Recurrent urinary tract infections (UTI)

I’ve had 6 UTI’s in 4 months…have been on antibiotics off and on. First I was on an antibiotic for 2x a day for 1 week, stopped and a week later I’m UTI positive again. Did this till they put me on antibiotics for two weeks and then once a day everyday. I had to stop, it was burning a hole in my stomach. I’m so disgusted that I have to be on an antibiotic for 3months and fear once I’m off the antibiotics (wham), I’m positive again. Does anyone have a solution or experience that could help me

I’ve had 6 UTI’s in 4 months…have been on antibiotics off and on. First I was on an antibiotic for 2x a day for 1 week, stopped and a week later I’m UTI positive again. Did this till they put me on antibiotics for two weeks and then once a day everyday. I had to stop, it was burning a hole in my stomach. I’m so disgusted that I have to be on an antibiotic for 3months and fear once I’m off the antibiotics (wham), I’m positive again. Does anyone have a solution or experience that could help me

My husband ended up in the hospital last week due to very low vitals (73/38 53 found when he was being checked in for a routine appointment) and they discovered a UTI. Some blood and protein in the urine. He has CKD. What confused them (where one doctor didn't think was a UTI) was he had absolutely no symptoms. No symptoms for anything actually.
They put him on an antibiotic for a week. Now he is in a Skilled nursing home for two weeks of therapy related to fall issues - he is 89 and very unstable. He is trying his best to get out of there as he doesn't think he needs help (has mild dementia as well. At this point I haven't been told if the UTI is over.

My husband ended up in the hospital last week due to very low vitals (73/38 53 found when he was being checked in for a routine appointment) and they discovered a UTI. Some blood and protein in the urine. He has CKD. What confused them (where one doctor didn't think was a UTI) was he had absolutely no symptoms. No symptoms for anything actually.
They put him on an antibiotic for a week. Now he is in a Skilled nursing home for two weeks of therapy related to fall issues - he is 89 and very unstable. He is trying his best to get out of there as he doesn't think he needs help (has mild dementia as well. At this point I haven't been told if the UTI is over.

@maureenb, @daphne52 and all...I'm 75 years old, had multiple and frequent UTIs all my younger life, and at one time in the '70s, I went to see a urologist. He enlarged the urethra. Ouch! But it did help some., for a while. Last year I had 5 infections. 5 is a lot, so I screamed for help from my great Mayo doctors. Why so many?????

I saw a gynourologist at Mayo. After lots of weird testing, she found, among other things, my urine incontinence was due to a urethra muscle issue and performed a procedure to inject a bonding agent to bulk up the muscle. It was not a fun procedure, I vowed never again, but the alternative is surgery which I will not have. This doctor didn't address the UTIs, to my surprise, but sent me to infectious disease doctors for a consult. They put me on a regime of daily antibiotics for prevention.

Well, I had serious intestinal reactions from the antibiotics, after 5 different types I said no more, please. A doctor in Integrated services, like massage, acupuncture, counseling, the out or normal medical fields department, prescribed a probiotic that solved my intestinal problems completely. I've had IBSD forever, so this is a miracle! I was taking another probiotic, but this one is very different and works!

I also take some supplements, after ckg with my doctors. I get a UTI supplement online from Research Verified with multiple berries, including cranberries, and no UTI since. Amazing to me. Not one in months since taking this supplement. It may interfere with some meds, but at this point, ok. I continue to take it as no UTIs is immense.

Blessings on your journey. It is imperative if you have such recurrent UTIs to see a specialist who knows for what to look. Elizabeth

