Urinary Tract Infections

[sera300]

Why Am I writing this? The topic of Urinary Tract Infections (UTI’s) appears frequently on this board and women especially can help reduce the risk for occurrence through some of the suggestions put forth. Men who read this can pass the information on to their partners.

What is a UTI? A UTI is an infection caused by bacteria which enters the urethra; it’s a common occurrence with women and men; however, it’s most commonly seen in women due to our anatomy. There are many causes for a UTI; however, when you have become sexually active the risk increases. The reason being; bacteria’s introduced to the urethra many times from your partner, from sex toys, or lubricants. Just think about all the new bacteria and germs which are in contact with the genitalia during manual stimulation, oral contact, or during intercourse. Additionally, there are other causes for a UTI which I am not mentioning since it’s not relevant to the topic.

How do you know if you have a UTI? There are many symptoms; however, the main symptoms include any of the following; urinary frequency, urinary hesitation, burning or pain during urination, foul smelling, cloudy, or blood tinged urine, and low grade fever. All of these symptoms do not have to be present for a diagnosis; it’s merely an overview of the most common complaints.

What to do if you have or feel you have a UTI? It’s important to call your doctor and seek medical treatment. They do not go away on their own, a UTI requires a urine sample, and a urine culture; then treatment can begin with antibiotics and if needed the doctor can prescribe a medication to alleviate the discomfort. Please do not attempt to treat a UTI on your own.

If a UTI is left untreated the bacteria will continue to spread and breed in the Bladder (Cystitis) and then the infection travels to the Kidney’s (Pyelonephritis). Once an infection has reached the Kidney’s, many people have to be hospitalized for IV antibiotics for several days. Once the infection has reached this level it can continue to cause some very serious life threatening illnesses. Therefore, when caught early and treated properly, symptoms disappear rapidly. Upon completion of the antibiotics a return visit to the doctor is needed for a repeat urine analysis and culture to be certain the infection is 100% gone.

How do I reduce my chances for a UTI? There are a few measures you can do to help prevent a UTI. Urinating after intercourse is important since it help clear and invading bacteria from the urethra. Drink at least 6-8, 8 oz. glasses of water daily, also drinking Cranberry juice can help reduce the risk; however, do not drink the cranberry juice drink since it contains mainly sugars. Washing your genital area well using warm, mild, soapy water on a wash cloth helps reduce the breeding ground for bacteria; moreover, the genitals are a nice warm, moist, dark environment for bacteria to grow, it’s an ideal environment. Always dry your genitalia well. Ladies’ remember to wipe from front to back after using the toilet since bacteria from the rectum can be introduced into the genitals. Douching and using feminine vaginal sprays further contribute to causing irritation and can create and infection, do not use them unless your doctor directs you otherwise. Purchase underwear with a cotton crotch will also help reduce the risks since cotton is a fabric which allows the area to breath; while other fabrics do not and trap bacteria in moisture.

If a UTI continues to return make an appointment to see your physician.

[katiebug]

I have suffered with chronic UTI's for a long time, as long as I can remember, both before and after becoming sexually active. I have seen many doctors about them and have been prescribed a multitude of different medications, which usually do work, but only for a certain amount of time. Mine come and go in bouts, I will go years without getting them and then go through a year or so of chronic infections coming every month. Unfortunately, I have not yet found a permanent cure for this and neither has any doctor I have seen, but I have learned some ways to prevent them and to lessen the pain and irritation on my own when I am in a time of suffering. I don't know if regular posters are supposed to reply to these posts but I wanted to share my techniques in case they may be able to help someone else with the same problem.

First and foremost, I am religious about being clean and my BF being clean before having sex. Every doctor and website that I've visited has explained that most UTI's come from a bacteria that is found in feces and the rectum, so touching the anal area and then touching the vaginal/urethra area can spread those bacteria and allow them to travel up into your bladder. My BF and I have always been extremely careful about anal sex for this reason. We do not usually do any anal play, but on the rare occasion we do we make sure to wash hands and his penis and anything else that touches that area both before and after. It absolutely shocks me that you often see men in porn videos putting their penis in a girls anus, and then pulling out and putting it directly in her vagina without any pause. Please, do not do that at home. It took some good explaining to my BF that some of the things you see in a porn video are just NOT healthy to do in real life. He had no idea. I believe that many men are probably just as ignorant as he is on the topic, so be prepared to speak up.

