The Story so far..Part 4!
As if GCA is not enough, I've developed a bladder infection linked to inflammation, now on my second set of antibiotics. Any advice on whether the preds help or hinder the body fighting the inflammation. Just little seems to have improved so far!
Hi
Unfortunately many on here do seem to get recurring bladder infections - I didn’t but I did get a couple of mouth infections when on high doses.
It’s mainly due your compromised immune system, and the Steroids don’t help because they suppress the immune system.
This seems to be a common problem. I got the symptoms without any discernible infection. I was prescribed Ovestin 1 mg cream ( ladies only) which was very effective.
Is it REALLY an infection? Confirmed by a culture? Both the vasculitis and the pred can give rise to cystitis - which is just a symptom, not necessarily an infection. And as SJ says - if you have any degree of sicca (dry) syndrome that doesn;t help.
Hello, as had been said it is common because Pred suppresses your immune system and the bacteria in and on your body that are there all the time are more able to run riot. I’m not sure what you mean by the infection being linked to inflammation. Until I was around 5-7mg if I didn’t drink water such that my wee was very pale all the time, I would get an infection. However, I think in between infections I was getting a chemical irritation from the Pred and also the calcium tablets. This caused cystitis which tested negative to bacterial infection, but made it more easy for bacteria to get a foot hold. I had to halve my calcium tablet and as said before, keep my urine every dilute. If I ate salt I then found that instead of the fluids flushing through my kidneys, it stayed in my tissues as fluid retention and the cystitis came back.
Hygiene is also important so as not to transfer faecal bacteria from back to front of you’re a lady. It is also important not to destroy the body’s natural defences in the form of mucus by overzealous washing with hygiene products. Antibacterial washes also kill of the supportive bacteria that keep others and fungus at bay.
Another thing is making sure your diet plus Pred isn’t causing large glucose spikes in the blood which also predisposes you to infection if it happens too often.
Very grateful for the replies. As the preds are a 'hinder' this suggests it might take longer to settle down (so strangely comforting!). The urine test result was inconclusive regarding bacteria and as I have a dull ache in the bladder area it suggests inflammation. Seeing GP once I finish the antibiotics next week. Another concern is how this complication may also be affecting my inflammatory markers!
Read a novel recently where the main character retired and then came down with a long term illness and described his life now as 'Managed Decline'. I am empathising with that description at the moment!
I get cystitis without any sign of infection when my prednisone is lowered too much. It can be unbearable. The only thing that helps it is to stay above 5 mg Prednisone (for now).
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