My only criticism of the urology dep.t. is that the

staff there clearly felt bound to try the cheaper catheters, which only delayed my recovery & wasted everyone's time for several weeks.

I did some "market research"  &  made the astonishing discovery that the price difference between these green ones & the impossible-to-use ones was  27 pence per week.  

How long have you been self-catheterising ?

The nurse who came to my house is employed purely to teach self-c., so there must be a lot of us!

Good luck,

Jane.

Hi  Hayhue,

Yes, for  5 years. The combination of Hiprex & careful self-catheterising seem to combat those wretched uti's. I now get Hiprex on repeat prescription.

Hi Jane,

I have been self catheterising since Jan 2013, so a year after you. I was the same, at first given the cheap ones that were very difficult to use. I'm using the same as you and feel that they are the best really. I'm having major problems now though with an embedded infection that I just can't get rid of, I've had it for over a year and a half. It's sending me insane. My body is gradually giving up with all the antibiotics. Sometimes I feel I can't go on and I'm not a depressed person, but I just feel it's like fighting a losing battle. My house is as sterile as it can possibly be, so that the germs are kept to a minimum. I am under a London hospital now and they can't do a lot for me either. They just shrug their shoulders!! They have now told me why my bladder won't empty itself because it's not receiving the correct signals from my brain. They describe it as an Atonic bladder. I don't know about you, but for me, it obsesses my brain all the time. How fortunate I was when I could spend a penny naturally!! Please keep in touch and message me on the private board if you like.

Thanks again Jane.

😀

Poor you .  Have you had intravenous antibiotics in hospital over a 7 day session ? 

I did, one Christmas, shortly before  catheters entered my life. I have the same brain signal problem as you, plus total absence of sensation in that area.  Ensuring the bladder is completely emptied is a kind of hit or miss affair, with me, but I just move the catheter  (gently) to each point of the compass and hope ! 

I am now, after years of  chronic u.t.i.s,  infection free, which I attribute to the daily Hiprex. I wish you could find some clinic or other which can help. Have you paid to consult a private medic on a one-off basis ?  It might be worth the (large)  fee.  Some people take probiotics before yet another dose of antibiotics.  I must find out how to message you privately.

Jane.