On the topic of being clean - I always make my BF wash his hands before we have sex anyway, regardless of whether or not there is going to be anal play. I wash mine too. Neither of you really know what you have touched and the vagina is such a sensitive area that can breed bacteria so fast, why take those chances? It is also important to wash after sex, I always get up and go to the bathroom to pee (eliminating the bladder reduces the chances of bacteria getting up there, as was said before) and I wash my vagina off with warm water in an effort to help that cause even more. It is also important to always wipe front to back, instead of back to front. Think of it as wiping the bacteria away from the urethra instead of towards it. Any little thing that helps the cause is a good thing, in my experience.

As for regular maintenence - I find that I need to drink a LOT of water, more than what is recommended daily. This is good for overall health I am sure anyway. I also try to stay away from alcohol and caffienated drinks, those can trigger it for me. Whenever I become dehydrated I can feel one coming on unless I drink a lot to keep things moving through. I take cranberry supplements once a day, every day as well. I find them in the vitamin section at the drug store. You might see over the counter UTI treatments, like Uristat and the like. I have tried them all. They will help relieve the painful sensation of peeing, but they do not get rid of the infection itself. Nothing gets rid of the infection except for antibiotics. Also, these treatments are not recommended for more than a few days, and I have found that they turn your urine a very distinctive neon orange color (harmless side effect). However, this side effect can be annoying because it will stain anything that it comes into contact with. Expect to be throwing away underwear that has orange stains on it. I don't even use those OTC remedies anymore because I find that they don't help enough to make it worthwhile. But if you are absolutely dying and you can't get to the doctor right away, they may help alleviate the pain. I find ibuprofen, with plenty of fluids and cranberry pills work just as well. When I have a UTI, I amp up what I drink so that I am literally chugging water as much as I can stomach and make sure I am making myself pee as many times a day as possible. Drinking plenty of fluids with the antibiotics from the doctor help me to get over it sooner.

Lastly, I had myself checked for all STD's. Painful urination can be a sign of some STD's, especially if the symptoms are chronic and don't go away with antibiotics. I was worried for awhile that I may have had an STD because of my chronic UTI's, but after a battery of tests I was proved negative on more than one occasion. Still, it does not hurt to get tested and find out for sure. Many of the STD's I was being tested for were also treatable with a round of antibiotics, but without those tests you may be taking drugs for a UTI when you really need a different antibiotic to treat a totally different problem.

Don't wait to get the doctor if you are having any symptoms. I have had UTI's so many times (unfortunately) that I can tell exactly when one is coming on. A urine culture at the doctor will confirm if you have a UTI or not. If you suffer chronically like I do, it's important to find a good doctor that will know how to treat it. I have gone to doctors when I had a very early UTI and the urine culture comes up negative, only to come back a day or two later suffering horribly with pain and burning, with a urine culture that is undeniably positive. I have also found that sometimes when I drink a TON of water and cranberry juice (when I am fighting the pain of a UTI before I'm able to get antibiotics), the urine culture will come out clear and negative. It's as if the test is not sensitive enough to detect the bacteria. If you have symptoms, make sure you do not leave the doctors office without being treated for something, even if they determine that what you have is not a UTI. While I do understand that doctors must be responsible and do not want to over-prescribe antibiotics to patients, especially those who don't have clear test results, I do appreciate a doctor that listens to me. You know your body better than anyone else, so you have to fight for the treatment that you think is right for you. I cannot even count how many times I have fought with doctors to get them to listen to me, regardless of what that urine culture test might say.

So, keep yourself and your partner clean, stay hydrated, and have a good doctor on hand for when you are suffering. Hopefully this will help someone else who is in pain.

