OT: UTI please help!

[Guest guest]

Hi Dawn,

Lots and lots of bicarbonate of soda diluted in warm water. It doesn't

taste too good but it really works.

I have never had bacterial cystitis but have had bouts of interstitial

cystitis which have been very very severe lasting as long as 2 years.

(Apparently IC is quite a common thing to have in tandem with ME). The

pain is worse than childbirth. My triggers were vit c and once

triggered any dietary acid would keep it going (including cranberry

juice). The bicarb was my very low tech saviour. I saw a consultant

urologist and he allayed my fears that it was doing me any harm. You do

need to take a lot though.

Rosie

Subject: OT: UTI please help!

I was wondering if anyone has advice on how to treat a UTI. I have

never had one before, but I think I may have my first one. I called

my doctor's office and they are on vacation. I really don't want to

go to the ER, so I am looking for other possible treatment options. I

am drinking lots of cranberry juice.

Thanks,

Dawn M

This list is intended for patients to share personal experiences with

each other, not to give medical advice. If you are interested in any

treatment discussed here, please consult your doctor.

[Guest guest]

I've had bacterial infections many times. My rec is dont' let it go too long w/o

getting antbx from a dr, because it can back up into the kidneys and the whole

tract if its not treated and quickly. It gets very painful too. Do you have

any 'urgent care' type clinics? It would def. not require an emergency room

visit, or shouldn't if treated timely.

Marcia

OT: UTI please help!

I was wondering if anyone has advice on how to treat a UTI. I have

never had one before, but I think I may have my first one. I called

my doctor's office and they are on vacation. I really don't want to

go to the ER, so I am looking for other possible treatment options. I

am drinking lots of cranberry juice.

Thanks,

Dawn M

This list is intended for patients to share personal experiences with

each other, not to give medical advice. If you are interested in any

treatment discussed here, please consult your doctor.

[Guest guest]

>

> I was wondering if anyone has advice on how to treat a UTI. I

have

> never had one before, but I think I may have my first one.

***Hi Dawn - Make sure that before you take any antibiotics that your

doctor gets your urine sample " cultured " . The dip stick test they do

in the office isn't always accurate. It can also show " Interstitial

Cystitis " (IC) which isn't an infection, but instead an inflammation

of the bladder lining.

Also, if it turns out that it isn't an infection, get your ovaries

checked as Ovarian Cancer can also look like a bladder infection. I'm

not trying to scare you, however, a good friend of mine was treated

for three and a half years with a bladder infection that turned out

to be ovarian cancer. I have also been diagnosed several times with

bladder infections that turned out to be IC. If both of our doctors

had done their jobs properly from the beginning, neither one of us

would have suffered as much as we did.

Take care.

Bernie

[Guest guest]

>

>

I saw a consultant

> urologist and he allayed my fears that it was doing me any harm.

You do

> need to take a lot though.

>

***Hi Rosie - Didn't your urologist do a " Bladder Dilation " at the

same time that he did the Cystoscopy and biopsy? I had that done five

years ago and have very few problems now with my bladder. I on

ocassion get twinges that last for a week or two if I eat something

that is extra spicy or acidic. I also only need to get up once or

twice during the night instead of every 15 to 20 minutes. If you

didn't get the dilation, I highly recommend it. It only takes 20

minutes, and you are only at the hospital for approximately 3 hours.

And believe me, it was instant relief!!

Take care.

Bernie

[Guest guest]

Dawn,

I've had UTI's since I was 5 yrs old, severe, and several IVP's along the

way. I take cranberry juice tablets daily, but my old fall back is fresh

parsley. Lots of it. We were never without fresh parsley when I was growing

up, and at the first signs of a UTI she had me eating lots of parsley. Saved

us lots of trips to the doc's. Might at least tide you over until your doc

comes back from vacation, unless it is too severe, then you do need to be

seen. Parsley has mild antibiotic and diuretic properties, and along with

lots of water will help keep your kidneys flushed. Cranberry juice has

always helped me, but I don't have IC.

Donna in NC

>

>>

>> I was wondering if anyone has advice on how to treat a UTI. I

> have

>> never had one before, but I think I may have my first one.

