Chronic bladder infection using a Gentamicin bladder wash

@sakota, recently a friend had something similar, a UTI w/ e coli, lactobacillus, pseudomonas, and mixed flora. My friend can't take certain medications so her urologist had her on amoxicillin and it took about 6 weeks to clear. The urologist said he was seeing more and more of this type of mixed and stubborn UTI especially among older women partly because the tissues separating rectum and vagina get thinner with age and it's easier for e coli and pseudomonas to cross tissue barriers. Have you been able to discuss other treatment options with your medical team?

I hope you can find some answers and hope the infection clears soon. And hope your lung is ok.

After going through 4 Cdiff infections in 2018, I'm leery of taking any antibiotics. I too have had numerous UTI's throughout my life. I was fortunate last winter that I didn't get numerous sinus infections since the Clindamycin they gave me for the one is what caused my first out with Cdiff. One of my doctors asked me during my last UTI in 2018 if I was using a PH balanced soap. At the time I was not. I've since changed to Vagasil PH balanced soap and have not had a single UTI in over a year. Walmart also had an Equate brand that is the same as the Vagasil and less expensive.

Thats interesting about the soap pines. Will look for some. I too went thru 3 cdiff infections about two or three years ago and nothing since. And now this bladder infection. I wish there was no such thing as getting old.

Oh boy...c-difficile! You must have gone through a really rough time...
I agree with you. Since I turned 65, it's one thing after another; arthritis and stiffness, heel spur, keratosis, back problems...and UTIs!...
We have to get out of TREATMENT and CURE mode and get into serious PREVENTION mode. Big Pharma has paid for doctor's education and that includes to a large degree teaching them which drugs work for which ailments. That should be a last option of defence.
As Hippocrates, the father of medicine said, "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.". For UTIs and for c-difficile, taking high quality (50 billion) probiotics on a daily basis is essential. I hope you have been doing that for the past few years. Avoiding sugars that encourage yeast growth and cause inflammation again is ultra important. You can get those urine testing sticks at your pharmacy to test your urine's pH. It should be 7 or higher (more alkaline) to prevent UTIs because bacteria has a hard time growing in high alkaline urine. You can help it along by taking baking soda. Since I have battled UTIs, success for long term periods with no UTIs have been due to the usual lifestyle PREVENTION tactics that everyone knows: drinking plenty of water, showering (after BMs) morning and night, eating at least 6 servings of fruit and veggies per day, keeping sugary foods and high carbs out of diet, keeping regular but also: taking a combination of the skin/pulp/seeds of cranberry in lozenge form. No it's not d-mannose. It's Utiva which can be ordered on line. Added to this is vaginal Probaclac from the pharmacy that kills bacteria in the perineal area. My God, it really works! My record so far with this protocol is 3 months then invariably I have a sugary meal or two and a UTI flares up and I have to take a course of antibiotics. Then the Utiva and vaginal Probaclac usually keep UTIs at bay for another long while. If not, it means that the UTI was not fully cured in the first place.
It took me about 40 UTIs in 3 years and a good 2 years of serious troubleshooting and 'research' to finally find the right prevention protocol. I go on the very credible site PubMed (where results of research world wide is published) for most information concerning UTIs and any other ailments.
Good luck!

@sakota- I just saw this so my other post for you is irrelevant- you are ahead of me. lol. When I was younger I needed to have my urethra stretched because of your exact symptoms. They became cyclic. Has you dr. suggested this at all? All of these antibiotics can make you very very tired. Have you spoken to your pulmonologist about your breathing problems? Perhaps you need to see her again?

@sakota, I have been having incontinence problems for several years now. I wear a pad always and the muscles are getting weaker all the time. I have frequent UTI's, mostly caused by incontinence. I am also immunocompromised because of my organ transplant. Your chemo treatments would also leave you immunocompromised, I believe. I was on a daily low-dose antibiotic for many years, but it stopped working. It took me years to get back off of it. The best thing I can do is drink plenty of fluids. I drink 80 ounces daily. That is about 2 1/2 liters. Cranberry juice has been suggested to me as a home remedy, but I cannot tolerate it. I have also had probiotics suggested as a home remedy, but that is counter to my instructions for organ transplant care. I went to a doctor of internal medicine, a kidney specialist and an infectious disease specialist. I usually wait to fill an antibiotic prescription until I know that it will work for the current bug I have. You will have to work with your physicians to find the best plan of care for you. That means that you need to stay on top of your intake, output and symptoms. You are your best physician and the one to decide if you need more than what you can do at home. I encourage you to see your doctor as soon as you notice: urgency (you cannot hold it until you get to the bathroom) feeling full but unable to pass urine, tiredness, or pain in the urinary tract (whether passing urine or not). Blessings.

@afrobin, I agree that prevention is good medicine. However, I'd like to correct the information you shared about normal ph levels in urine.
As started in this journal article "Normal urine pH is slightly acidic, with usual values of 6.0 to 7.5, but the normal range is 4.5 to 8.0."
- Urinary Tract Infection by Michael J. Bono; Wanda C. Reygaert. Last Update: December 2, 2019. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470195/

In plain language, here is further information
- Urine pH Level Test https://www.healthline.com/health/urine-ph

Here is a pertinent excerpt.

"...your urine pH is an indicator of your overall health and gives your doctor important clues as to what’s going on in your body. ... A neutral pH is 7.0. The higher the number, the more basic (alkaline) it is. The lower the number, the more acidic your urine is. The average urine sample tests at about 6.0.

If your urine sample is lower, this could indicate an environment conducive to kidney stones. Other conditions that prefer an acidic environment are:
- acidosis
- dehydration
- diabetic ketoacidosis
- diarrhea
- starvation

A higher-than-normal urine pH could indicate:
- gastric suctioning that takes away stomach acids
- kidney failure
- kidney tubular acidosis
- pyloric obstruction
- respiratory alkalosis
- urinary tract infection
- vomiting

Your diet also may determine how acidic or alkaline your urine is. For example, if you eat a diet low in meat and high in fruits and vegetables, you’re more likely to have alkaline urine. Those who consume higher amounts of meat are more likely to have acidic urine. Your doctor may recommend some changes to your diet if your urine pH is too high or too low.

There are no side effects associated with the urine pH level test. You can typically resume your daily activities following the test."

I am 83 and have been getting UTIs all my life and have had every test imaginable and have been to several Infectious Disease Doctors and have been hospitalized for IV Antibiotics. Nothing works and no one has answers. My urine cultures always show bacteria growing and I am put on an antibiotic.. Unfortunately, a few weeks later I have a new UTI. My past 2 cultures showed Morganella Morganii bacteria and that bacteria is resistant to all oral antibiotics. My Uro/Gynecologist put me on 7 days Cefpodoxime and i am feeling better, but know I’ll get another UTI in a few weeks. Any suggestions?

neomycin/polymoxin, 4 ml with 1000 ml of .05 sodium solution! Targets a wider range of bacteria

I was using the neomycin/polymoxin bladder wash. I was having joint and muscle pain using the gentamycin wash