[Dawn80]

I also had this same chronic problem for about 6 months. I began noticing symptoms shortly after I met my fiance. I had never had problems of this nature before. I ended up having chronic UTI's.....including acute stinging pain and a lot of blood in my urine. I went to the doctor for every onset of symptoms and he prescribed a number of antibiotics and preventative medications. I was at the end of my rope. These UTI's were literally affecting my life in a negative way...my work life in particular...I'm an environmental scientist and have to work a lot in remote regions, going to the bathroom in the bushes with a UTI is NOT pleasant.
After many trips to the doctor and many more painful trips to the bathroom I began to keep a mental tally of what was happening in my life and diet that may contribute to these symptoms.
To my surprise and elation, I realized one thing had changed since I met my fiancé and since my UTI's had started. My fiancé and his family are french and subsequently big red wine drinkers. I had never had red wine before meeting my fiancé. It turned out the two glasses of red wine that I was having at dinner and at family get-togethers was causing an irritation to my "lady parts". It was not a UTI at all. It was just a sensitivity to the pigment in the wine.
I just wanted other ladies to know that they need to keep track of their symptoms and not take no for an answer from doctors. From what my GP tells me, some women's urethra's (and some men) can be very sensitive to certain food chemicals which can cause UTI-like symptoms. It can even cause the white blood cell count in your blood to go up, indicating an infection. An example is cranberry juice....originally touted as a cure for a UTI...now studies suggest cranberry juice in large amounts can actually cause irritation and symptoms of a UTI.
I just wanted to share my story.

[sera300]

The key for you may be the C. JUICE. Look at the nasty tart flavored stuff--no sugar. The idea of the cranberry J. is to change the PH & acidity of urine; reducing the growth of bacteria.

[Brandye]

Good thread, Thanks for starting it and sharing some good stories.

CLEANLINESS!!!! I realy worry about the slow diappearance of bidets in Europe. I would not live without one and will even ask hotels before I make reservations. Yes, you can keep clean without a bidet but they are so convenient.

Mine is situated so that I can make it ready while sitting on the other ceramic wonder and switch immediately.

[sera300]

Originally Posted by Brandye

Good thread, Thanks for starting it and sharing some good stories.

CLEANLINESS!!!! I realy worry about the slow diappearance of bidets in Europe. I would not live without one and will even ask hotels before I make reservations. Yes, you can keep clean without a bidet but they are so convenient.

Mine is situated so that I can make it ready while sitting on the other ceramic wonder and switch immediately.

One here is about $10,000 dollars! Washcloths work fine for me...LOL! And you can toss them out!

[Brandye]

Oh! ............... We pay about the same as a good tub.

[sera300]

Originally Posted by Brandye

Oh! ............... We pay about the same as a good tub.

Too funny...I think the cost of my luxury Jacuzzi "model" was less then the current toilet/bidet combo, but the water was warmed, so was the seat...temperature adjustable with a seat that went down hydraulically.

[Cptnpants]

Asking for my girlfriend: How long after she starts on antibiotics will the symptoms start to subside, she has finials Thursday and Friday and this will be very distracting to have to deal with. Is there anything she can do in the mean time to help relive effect of this infection.

She did not start the medication yet but will hopefully have a doctor appointment tomorrow. How long does treatment take?

Many thanks.

[sera300]

Originally Posted by Cptnpants

Asking for my girlfriend: How long after she starts on antibiotics will the symptoms start to subside, she has finials Thursday and Friday and this will be very distracting to have to deal with. Is there anything she can do in the mean time to help relive effect of this infection.

She did not start the medication yet but will hopefully have a doctor appointment tomorrow. How long does treatment take?

Many thanks.

Depends on what antibiotic the doc uses. She should discuss Pyridium also will the doc. Usually on a patient; get a urine culture, urine C&S, prescription for antibiotics, prescription for pyridium ((for a few days) since it's a med used which stops the discomfort but causes the urine to turn bright orange--it stains badly...so keep the toilet clear of it and undergarments should be not good ones--may have to throw them out)).

Upon finishing the antibiotic patient returns a few days later (based on the medication used) for a repeat urine analysis and repeat culture.