recurrent UTIs

polloloco · July 22

has anyone figured out how to address these for their parent? my mom keeps getting them. she lives with an aide but the aide is not paid to change her in the middle of the night. I dont know if that's what is causing these but they keep coming back and she is getting weaker and weaker. she takes cranberry each day. and she is allergic to penicillin so can't use all antibiotics.

April23 · July 22

The best thing I ever did was get my dad under the care of an infectious disease doctor. My dad takes an antibiotic weekly as a suppressive treatment. A team of a urologist and infectious disease doctor is your best bet.

polloloco · July 22

interesting. i was referred to a urologist but her idea is a catheter. I will ask about an infectious disease doctor. what does your dad take weekly, which antibiotic?

JulietteBee · July 22

@polloloco, let me suggest that you retrain the aide. Be sure that in cleaning mom, she us cleaning her from front to back at ALL times. Transfering of bacteria/fecal material often is caused by the patient or their caregiver.

Yes, cranberry juice is excellent.

notequipped · July 22

I have a terrific answer for UTI’s. There are a couple of caveats. One is that the infection and situation may be too difficult for it to overcome. The other is that there are some, not many, contradictions so most definitely check with a Dr. I have no idea why more people don’t know about D-mannose. It is a naturally occurring sugar. I began taking it several years ago when urgent care refused to see me due to the recurring UTI’s. I have not had a UTI in probably 15 years. On the rare occasion that I have felt one coming on, I just take an extra dose. D-mannose is one of the main ingredients in a commercially available and heavily advertised urinary health product. D-mannose has a mildly sweet taste. It is cheap and widely available. Lots of into on the internet regarding dosing. I take a chewable with a small amount of D-mannose and cranberry daily.

The fact that antibiotics are so widely prescribed for antibiotics makes me extremely angry. And I had a horrible reaction to one of the most commonly prescribed UTI antibiotics.
Hope that you get the go ahead to give it a try. It has been nothing short of a miracle for myself and everyone that I have suggested it to. Good luck!!

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8944421/

harshedbuzz · July 22

@polloloco

UTIs are common and difficult to avoid especially in elderly women with incontinence.

We found cranberry useless for mom even if it was 100% real juice and not some Ocean Spray "cocktail".
D-mannose did seem to help somewhat.

A Purewick System is a non-invasive option to a catheter. It's $$$ and not covered by insurance but those who've used it swear by it.

https://www.purewickathome.com/all-products/women?dsmrkt=customer_id=756-919-7274&utm_term=698183345_1258942129662479_purewick%20women&trkid=m8_sem_Bing_698183345_1258942129662479_purewick%20women&msclkid=426ac40a82611292dc97ae6a4793a740&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=BDC%7CSearch%7CBing%7CPUR%7CBrand%7CNA%7CPatient%7CEN%7CUS%7CAD&utm_term=purewick%20women&utm_content=Brand_Generic_EXT&gclid=426ac40a82611292dc97ae6a4793a740&gclsrc=3p.ds&gad_source=7&gad_campaignid=21086951259

HB

April23 · July 22

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/comment/277973#Comment_277973

Well let me clarify that my dad is actually colonized with a certain bacteria but it took the ID doctor to figure it out. So maybe just a consult is in order.

My advice is to explore every option before resorting to a catheter.

pjasso · July 22

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/76620/recurrent-utis

My mom was having reoccurring UTIs up until 3 years ago when I moved her near me into AL. I took her to an OB-GYN who prescribed a cream to be inserted. She couldn't use the applicator, so the doctor said just use a little on her fingertip. She was able to do that, although I don't think she does it much anymore. The other thing I did, although the OB-GYN couldn't say if it would help or not, my mom has been taking Cranberry supplements 2x/day, with her daily meds. She has not had one UTI in 3 years. I believe the cranberry supplement has helped. Found it on Amazon. Good luck.

emmee · July 22

Our mom had a UTI after she started wearing adult diapers 24/7, and then we got her a remote control bidet toilet seat, so that we or a caregiver could make sure her body was washed with water after every toilet use (many bidet seats also dry after the wash), and she hasn't gotten another UTI since (about 2 years). Worth a try if possible.

Toto and Brondell are favored brands, and you don't need to get the full toilet, just the toilet seat, to have wash and dry capabilities.

MsLadybug · July 22

I think the best person to answer your question is a doctor, which I am not. However, recently I came across a website which I find very useful. It's written by a University of California San Francisco geriatrician. She has tons of online information about aging, and she also has lots of Youtube videos. Maybe this will help: https://betterhealthwhileaging.net/urine-bacteria-without-uti-in-elderly/

terei · July 23

I second the use of D-Mannose(especially for prevention). It is quite benign, but very effective. Ask Dr of course, but it is worth a try.

Emily 123 · July 23

We did D-mannose (it's a slightly sweet powder, so put it in Mom's coffee), and cranberry extract pills (I think that I read that the juice/cocktail isn't concentrated enough to do much). Some of this is probably 'wiping' hygiene. If she's just incontinent of urine at night it might help to limit fluid intake after dinnertime and change her right before bed. I think the idea of the bidet is a good one.

harshedbuzz · July 23

The other piece to this is the aide.

Is this a full-time live-in situation where part of the contract is she doesn't have to provide care overnight? Maybe you could offer a bonus to add this to mom's care plan. Another option would be to hire a second aide to be an awake overnight person.

TBH, this seems off. When my niece nannied, she didn't get nights off if a baby needed a change, a kid wet the bed or had a nightmare. My neighbor had live-in carers for his first wife and later his second MIL; so long as they were in the house, they did what needed to be done when it needed to be done.

A third option would be a MCF where this could be added to the care plan. FWIW, care at home isn't always best. Dad's care improved once he had a team of professionals looking after him.

HB

Daisy4U · July 23

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/76620/recurrent-utis

@polloloco, my elderly mother had the same issue. I happened on an article by a doctor who recommended using acidophilus specially formulated for women to prevent recurring UTIs. After taking it for one week, my mothers UTI and incontinence issues completely disappeared. We were so thankful.

I am not suggesting it would work for everyone, but it might be worth trying. We used the brand from Jamieson.

See the link for more on the science behind it. The site also mentions the helpfulness of adding D-mannose supplements (clinically shown to reduce UTI risk). SCROLL DOWN the page for the information.

I do hope this simple (and relatively inexpensive) solution proves to be helpful. ❤️

Preventing Recurring UTIs

MommasHeart · July 27

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/comment/278006#Comment_278006

Exactly! Also the Active ingredient in Aloe Vera Acemannan is very effective. UT Vibrance is a great product!

recurrent UTIs

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