Recurrent urinary tract infections (UTI)

@sandyhelman
@colleenyoung
Hello kids,
When I went to the hospital with a kidney stone and had an infection I said to the doctor ”It’s a good thing I’ve been drinking cranberry juice” and his reply was ”The only thing cranberry juice does for you is make you fat”
I've had many lady friends who swear by it.
My dad who was a quadriplegic and prone to UTI’s was told there was nothing better to drink than water.
I won’t say one way or the other whether it works or not but the medical research seems to refute the theory.
Jake

@sandyhelman
Hi, @sandyhelman and welcome from me, too. @colleenyoung had some great suggestions for preventative measures! What symptoms are you having? If You say that sex brings on the problem, drink water before and after sex. This will insure that any bacteria are washed away. You might also see a urologist or gynecologist to see if there could be a low grade infection in the perineal area. Also doctors don’t like to use antibiotics unless there is a documented infection. Overuse of antibiotics has led to the growth of superbugs that are very hard to get rid of. Please try some of these suggestions and then let us know how you’re doing

@jakedduck1 I guess it is not proven, but then there are a lot of things that help SOME people but because they don't help everyone are not proven. Cranberry juice has been recommended for years. I have run into other things that are not medical doctrine because not everyone is the same. If some people think cranberry juice does help them, then maybe it does. I've avoided it myself to not add extra calories but then UTIs have never been a problem for me.
JK

Hi, @sandyhelman ! I just read through yours and other members’ posts.
It definitely is depressing to never feel really good. I do understand why the doctors won’t give you antibiotics unless there is proof of infection. You seem to have a couple of predisposing factors- cystocele and rectocele, right? Even if you had one procedure done in the past doesn’t mean that it could not be improved. Have you seen specialists in this field? Gynecology/ urology? Check to see if your closest major hospital offer this. You can’t continue with infections and discomfort.

I am going to see if indeed it can be improved. My Pcp won’t give me antibiotics unless my uti is extra bad like bleeding and burning

@sandyhelman Hello and welcome. I am Carol, a retired teacher of 45 years. I have a long history of UTI's. My problem was usually a result of not going to the bathroom during the day. UTI's are often called Teachers' Disease. Teachers can't leave students alone, so holding it was the only way and not drinking fluids. This finally reached the point that my PCP would not treat me for the problem but sent me to a urologist. He was very stern about drinking water often and going to the bathroom regularly. He would never prescribe any meds unless he had lab results that warranted them. Eventually, we got the situation under control and I have had only one UTI in the last four years. So that is considered "normal." I no longer work. I retired and am able to drink water all day and go to the restroom as needed. Whatever is causing your frequent UTI's can probably best be addressed by a urologist; that's their training. Can you get an appointment and see one to get help? I hope this can be diagnosed and resolved. Will you let us know what you find out?
Carol

Is there a vaccine in development or in clinical trials for prevention of urinary tract infections?It would be a blessing for so many people.

@fotula I moved your message to this discussion in the Kidney & Bladder group.

Apparently research is being done to develop a vaccine to help prevent urinary tract infections (UTIs). Early studies look promising and further trials are being conducted.

- Vaccine Development for Urinary Tract Infections: Where Do We Stand? (2018) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30093359
- Editorial: Urinary tract infection vaccines – the ‘burning’ issue (2019) https://www.bjuinternational.com/article-of-the-week/editorial-urinary-tract-infection-vaccines-burning-issue/

Fotula, have you and your doctor discovered the cause of the recurrent UTIs you're experiencing?

I didn’t know that someone is working on a vaccine for UTIs. Wow. I really need this. Because of my spinal cord stroke I have frequent UTIs and I feel this has contributed to my kidney failure. I will as my doctor about this. They have never mentioned anything about a cure. Thanks for the information.🥰

I have had every test you can think of. Nothing abnormal. I drink 3 quarts of water daily, take probiotics, 500mg Vitamin C, d-mannose, cystex, you name it. It just happens. It all started after I went thru menopause.