Conference turris::womannotes-v2

    Hi,
    
    I had the same operation a few years ago.  They had to stretch my
    uretha because it was too narrow.  I had been having UTIs all my
    life.  Since then I very rarely get an infection.  I did notice
    that when I was ill or run-down, the first place to show the stress
    was a UTI.  Do you drink cran juice?  
    
    I was told by my doctor, that I may need the operation (stretching)
    again because the uretha is like an elastic band and it might shrink
    back up again.  So far so good.  YUCKO...what a horrible procedure.
    
    Maybe yours has grown back.  Did you check with your urologist?
    
    Good luck, I know how horrible these are.
    
    -Dotti.

    Has your partner had a culture? He may be harboring the bacteria
    without symptoms and passing them back to you.
    
    Bonnie

    re: 2
    
    Bonnie,
    
    No he hasnt, but he is going to now.  When I got my first UTI of
    the year I asked my doctor if he should be checked also .  She said
    that he didnt need to.  (now I am questioning her abilities as a
    doctor).  But I did a little experimenting.  When the infection
    was gone and I was off the medicine for 2 days we had intercourse.
    Sure enough the infection was back within a couple of days.  
    So I started with the medication again.  This time when it was finished
    we held off on intercourse for a week just to make sure the infection
    was gone.  Sure enough a week later the same thing happens again.
    
    My only conclusion is that he must be passing it on to me.  Only
    neither of us has any noticable problems.  I got a yeast infection
    because the of the antibiotics.  But it cleared up right away with
    Monostat.  And I havent had that problem since.
    
    But I think it is time we send him to the doctors to make sure.
    thanks
    mi

Sounds like you are doing a lot of the right things. Cranberry juice was
mentioned by someone, that supposedly can help. 

I hope detail won't offend anyone here - but many years ago I was having a
lot of trouble with those and the doctor mentioned that position during
intercourse made a difference. (He drew me pictures). Anyway woman on top
is a better angle. I tried it then and it did help. 

Good Luck

Muggsie

    in re .3
    
    My husband came down with a very bad bladder infection just after
    new years and I had a milder version of the same thing. The doctor
    mentioned that the bacteria can live quite harmlessly in your system
    for long periods of time. The actual causes of flare ups aren't
    necessarily a new infection but an existing systemic bacteria growing
    out of control.
    
    Bonnie

    RE: .0
    
    I had the same operation as you when I was in my early 20s.  I had
    been experiencing UTI nearly ever month and they coinsided with
    my period.  The doctors theory was that my anatomy was such that
    bacteria was being passed back and forth quite easily.  The doctor
    also speculated that the wear and tear of having children would
    rearrange my anatomy so that the problem would be less likely to
    occur.  Well, I was in no hurry to have kids at the time so after
    the operation (which did help quite a bit), I had what I called
    'tune-ups' every six months.  It was a simple office procedure where
    the doctor used a local anethesia (applied with a cotton swab) and
    then introduced a dowl (which looked like a long ring sizer) into
    the urethra.  This basically re-streached the tube and bladder opening.
    Tune-ups were followed by six UTI-free months.  ahhhhhhh.
    
    By the way, I have not had one UTI since my first child was born.
    
    Jodi-
   
    
    

    After reading through the basenote and responses, I doubt if my
    response can add any more to your situation.  But in case there
    are others reading this with recurring UTIs, here are some other
    things to watch:
    
    I've found that deodorants or perfumes in some toilet tissues and 
    sanitary products cause flare-ups in me.  I avoid any paper product
    that contains either.
    
    Also, the "softer, fluffier, squeezable" toilet tissues seem to
    cause me problems (perhaps leaving fibers behind after use?).  Whatever
    the reason, I also avoid those.
    
    Finally, dyes used in toilet tissue can also cause problems in some
    individuals.  To play it safe, I use only white tissue.
    
    Following these precautions plus the others mentioned previously
    have reduced a very troublesome, frequent (AND PAINFUL) problem to 
    an occasional bout.
    
    Good luck.
                  

    One other thing I would like to add...
    
    I found dehydration (not taking in enough fluids) was the cause
    of my UTI on many occasions.  Whenever I spent the day at the 
    swap meet (flea market) and didn't bring something to drink, I
    *always* came down with a UTI, usually within an hour of being in
    the hot sun.
    
    Jodi-

    I've never had an UTI (that I know of).  I would assume that they
    are painful/uncomfortable enough for me to know?  What are the
    symptoms?  
    
    Thanks.
    
    

    Soreness and burning upon urination are the first symptoms
    that I experienced. Others would be blood in the urine,
    and pain and tenderness in the kidney and bladder area. (The
    pain in the kidney area felt like a dull back ache.)
    
