Advice on recurrant UTI's Options

[Steppa]

Hi there,
I am new to this forum even though I have had my injury for nearly 13 years now. I have an incomplete spinal injury at T12-L2. I can walk but have problems with my bladder and bowels.
I self catheterise 4 hrly using single use catheters that come in a sterile lubircating solution. For the past four yrs I have had an ever increasing battle with urinary tract infections and seem to be losing the battle. I have tried low dose antibiotics, hiprex/ammonia chloride, cranberry juice and tablets. I drink 2-3 litres of water a day, have only one coffee per day and rarely drink tea. I have a good diet and other than this particular problem, am in good health. I am female and in my early 30's and am 7 mths pregnant with my second.
My urologists has sent me to a microbiologist and neither know what to do and i feel as though they have given up on me. I have a hyper active bladder and the ongoing infections cause great pain and the constant stress of incontinence. The bug is always the same, E.coli. I have had my technique checked and it is fine.
If anyone has had or is going through a similar problem i would love to hear how you are managing it, if there is anything i havent tried...anything really. If anyone can help i would greatly appreciate any advice or information. I am desperate.
Thanks.

['52 Dodge]

G'day Steppa

Battling UTIs is the bane of every person with a SCI that requires intervention for their bladder. As a male T5 ASIA A in my late 40s, I intermittant catherise every 4-6 hours.

Basically you can forget cranberry as a solution. Despite taking cranberry tablets, drinking cranberry juice and eating cranberries during the early days post accident, I still kepting getting UTIs. And I was beginning to hate the taste of cranberry. A quad friend put me onto Ural. An over-the-counter effervescent powder, Ural changes the ph in the bladder. It seems to work, albeit within a day or two. I was happy with the results.

Nonetheless, I still have a script of anitbiotics on hand just-in-case. I also have the urine test strips (Combur Test) to help me identify problems.

A para mate advised me to, um, err, keep the front lawn trimmed in order to prevent UTIs. Pubic hair is a cause of many UTIs.

The above are approaches that have worked for some folk. They may not work for you. However, as taking Ural and getting a Brazilian wax aren't onerous tasks, and if they go some was to solving your problem your ploblem, yippee! If they don't work, you've had a nice fizzy drink and a haircut you'll never forget.

Cheers

'52 Dodge

[Steppa]

G'day Steppa

Battling UTIs is the bane of every person with a SCI that requires intervention for their bladder. As a male T5 ASIA A in my late 40s, I intermittant catherise every 4-6 hours.

Basically you can forget cranberry as a solution. Despite taking cranberry tablets, drinking cranberry juice and eating cranberries during the early days post accident, I still kepting getting UTIs. And I was beginning to hate the taste of cranberry. A quad friend put me onto Ural. An over-the-counter effervescent powder, Ural changes the ph in the bladder. It seems to work, albeit within a day or two. I was happy with the results.

Nonetheless, I still have a script of anitbiotics on hand just-in-case. I also have the urine test strips (Combur Test) to help me identify problems.

A para mate advised me to, um, err, keep the front lawn trimmed in order to prevent UTIs. Pubic hair is a cause of many UTIs.

The above are approaches that have worked for some folk. They may not work for you. However, as taking Ural and getting a Brazilian wax aren't onerous tasks, and if they go some was to solving your problem your ploblem, yippee! If they don't work, you've had a nice fizzy drink and a haircut you'll never forget.

Cheers

'52 Dodge

Thanks so much for your reply...it's good to have a laugh at these things occasionally! I get the feeling someone in the cranberry industry has got a good thing going. Fortunately I discovered it didn't work for me before I got sick of the taste and am still able to enjoy a virgin cranberry...looking forward to adding a splash of something once bub is born though! A couple of the other things I have started doing and am a couple of days clear of my last UTI, so lets see.

I had one quick q regarding your use of Ural, do you use it when you feel symptomatic and if so for how long? Or do you use it as a preventative?

Thanks again for taking the time to reply. I have felt fairly isolated in the 14 yrs since my accident happened as most of my problems are harder for ppl to see. The only outward evidence of the injury I have is a limp, slow walk and some scars and i tend to keep the rest private, meaning a lot of ppl I've met since it happened don't even know about the "other" stuff.

Anyway, I ramble. Thanks again!
Steppa