As others , have had numerous uti's. 1985 had radiation stage 2 cancer of cervix and years later bladder problems and bowel problems, after a urologist looked inside bladder and after we chatted and i said yes, my bladder must be cooked he said no, it's fried... so one reason to be getting so many infections; however also had ibs-d or frequent diarrhea and gastro-enterologist said radiation damage had healed, but my bowels never the same - doesn't it scar the bowel? So I had diarrhea after any good foods like fruit, salads etc and stopped eating them; at same time got lots of uti's; one reason is I used to use a Sitz Bath because my rear end got so very sore and so comforting to sit in warm water.. but one day realized the germs from rectal area getting into water/bladder! Even tho I stopped doing that and no more baths, still got the uti's. 2016 dr's office staff did a urine sample and I am wondering , as I now buy the test strips myself; there is a best before date on the bottle of urine test strips and they must be used before expiration date; however, once the brand I buy have the bottle opened they are only fresh and reliable within a time frame of three months.. As well, bottle with remainder of strips must be kept closed tightly. Should be kept at room temp or refrigerated and not frozen . So 2016 office staff did the test, was not allowed to use the washroom in dr office so a public washroom down the hall, and not given a wet wipe to cleanse myself the staff person dipped the stick and lay it on the top lid of the closed bottle ... am sure urine from previous sticks had gotten onto the bottle top perhaps leaving germs; also the test strip has to be read from 30 seconds for some results to 120 seconds for others. I know that strip lay there for about ten minutes til dr. ready... he came into office and said strip was lit up like a rainbow - which it would be after ten minutes!!!! 120 seconds is max!! I didn't know any better at the time. He gave me a Quinolone drug, NORFLOX, which had about 3 pages of info with it and of course I didn't read it all but I did see top of page about warnings to those over 65, and had a black box around it. I didn't know what a black box warning was ,,, do now as ten days after finished pills got peripheral neuropathy which i still have! I am sure some dr offices do not check the bb dates, wash hands before handling strips and read within 2 minutes.So from then on I ALWAYS now politely ask for a proper lab test of my urine before accepting antibiotics. Added to problem when on antibiotics my diarrhea is so much worse BUT anti-diarrhea meds cannot be taken when on antibiotics so the feces flows out of me and I have to have couple of showers a day and get so sore, even cutting off my nightie at 3am. So after i think it was about 5 antibiotics in 5 months or so, I got C.Diff which required two treatments of Vancomycin for MONTHS during which time I could not take anti diarrhea meds like IMODIUM. So how does one wipe front to back when every time go pee there is fecal incontinence on my behind! Sorry for long story but still getting uti's and still the same side effects. Also after C.Diff in 2018, also diagnosis of Glaucoma which had nothing to do with utis , and losing 4 friends, i had nervous and physical breakdown which I am still dealing with 3 years later...so for some a uti is no big deal, but it can be and has led to a very dark period in my life and the light is still out! Presently I have another, ecoli, and after 7 days my test strips still show infection! I can't take it much more. As a side note I am on Keflex and the cost of the 14 pills x 500g was $2.31 Canadian plus the dispensing fee...I asked the pharmacist why so cheap and he said cos not used much any more! is this correct? Again sorry to be so long but its been a long horrid trip plus other health issues, as many other people do... will this ever end I wonder!

Do they always culture your urine before they treat UTI.? Some bacteria is not sensitive to the same Antibiotics as the most common E.Coli is. Always insist on a culture. Some E. Coli is resistant to the standard antibiotics. With the diarrhea, it in itself can splash up and make its way into the bladder via the urethra. Especially if you are a older woman. I would definitely talk to your Doctor about going on the probiotic Florestor for your bowel problems. It is a reputable brand and quite often recommended by doctors. It is expensive but I think we'll worth the try. It is great to take while on antibiotics because they can't kill it like Standard probiotics. Some studies have shown a possibility that it might even ward off c.dificil infections.
I know what you are going through. Iam a 76 year old woman and have had diarrhea on and off since I was in my 20,s...diagnosed as IBS (Irritable bowel syndrome). Since a prolapaed uterus followed by a hysterectomy I also get UTI,s easily. I always practice all the preventative measures when bathing and going to the bathroom. This last UTI was a bd one and when the first treatment did nothing it was because it was caused by Enterococcus faecalis (E. Faecalis) not E. Coli. It is a very resistant bacteria. There are only a few antibiotics that treat it. So please insist on a urine culture. I also know how all this can cause emotional turmoil like Anxiety and Depression. Hang in there...you got this.