    Bonnie

    and in my case...
    having to pee every five seconds whether i had to go or not!
    excrutiating pain. hopping around. yech.
    
    liz

    On the other hand, when Lynne had a bladder infection (same thing?)
    shortly after giving birth, the only symptoms were high fever and
    the things that go along with it (generally feeling miserable).
    There were no symptoms that would have suggested the urinary tract
    specifically.
    
    	-Neil

    I have had my share of UTIs belive me!!  They started when I was
    5 years old and have been steady with them ever since.  Funny but
    when I was on the pill, I got fewer of these painful infections.
    I find that the only medication that works for me is Macrodantin
    which actually kills the infection, some other drugs have a pain
    killer in them to make it easier to void.  The key is to drink plenty
    of liquids, the doctor says that there is a natural antibiotic in
    cranberry juice but you would really have to drink gallons for it
    to help, just plain water is great as it flushes out your system.
    The way to help the painful urination is to pour warm water on yourself
    as you go.  If this still hurts (as it will if the infection is
    really bad), and this may sound gross, urinate in a tub full of
    warm water and then shower afterwards to clean off.  I find that
    usually within 30 minutes of taking the Macrodantin, the painful
    urination goes away.  I have gone through the cystoscope and dilation
    procedures numerous times (I lost count after 14) and these annoying
    infections still return.  My doctor suggests that voiding before
    sex is very important because when your bladder is full it will
    extend and get irritated during sex (I found that this does help).
    Also after my period is over, I will usually get an UTI due to the
    fact that not all of the blood and germs come out every month and
    the bladder is the perfect place for germs to breed because it is
    warm, dark and moist just what annoying little germs love to live
    on.  I find that douching with a betadine solution about 3 days
    after my period is over works wonders.  Also Summers Eve has come
    out with a feminine wash that kills germs and makes you feel fresh,
    I have also had great luck with this stuff.

    I too have had my share of UTI's.  I had them periodically from
    childhood, but they have come on really strong since I had a
    hysterectomy done 7+ yrs ago.  I swear the doctors took my bladder
    out and played a couple rounds of handball with it, then reinstalled
    it in my body!
    
    All the advice given here has been exactly what I do, but one other
    thing hasn't been mentioned:  I wear nothing but WHITE COTTON
    underwear.  Nylon, even the ones with the cotton crotchs, have a
    tendency to hold the germs.  You can wash them in the hottest water
    and they still have some left.  This also helps with yeast infection
    prone people!
    
    Since my surgery, I have noticed that when I get a bladder infection,
    it usually comes on very quickly.  I'll get up in the morning feeling
    just fine, and by 10AM I am bleeding, and in horrible pain.  The
    only reason I can think this would be happening is possibly when
    they did my surgery a few nerves got cut, that didn't heal prperly,
    so in actuality, I have the burning and the discomfort a day of
    so before the bleeding, but just don't know it.  The Dr. wants to
    do a culture on my bladder, and see if there is some reason why
    I get them as often as I do (about every 2-3 months, sometimes more
    frequent).
    
    My husband suffered from cronic bladder infections, and they found
    that he had a very small urethra.  5 yrs ago he had it surgically
    opened, they couldn't even stretch it, that's how bad it was.  He
    ended up with 4 stitches on either side of the opening to his
    penis...... talk about discomfort, ouch!  He hasn't had any problems
    since then.

    My mother has had UTIs all of her life and has passed the Kidney/
    Bladder problems down to her 3 children.  My brother hasn't had
    them as bad as my sister and myself.  My sister suffered from birth
    and as a result of prolonged infections has lost one of her kidneys.
    The kidney was so deteriorated (??sp) when removed that it was the
    size of a small pea, actually doing none of it's duties.  Now she
    has to be especially careful with any kind of infection, this is
    so it doesn't damage the one kidney she has left.  My sister was
    told that she should not have anymore children because the fetus
    lies on your right kidney and that happens to be her functioning
    one; any infection or damage caused by a baby could cause her to
    die.  This is so unfortunate, her husband passed away a few years
    ago and she is now planning on getting married again to a man who
    has never been married and had children of his own.  She does thank
    God that she has 2 healthy sons, but is finding the news that she
    can't have anymore hard to swallow.
    

Merle used to use an over-the-counter drug with the tradename "Cystex."
(I used SEARCH and didn't find it in any of these replies.)  It doesn't
seem to be available any more around Marlborough, MA or Philadelphia, PA;
she says it was the only non-perscription drug that she found which was
really effective, and it worked really quickly.  It contains "Salicylamide,
sodium salicylate, methenamine, and benzoic acid" in it.  The company is
Cooper Laboratories, Mystic, CT 06355.  (She hasn't tried writing to them.)

