My Mother get frequent urinary tract infections, and she is allergic to a lot of medications and is there having a hard time getting rid of the infections because she can't take anything. She is seeing a specialist, but "We don't know what to do with you" and right now she is in so much pain. Does anyone have any home remedies, suggestions?
LOTS of water every day!
Cranberry juice.
Blueberries, pineapples & vitamin C.
Baking soda. Google this.
Good luck!
I get them often. Does she take cranberry pills? It's more concentrated than the juice. I also have a prescribed medication from my dr. so when I do get them, I can just take this stuff (I forgot what it's called) but it numbs your bladder to help with the pain until I am able to get into the dr (if it's the weekend or after hours). There have been times when it's 9pm and it will just hit me out of no where and I will be in tears for hours! It's awful!
Ugh! UTIs are awful! I take cranberry pills/supplements that are extra strength. Also, a heating pad placed on the crotch area helps reduce the burning feeling.
It has been proven that cranberry does not prevent and cannot treat active UTI's. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/772829
Prevention is the best medicine. Please get your mom to the doc and have her treated with a good antibiotic to get her current UTI cured. Once it is gone, prevent her from getting another. #1 on the list for prevention is ensuring that she stays WELL hydrated so that she is urinating and moving that bacteria out of her urethra often. You can Google other prevention techniques.
ETA: Gamma, please take an anatomy and physiology class. Your description is beyond wrong. Your bladder does not create suction when pushed upon. That might be the most ridiculous "explanation" I've heard in my years in the medical profession.
Momma,
I'm sorry your mom is in pain!! UTIs can hurt really bad!!!
She needs to drink cranberry juice and lots of water.
She needs to make sure that she is emptying her bladder when she urinates and not just letting "some" out.
When she goes to the urologist - they should do a sonogram to find out WHERE her bladder is sitting - if her bladder is prolapsed, she will never be able to empty her bladder entirely and will continuously get infections. She might be a great candidate for the bladder sling.
Make sure she has those Poise pads or something like it so she doesn't wet herself when trying to get to the bathroom in a hurry.
If she doesn't get this taken care of, it can lead to kidney infections.
To recap:
Cut out ALL carbonated drinks.
Drink water and cranberry juice. There is a cranberry supplement she can take - but not sure what that would do for her.
Ensure she EMPTIES her bladder EVERY TIME she urinates.
Have a sonogram done of her bladder to find out if she suffers from prolapse and would be a candidate for a bladder sling.
Good luck!
Ow! Bladder infections are horrible! I'm sorry for your mom!
Have they checked her bladder for cysts or tumors?
I will second and third others! Cranberries, even the supplement, should help!
Lots of water!
I have done the plain yogurt in a warm bath and it does help as does oatmeal.
My Mom had that problem when her uterus fell down on top of her bladder.
They tried propping it up with a pessary - it kept falling down too.
So she had a hysterectomy (left her ovaries in) and that fixed up her UTI problem completely.
In the mean time your Mom needs lots of cranberry juice in every form she can get it in and she needs to keep her fluids up to keep flushing her bladder out.
She might try adding a cup of plain yogurt to her bath water - although people think of yogurt for yeast infections, I've found it soothing for UTIs as well.
I hope she feels better soon!
Paracetamol should help for pain, and temperature. In my country we have a product called Ural which is a urinary alkaliser and can help ease the situation. Maybe you have something similar where you are.
I have had cystitis since I was little and I feel for your mum!
Cranberry products are frequently suggested but the acid and the sugar in most juices irritates a lot of women. I have a good friend who had frequent UTIs and used a women's supplement to get rid of them. I have occasional flare-ups (not like she did) and I take extra supplement to deal with it. It's food based so there's no overdose possibility, no warning labels, etc. It's not an overnight fix but it's long lasting.
Cranberry juice, even unsweetened, is a fallacy. It doesn't prevent UTI's and it doesn't make them go away faster. Neither do the tablets. They just... don't. You want to avoid sugary drinks, acidic drinks, so no juices, no soda, reduce coffee and caffeinated tea, reduce sugar you use; try to eliminate those nasty "electrolyte" drinks that no benefits but are harmful with their dyes and the massive amounts of sugar and artificial sweeteners.
Herbal teas and water. Lots of water. Urinate as often as possible to flush out the bacteria. Don't get dehydrated. Eat healthfully.
Sometimes there's irritation there. We've gone swimming in lakes and oceans and had my children come back feeling irritated, and if they didn't urinate right away and then bathe after swimming it often led/leads to UTI. They don't have that issue swimming in treated pools.
I *think* the point GammaG is trying to make is that sometimes irritants can be introduced into area where the urethra hangs out. Some of those irritants are just that... irritants and not an infection. Other times there can be an irritant that might also introduce a bacteria that leads to infection. Sex is one way that happens. It's kind of like if you walk around all day touching surfaces at home, at school, at work, at various toilets, in public all over, and the whole day you're also sticking your fingers up your nose. You're going to irritate your nose by picking it and rubbing up in the nostrils, and might even cause a nose bleed. But worse, you might infect a wound in there and/or catch a cold or sinus infection or some other such infection.
The whole... rest... with the suction... whatever... yeah I'm not touching that.
No advice but just wanted to let you know that my grandma has UTI's all the time and it's horrible. Very common with older folks. Hugs to your mom!
Gamma G, that is the craziest sh*t I've ever heard. Both disturbing and hilarious at the same time.
with older adults, typically the problem is multi level..they dont like to wash their hands after going to the bathroom, its too much hassle, "germs" etc., so the next time they go to the bathroom, the germs that were on their hands from the last trip to the bathroom are still there, and they reinfect themselves over and over again. both the solution and the problem is getting them to simply wash their hands after going to the bathroom, or make their frequent trips to the doctor for yet another uti as UN eventful as possible..take them to the doctors office and DROP them off, no handholding this time, no fancy lunch and shopping trip afterwards.cranberry juice is a great way to head off an uti, so is using hand sanitizer ..K. h.
I'm not sure if cranberry juice will help with infection, but I find that taking a probiotic, vitamins, garlic, as well as Spirulina will help minimize symptoms. Cranberry juice is beneficial to kidney and urinary health, but so is ensuring that you are well hydrated. Has she been tested for diabeties? Some issues with chronic UTI's are symptoms of having blood sugar issues/ diabeties. Decrease sugar intake and all irritants such as spicy foods, caffeine, and alcohol will help.
Look into D-mannose powder/pills to prevent them. Not sure what to do right now...