[Guest guest]

On Apr 12, 2006, at 10:22 AM, Dawn wrote:

> I was wondering if anyone has advice on how to treat a UTI. I have

> never had one before, but I think I may have my first one. I called

> my doctor's office and they are on vacation. I really don't want to

> go to the ER, so I am looking for other possible treatment options. I

> am drinking lots of cranberry juice.

For the infection: Do NOT delay. Go find a doc-in-a-box clinic today,

and get some antibiotic. I've had chronic UTIs since I was eight, and

can highly recommend Macrobid as the antibiotic of choice. (Do NOT

allow them to give you a generic. This is one of the very few cases

in which the generic drug is truly not the same thing. I've had this

verified by several pharmacists.)

If you leave this for more than a day or two, you run the risk of it

spreading up the ureters to the kidneys -- and will, at that point,

be in deep and serious trouble. It's not a high risk, but it's a very

real one nonetheless, and somewhat higher in people like us who are

immune-compromised. (I've had this happen twice. Trust me: it's

expensive, not fun, and takes weeks to recover from.)

For the discomfort: Go to the drugstore on your way to the clinic,

buy a box of AZO, and take it on the spot. This is an over-the-

counter bladder anesthetic that will make the discomfort much more

bearable. (It will also make you pee bright red. Don't be alarmed:

that means it's working.)

When these come on while I'm at home, I usually take a double shot

each of Azo and Macrobid (hit 'em hard and early), get a book and a

big glass of ice water, and curl up in a hot bathtub (no salts, soap,

or anything else - just water as hot as I can take) for the 30-45

minutes it takes for the drugs to kick in.

While I'm in the tub waiting, (yes, this is gross), I relax my

bladder and let the pee flow out. This greatly relaxes the urethra

and bladder, easing the pain until the drugs kick in. When I'm done,

of course, I always wipe down the tub with Windex and take a good

soapy shower. And then I go to bed, because the drugs and bath both

make me very tired.

That's what I do.

Sara

[Guest guest]

Hi Dawn-

Ahh...UTI's...my nemesis! My supressed autoimmune system combined with a

chemical posioning in 1999 have lead me into a non-traditional medicine

lifestyle to manage my ongoing health problems. Before learning how to manage

my immune stuff in alternative ways, I lived on antibiotics which never truly

irradicated the UTI's. Then add the whole issue of the Candida and other gut

bugs and I was a walking mess. I went from traditional doctor to traditional

doctor and no one knew what to do with me. I look back on that period of my

life and am sooo grateful that I keep digging for anwers and finally came up

with the team of thinking-outside-the-box doctors that I have now.

Using info from my enviro doc, Dr Sherry , Dr Christianne Northrup, and

Phyllis Bach...I put together an oral protocol involving DMannose, PauD'Arco and

Echincea that works like a charm on the urinary tract stuff. And as a result, I

have not had an antibotic for years now. And that is a miracle.

Just so you know, DMannose is the super concentrated powdered form of the

active part of cranberry juice that makes it hard for EColi to stick to the

Urinary Tract. In my case, it seems to work on all my UTI's, no matter what bug

it actually is. As SOON as I so much as get a TWNGE of that old UTI feeling, I

start pushing massive does of the DMannose boosted with Xylitol for the first

couple of days then taper off. I also make the Pau and Echincea into capsules

and tea and take that for at least 5 days. And voila...works like a charm.

To help things along, I'll also stick in some Tea Tree Oil vaginal

suppositories for a few nights. The book Body Ecology Diet has a great female

section describing the vaginal pH. Douching with apple cider vineagar helps

resore the vaginal pH to it's usual state and can make an enormous difference.

Unfortunately, for us females, if it's in the urinary tract, it's probably

vaginal as well.

Also, I am in surgical menopause. From what I have read in the past, we

become even more susceptible to stuff if our vaginal and urinary tract tissue

changes with the fluctuating hormone levels. That is another sign for me to

adjust the natural hormones...when I feel my symptoms flare up.

