Re: Holly/ UTIs & Salt

[Guest guest]

Hi Holly,

My husband has LBD and gets very frequent UTIs. It is common with LBD, but for

some not as often as my husband gets them. It was discovered that my husband has

urinary retention, common with a lot of elderly men. It is possible that the

urine would not all release from the bladder and stagnate with bacteria. He has

had to have a catheter to siphon out the urine from his baldder. He did have a

catheter for a year, but that caused even more problems with UTIs and Sepsis. He

is now on a medication that helps him to urinate, but I am not sure it is

getting all the urine in his bladder, because he is averaging a UTI every 3

weeks so far. If not caught on time a UTI can turn to Sepsis and that can be

fatal. Sepsis is what caused the death of the last Pope.  My husband had Sepsis

a year and a half ago and Hospice was with him, but he gained strength back

and recovered, because he has such a tremendous will to live I think.

My husband along with many others with LBD will show extreme confussion(More

than usual) and be very aggressive when he has a UTI, so that is a big clue to

watch for although, not all behavior is the same with LBD. It's just a caution

that UTIs have to be watched for when it comes to our LOs, because it can turn

ugly really fast.

My husband's neurologist told me years ago that people with any type of

Parkinson's need to have more salt. Of course, if they have other complications

such as hypertension, you have to watch the sodium intake. For one thing salt

helps to retain fluid and keeps a person from dehydrating. Elderly people and to

top it with LBD get dehydrated very easily.

When my husband gets dehydrated he complains of dizziness and he has lots

of confusion. I give him Gatorade a lot to hydrate him and it has electrolites

in it, which even helps him more. My husband does not have other complications

and needs the salt. He was hospitalized with Hyponatremia (Lack of Sodium) which

can become fatal if not taken care of. His biggest complaint then that was

different from all others that he usually has was a horrible headache. He almost

never gets headaches. He had dizziness, extreme confusion and was nauseated too.

He is in a nursing home and they do not cook with salt, because they cook

food in large vats for all the people and some can not  have salt, so he was not

getting salt in his food nor was he able to retain liquids, because he did not

have enough sodium in his body to retain the liquids, which also can be why he

does not urinate much and can cause a UTI with what stays in his bladder. Also,

because my husband was constipated they were giving him enamas at the nh, which

also flushed out any sodium he may have had in his body. I put a stop to the

enamas after he had Hyponatremia. The Gatorade has helped a lot. I bring it to

the nh, since they do not supply Gatorade. Sodium intake must be watched,

especially in the summer when they can dehydrate so easily.

Maybe this will answer some of your questions about LBD with UTIs and Salt

Symptoms............Jan

UTIs & Salt

Hi there,

I've been reading through some of the information and came across

messages/files about UTIs and salt. I couldn't quite figure out how

they factor in to the care of a LO. Can someone explain the issues or

science behind salt in the diet and UTIs and what I should look out

for?

I read that some doctors prescribe salt for their patients with LBD-

why, I'm not sure? Are LBD patients more susceptible to UTIs- why is

that?

Wishing everyone on here all the best and hoping those affected by the

terrible weather are okay.

Thanks in advance.

-Holly

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

Welcome to LBDcaregivers. 

[Guest guest]

Sometimes the Dr will opt to put a patient on an antibiotic routinely, or

maintainence dose, to prevent continual recurring UTIs.  It works well and the

patient doesn't have to go through the confusion and everything else related to

symptoms of an  impending infection.  Maybe you should question the Dr, or talk

to the nurse to speak to him on your behalf.  worth a try anyway    Katydid

UTIs & Salt

Hi there,

I've been reading through some of the information and came across

messages/files about UTIs and salt. I couldn't quite figure out how

they factor in to the care of a LO. Can someone explain the issues or

science behind salt in the diet and UTIs and what I should look out

for?

I read that some doctors prescribe salt for their patients with LBD-

why, I'm not sure? Are LBD patients more susceptible to UTIs- why is

that?

Wishing everyone on here all the best and hoping those affected by the

terrible weather are okay.

Thanks in advance.

-Holly

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Welcome to LBDcaregivers..