I don't mean to whine but this bladder business of constantly fighting off infections is hard to take. Lately I have barely completed a series of antibiotics, only to get another bladder infection the following week.
WHAT GIVES??
I cramp, become really grumpy with my family and just go through the motions at work. I have slight or sometimes severe bladder pain and I am ready for it to stop!
I am not sure why my painful bladder infections continue to come back. I would love to know why. Before I use a catheter I wash my hands like a heart surgeon going in to perform surgery. I suds my hands in soapy water. I shower every day. I even take my extreme precautions into the bathroom: I never poop and pee at the same time for fear that I will cross-contaminate. How can a system (my Body) stripped of bugs by antibiotics get another bothersome bug back so frequently?
I tried to find out what I might be doing wrong and I found this interesting point from an article which suggested that I try to use a catheter more frequently.
Taken from the article :
Urinary Tract Infections: Intermittent Catheterization
Self-care
Many people are able to prevent a UTI (the development of chronic infections) by implementing some rigorous steps of "self-care". The most important step for people who do intermittent catheterization and begin to develop symptoms of a UTI is to catheterize themselves more frequently (every 2- 4 hours) and simultaneously increase their fluid intake. Some people are able to avoid or treat UTIs by taking vitamin C (500-2,000 mg per day) or cranberry extract tablets, although this is controversial amongst the medical community. Other "natural" treatments may be helpful, but you should consult with someone who is knowledgeable in this field, such as a naturopathic physician who is trained in dietary supplements and the use of herbs.
This is a fairy tale to me . . . The only thing that seems to help me are antibiotics. Of course the first antibiotics were preparations from mold extracts that occur naturally, so perhaps antibiotics are a highly purified organic therapy. I get tired of taking them all of the time, though, and don't think it's that healthy. The antibiotics don't discriminate between the healthy microbes of my gut that aid in digestion and those that unbidden invade my urinary tract. Another thought strikes me: the constant pelting of my body's natural flora could be making way for extremely aggressive bacteria that crawl up my ureters after I self-cath. I will try it though because right now I do not cath every 2 hours: it's another process for me to see if it works with my body. So much of what I have learned comes from trial and error!
Yet making allowances to self-catheterize myself every two hours at work will be the hard part for me. Things get so busy with the students at the school where I work. I might have to bring out the big guns and share with my administrator that there are Government Guidelines for people like me. The guidelines state that I am to receive more time to use the toilet and more time for doctors appointments.
I might need to use them, although I have tried to keep the fragile state of my health condition to myself, at least when it comes to my professional life to this point. I have to consider what is best for me long-term. Wish me luck!