Strictly my own experience was the waste of time in trying to talk to

traditional doctors about this. They didn't know what to do with me. I had one

infection after another after another.... It wasn't till I finding doctors who

think outside the box that I started getting answers.

Kathy

From: " Dawn " <dawnmunn@...>

Date: Wed Apr 12, 2006 1:22 pm

I was wondering if anyone has advice on how to treat a UTI. I have never had

one before, but I think I may have my first one. I called my doctor's office

and they are on vacation. I really don't want to go to the ER, so I am looking

for other possible treatment options. I am drinking lots of cranberry juice.

Thanks,

Dawn M

---------------------------------

Talk is cheap. Use Messenger to make PC-to-Phone calls. Great rates

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[Guest guest]

Hi Bernie,

To be entirely pedantic ( the docs - not you) a biopsy is the only thing

to be 100%, but the urologists when I got to see them were pretty good

and knew their stuff. I'm 99% sure, as they were, that a biopsy would

back up their conclusions but they were kind enough not to put me

through any unnecessary distress.

Yep, the NHS is a dying horse I'm afraid!

Rosie

>

***Hi Rosie - I was told at the time that the only possible way for the

urologist to positively diagnose IC was by Cystoscopy, that anything

else was purely guessing.

Wow, you had to wait 18 months!! I thought it was bad enough here in

BC, Canada, when I had to wait six months for the procedure.

Take care.

Bernie

This list is intended for patients to share personal experiences with

each other, not to give medical advice. If you are interested in any

treatment discussed here, please consult your doctor.

[Guest guest]

>

>

> Hi Bernie,

>

> To be entirely pedantic ( the docs - not you) a biopsy is the only

thing

> to be 100%,

***Hi Rosie - The biopsy was to rule out cancer, as bladder cancer can

also share some of the same symptoms.

Take care.

Bernie

[Guest guest]

Hi Bernie,

Ahh ha. I see. I think given things have calmed down then this should

hopefully not be a concern. You now remind me they did an ultrasound

scan of my bladder (which was to rule out tumors) so that's ok! I had

forgotten that - probably a Freudian thing - the doc doing it was one of

those 'god-like' mcp's didn't liked being asked questions about the scan

by a 'mere woman'!!

Rosie

Subject: Re: OT: UTI please help!

>

>

> Hi Bernie,

>

> To be entirely pedantic ( the docs - not you) a biopsy is the only

thing

> to be 100%,

***Hi Rosie - The biopsy was to rule out cancer, as bladder cancer can

also share some of the same symptoms.

Take care.

Bernie

This list is intended for patients to share personal experiences with

each other, not to give medical advice. If you are interested in any

treatment discussed here, please consult your doctor.

[Guest guest]

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who shared your information

and help with me. I took many of your suggestions. I consider it a

real blessing to be a part of this group. You are a wonderful group

of people. Thanks so much for the help and support.

Thanks again,

Dawn M

[Guest guest]

Dawn, Kathy, et al, Glad to hear some info that's new. The treatment that I have

used for years with 100 % success: 2000 mg (minimum) vitamin C daily ( I take 8

gms for 155#.) The C will preclude UTI infection in adequate amounts...the

amount we should be making except we have long ago lost the ability to produce

our own.If all else fails, an extract of cranberry called cranactin works well.

This is a simple prophylactic that works but requires C in the amount that your

body would produce if we hadn't lost the ability to produce it. The C affords

many other benefits and protections aside from this one specific treatment. The

cranactin is in pill form and can be always available.Few treatments are so

simple, have so many benefits and cost so little. Good luck. Mel

OT: UTI please help!

Hi Dawn-

Ahh...UTI's...my nemesis! My supressed autoimmune system combined with a

chemical posioning in 1999 have lead me into a non-traditional medicine

lifestyle to manage my ongoing health problems. Before learning how to manage

my immune stuff in alternative ways, I lived on antibiotics which never truly

irradicated the UTI's. Then add the whole issue of the Candida and other gut

bugs and I was a walking mess. I went from traditional doctor to traditional

doctor and no one knew what to do with me. I look back on that period of my

life and am sooo grateful that I keep digging for anwers and finally came up

with the team of thinking-outside-the-box doctors that I have now.

