I have been using catheters for a couple of years now and recently I have had a UTI every couple of months. This last UTI needed a 2nd lot of antibiotics and so the doc has given me some differnt ones. My question is, could I be giving the infections to myself? I can’t think of any other thing I can do in respect of hygiene.
I’m thinking of not using the catheters for a while to see if there’s an improvement.
I only use them last thing at night and first thing in the morning on advice from my Neuro. This is supposed to help to prevent UTIs it seems to be doing the opposite at present.
Hi wendy, Sorry your having problems. Everytime you introduce a foreign body into your body you are risking infection. I am sure you are being clean in everyway possible so don’t think that is the probelm. Self catheters are less likely to cause infection but you never know. I take it they are checking your urine for infection after you have finished each course of antibiotics?? You can never assume that its gone just because you have had antibiotics Are you running a temp and feeling grotty because you don’t always have symptoms with a UTI.Have they sent sample to the labs to check what infection it is and that they are giving the right anti biotics. I had a really wierd uti when I was pregnant which grew odd bacteria and I had to wait till I’d given birth before I could have the antibiotics as of the risk to my daughter. They recomend drinking 2 l of decaffinenated fluids a day. So caffinated tea coffee coke etc doesn’t count. Caffine dehydrates and irriitates the bladder. I was gutted about that as I was counting my buckets of tea as fluids and they weren’t, switched to decaffinated . As for hygine Using good handwashing technique and gel and not touching the catheter tip once out of the packet. I hope this helps good luck, laura x
Hi, I had 4 utis this month and 4 lots of anti-biotics. Then I had a bladder scan and found out I was retaining a lot. This was causing a strong wiffey smell, and urgency, resulting in lots of accidents.
I have decided to go down the spc route, as i have nil mobilty.
I drink cranberry juice every day, but the problem is intermittent now.
Hi Corkie, I self catheterised four times a day for over seven years until recently. During that time I hardly ever had uti’s. I cannot think you are having a problem due to hygiene. I used to make sure that I drank plenty of water during the day and I take a cranberry tablet daily. I now have a spc because of gripping problems so could no longer self catheterise. When I had a permanent indwelling catheter I used to get several uti’s and my doctor ended up putting me on a low dose antibiotic which I took every day. I cannot remember exactly but I think it was Trimethrepin (don’t know if this is correct spelling). Good luck and hope you feel better soon. Anne x.
I got some cranberry powder - cranberry concentrate powder from Natures Best ( if I can say that!). I take 1 teaspoon per day in a tiny amount of fresh orange juice. It doesn’t taste that nice but even with isc every day I haven’t had a uti for a while. I daren’t not stop now - uti’s are not nice and I would rather not have continuous antibiotics! Hope you get sorted soon x
Hi Wendy I, like Nanny McPhee catheterised for nearly 10 years. I went through a spell of uti’s at the beginning and was on a low dose antibiotic eyery night. (Cefalexin) I have now gone down the supra pubic route as was getting infections all of the time in the last year and mobility problems. I had a bladder scan where they found quite a large bladder stone. Apparently you can’t get rid of the infection as it sticks to the stone!! Hence the reason for my continued infections. As long as you are washing hands and not touching cath tip it’s not you being unhygienic. I take cranberry tablets and as Poll says now take D-Mannose if I feel infection coming on!! Hope things settle down for you, it may be worth asking for bladder scan to see if any stones are maybe lurking!!! Good luck! Lindax
Thank you for that info Laura; I do appreciate it, I did wonder if the UTI I had in April had not completly gone. I had a course of steroids and the UTI seemed to come back.
I got some cranberry powder - cranberry concentrate powder from Natures Best ( if I can say that!). I take 1 teaspoon per day in a tiny amount of fresh orange juice. It doesn’t taste that nice but even with isc every day I haven’t had a uti for a while. I daren’t not stop now - uti’s are not nice and I would rather not have continuous antibiotics! Hope you get sorted soon x[/quote]
Thanks for the info, I hadn’t heard of Cranberry concentrate powder, I’ll look in Holland and Barrett.