help with constant bladder infections and thrush

[marblesgone]

Hiya ladies.

I am 32 and I am waiting to see an endometriosis specialist for the first time. I've suffered with my bowel and also bladder infections since I was a teenager and it's exhausting. It's become more apparent as i've got older its more than ibs as I've always been told. I bloat to the look of being 6 months pregnant, although herbal remedies have helped this of late.

I am so far taking a list of herbal remedies which have really helped with mood, pain and fatigue, however, the one area I can't seem to help is my bladder. I'm also on pain relief as and when needed.

I seem to always be on antibiotic and one course is never enough. it goes for a while and then comes back.

I always have thrush, especially when on anti biotics and my sex life is virtually none existent due to the constant battle. My boyfriend has to check in on how things are before he can make a move. We moved in together 6 months ago and spent most the time reading books in bed.

Any tips to prevent or for relief would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Marbles x

[jalo69]

Hi there, ive recently had stents put in my ureters and have had 5 utis since Dec. So i thought i would go to Holland and Barrett where i purchased high concentrate cranberry tabs 1 PER DAY. They arent cheap at 16.00 a bottle of 100 but i have to say i believe they have helped. I still get discomfort from peeing but ive concluded thats a problem from the stents. I know when the uti is there coz i just want to shoot through the roof when i pee. This has certainly been lessened since taking the tabs. Might be worth a go. Penny sale and get another pot for just that! j x

[Impatient]

Are you trying different anti-biotics for the infections or the same one over and over.

Bladder bugs can quickly become tolerant of anti-biotics and sometimes you really do need a multi-medicine approach to really zap the beasts.

One way to be sure is to return to the doc right after completing the course and take your wee for a dip test then. If it still shows up as infected even though symptoms have calmed down a lot, then it shows the bug is now resistant to one type of antibiotic and you have to immediately start on a stronger different sort, then again get dip test done after that course in completed and so on till you are free of the pesky blighters.

your doc can send off wee to the lab to test which drugs are going to kill it, but they won't do this right away as it is so common and most women do initially respond to antibiotics with just one course of treatment.

Have you been tested to see if it is the same infection causing problems over and over or just random attacks by different organisms?

Random attacks would indicate they are still climbing up your urethra to the bladder, but the same bug over and over would indicate it is not being entirely killed off by the antibiotics.

You can treat thrush orally and vaginally and should do so while on antibiotics to avoid a flare up if you do tend to get them in tandem.

another tip is to always use a high temperature setting when washing your smalls in the washing machine so ensure any bugs on them are boiled to oblivion before you wear them again. Doesn't actually do your posh smalls much good, so might be worth investing in cheap multipacks and use them instead for a bit.

[sanda5]

The only endo advice i can give is how to deal with bladder/kidney infections. It's the only thing i have managed to beat! I tried every anti-bi every cranberry tablet, stayed off all acidic foods down to not even having vinegar on my chips...none of that works! And them horrible drinks from the chemist that last an hour. Forget it! My mam was on holiday and noticed her friend taking something in her tea & they got chatting about her bladder problems, she had always suffered with...long story short when they got home she gave my mam a tub of the powder. I of course thought it was going to be like all the other crap i had taken. I put a spoon of it in my tea and an hour later the horrible indescribable uncomfortable feeling that had become normal to me was gone.... I think i cried with happiness that day, like you sex was impossible because all i thought about was the bladder infection i would get afterwards! I owe my happiness to waterfall de mannose. There an English brand (me being from Ireland) i get 6 tubs at a time and it works out cheaper bulk buying. You take a spoon in tea or hot water every 3 hours and then one spoon a day for maintenance. I am so excited for you if you do actually take up this advice as that little white tub changed my life and i can't wait for it to change yours.

[FrancesNiG in reply to sanda5]

Do u know the name of the powder at all please ?

[marblesgone]

Hello Ladies.

Thanks so much for all your advise. Really apriciate everyone's concern and help.

Jalo69: Unfortunately I have previously tried cranberry tablets and they made it worse as does cranberry juice, strangely; I know, I'm weird!

Thanks for your advise impatient; this is what me and the docs have been doing over the years to no avail :(.

Sanda5: this sounds too good to be true and I am willing to try anything. I will have a search for this in a bit and let you all know how I get on.

Thanks again ladies from the one who rattles :$

x

[jen1982]

Hi there,

I get repeated bladder infections and the anti-biotics stopped working for me or made me seriously ill. The last few times I've had an infection I have managed to get rid of them just by taking potassium citrate (I'm sure you've probably tried this hundreds of time), and bizarrely and a glass of pineapple juice a day. I have had constant infections for 2 years and this past month is the only time I've been free from them.

I defnitely don't recommend self-medicating, and always suggest getting checked out and using anti-biotics if the GP advises that, but in the meantime and to relieve the symptoms I have found combining those two things very effective. Apparently there is something in pineapple juice that helps.

Another thing too that I seem to have success with is a natural sugar called d-mannose, it's safe even for diabetics. It is basically the sugar found in cranberries but it's much more effective on it's own. It's not cheap but I only take it when I've got the worst of the symptoms so don't mind paying. They say the acidity in cranberry juice can sometimes worsen the infection, so this is one way of avoiding all that. If you google it, you'll see how much success some have had with it.

Again, I don't have the answer and I'm only suggesting what has helped me, I'm sorry you are having to suffer this as they really are unbearable.

Thinking of you x

[Noper]

Hi Marbles, Like some of the other users of this site, I've found waterfall d mannose (you can buy it on the internet from a company called Sweet cures) extremely good for bladder problems. But I was told by my urologist to be cautious of taking it if trying to conceive - as there's not much research on its effects on the unborn baby.

My own experience is that antibiotics don't necessarily help bladder symptoms in the long run, and of course can make the thrush worse. Usually when my urine is tested in a lab, the results come out as negative, despite my ongoing bladder symptoms (frequency, bloating, some pain, generally feeling unwell when the other symptoms are active). Sex certainly does make the bladder symptoms worse with me - particularly in the first half of my menstrual cycle. Have you noticed whether your bladder symptoms are worse at particular times in your cycle? For me, it's at its worst as soon as my period ends, until the week before my period). If there is a pattern, it might be worth discussing this with your doctor. (I suspect that in my case my symptoms are very much triggered by hormones, and their effect on my endo, which in turn affects bladder and bowel).

It sounds v tedious, but I have found that one of the ways of controlling my bladder problems is to be very strict and only ever drink water (except occasionally a few days before my period, when I can sometimes get away with drinking other things). It might be worth trying, to see if it makes a difference for you. I have also found that avoiding gluten where possible and avoiding all acid and spicy foods makes a difference to both bladder and bowel.