Using info from my enviro doc, Dr Sherry , Dr Christianne Northrup,

and Phyllis Bach...I put together an oral protocol involving DMannose, PauD'Arco

and Echincea that works like a charm on the urinary tract stuff. And as a

result, I have not had an antibotic for years now. And that is a miracle.

Just so you know, DMannose is the super concentrated powdered form of the

active part of cranberry juice that makes it hard for EColi to stick to the

Urinary Tract. In my case, it seems to work on all my UTI's, no matter what bug

it actually is. As SOON as I so much as get a TWNGE of that old UTI feeling, I

start pushing massive does of the DMannose boosted with Xylitol for the first

couple of days then taper off. I also make the Pau and Echincea into capsules

and tea and take that for at least 5 days. And voila...works like a charm.

To help things along, I'll also stick in some Tea Tree Oil vaginal

suppositories for a few nights. The book Body Ecology Diet has a great female

section describing the vaginal pH. Douching with apple cider vineagar helps

resore the vaginal pH to it's usual state and can make an enormous difference.

Unfortunately, for us females, if it's in the urinary tract, it's probably

vaginal as well.

Also, I am in surgical menopause. From what I have read in the past, we

become even more susceptible to stuff if our vaginal and urinary tract tissue

changes with the fluctuating hormone levels. That is another sign for me to

adjust the natural hormones...when I feel my symptoms flare up.

Strictly my own experience was the waste of time in trying to talk to

traditional doctors about this. They didn't know what to do with me. I had one

infection after another after another.... It wasn't till I finding doctors who

think outside the box that I started getting answers.

Kathy

From: " Dawn " <dawnmunn@...>

Date: Wed Apr 12, 2006 1:22 pm

I was wondering if anyone has advice on how to treat a UTI. I have never had

one before, but I think I may have my first one. I called my doctor's office

and they are on vacation. I really don't want to go to the ER, so I am looking

for other possible treatment options. I am drinking lots of cranberry juice.

Thanks,

Dawn M

---------------------------------

Talk is cheap. Use Messenger to make PC-to-Phone calls. Great rates

starting at 1 & cent;/min.

[Guest guest]

Hi Mel-

I envy those who are able to handle many health conditions with oral

applications as it is just never enough for me. My poor immune system is just

in overdrive all the time and needs so much help. That is why I have switched

to IV supplementation.

Consider me Mrs. Linus ing with the enourmous amounts and various types of

Vitamin C that I consume and it never did a thing the fend off my ongoing UTI's.

My poor body still needs it at both ends!! I never did the Cranactin cause most

that I found on the market have a ton of fillers in them, very toxic for someone

like me.

So, I took my ongoing UTI issue to my enviro doc and she gave me an article

she published on the D-Mannose... " ...it fools the E-Coli into grabbing onto the

mannose like velcro, stead of grabbing onto the bladder wall to cause

infection... " Whether E-Coli or another bug, this stuff, in large push doses,

works really well for me. Yet even with that said, cause of my immune issues, I

still have to boost it with other orals as well as the Tea Tree Oil or Vagistat

insertables. Of course, ALL of this gets effected with my hormones levels...

I am so glad that you have found a protocol that works for you.... Sigh.

Nothing's easy with this stupid illness, eh?....lol...

Kathy

Message 7

From: " Mel Baldwin " alphabear@...

Date: Sat Apr 15, 2006 2:32pm(PDT)

Subject: Re: OT: UTI please help!

Dawn, Kathy, et al, Glad to hear some info that's new. The treatment that I have

used for years with 100 % success: 2000 mg (minimum) vitamin C daily ( I take 8

gms for 155#.) The C will preclude UTI infection in adequate amounts...the

amount we should be making except we have long ago lost the ability to produce

our own.If all else fails, an extract of cranberry called cranactin works well.

This is a simple prophylactic

that works but requires C in the amount that your body would produce if we

hadn't lost the ability to produce it. The C affords many other benefits and

protections aside from this one specific treatment. The cranactin is in pill

form and can be always available. Few treatments are so simple, have so many

benefits and cost so little. Good luck. Mel

---------------------------------

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