Hello! Introduction & a Question re: UTI's & Catheters

January 21, 2001

I found your group last summer when I was searching the internet for

info about Parkinsons medications. My mother Martha was diagnosed

with Parkinsons 2 1/2 years ago and I moved her here to Arizona in

November 1998 after she had broken her hip. Last week she was

diagnosed with MSA/Shy-Drager after a two month long siege of

frequent fainting and remaining unconsious for 20-30 minutes. I have

found so much wonderful information about proamatine and florinef as

well as many of the other issues we have been struggling with such as

the swallowing and speech exercises. My mother's worst problem is

urinary infections and I feel we are reaching a serious crisis. She

had recurrent infections for the last two years, but now they are

almost constant. She is lucky to have three or four days without an

infection after finishing an antibiotic. Of course the infections

also make everything else much worse. We straight-catheterize her

three times a day since she seldom can control urination at all. I

understand that catherizing in itself increases the likelihood of an

infection but the urologist insists it is better than an indwelling

catheter. Now she has taken so many of the antibiotics that hardly

any of them work. She recently had a horrible reaction to Macrobid

and can't take that anymore because it caused peripheral neuropathy.

I'm wondering if maybe other women have had favorable experiences

with an indwelling catheter. Thanks in advance--I do appreciate this

forum and am so grateful to have found you!

Elissa

January 21, 2001

Elissa

It may be that your mom is not getting enough liquids. Liquids are difficult to

swallow for most MSA patients and they tend to stop drinking as much as they

need. My wife had this problem in 1998 and they placed a PEG (feeding tube)

directly into her stomach. She now gets most of her liquids through the tube as

well as most meds and some food supplement.

Have they done a swallowing study on her? That is where a speech therapist

watches as they have her drink and swallow (or chew and swallow), while they

videotape it by Xray.

Take care, Bill and Charlotte

elissawise@... wrote:

> I found your group last summer when I was searching the internet for

> info about Parkinsons medications. My mother Martha was diagnosed

> with Parkinsons 2 1/2 years ago and I moved her here to Arizona in

> November 1998 after she had broken her hip. Last week she was

> diagnosed with MSA/Shy-Drager after a two month long siege of

> frequent fainting and remaining unconsious for 20-30 minutes. I have

> found so much wonderful information about proamatine and florinef as

> well as many of the other issues we have been struggling with such as

> the swallowing and speech exercises. My mother's worst problem is

> urinary infections and I feel we are reaching a serious crisis. She

> had recurrent infections for the last two years, but now they are

> almost constant. She is lucky to have three or four days without an

> infection after finishing an antibiotic. Of course the infections

> also make everything else much worse. We straight-catheterize her

> three times a day since she seldom can control urination at all. I

> understand that catherizing in itself increases the likelihood of an

> infection but the urologist insists it is better than an indwelling

> catheter. Now she has taken so many of the antibiotics that hardly

> any of them work. She recently had a horrible reaction to Macrobid

> and can't take that anymore because it caused peripheral neuropathy.

> I'm wondering if maybe other women have had favorable experiences

> with an indwelling catheter. Thanks in advance--I do appreciate this

> forum and am so grateful to have found you!

>

> Elissa

>

January 21, 2001

Elissa,

My husband is catherized four times a day. Doctors in Nashville, Memphis,

and our home town all insist that the in/out catherization is much better

than the indwelling. They say there is much less risk of infection than

with the indwelling. This info probably doesn't really help you, but it

might be good to know that other doctors in other areas say the same as your

mother's doctor. We wash the cath tubes with soap and water and then

microwave for 30 seconds.

Everything about this illness is hard. My husband had problems controlling

the release of urine and also problems in emptying the bladder as well.

Prior to beginning the catherization, he would go to bathroom many times a

day with only a tinkle. Shortly afterward, he would need to go again.

We tried Detrol which is supposed to help control, but he got a major

impaction that required a week in hospital. So we are off of Detrol and do

the catherization.

I too have learned much from the people on the list. I see, now, that my

husband had many of the symptoms for several years prior to the actual

diagnosis, but no one tied them all together until 1998. Each symptom was

treated as a different problem.

Good luck to you.

Marilyn in TN

-

January 21, 2001

Welcome to the group, and I, too, am sorry that you have to be here. But,

you won't find a nicer, more well-informed, empathetic group anywhere. We

are a family, and do whatever we can to support each other.

My husband used to intermittent cath also, and never had an in-dwelling one.

Besides the importance of lots of fluids (preferably water) many are put on

Bactrim as a prophylactic measure. This worked wonders for Jim; he was on

it and self-cathing for about ten years. Seems the only time he'd have a

bladder infection was after he'd been in the hospital with an in-dwelling

cath!

Hugs,

Nan