Disclaimer: We have no financial interest in this company or product.

	 Anyone (male  or  female)  having  problems with UTI-like symptoms
    should  make  sure  the  MD  is  doing  a  differential  diagnosis  for
    Chlamydia.   A  friend  of  mine  had a nasty experience with recurring
    painful  urination  and  cramps  which  was  repeatedly misdiagnosed as
    UTI's.   A  new test for Chlamydia has recently been developed which is
    cheap  and effective (the older test, in use until a few years ago, was
    neither.)  I  have  heard the infection rate for women in their 30's is
    astronomical  (40%  - sounds wild to me) and is one of the major causes
    of  infertility  due  to  scarring  of  the  fallopian  tubes.  Another
    acquaintance  told  a  horror story of being admitted to a hospital and
    being  misdiagnosed  for  two  days;  she  almost  died.   It  *can* be
    asymptomatic for quite a while; men rarely get symptoms.  It requires a
    special antibiotic to reach the affected areas, so it will not be cured
    incidentally.  It has been known to be fatal.

				John Ritz

    I am new to this notesfile but not new to UTI's.  I am 3 months
    shy of 30 years old and have been suffering from this problem for
    at least 12 years.  I would like to respond to a couple of notes
    that I read and then offer my own recommendations and experiences:
    
    1)  Walgreens pharmacy (at least the one in Billerica, MA) carries
    that over the counter medication called Cystex.  I have never tried
    it and don't know if it works but one noter mentioned that someone
    couldn't find it in Massachusetts.
    
    2)  I also agree about sexual position sometimes causing this problem.
    Now I am going to get sort of graphic.  Because the bladder sits
    right on top of the vaginal opening, positions of intercourse where
    the man enters from behind the woman are very likely to disturb
    the bladder.
    
    3)  Macrodantin is one of the best medicines for UTIs because it
    does work on the symptoms pretty quickly.  I tried another antibiotic
    this year called Ciprophloxacin that is supposed to be the wonder
    drug for UTI's.  It did work very well and I remained UTI free for
    much longer than I do with the Macrodantin.  There is also a drug
    called Pyridium which calms the spasms in the bladder.  It will
    not eradicate the infection but it helps to make you more comfortable.
    It does, however, turn your urine bright orange.  I suppose this
    is better than the pain though.
    
    There are several other sulfa drugs that are used for UTI's (Bactrim,
    Gantricin).  I can't take these though because I am allergic to
    sulfa.
    
    OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS
    
    If you are sexually active, be sure to urinate both before and after
    intercourse.  I know it sort of ruins the moment sometimes to have
    to jump out of bed to go to the bathroom, but there wouldn't be
    those moments anyway if you got an infection.
    
    Cut down on your intake of caffeine (this includes coffee, tea,
    colas, etc.)  Caffeine is an irritant.
    
    Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day.  It's important for your
    health in more respects than just bladder infections.  
    
    Don't neglect a bladder infection and make sure you finish all of
    your antibiotics unless your Dr. tells you otherwise.  The symptoms
    may go away quickly but if the infection has not been wiped out,
    the symptoms will come back and may be worse than they were.  Go
    back to the Dr. a couple of days after you finish taking the medicine
    and have your urine cultured again to make sure that there is no
    infection left.
    
    By the way, UTI's are sometimes called "Honeymoon Cystitis" because
    of their connection to intercourse--so don't feel like you're alone.
    I was pretty bummed out sometimes because I felt "abnormal", but
    now I know I'm not alone.
    
    One other thing, there is a think called Acute Hemorragic Cystitis
    which sounds worse than it really was.  I thought I should tell
    you about it because I freaked out when I got it.  One day I went
    to the bathroom and urinated what looked like pure blood.  I thought
    I was dying.  I called the Drs. and they told me to come in.  It
    turned out that it was a bad UTI and that sometimes the blood vessels
    in the bladder break and cause this bleeding.  It looked worse than
    it really was.  So if this happens, don't panic.
    
    I also feel disgusting when I get UTI's.  Sometimes they follow
    a cold.  They make me feel really irritable and now I can even tell
    when I'm about to get one because I have chills and am just the
    biggest b*tch around.
    
    I hope this helps all of you who are having UTI problems.  Although
    I still get them, the precautions have greatly reduced the occurrences
    of them.  Also, my fiance (he'll be my husband in 8 days) is very
    supportive and reminds me to go to the bathroom.